# Who taught you how to play chess? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 23, 2001, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-taught-you-how-to-play-chess/51471 "2001-01-23T22:43:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Turpentine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Turpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turpentine)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2001, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-taught-you-how-to-play-chess/51471/1 "2001-01-23T22:43:57Z")
My dad taught me. And everybody that I play on a regular basis seems to have learned from their dad. So what is it about dads teaching their children to play chess? Is it a bonding thing? How come the mothers don’t seem to teach their children? I think my view is skewed, but I want to take a survey here and see how many people learned from their dad, and how many people learned elsewhere. _I_ taught my little sister how to play. I wonder if she was the only one who was taught how to play by her big sister. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2001, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-taught-you-how-to-play-chess/51471/2 "2001-01-23T23:00:19Z")
Dad taught me how to play at around age 8 or so. Played through high school, and I’m bringing my board to the law school occasionally to play against friends between classes. I’ll wager that you won’t find many folks who were taught how to play by mom; perhaps women from our parents’ generation just didn’t play chess. ---
**Author:** ![TheThill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheThill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheThill)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2001, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-taught-you-how-to-play-chess/51471/3 "2001-01-23T23:11:40Z")
I’m just like your friends, my father taught me. I guess I must have been about 6 or so. I never became an extremely avid player, though, although I hold my own. Or at least I used to… ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2001, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-taught-you-how-to-play-chess/51471/4 "2001-01-23T23:14:37Z")
I taught myself (from a book) how to play chess when I was about 12. This is most likely why I suck at chess. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tit\_Whistle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/858c86/32.png) [@Tit\_Whistle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tit_Whistle)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2001, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-taught-you-how-to-play-chess/51471/5 "2001-01-23T23:30:45Z")
My brother taught me, and I never have beat him. Most likely taught me bad strategies to feed his overblown ego. Shit, now I’m bitter. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Zero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@Saint\_Zero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Zero)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2001, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-taught-you-how-to-play-chess/51471/6 "2001-01-23T23:38:47Z")
I taught myself. I’m not what they call a major threat. Matter of fact, if chess were like getting mugged in a alley, I wouldn’t even get bothered I suck so bad. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2001, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-taught-you-how-to-play-chess/51471/7 "2001-01-23T23:40:48Z")
Actually, my mom taught me…my father doesn’t play. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2001, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-taught-you-how-to-play-chess/51471/8 "2001-01-23T23:41:02Z")
My father taught me when I was 7. He felt the only way I’d ever really learn was never to soften up his attack. I finally beat him when I was 11. I had a college roommate whose brother taught him. And when he decided my roommate had a really short attention span for chess, he tied him to the chair. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-taught-you-how-to-play-chess/51471/9 "2001-01-24T02:22:19Z")
My dad taught me, but I’ve never been very good. Haven’t played since I was soundly defeated by my seven-year-old cousin. I think I (at least partly) taught my younger brother to play. He’s worse than I am. ---
**Author:** ![blur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dbc845/32.png) [@blur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blur)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-taught-you-how-to-play-chess/51471/10 "2001-01-24T02:27:53Z")
When I was about 7 or 8 my school had a little day camp during the summer. One of the councilers, who I think was in high school, taught me. I don’t remember his name. Neither of my parents play. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-taught-you-how-to-play-chess/51471/11 "2001-01-24T02:38:06Z")
**Fred Reinfield** ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-taught-you-how-to-play-chess/51471/12 "2001-01-24T03:15:05Z")
My father plays, but believe or not he never taught me and we’ve never even played :eek:. I actually learned at a summer program for gifted :rolleyes: kids at a local college; it was one of the classes offered. That was the summer between 5th & 6th grade, so I would have been 10-11ish. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-taught-you-how-to-play-chess/51471/13 "2001-01-24T03:18:56Z")
Also, to answer the OP: I think that fathers who know how to play chess _should_ teach their sons (and daughters :D) to play chess, in the same way that they should teach them to ride their bikes, tie their shoes, etc. It’s a bonding thing, but it’s also a way to teach a valuable skill. I know I’m looking forward to teaching Rasta Jr. to play chess. That is, if there ever _is_ a Rasta Jr. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-taught-you-how-to-play-chess/51471/14 "2001-01-24T03:42:09Z")
My Father, I don’t remember how old I was. ---
**Author:** ![Elkman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Elkman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elkman)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-taught-you-how-to-play-chess/51471/15 "2001-01-24T05:50:11Z")
I learned on a computer in high school. My parents don’t play, and my friends got exasperated too quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-taught-you-how-to-play-chess/51471/16 "2001-01-24T08:26:18Z")
The 1964 World Book Encyclopedia (which I always referred to as a child when I had an unanswered question). I then cut out 32 little squares of paper and drew rooks, knights, etc. on them and challenged my Dad to a game. He whupped me, then bought me a real chess set. ---
**Author:** ![DRY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a87d85/32.png) [@DRY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DRY)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-taught-you-how-to-play-chess/51471/17 "2001-01-24T08:36:08Z")
I was something like five or six. I think my dad taught me how to move the pieces, though I learned to kick everyone’s ass (I was REALLY good for my age until about junior high or so) by reading chess books. My first chess book might not have been authored by Fred Reinfeld, but of the first dozen or so I read, at least 10 were. Reinfeld rocked! My dad was my first regular opponent, though. Within a few months of learning the game, I could beat him like a drum before he wouldn’t play me anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-taught-you-how-to-play-chess/51471/18 "2001-01-24T08:39:51Z")
My poor dad, of course, just like he taught me poker and blackjack and the benefit of leading with a left jab. I taught my daughter all these, except for the left jab, for which I’ve substituted a non-incarceratable restraining hold once taught me by a police officer married to a friend of my first wife. Not being my geneticaly flawed natural daughter but rather the product of my second wife’s prior relationship, my daughter’s natural aptitiude easily surpassed me in her tenth year. To my credit, when she beat me for the first time I didn’t, Great Santini-like, keep bouncing the king off her forehead while saying “go ahead and squirt a few!” ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-taught-you-how-to-play-chess/51471/19 "2001-01-24T09:28:49Z")
Does anybody remember the “Chess for Girls” fake commercial on “Saturday Night Live”? ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-taught-you-how-to-play-chess/51471/20 "2001-01-24T14:48:49Z")
My dad taught me when I was 8 or 9, and like some others here on the board, I was beating him regularly within months. Dad’s knowledge was imperfect, though. He didn’t teach me (because he didn’t know about) _en passant_, castling, queen-starts-on-her-color, or even the universally-known “two rooks” rule. I picked up all that later from my first cousin Jon, who was eleven years my senior. **Snooooopy** , I don’t know of the “Chess for Girls” sketch. Please share with the class. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-taught-you-how-to-play-chess/51471.md?page=2)