Our church had a homeschool co-op that met for a while a couple of years ago. During the co-op, we took advantage of one of our grandfathers' chess-playing ability and had him come in to give the older students lessons. I had already been playing chess (rather, I knew how to move the pieces). But Mr. Stanford really knew the game. He gave five basic principles that every serious chess player knows. Later, I'll tell you what those are.
The interesting thing about chess is, as with any human endeavor, character is often the determining factor. And this is why chess lessons were valuable for our homeschoolers. How does this work? One example is the quality of patience. To play according to the principles requires great patience. Younger, inexperienced players most often lose because of lack of patience. In a moment of aggression, they ignore the principles. Their opponent defends himself carefully, and eventually gains the upper hand. Then it's too late for our young impatient. There are other character traits that come out on the chess board, too. And we'll look at them later. But I can't put too much emphasis on the quality of patience, which in essence is what the Scriptures know as "self-control." Self-control, like every fruit of the Spirit, translates readily into any situation. If a young boy (or girl) "practices" self-control on the chess board, this should benefit them in other circumstances as well. And thus, a game of chess can provide an opportunity to instruct and remind your young man to practice self-control.
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