At least that there are such things!
I attempted to force my students into
King's pawn openings for a variety of reasons. The primary reason is to teach them to fight for the center and develop their kingside pieces for a quick O-O
castle.
With the variations that can sometimes get too far in depth than I'd care to delve with my ROOKIES, I set up several openings to include the Ruy Lopez, Scotch Game, Giuoco Piano, Petrov's Defense, King's Gambit and a personal favorite, the
Four Knight's Game.
After introducing the openings and explaining a bit about the theory behind them, I forced the kids into specific openings and then had them switch with their opponents to play the opposite side. Please keep in mind that I am dealing with primarily 2nd graders. To my surprise, a few were able to recall from memory the position they played without referring to the algebraic notation I had written on the board.
I've read and have been told that the majority of players, especially at the beginner scholastic level, need not concern themselves with standard openings. For the most part, I agree. However, in this case, it has been helpful to show the children why it's important to start thinking strategically from the outset. So, I have used these "book" openings to highlight some of the key principles that I have been wanting them to focus on:
1. Fight for the center!
2. Develop your minor pieces quickly.
3. Fight for an advantage in
tempo.
4. Protect your King.
It's worked.
I have seen remarkable improvement in their openings and what's even more important is the fact that they are now READING, on their own, about chess. Some of my kids are now looking for an advantage over their peers. I gotta love that.
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