What the Chess.com Open Taught Us About Raising a Resilient, Ambitious Chess Player
By Lalit Akhade, Founder & Head Coach, ChessMates Academy · Published 2026-04-26 · 8 min read
Lessons Buried in the Chess.com Open Results
Over four days, 16 of the world's best grandmasters competed in the Chess.com Open Playoffs — $250,000 in prizes, Esports World Cup spots on the line. The drama was intense. And buried within the results were lessons every chess parent should know.
Double Elimination: The Structure That Teaches Resilience
Magnus Carlsen started both of his matches with a loss in game one before rallying to win 3-2. One loss does not end the story. In life — in school exams, in friendships, in career — setbacks are not final. Chess tournaments are one of the few structured environments where children practise this lesson repeatedly.
Comebacks are possible. Each time Carlsen lost, he adjusted his approach and won the match. That adaptive capacity — reading what went wrong and correcting — is one of the most valuable cognitive skills a human being can develop.
Duda's Honest Assessment — A Masterclass for Kids
After reaching the Grand Final, Duda said: *"It doesn't seem very realistic, to be honest, but I mean, I will just try to play good chess and maybe there will be some chances."*
That is a masterclass in realistic confidence. Not pretending the odds were even. Not crushed by them. Honest, grounded, focused on what he could control. Chess gives children thousands of opportunities to practise exactly this, through the feedback loop of every game played.
The Armageddon Mindset
Many matches went to "Armageddon" — a single decisive game with everything at stake. Carlsen's approach: play the best chess you can see and trust your preparation. Not hoping the opponent makes a mistake. Not panicking. Just focus and execute. This is precisely the mindset high achievers across all fields describe at their peak performances.
What Parents Can Do to Support Their Chess Child
- Celebrate the effort, not just the result. When your child loses, ask: "What did you learn?" not "Why did you lose?"
- Watch chess together. Events like the Chess.com Open are free to watch online and give children role models they can observe and aspire to.
- Play together. Even at beginner level, playing chess with your child strengthens your relationship.
- Be patient with the process. Chess improvement is nonlinear. A child might plateau for weeks and then suddenly break through. Trust the curriculum.
ChessMates gives children aged 5–14 the foundation to eventually compete in the exciting chess ecosystem that events like the Chess.com Open represent.