10 SKILLS

EVERY CHILD
SHOULD LEARN Success
BY AGE 10

TM

C Chess4Life LLC | All Rights Reserved

 Copyright © 2020 Chess4Life LLC

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Welcome :
We all want what is best for our children.

But it can be difficult to know where to begin.

At Chess4Life, we have taken the principles that
Chess Masters have used for centuries to achieve
success at the highest levels, and condensed them
into 10 FUNDAMENTAL SKILLS that any child can
learn and implement.

Explore each skill and read

the mindset definition. Then
circle one of three simple
actions: Work on it, encourage Success
it, or celebrate it.

Remember that life is about

progress, not perfection.
Progress
We all have room
for improvement.

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1. Win, Draw, Learn :
R

The desire to learn from losses, mistakes, and successes.

Realizing losing is an attitude and it is only a true loss
if nothing was learned.

Importance: Life is full of mistakes and losses. A child that has the ability and desire
to learn something from mistakes will rapidly grow beyond their peers who run from or
try to cover up their mistakes. This mindset will prove useful in every endeavor in life.

In Chess, students learn to notate their games so they can review the moves after
the game is completed. Simply reviewing your games, celebrating what you did well
while also learning from your mistakes can lead to a rating increase.

My Child’s Mindset? (circle one)

Seeks to learn from every person, situation, and
experience whether positive or negative:
Let’s Work On It Let’s Encourage It Let’s Celebrate It!

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2. Sportsmanship :
The attitude that every person deserves respect,
including your opponents. Being gracious when
winning and calm when losing.

Importance: The ability to treat others with respect will help get you far in life.
Encouraging the people around you when they are losing shows others that you can
be a leader. Staying calm when losing demonstrates important self-control.

In Chess, students learn the tradition of shaking hands before and after every
tournament game, thank their opponent for playing, and can even spend time after
the game to review the moves together. Frequently, players will discuss together
what they both did well and where they could improve.

My Child’s Mindset? (circle one)

Congratulates opponents regardless of result.
Considerate of others’ feelings in every situation.
Encourages those who have lost.
Let’s Work On It Let’s Encourage It Let’s Celebrate It!

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3. Focus :
The ability to avoid distractions and put your full energy
into the task at hand to achieve the greatest result.

Importance: Without focus, it is difficult to complete tasks and ultimately reach

your full potential. Focus allows you to give your all to something important, giving
you the best chance of success.

In Chess, we teach students to utilize their opponent’s turn to think about the next
move. Many children lose focus when it is their opponent’s turn and only begin
thinking about their next move when it is their turn to move. Instead, developing the
skill to mentally get “in the zone” is likely to achieve amazing results!

My Child’s Mindset? (circle one)

Rarely distracted. Self-aware to take mini-breaks
when focus is waning and returns to focus quickly
until the project is completed.
Let’s Work On It Let’s Encourage It Let’s Celebrate It!
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4. Respect :
Demonstrating through your actions that all people have
value, as well as taking care of your environment.

Importance: We all live in this world together. Valuing others and their unique
abilities as well as taking care of your environment will create a community where
each person can thrive.

In Chess, students learn to review games with their opponent whether they won
or lost in order to learn from each other. They also learn to build respect for their
environment by following this mantra: “A Chess game is not done until the pieces
are set back up or carefully put away.”

My Child’s Mindset? (circle one)

Displays politeness and humility at all times.
Encourages others to show respect.
Strives to keep environment clean and orderly.
Let’s Work On It Let’s Encourage It Let’s Celebrate It!

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5. Goal Setting :
The ability to envision a bigger and better future,
and quantify what you would like to achieve.

Importance: Studies show that people who simply write their goals down are more
likely to achieve them than people that do not. A child who can set SMART goals early
in life will be building a skill that will help them accomplish their biggest ambitions.

In Chess, we teach students to begin with the end in mind. Checkmate is the goal
of every game. But we also teach students how to set mini-goals throughout the
game. Identifying other targets such as high value pieces or important squares,
will help the students on their way to the ultimate goal of checkmate.

My Child’s Mindset? (circle one)

Strives to define SMART goals.
Unwavering in pursuit of those goals, yet willing to
adjust or reset goals when necessary.
Let’s Work On It Let’s Encourage It Let’s Celebrate It!
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6. Planning :
The ability to work backwards from your goal and
consider the necessary steps to reach success.

Importance: If it is true that people who write down their goals are more likely to
achieve them, then it is especially true that people who create a plan to achieve their
goals are even more likely to be successful.

In Chess, once you have determined your goal and/or target, you then work
backwards to envision each move that will take you closer to your goal. If a student
skips this step, there are so many possible move choices in chess that they are likely
to waste time making moves that do not help them achieve checkmate.

My Child’s Mindset? (circle one)

Considers pros & cons while carefully developing
clear steps to accomplish goals.
Makes careful decisions to fulfill plans while still
being flexible to adjust plans when necessary.
Let’s Work On It Let’s Encourage It Let’s Celebrate It!
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7. "Can Do" Attitude :
The belief that you can achieve and accomplish
what you set your mind to.

Importance: If you think you can’t, you are right. If you think you can, you are right.
What you think directly relates to the outcome. This skill is one of the most important
skills to accomplishing your goals.

In Chess, we teach our students to ignore the rating of their opponent so that they
enter every game with the confidence to play their best chess. If students believe
they will be beaten by a higher rated opponent before the game has even started,
they are likely to play poorly and give up sooner.

My Child’s Mindset? (circle one)

Expects positive results, continually focuses on
options one CAN do, even in very negative situations.
Visualizes success.
Let’s Work On It Let’s Encourage It Let’s Celebrate It!
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 8. Better Together :
The understanding that we all have unique abilities and
can achieve the greatest results when working together.

Importance: More than ever, the ability to work well with others as part of a team
is a critical component for success. A group of diverse people utilizing their strengths
together is the foundation of every great breakthrough in modern society.

In Chess, when a student uses just their queen or a few pawns in an attack, they
are already giving their opponent a big advantage. Instead, we teach our students
how to use all of the pieces together effectively to gain control of the chess game
and set their team up for success.

My Child’s Mindset? (circle one)

Puts “we” over “me,” valuing community over personal achievements.
Strives to leverage unique abilities together for better results.
Sees diversity as a strength
Let’s Work On It Let’s Encourage It Let’s Celebrate It!

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9. Healthy Habits :
Making choices in life that positively affect
your mind and body.
Importance: Food, sleep, exercise, and learning are just a few choices that we
make everyday that either improve or impair our mind and body. To efficiently and ef-
fectively reach your goals, you need to take care of yourself. Last, and perhaps
most important, our mental attitude is key to progress.

In Chess, we teach our students about healthy habits during a chess game such
as looking for three good moves every turn before moving a piece. We also help our
students prepare for success by teaching them to develop healthy study habits and
prepare for competition.

My Child’s Mindset? (circle one)

Continually strives to develop good habits.
Works to replace bad habits with better habits.

Let’s Work On It Let’s Encourage It Let’s Celebrate It!

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10. Always Improve :
The belief that you can always find ways to improve
and the desire to keep trying. Excellence is not a
destination, it is a journey.

Importance: Our world is rapidly changing and if you sit still, you are falling behind.
The ambition to always improve will take you to new heights. But don’t forget to
celebrate progress or all that hard work will wear you out!

In Chess, there is always something new to learn. Students that review their games
with a friend, coach, or even an opponent will always find at least one move they
could improve. Over time, they will make significant progress in chess.

My Child’s Mindset? (circle one)

Frequently goes outside comfort zone in
striving to fulfill potential and achieve excellence.
Continually celebrates progress and then
decides next steps to move closer to excellence.
Let’s Work On It Let’s Encourage It Let’s Celebrate It!
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Bonus!
Celebrate Success :
The ability to take a moment and look at how far you have
come and appreciate what has been accomplished.

Importance: Life can be hard. Success can take time. Focusing too much on what
you have yet to accomplish can lead to stress and fatigue. Instead, regularly looking
‘back’ at how far you have come will energize and help you stay motivated!

In Chess, there are many milestones that can be celebrated. Simply learning the rules and
completing your first game is a great accomplishment. Then winning your first game,
competing in your first tournament, or even learning and implementing a new tactic. We also
celebrate life skill achievements such as holding your head up high after a loss and trying to
learn from it. At Chess4Life, we make sure to celebrate all kinds of success with our students.

My Family’s Mindset? (circle one)

We get excited about progress and what has been accomplished.
We celebrate mini-wins and use that momentum to keep striving.
We know that our goals will keep growing and changing
and never expect to fully arrive / be done achieving.
Let’s Work On It Let’s Encourage It Let’s Celebrate It!
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 NEXT STEPS :
1. Choose one of the skills you will celebrate with your child.
2. Choose one of the skills to encourage your child to keep developing.
3. Choose one of the skills that you and your child will work on
together over the next 3 months.

Write them in the blank boxes provided below:

Examples of how your
Skill to Celebrate! child exhibits this skill: Date Celebrated:
1.

2.

3.

How do you see your

Skill to Encourage child trying to implement?
Date Recognized:
1.

2.

3.

Skill to Work On Improvement Ideas Date to Implement Ideas:

1.

2.

3.

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For more information on

Chess4Life
and programs we offer that
help build these skills, visit

Chess4Life.com
Did you find this guide helpful?
Share your story (or questions) with us
by emailing Kids@Chess4Life.com

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