Answers.Body: <p>Some famous players learned at 4 or so, for Carlsen it was 8, for me it was 11.</p>
  
  <p>My daughter is 6. I'd love to teach her chess. She loves playing games, but she hates the fact that someone has to lose (if a player is behind in a multiplayer game, she'll help that player instead of trying to win). She also hates the concept of a fixed set of rules that daddy knows and that have to be abided by... so she's invented her own "chess" (take a board and two sets of pieces, put all the white ones on white squares, all the black ones on black squares, and that's it). She also likes to take my Yusupov books and put the pieces on the board just like they are in some diagram, but is completely uninterested in the purpose of those diagrams. This is wonderful, she has her own mind.</p>
  
  <p>It's completely impossible to actually teach her chess at this age though. So the answer to the question can only be "it depends entirely on the child". Whenever the kid becomes interested in learning chess is the best age.</p>
  
  <p>(that said, if they taught the rules of chess <em>at school</em> right now, she'd probably soak them up. But what would that accomplish?)</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2014-12-16T13:30:06.877Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2014-12-16T13:30:06.877Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: RemcoGerlich
Answers.Body: <p>As a hobby, it can be learned at any age and enjoyed.</p>
  
  <p>As a career or competitive endeavor, as with other sports, the earlier, the better. </p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2014-12-14T23:37:14.077Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2014-12-14T23:37:14.077Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Dider
Answers.Body: <p>The best answer is - any.</p>
  
  <p>I got my first chess-board when I was 5 years old, and that is the time when I learned chess.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2014-12-22T15:54:12.343Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2014-12-22T15:54:12.343Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: DejanLekic
Body: <p>I am currently writing a capstone position paper about the optimum age for a person to start learning chess. I have come to the conclusion that the optimum age is 5-6. I need help brainstorming reasons though. So far I have:</p>
  <ol>
  <li>Most grandmasters learn chess at this age.</li>
  <li>Children's brains are like sponges at this age.</li>
  </ol>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2014-12-13T22:39:05.447Z
Comments.Text: This article seems to share a few interesting bits on the matter: http://education.jhu.edu/PD/newhorizons/strategies/topics/thinking-skills/chess/
Comments.UserDisplayName: bucketman
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2014-12-14T11:52:21.980Z
Comments.Text: Best age in what sense? The age that will allow them to become best at chess? The age at which learning chess will best help to develop as people? (The two may well be very different: many child prodigies come to regret their "lost" childhood.)
Comments.UserDisplayName: David Richerby
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2014-12-15T15:09:31.143Z
Comments.Text: Magnus Carlsen wasn't interested in chess 'til he was eight. So there is obviously some leeway to how early you have to learn it, to reach the top.
Comments.UserDisplayName: BlindKungFuMaster
Tags: <learning>
Title: What is the best age to learn chess?
ThreadText: # What is the best age to learn chess?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2014-12-13)
  
  I am currently writing a capstone position paper about the optimum age for a person to start learning chess. I have come to the conclusion that the optimum age is 5-6. I need help brainstorming reasons though. So far I have:
  
  1. Most grandmasters learn chess at this age.
  2. Children's brains are like sponges at this age.
  
  **Tags:** learning
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: This article seems to share a few interesting bits on the matter: http://education.jhu.edu/PD/newhorizons/strategies/topics/thinking-skills/chess/  
  > **username_2**: Best age in what sense? The age that will allow them to become best at chess? The age at which learning chess will best help to develop as people? (The two may well be very different: many child prodigies come to regret their "lost" childhood.)  
  > **username_3**: Magnus Carlsen wasn't interested in chess 'til he was eight. So there is obviously some leeway to how early you have to learn it, to reach the top.  
  
  ---
  
  ## 3 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_4 on 2014-12-16. Score: 4
  
  Some famous players learned at 4 or so, for Carlsen it was 8, for me it was 11.
  
  My daughter is 6. I'd love to teach her chess. She loves playing games, but she hates the fact that someone has to lose (if a player is behind in a multiplayer game, she'll help that player instead of trying to win). She also hates the concept of a fixed set of rules that daddy knows and that have to be abided by... so she's invented her own "chess" (take a board and two sets of pieces, put all the white ones on white squares, all the black ones on black squares, and that's it). She also likes to take my Yusupov books and put the pieces on the board just like they are in some diagram, but is completely uninterested in the purpose of those diagrams. This is wonderful, she has her own mind.
  
  It's completely impossible to actually teach her chess at this age though. So the answer to the question can only be "it depends entirely on the child". Whenever the kid becomes interested in learning chess is the best age.
  
  (that said, if they taught the rules of chess *at school* right now, she'd probably soak them up. But what would that accomplish?)
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_5 on 2014-12-14. Score: 2
  
  As a hobby, it can be learned at any age and enjoyed.
  
  As a career or competitive endeavor, as with other sports, the earlier, the better.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_6 on 2014-12-22. Score: 0
  
  The best answer is - any.
  
  I got my first chess-board when I was 5 years old, and that is the time when I learned chess.
  
  
  ---
  
  