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How more than 50,000 children in Germany learn and train chess

Chess
The story of "Rochade Kids"—a chess magazine for children

"My kid knows the rules of chess—but what's next?" In 2017, this very question inspired International Chess Master and children's chess coach Tobias Hirneise from Germany to create a new chess magazine specifically for children who are already familiar with the game's rules. The goal was to create something new and different from the previously seen black-and-white materials. It had to be colorful, playful, and fun.

A fresh strategy was required for a child-friendly layout and design. Over 100 children, chess coaches, teachers, and parents across Germany were interviewed to better understand their needs. Together with design experts, the results of these discussions were transformed into the first issue of the “Rochade Kids" magazine. The term “Rochade” is German for “castling” and is also the name of the German adults chess magazine Rochade Europa. Publisher is Lichess-League founder FM Jens Hirneise, the younger brother of Tobias.

Developing new cartoon chess pieces was the first step. Not surprisingly, kids love cartoons.
Developing new cartoon chess pieces was the first step. Not surprisingly, kids love cartoons.

Final concept:
In each issue, the cartoon chess pieces set off on a new chess adventure so kids can learn about all the important stages of a chess game: tactics, strategy, the opening, middlegame, and endgame. An introduction to each topic precedes the puzzles related to it.

Treasure hunt:
Each issue contains more than 350 puzzles at different levels. Kids can collect up to 500 gold coins in total for each correct answer. The number on the gold coins also indicates the puzzle’s difficulty.

Print only:
Children nowadays spend more than enough time staring at all kinds of screens. For this reason, our workbooks are only available in print. We believe this is the best way to learn and practice chess! To solve the puzzles, you can also use a real chessboard. Back to basics! The only exception we make is to play on Lichess :)

First issue

After 6 months of preparation, in April 2018 the first issue of "Rochade Kids" came to be. The theme revolves around knights, and it's not just about the chess piece! We invite kids to the chess castle, where they must solve puzzles in the magical forest and even encounter dragons and ghosts.


Here you can have a look at the full first issue in German (information about other languages at the very bottom): https://rochade-kids.de/1/leseprobe.html

More than 100,000 copies sold

Since its inception, the magazine has produced over 25 issues, totaling over 1800 pages and over 8000 chess puzzles. GM Dmitrij Kollars, a grandmaster and player of the German national chess team, joined the team to support the writing of all the texts. More than 50,000 children used the Rochade Kids workbooks to learn and train chess. So far, more than 100,000 copies have been sold.


By clicking on the cover pictures at the following link, you can see sample pages for all the workbooks: https://rochade-kids.de/ausgaben/

Workbooks for beginners—including stickers and chess drivers licenses

Additionally, a series of workbooks for complete beginners was created. "Schach lernen für Schüler" (Translation: Chess learning for children) introduces children to the game of chess and its rules. Later, a beginners book, specifically designed for girls, was released. These workbooks became best-sellers as each copy includes a sheet of 70 stickers, rewarding each completed page. Kids also enjoy the chess driver's license, which they can earn once they understand how all the pieces move.

Why chess is beneficial for children

  • Promotes logical thinking
    Chess trains analytical thinking and helps children to analyze complex contexts.
  • Is accessible to everyone
    Chess does not require expensive equipment, long-term club membership, or physical requirements. Chess is a low-threshold sport in the world and offers plenty of space to try it out without pressure!
  • Increases concentration
    Chess is playful brain training because the game demands the full attention of the players, who thus train their concentration and memory.
  • Stimulates creativity
    In chess, the best move is rarely clear and simple to find. The player consistently encounters fresh challenges and must devise innovative solutions.

Translated into several languages

The Rochade Kids workbooks have been translated into several languages. In case you are interested in publishing or distributing them in other languages, please reach out. We are always looking for new partners!

  • English: Chess-Tales (currently sold out)
  • Norwegian: ROKADE! Arbeidsbok i sjakk
  • Swedish: Schack för skolever
  • Italian: A scuola con gli scacchi

Visit our website: https://rochade-kids.de/