Frequently asked questions

As long as possible. Being able to solve tasks says little about playing skills. Only when pupils regularly apply what they have learned in their games can they think about taking the next step. Children who do not capture their opponents' unprotected pieces in their games are far from ready for Step 2. The Manual for Step 1 states the following: "The elementary learning seems simple, and some teachers manage to work through the first step in three months. There are better approaches than this. Essential chess techniques like mating require a longer learning time. It is better to set aside at least a year for the first step to master the basic skills properly (there will always be exceptions). The 'lost' time will be made up later with ease."

The Step 1 plus workbook is an excellent addition for increasing pupils' skills. Pupils get better at chess, which increases the chances of longer membership.

More and more chess players are switching to solving tasks on a screen. Not only is that a far too limited way of training chess, but that method has disadvantages besides advantages (see the manuals). I will highlight two objections.

On a computer, the student sees the position on the screen after each move. So there is less need to hold positions in working memory after one or more moves. That skill, indispensable for thinking ahead (important for getting better at chess), must be practised more. This process starts in Step 1, and the consequence — especially when the variations are several moves — is highly questionable.

Step 2 adds a skill that is 'automatically' practised when solving on paper but is less necessary on the computer. That is finding and looking at the answer to the planned move. The computer's countermove is just one and it comes automatically. There is no need to look at alternatives. Superficiality wins, because real thinking is less necessary.

The Steps method belongs to the author Cor van Wijgerden, who also publishes the books himself. The books were published in the late 1980s for chess players, not for the chess trade. The selling price of the workbooks has hardly increased since the start (apart from the VAT going from 6% to 9%). That should remain the case as long as possible, despite paper price increases and inflation. There is therefore not enough room for a 40% retail discount. This website is consequently the only sales point.

In an interview (in the Max Euwe Centre newsletter no. 93 from June 2018) it is explained why the method does not belong to the KNSB. In 1988 the federation did however elevate the Steps method to an official method alongside Berry Withuis's Jeugdschaak.

An American grasped the dual purpose of the Steps method: "If I had had access to your materials when younger, I would certainly be a better player than intermediate by now. Also, if I had your step books when my three children were young, I am sure they would have had so much fun with them that they would have developed a lifelong interest in chess."

Rob Brunia in the early period from 1985 to 1991. Later the co-authors joined: Eddy Sibbing (Stepping stones 1 and 2), Boris Friesen (Thinking ahead Step 2 and 3, Mix 1 and 2) and Erwin L'Ami (Step 6 extra).

Dolf Meier, Boris Friesen and Jop Delemarre have contributed advice (e.g. on exercises that were too easy or too difficult) and via mutual discussions.

Questions like "How much longer will you carry on?" (the author's birth year is 1950), "Will you keep adapting the books?", "Are new books still coming?", and "Does the Steps method still have a place today?" all fall under the same question.

No new titles are appearing; only (un)changed reprints. Almost all workbooks have been converted to a four-language version. Exceptions are Stepping stones 1 and 2, Step 1 and 1 plus, and Step 2 — those remain in Dutch (for now). All manuals have been revised. Thanks to word of mouth, demand remains substantial.

Will the internet / the computer take over chess training entirely? It could, but learning programs would have to improve. The emphasis is too much on solving exercises and scoring points. Learning to play chess better is no longer the main goal. Storing knowledge and skills correctly in long-term memory requires an active approach by the learner. Conscious attention is needed to solve a task, but at the same time the knowledge has to be stored in long-term memory, and that is a separate action. Getting better takes longer than with lessons from a good trainer.

The books will keep appearing as long as there is demand and enough enthusiasts.

The title 'for chess trainers' indicates that the books are written for teachers. The introductory articles in each step are aimed at that audience and are only partly useful for the chess player who wants to get stronger on their own. Perhaps the text inspires a transition to teaching, starting with one's own children.

The lessons are certainly useful. It takes some getting used to because the addressee is the trainer ("Have the students invent a mating pattern with this material ratio."). Plenty of positive reports and the number of manuals sold indicate broad use.

Trainers abroad are scarce in most countries. There are enthusiasts there too.

"I went from 1200 to 1285 on chess.com. I bought Artur Yusupov's books, but find them difficult. Not impossible, but it seems to take a long time to work out. I tried some of the examples on your website, and really enjoyed level 2 and 3."

A year later:

"I had to write to say that these books are fantastic. My games make much more sense now. My rating is slowly going up. I understand the post-game analysis much better."

All 32 books are in English. The higher-step workbooks are all quadrilingual. The reminders can be found on the Downloads page (note that these reminders are not included in the books themselves).

• There is too little attention to openings.

  No opening theory is taught, but there is attention to general opening principles. When discussing the students' games, opening theory can come up sparingly. The Step 3 manual explains over 4 pages what can be addressed. There are plenty of books to look up opening theory in. Students whose games are never discussed do indeed fall short in this area.

• Children want to play and not solve exercises.

  This is mainly raised by those who do not (want to) take the trouble to read the manuals. Various places in the manuals state that playing a lot is essential. The instruction and exercises are means to an end, not the goal in themselves.

  The authors have always been aware of the following risk: the Steps method invites many trainers to use it incorrectly:

  • no lesson is given and the children just get a workbook
  • a (boring) group lesson is given according to direct instruction, after which it is even easier to set students to simply doing exercises without doing anything more with them.

  Our ideal is set out in the manuals: instruction, practice, play, discuss games. A successful formula, properly applied. Those who don't look beyond the cover only see the workbooks ("the diagram method").

• There is too much attention to tactics and too little to strategy.

  Tactics play a leading role in chess games, especially in children's games. It is logical to spend a lot of attention on it because it pays off.

  The criticism that there is insufficient attention to strategy in the Steps method keeps coming up. It is true that in the workbooks the number of strategy exercises in the first four steps is modest compared to the tactical ones. Children who get no lessons and only work through the workbooks fall short strategically. Children who do get lessons and whose games are discussed do not.

  Since the appearance of the plus books, attention to strategy in the workbooks has increased.