Kids Chess Scorebook

USCF-approved figurine notation is the easiest way for young chess players to notate. This is the first-ever scorebook designed to allow kids to simply circle their moves.

When my 5 year old wanted to compete for a trophy, I found that the USCF (United States Chess Federation) allows figurine notation for kindergarten and first graders. All scorebooks on the market were for algebraic, so I made her one with figurine notation. With it, she could concentrate on her chess game -- not her handwriting. This book may also be used by anyone who prefers this simpler, intuitive, highly-visual notation method. I corresponded with the USCF, and, although they prefer algebraic, they totally understand that little kids struggle with writing. That's why the USCF developed the figurine notation option for their national tournaments.

Buy our Kids Chess Scorebook with Figurine Notation!

Since I had designed the book for my little one, I made sure to use every trick in the book to make this useful, appealing, and super kid-friendly. Each books comes with 12 games, with 60 moves per game. The pages are printed with color to the edges so kids can just flip to the color of the game they are on, without having to decipher page numbers. Each game is a different color. There is a diagram and a box for notes, stickers, or doodling. The size is 5.5" by 8.5" on thick paper, sturdy covers, with wire-top binding. Thick paper prevent bleed-through, even with markers. Children should have no problems with flipping pages, staying on the right page, or writing on uneven surfaces. The sturdy covers provide a firm, smooth writing surface in case of table joints or rough surfaces. We designed this high-quality book to minimize frustration and maximize fun!

• 12 games
• 60 moves per game
• Flip-top design
• 5.5" x 8.5" to fit perfectly to the side of a chess board
• Thick paper eliminated bleed through
• Sturdy covers for uneven surfaces
• Edge-to-edge colorful printing allows quick page identification
• USCF-approved figurine notation

Target audience for this scorebook includes younger children, people with dyslexia, adults with essential tremor, or anyone with neurological illnesses like Parkinsons, stroke, dysgraphia, micrographia, focal hand dystonia, ataxia, or other fine-motor issues that can cause handwriting challenges. This scorebook empowers everyone to play chess by supporting any disabilities or accommodating any handicaps related to notating chess.

FAQ:

Why do people keep chess scorebooks?

When playing an over-the-board (OTB), live, in-person game, it's very helpful to have the notations for the game because it's impossible to remember every move that happened.

It's essential during tournaments. Except for tournaments at the highest levels, no one is watching every move at every board, and there is no video recording. When you or your opponent moves a piece, notations keep track of what piece was moved and which square it moved to. If someone accidentally knocks over pieces or there is a dispute, notations help keep everyone honest. Even at the youngest levels, kids are expected to write their own notations.

Aside from formal competitions, keeping track of OTB games allows a player to review a game later with a computer or coach. This is the best way to help a player learn and continue improving.

Flipping through the pages of the Chess Scorebook for Kids

What are chess notations?

A chess board has 64 squares. Notations assign a coordinate to every square. When you move a chess piece, you can easily describe which square you moved it to with chess notations. Algebraic notation is the current standard online and OTB around the world. Figurine notation takes the principles of algebraic notation and makes it kid-friendly.

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How do you mark Figurine Notation?

It's almost identical to algebraic notation, which the the standard. But instead of handwriting the piece, file, and rank, you just circle it, since everything is pre-drawn and written. According to the USCF, circling the piece, file, and rank are the only requirements.

I've adapted the standards from algebraic notation for castling, captures, and pawn promotion. That should be sufficient for the vast majority of games. I've included bonus, optional marking suggestions for disambiguation, check, checkmate to help kids eventually learn algebraic notation. The instructions are clearly written with examples in the book so that a tournament arbiter who is unfamiliar with figurine notation can quickly understand. It's intuitive, and there are only 5 rules to be able to fully match the precision of algebraic notation. My little one picked it up immediately.

Buy our Kids Chess Scorebook with Figurine Notation!

Why did you make it and why are you selling it?

Chess Scorebook Figurine Notation for Kids

My 5 year old was the youngest player at the tournament. She would have loved to have more kids her age. The tournament director expressed concern about her writing notations, so he probably has had experience with other young contenders not being able to keep notations well. The second youngest kid at the tournament complained that he hates chess notations. I want to remove that simple barrier for her and all other kids her age who would otherwise want to win chess trophies too.

I see it as an accessibility issue. My older kid has terrible handwriting. Sometimes even he can't read what he wrote. His teachers accommodate this by letting him type. He doesn't mean to write illegibly, but he's always had challenges with fine motor control. My 5 year old has great fine motor skills for her age, but she's still learning her lowercase letters. It's especially hard for her to tell the difference between b's, d's, p's, q's, and g's, especially when they might be upside down as on a chess board. When we asked her kindergarten teacher about dyslexia, she said not to worry because all kids her age are still learning lowercase, and those are the hardest.

Chess is great game, and making it more accessible to everyone is my goal.

Will this hinder learning algebraic notations?

I don't think so. I think it helps. When there are hand-eye coordination issues, fine motor challenges, or learning disabilities, figurine notation makes it possible to apply algebraic notation thinking without having to write letters and numbers. It uses the same X for captures, O-O for kingside castling, and O-O-O for queenside castling. It's really just a stepping stone in the learning process. In the Advanced Notation instructions, you can disambiguate moves, mark "check," and finish with "checkmate" as well.

I spoke with numerous chess coaches and chess schools that work with young kids. Nearly all of them love the idea and believe it expands the audience of people who can better enjoy in-person chess and chess tournaments. Some of the most reputable USCF-certified and FIDE-ranked coaches have expressed their support and will be quoted on the back cover of the book. Switching between algebraic and figurine is intuitive and natural since they both use the same grid nomenclature. The two notation types dovetail perfectly.

YouTuber CG Chess on the Kids Chess Scorebook

Why is it called a scorebook?

It's the standard language for a book of chess notations. At tournaments, they offer scoresheets for competitors to record their moves, but most bring their own scorebooks because it's easier to keep everything together. Scorebooks track more than one game and keeps all of the games in order for later review. You can also call it a chess log, notebook, journal, or record. Tournament scoring is a separate process.

Buy our Kids Chess Scorebook with Figurine Notation!