Chess
Here, we teach the fundamentals of the game, and can coach your child through to club, league and tournament levels. Paul is a former county player. Learning chess is a great way to learn about life; in particular it teaches:
- Patience and discipline – In a poor position you must defend and bide your time;
- Initiative – In a strong position you must attack or your advantage slips away;
- Wisdom and judgement – to know the difference
In addition chess is a great way to develop mental capacities like pattern-recognition and calculation, and to understand the difference between strategy (long-term plans) and tactics (the short-term repercussions of your acts and omissions).
The benefits of chess are manifold, and you can read about them here. My favourite anecdote is this:
A head of a school gave two teachers an hour extra per week to teach whatever they liked to their students. One chose English, the other chose chess. After a term, all children were re-tested. The children who'd studied chess had improved more than those that had studied English - in all subjects - including English!