My kid's love to play chess. In fact some days I just have to put their learning for the day under logic since they prefer to play that over doing school work. Lately we have had the opportunity to review the Starter Chess Learning Kit offered by Chess House.
When we received the Starter Chess Learning Kit I have to admit we were wowed by it. Everything came wrapped in the Deluxe Chess Bag. The chess board mat is made of vinyl and can be rolled up to put in the case. Each row is marked with letters or numbers to help in placement. The chess pieces are nice and sturdy and are over 3 1/2". Included in the kit was Elliot's Chess School Pawn Level 1 DVD. If that wasn't enough they also include a chocolate candy bar.
While the game board and pieces are necessary for play the heart of this starter kit is Elliot's Chess School DVD. This DVD includes:
- Intro to Chess
- Pawns
- Rooks
- Bishops
- Queen
- King
- Knights
- Castling
- Pawn Shields
- Development
Elliot , the host, shows what each piece can do and gives helpful tips and suggestions for each piece. This instructions in this DVD are portrayed in an easy to understand and remember format. There is a lot of information packed on the DVD that will keep you busy for a while. One viewing won't be enough. Also included is an activity booklet which includes activities to do that go with each topic. These activities have illustrations and give tips to help you apply the topics covered.
The kid's immediately opened this package and started playing chess. My boys, Caleb and Chantry, watched the DVD together one day while I was gone and all when I got home I kept hearing: "Mom, did you know that you could ____?" When their dad got home he was bombarded with the same questioning. They then proceeded to share with Destini all the things that they had learned. I did have Destini then watch it herself so she was in the "know".
In their own words here is what my kids thought about the Starter Chess Learning Kit:
"I liked how the DVD showed good secrets to use against playing an opponent. The numbers on the board were a big help. My favorite tip I learned about was the "army of queen." - Caleb (17)
"I liked how you could have more than one queen on the board. The DVD is really good to teach you how to play chess. My favorite part was the whole thing!" - Chantry (11)
"The DVD is great for beginners. I learned about the numbering system and about how move all of your pieces out and place them in good positions. I also liked the portability of the chess set" - Destini (13)
I found it helpful in brushing up my chess knowledge and learned a few things myself. I never knew that chess pieces had points assigned to them. I can now remind my kids of things to do while watching them play. I also liked the DVD format since it makes it so much easier to understand versus reading about different chess tips in a book.
Honestly, I could rave on and on about this Starter Chess Learning Kit. It has inspired my kids to play chess and learn to improve their technique. Even Delani (5) got excited about it and she started to learn how to play chess. This is something that will be enjoyed for years to come by the whole family of all ages. High, highly recommended!!
You can purchase your own Starter Chess Learning Kit at Chess House for $39.99.
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