Are you a parent of a kid who LOVES to play chess but you are at a complete loss as to how to help them train, develop, and satisfy their chess cravings when they’re at home? I get it! As an ex-tournament player, parent and now chess coach, this is a question that I’m often asked. A few years ago, I recommended ChessKid.com, and I wanted to give you an updated look at this online platform. In 2025, I still think that it’s a fantastic place for your child to develop their skills independently, and it has evolved quite a bit!
Full disclosure, just like before: I am NOT an affiliate of ChessKid.com, so I do NOT profit from recommending them to you. My goal here is to share what I’ve learned as a parent and coach, hoping it helps your family too. So, let's dive into why I still highly recommend ChessKid.com, perhaps even more so now!
1. Safety First: A Digital Fortress for Young Minds
This was critical for me then, and it's even more robust now. ChessKid.com’s commitment to safety is, in my opinion, its cornerstone. Their website states, “ChessKid.com considers online safety our #1 priority: there are no outside links or advertisements, and there is no social networking between kids and adults.” 1 This is HUGE. It means when my kids are on ChessKid, they are in a focused, protected environment.
Here’s what that safety looks like in practice:
· A Clean Zone: Truly no third-party ads or external links to distract or lead them astray.1 It’s chess and ONLY chess, all the time.
· Controlled Communication: This is a big one. Kids cannot directly message or chat with other kids on the site.2 Adult accounts are strictly prohibited from "friending" or initiating contact with child accounts, unless they are a verified Guardian (like you, or a coach you approve) or a designated ChessKid staff member.2
· Parental Superpowers: As a parent or coach, you have full control. You can monitor your child’s activity, review their games, and even see messages they send to their guardians by "impersonating" their account (which is super helpful for peace of mind!).2
· Real-Life Friends Online: The "friends" feature is designed for kids who already know each other. It uses a "double-blind" system, meaning a child doesn’t even see a friend request unless they’ve also sent one to that same person.2 This prevents unsolicited requests from strangers.
· Extra Lockdown (If You Want It): Guardians can choose to "Disable Social Access" entirely for a child's account, preventing them from making any friends on the site.2
It’s not just about preventing bad stuff; it’s about creating a positive, secure space where kids can just focus on learning and loving chess.
2. The Learning Universe: A Rich, Evolving Journey (Especially with Gold!)
This is where ChessKid.com truly shines and has become even more impressive. The old system of a fixed number of lessons has transformed into a more dynamic and comprehensive curriculum.
· Structured Levels: Learning is organized into progressive "Levels" named after chess pieces: Pawn, Knight, Bishop, Rook, Queen, King, and even SuperKing! 4 Each level contains a series of engaging lessons, like "Pawn 1: Meet the Rook!" or "King 76: Opening Traps".4
· Self-Paced Progression: Kids "level up" by working through the material sequentially in their own accounts.3 While the original system involved accumulating "stars" by playing games and solving puzzles to unlock lessons, the emphasis now is on mastering the content of each lesson before moving on. As a parent or coach with a Gold membership, you have access to all lesson content without needing to unlock it yourself.5 As a chess player myself, I found myself popping into the different Super King lessons to do some of my own learning!
· High-Quality Lessons: The lessons feature excellent video and audio, making them easy for kids to understand. If you open just a few of the lessons yourself, you’ll see what I mean. They’re animated, cartoony, and full of fun sound effects and visual cues that are clearly geared towards keeping children engaged. Personalities like FunMasterMike are joined by chess giants like GM Vishy Anand and WFM Alexandra Botez, covering a vast range of topics.6
· The Classroom Planner – A Game Changer for Parents/Coaches: This is a great tool, especially if you know how to play chess and are wanting to coach kids yourself but need a premade curriculum! It provides a 30-unit outline that follows the ChessKid Lessons week by week, complete with mini lesson plans, objectives, video links, and even optional worksheets.6
· More Learning Tools: Beyond the core lessons, there are "Workouts" for practicing checkmate patterns, a "Chess Terms" glossary, a "Vision Trainer" to help with board visualization and notation, and a library of "Articles".6
This structured, yet flexible, approach can take a child with zero knowledge of the game to a strong, confident player. And as a parent, you don’t need to figure out what they should learn next – ChessKid lays out the path for you!
3. Play, Puzzles, and Awesome New Adventures!
Learning is one thing, but applying it is where the fun (and improvement) really happens! ChessKid offers a ton of ways for kids to practice and play.
· Diverse Play Modes:
o Fast Chess: For quick, live games against other kids worldwide.6
o Slow Chess: Longer time controls for more thoughtful games against friends, parents, or coaches.6
o Play vs. Bots: A wide array of computer opponents, including fun chess personalities. There's even a 'Coach Mode' that can offer help during the game.6
· Puzzle Powerhouse:
o Puzzles: A massive collection of tactical puzzles.6
o NEW - Puzzle Duel: This is a blast! Your child gets paired with another ChessKid to see who can solve the most puzzles in two minutes.6 Great for quick thinking!
o NEW - Puzzle Themes: Kids can focus their puzzle practice on specific tactical motifs, like "Fork" or "Pin".6
· Tournaments and Events: Regular online tournaments allow kids to compete against others of similar skill levels.6
· Progress Tracking: You can still see detailed reports on your child’s games, puzzles, and lesson progress, helping you identify strengths and areas to work on.6
· Kid-Friendly User Interface: The site remains clean, colorful, and interactive, making it engaging and not overwhelming for children.6
· Mobile Apps for Learning on the Go:
o Main ChessKid App: Available for Android and iOS, it’s perfect for taking lessons or playing games when you’re out and about.6 My experience with app stability and their responsive support has always been positive.
o NEW - ChessKid Adventure App: This is a separate app that teaches chess through a fun, story-driven game with quests and mini-challenges.6 It’s a fun way to engage younger kids or those who prefer a more narrative learning style.
· Other Cool New Features:
o Enhanced Analysis Tools: Kids (or you!) can analyze their played games using a chess engine or even upload PGN/FEN files of games played elsewhere.6
o Certificates: Personalized certificates are available to reward kids when they reach new levels – a great motivator!6 Just download and print!
o Clubs: Kids can join clubs (with guardian oversight) to connect with others who share similar interests.6
o Leaderboards: For a bit of friendly competition, kids can see how they rank in puzzles and different game speeds.6
4. Free vs. Gold: What's the Real Difference for Your Child?
ChessKid offers both free and Gold (premium) memberships. While the free version is a great way to get started, the Gold membership truly unlocks the platform's full educational power.
· Free Account: Typically allows your child to play live games, try a limited number of puzzles per day (e.g., 3), play against the first few computer bot levels, access beginner-level lessons and articles, and see a limited game history.9
· Gold Membership: This gives unlimited access to everything: all lesson Levels (Pawn through SuperKing) with their interactive guided content, unlimited live and slow chess, all computer bot levels, unlimited puzzles and Puzzle Duels, Computer Workouts, the full library of over 800 educational videos, and a complete game history.9
5. A Cost-Effective and Convenient Learning Platform
For serious, structured learning and development, the Gold membership, priced at just $61 CAD/year is a must. Given that private chess tutoring costs easily $30 to $50/hour to cover just one concept and doesn’t even allow time for practicing in games, ChessKid Gold is an extremely cost-effective way to learn. Now, you can always use chesskid.com for free to play games, solve a limited number of puzzles, but the systematic lesson plan is the key to overall development. In just 2 years, one of my kids climbed from a sub-1000 online ELO rating (novice) to over 1600 (fairly strong club-level player).
Gold Membership Sharing Tip: If you opt for Gold, here’s a fantastic feature: you can purchase ONE Gold membership through your connected Parent account and then assign and switch it between your linked Kid accounts.12 Only one child (and your parent account) can use the Gold benefits at any single time, but it’s incredibly useful if your kids can take turns with the premium features. To do this, all accounts (Parent and Kids) must share the same primary email address, and the Gold membership must be purchased from the Parent account.12
6. Okay, I'm In! How Do We Get Started?
Getting set up is straightforward:
1. Sign up for a Parent Account FIRST: Go to ChessKid.com and create your adult (Parent/Coach) account.11 This is your command center for managing everything.
2. Create Kids' Accounts Under Your Parent Account: From your parent dashboard, you can easily create new accounts for each of your children (you can manage up to 25!).11 This automatically links them to you as their Primary Guardian. You can also add existing ChessKid accounts if your child already has one.
7. My Final Thoughts
Honestly speaking, I’m very pleased to see just how popular chess has become and I much prefer that my kids play chess instead of just random digital games. Chess teaches them logic, problem-solving, discipline, patience, and tenacity among other skills—skills that are essential for succeeding in life.14
I’m grateful that ChessKid.com has not only maintained its quality but has also significantly enhanced its offerings, especially in safety, curriculum depth, and engaging features. It provides a safe, structured, and incredibly fun way for children to learn and grow with chess. In my experience, it can take a child from knowing little about the game to becoming a fairly strong competitive player, all while fostering critical thinking skills.
As your child's passion for chess grows and they move into play more over-the-board (OTB) games, we’d love to help you purchase equipment that will be suitable for them. For beginners looking for a cost-effective, durable set that’s easy to carry around, we’d recommend the ChessKid Tournament Chess Set with Vinyl Chess Board & Carrying Tote. For kids who are serious about wanting to play and are looking for a quality set and chess clock that will last them for years to come, we’d recommend something like the Tournament Chess Set (Triple-Weighted) with Vinyl Chess Board, Deluxe Carrying Bag & DGT North American Chess Clock.
Happy chess playing!
Works Cited
1. What's the difference between ChessKid.com & Chess.com?, accessed May 31, 2025, https://support.chesskid.com/en/articles/8858305-what-s-the-difference-between-chesskid-com-chess-com
2. How to: Understand ChessKid's Safety Features - ChessKid.com, accessed May 31, 2025, https://www.chesskid.com/learn/articles/how-to-understand-chesskids-safety-features2
3. Chess Coaching for Kids with ChessKid Features, accessed May 31, 2025, https://www.chesskid.com/learn/articles/chess-coaching-for-kids
4. ChessKid Lessons Video Guide, accessed May 31, 2025, https://www.chesskid.com/learn/articles/chesskid-lessons-video-guide
5. How to use the ChessKid Classroom Planner, accessed May 31, 2025, https://www.chesskid.com/learn/articles/how-to-use-the-chesskid-classroom-planner
6. The Complete Guide To ChessKid.com Features - ChessKid.com, accessed May 31, 2025, https://www.chesskid.com/learn/articles/complete-guide-to-chesskid
7. The New ChessKid Classroom Planner Makes Teaching Chess Easy!, accessed May 31, 2025, https://www.chesskid.com/learn/articles/the-new-chesskid-classroom-planner-makes-teaching-chess-easy
8. How Middle and High School Students Use ChessKid, accessed May 31, 2025, https://www.chesskid.com/learn/articles/how-middle-and-high-school-students-use-chesskid
9. What's the difference between a Free account & a Gold Membership ..., accessed May 31, 2025, https://support.chesskid.com/en/articles/8858285-what-s-the-difference-between-a-free-account-a-gold-membership
10. ChessKid Gold Membership (Over 50% off!) - After School Chess Club, accessed May 31, 2025, https://www.afterschoolchessclub.com/chesskid-gold/p/chesskid-gold-membership
11. How to add a kid to my adult account | ChessKid Help Center, accessed May 31, 2025, https://support.chesskid.com/en/articles/8871815-how-to-add-a-kid-to-my-adult-account
12. Family Sharing Plan | ChessKid Help Center - ChessKid Support, accessed May 31, 2025, https://support.chesskid.com/en/articles/8868445-family-sharing-plan
13. Can I switch Gold Membership between my Kids? | ChessKid Help Center, accessed May 31, 2025, https://support.chesskid.com/en/articles/8858673-can-i-switch-gold-membership-between-my-kids
14. 5 Skills Chess Teaches Kids - ChessKid.com, accessed May 31, 2025, https://www.chesskid.com/learn/articles/5-skills-chess-teaches-kids
