Chess is widely acknowledged as one of the best ways for young children to to develop their forward thinking and reasoning skills as summarised by the Canadian Chess Federation. It’s also a great way to spend quality time with a parent or grandparent, while boosting their imaginations and having fun at the same time!

As a parent, you’ve probably wondered about the benefits for your child of learning chess. One of the most frequently asked questions we get at Chesslife is, how old does my child have to be to learn chess? Is there an age that’s too young? On the other hand, is there an age after which they’re too old to start playing?

The good news is, there is no age at which playing chess won’t help boost your brain power, whether you’re young and still learning life skills, or you’re trying to keep your brain fresh as you mature.

Parents of our students are constantly impressed by just how much their children know about chess after only a few months learning.

The majority of Chesslife students start playing when they’re around five years old. As most of our classes are run in schools and libraries, this is a handy time to start learning chess. At that age, kids are easily able to learn how the pieces move, how to keep them safe, where to put them and how to set up the board the right way.

At around seven to eight is when most students get really into chess. By this time many are able to play high quality chess, concentrating for up to an hour on a single game! At this age, their boosted imaginations bring the pieces to life, which is why you often hear them making bulldozer noises as they take a piece!

So is any age really too young to learn chess? Former world champion Gary Kasparov started playing when he was just two. And you’re never too old to learn – we provide chess classes to seniors to continue to encourage brain training.

What’s the right age to learn chess? The answer is: whenever you want to!