Although chess is one of the world’s most popular games in America, it does not enjoy the same universal popularity as it does in many other countries. Part of that can be attributed to the fact that chess is a dedicated part of the school curriculum in other countries, while in the United States, it is taught primarily in after-school clubs or through private instruction. It can also be attributed to perception – many players, whether they were taught the game or have watched matches before, have developed the idea that chess is reserved for “smart people” and that it is simply too difficult to learn.

As an internationally-certified chess instructor, Yvonne White wanted to change those perceptions, showing players ranging from school-aged children to seniors learning the game for the first time that chess can be fun, exciting, and, most of all, easy to learn.

“When you are first introduced to chess, you see all the pieces having different movements, and all the special rules, and the strategy is almost impossible to understand; it seems over your head, and you can easily become overwhelmed,” Yvonne says. 

“Although it is complex, if taught the right way, it can be extremely easy. And when you bring it together and start to understand it, chess is really quite beautiful and fun, and it challenges you over and over again.”

Yvonne and Warren White launched Chess Made Fun to make chess more accessible to students who otherwise may never have the opportunity to learn the game and enjoy its many benefits. By bringing the in-person chess club experience to their dynamic online platform, they make it possible for students to learn chess, meet other players, and engage in exciting gameplay from anywhere in the country. 

One of their main areas of focus is on simplifying the instruction by pairing students with expert chess instructors who join the Chess Made Fun platform. By breaking the complexities of chess into fun and memorable mini-games, they quickly and effectively teach students the rules of the game while allowing them to engage with the pieces.

“We start by playing a game with just the pawns, which lets the students understand the pieces and start winning right away,” Yvonne says. “When you start playing chess, it can take months to start winning matches, but if you start with just playing with the pawns, you are learning and winning.”

A pawns-only mini-game can serve to make chess more accessible to students who have never played before. Once they understand the basic functions of the pawns, they can move on to learning other pieces on the board.

During her career as an instructor, Yvonne discovered that one of the most complicated pieces is the knight — and that students who are trying to learn chess “all at once” often struggle to understand the knight’s movements. This can create a barrier to learning the game, leading to the perception that only the most intelligent people can play chess.

She resolves this with another set of mini-games, allowing students to experience the movements of the knight without complicating the learning process with other pieces.

“I start by covering the board with beads, one bead in every square except one, which has a knight,” Yvonne explains. “You move the knight around the board, and each time you land on a square, you collect a bead. The object of the game is to collect all the beads without landing on an empty square. It helps the students do complex moves and think strategically on a lower scale.”

At Chess Made Fun, mini-games for each of the pieces help students quickly understand how the pieces move – as well as how to use them to maximize their advantage. In teaching chess through these methods, Yvonne and Warren White have successfully taught chess to students of all ages. It is part of their mission to bring chess to everyone, debunking the myths that chess is reserved only for certain people.

Their methods have allowed countless students to enjoy the game in new and exciting ways while teaching them important skills like creative and critical thinking, determination, and sportsmanship.

“Many people try to teach chess by telling you what to do and then having you memorize the moves,” Yvonne says. “But if all you do is memorize and then someone does something you haven’t seen before, now you have to start thinking for yourself. We teach by repetition, but then we let them figure out on their own what the best strategies are for a particular game.”

By breaking down the game of chess into more understandable components, Chess Made Fun speeds up the learning process, making chess more enjoyable to new students while giving them the tools to play chess for the rest of their lives. Therein lies the real beauty of the game – it is easy to learn but takes a lifetime to master, which means it is a game that continues to yield new experiences each time a new game begins.

“In chess, even if you don’t win, you still walk away learning something, and in life, we always want to continue learning. We always want to continue to better ourselves,” Yvonne says. “Chess is something that pushes you to better yourself and to learn more, and I think that is a good thing for everybody.”

To learn more about Chess Made Fun’s unique online chess program, visit www.chessmadefun.com.