FUN in the RAIN

Forget about umbrellas! Go outside and have some fun while it's raining. In the event that there is no lightning or thunder, it is best to keep children outside of the home while it is raining as long as it is safe to do so. They won't be prepared for how drastically different the world looks to them while it's storming outside.

What You'll Need:

1.  Permission to get wet.

2.  Once you're outside splashing through the rain, take a big whiff of the air. Do you notice a difference in the smell of rainy-day air?


3.  Look around, and see if you can spot any animals or insects that you don't normally see when the sun is out.


4.  Watch your step. Chances are you'll see plenty of earthworms wiggling about in the rain.


5.  Look at the trees to see how they handle the rain.  Some leaves are made so that the rain glides off them.


6.  Check to see what else you can discover around your house that looks different in the rain than when the sun is out.

TWO KIDS playing CHESS

Chess has been thought of for a long time as a game that can help people learn and grow, especially if they start playing it when they are young.

When my daughter Chelsea and her friend Krizzha are playing chess, they often ask me how the game should be played correctly. This is one of the funniest things that has ever happened to me. To tell you the truth, I have absolutely no idea how to play chess either. I replied to them by saying, "Before they play that game, they are required to first study the fundamental strategy of how to play chess."

It is never too late to learn how to play chess, which is often considered to be the most popular game in the world. Continue reading if you have no prior experience with the game and want to find out all of the rules and strategies involved.

Why is it popular?

1. They hone their abilities in areas such as analysis, synthesis, and decision making, all of which may be applied to the actual world.
   
   
2. They will acquire the skills necessary to conduct in-depth and exhaustive study on chess, which will assist them in developing confidence in their abilities to conduct research for academic purposes.
   
   
3. Children will benefit from gaining an understanding of the nature of competition, which will serve them well in any competitive pursuit they undertake.
   
   
4. When children play the game of chess, it requires them to use higher-order thinking abilities such as analyzing actions and their resulting repercussions and visualizing the possibilities of the future.
   
   
5. In regions where chess is frequently taught in schools, pupils are adept at spotting complicated patterns, which aids their performance in math and science.

Starting a Game

The chessboard is first arranged so that each player has a white (or light-colored) square on the bottom right-hand side. The chess pieces are then always positioned in the same manner. The second row (or rank) contains pawns. The rooks are placed in the corners, followed by the knights, the bishops, the queen, who is always placed on her own matching color (white queen on white, black queen on black), and the king on the last square. 

The player whose pieces are white always moves first. Therefore, players typically determine who will be white based on chance or luck, such as by tossing a coin or having one player estimate the color of a concealed pawn in the other player's hand. The next move is made by white, then black, then white, then black, and so on until the end of the game.

How the Chess Pieces Move

Each of the six distinct piece types travels differently. A piece cannot go through another piece (though the knight can jump over other pieces), nor can it move onto a square with one of its own pieces. However, they can be moved to capture an opponent's piece by exchanging places with it. In general, pieces are moved into positions from which they can capture other pieces (by landing on their square and then replacing them), defend their own pieces in the event of capture, or control crucial game squares.

THE KING

Despite being the most vital piece, the king is one of the weakest. The king can only move one square in any direction, including up, down, sideways, and diagonally. To see how the king can move around the board, click the ">" button in the diagram below. The king might never be placed in check (where he could be captured).

THE QUEEN

The queen is the strongest component in the game. If she is moved, she may move as far as feasible in any straight direction (forward, backward, sideways, or diagonally) as long as she does not pass through any of her own pieces. As with all pieces, the queen's turn ends when she captures an opponent's piece.

THE ROOK

The rook can move in any direction, including forward, backward, and to the side, but it can only go in those three directions. The rooks are some of the most powerful pieces in the game when they are cooperating with one another and helping to defend one another.

THE BISHOP

The bishop is restricted to moving in a diagonal direction and may travel as far as it pleases. Each bishop begins the game on a single color, either light or dark, and is required to remain on that color throughout the game. Because they cover each other's weaknesses, bishops collaborate effectively with one another.

THE KNIGHT

The knight's movement is notably distinct from that of the other pieces in the game, since it consists of two squares in one direction, followed by one more square at an angle of 90 degrees, resembling the shape of a "L." In addition, knights are the only pieces that may move horizontally over other chess pieces.

THE PAWN

Pawns are unique in that they travel forward but capture in a diagonal direction. This gives them a distinct advantage over other pieces in the game. Pawns are restricted to moving forward just one square at a time, with the exception of their very first move, in which case they are permitted to advance forward two squares. It is only possible for pawns to seize the square that is diagonally in front of them. They are unable to move or be captured in rearward directions at any time. When there is another piece in a pawn's path right in front of him, he is unable to move past that piece or capture it.

• PAWN PROMOTION

Another one of the pawn's unique abilities is the capacity to transform into any other piece on the board once it has crossed over to the opposite side of the chessboard (called promotion). It is possible for a pawn to advance to any other piece. [NOTE: It is a frequent misunderstanding that pawns can only be traded in for a piece once it has been captured. This is not the case.] [This is not accurate.] A pawn is typically elevated to the position of queen. It is possible to promote only pawns.

• EN PASSANT

The final rule about pawns is termed "en passant," which literally translates to "in passing" from its original language of French. If a pawn makes its first move by advancing two squares, and by doing so, lands to the side of an opponent's pawn (effectively jumping past the other pawn's ability to capture it), then the other pawn has the option of capturing the first pawn as it passes by. This only applies if the first pawn moves out two squares on its first move. If you don't make this special move right away after the initial pawn has moved past, you won't have the choice to capture it and the game will continue.

CASTLING

Castling is the name of one more specific exception to the rule. This move gives you the opportunity to accomplish two significant goals in a single step: get your king to a safe position (hopefully), and bring your rook back into the action after it was trapped in the corner. On a player’s turn he may move his king two squares over to one side and then move the rook from that side’s corner to right next to the king on the opposite side.

However, in order for it to be considered a castle, it must fulfill the following requirements:

1. It must be the very first move made by that king.
   
   
2. It must be the very first move made by that rook.
   
   
3. It is impossible for there to be any movable pieces between the king and the rook in this position.
   
   
4. It is not possible for the king to be in check or to pass through check.

It is important to take note that the king moves closer to the edge of the board in the direction in which you castle. This location is referred to as the kingside. The process of casting to the opposite side, through the area where the queen sits, is referred to as castling queenside. Whenever the king castles, he never moves more than two squares, regardless of which side he is on.

CHECK & CHECKMATE

As was mentioned earlier, the objective of the game is to checkmate the king of the opposing player. This occurs when the king is placed under check and is unable to escape from the check position. There are only three methods for a king to get out of check: moving out of the way (albeit he cannot castle! ), blocking the check with another piece, or capturing the piece that is threatening the king. Moving out of the path is the easiest approach. If a king is unable to avoid checkmate, the game is over and the winner has been determined. Traditionally, the game is over when the king is either taken or removed from the board; instead, the game is simply concluded.

DRAWS

Chess matches can go to a draw on occasion rather than concluding with one player emerging victorious. A draw can occur in a chess game for any one of the following five reasons:

1. A stalemate occurs in a position when it is a player's turn to move, but that player does not have his king in check and does not have another legal move available to him.
   
   
2. It is possible for the players to come to an agreement to call a draw and end the game.
   
   
3. Checkmate cannot be achieved because there are not enough pieces on the board (example: a king and a bishop vs. a king).
   
   
4. If a player occupies the exact same position three times in a row, the game is considered a draw (though not necessarily three times in a row).
   
   
5. After fifty successive moves, neither player has moved a pawn or captured a piece. This state of play has continued for the whole game.

BASIC STRATEGY

Every chess player should be familiar with four simple concepts:

1. Keep your king safe. Get your king to a board corner, where he is typically safer. Do not delay castling. Typically, you should castle as quickly as possible. Remember that it makes no difference how close you are to checkmating your opponent if your king gets checkmated first!
   
   
2. Don't hand out any of the pieces.  Be careful not to lose your parts carelessly! Every piece is important, and you can't checkmate your opponent if you don't have enough of them.
   
   
3. Control the center. Your goal should be to use your pieces and pawns to establish dominance in the middle of the board. If you are able to take control of the center of the board, not only will you have more room to move your pieces, but you will also make it more difficult for your opponent to find squares that are suitable for his pieces.
   
   
4. Use all of your pieces. When they are placed further back on the first row, your pieces are not doing you any favors. You should make an effort to develop all of your pieces so that you have more options available to you when you attack the king. The use of only one or two pieces in an attack can never be successful against a competent adversary.

1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd53. Nc3 Nc6 4. Nxd5 Nf65. Nxc7+ Kd8 6. Nxa8 Ne47. f3 Bf5 8. fxe4 Bxe4

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Most chess players utilize a simple technique to keep track of the relative value of each piece:

• A pawn is worth 1
  
  
• A knight is worth 3
  
  
• A bishop is worth 3
  
  
• A rook is worth 5
  
  
• A queen is worth 9
  
  
• The king is of immeasurable worth.

This is merely a system that you can use to make decisions while you are playing the game, helping you know when it is the right time to capture, exchange, or make other actions. At the end of the game, these points don't represent anything at all.

1. e4 a6 2. d4 h5 3. Nf3Rh6 4. Bxh6 Nxh6 5. Bc4b6 6. O-O f6 7. Nc3 g68. Re1 Bg7 9. Qd3 Bb710. Rd1 Qc8 11. e5 Qd812. Qxg6+ Kf8 13. exf6Bxf6 14. Qxh6+ Ke815. Qg6+ Kf8 16. Qf7#

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GETTING BETTER AT CHESS

Learning the rules and some fundamental strategies is just the beginning of your chess education; there is so much more to discover about this game that you will never be able to master it all in your lifetime. To make progress, you will need to perform the following three things:

• Play

Just keep playing! Try to get in as much playtime as you can. You should take something useful away from every game that you play, whether or not you win.

• Study

If you really want to make significant progress in a short amount of time, you should get a [good chess book]. You can also study more effectively and advance your game by using the many resources that are available on chess.com.

• Have fun!

Do not allow yourself to become disheartened if you do not immediately win all of your games. Losing is a part of life for everyone, including world winners. You will never stop enjoying chess so long as you keep a positive attitude, play to have fun, and try to improve even when you lose.

What Will Be the Benefit of Playing Chess? According to research, test scores improved by 17.3% for students regularly engaged in chess classes, compared to only 4.6% for children participating in other forms of enriched activities, "states 4-time World Champion Susan Polgar in a recent interview." Chess is incorporated into the country's scholastic curriculum in approximately 30 countries around the world, including Brazil, China, Venezuela, Italy, Israel, Russia, and Greece, amongst others. In the same way that participating in sports is a necessary component of the curriculum in schools in the United States, chess has traditionally been treated in the same manner in the nations of Europe.

Am I allowing my daughter to play chess? Yes, definitely. Even if you are not a chess player yourself, you should let the youngster explain the game to you and encourage him or her to tell you everything that happens. You can be firm with your child up to a certain point, but after that, you should back off. Your primary concern should be ensuring the happiness of your child.