Basic Chess Openings for Kids

Award-winning author Charles Hertan knows what kids really need to know (and want to know) about getting their pawns and pieces ready for action.

Traditional chess opening books concentrate on the variations in different openings. Charles Hertan believes that for beginners and advanced beginners memorizing lines is not only boring but also a waste of time.

Hertan’s approach is different.

He helps kids to develop a solid understanding of the fundamental opening principles. What are the properties of each chess piece, and how can they be mobilized effectively to work together and get a strong position on the board?

In his trademark humorous and kidfriendly way, Hertan teaches what you should actually be trying to achieve at the start of a game. Kids will love learning how to avoid The Five Most Common Opening Mistakes.

This is a fun, easy-to-use, down-to-earth and accessible chess opening primer.

Charles Hertan is a FIDE Master from Massachusetts who has been teaching kids for more than thirty years. He won the ChessCafe Book of the Year Award and authored the best-selling Power Chess for Kids books.