- Chess is a wonderful game combining tremendous excitement with aesthetic beauty. It also has an extraordinary history, heritage and literature. We believe that all children and young people should have the opportunity to learn chess.
- Although it’s easy for most young children to learn the moves, the complexity of the game, the number of possible moves on each turn, the length of time a game lasts all indicate that it’s, in general, more suitable for older children and adults than younger children. While bright children with proactively supportive parents will often benefit from starting young, most children will gain more benefit from a slower approach. We believe that chess should be promoted and taught in ways which are appropriate to children’s cognitive and emotional development.
- Although children will gain much from taking any skill fairly seriously, there’s no convincing evidence that chess has a unique and long-term effect on improving children’s academic performance. We believe that chess should be promoted for its intrinsic value, not for its claimed extrinsic benefits.
Twickenham Library Junior Chess Club 