Playing against a beginner

Should you beat them as hard as it is possible? Or should you beat them while letting them take back moves? Or should you lower your level so as to give them a chance while making mistakes and dubious moves yourself to let them try to exploit them (even putting yourself in situations of mate in two, for example)?

play them as hard as you would play anyone. no one will learn if they dont lose.

that's how i learned chess. i went from a 900 to like 1700 because my friend would just destroy me on the daily basis  

Well, I think if the child is really trying to learn and you explain to them the process and they understand that, then yes play how you would normally play. However, you would probably do this in an instructional mode, i.e. explaining what you are doing as you play.

 The method that I use for beginners is to play a game, and when they make a really bad move, make a few moves after that to show them that it is bad, then go back to the position where the bad move was made.  Then I give them the opportunity to make another move.  I play that until a real bad move occurs.  Then I play a few more moves to show why it is bad, then back up to that position again.  This way a person sees as many chess patterns as possible, good and bad, so that can recognize it.  Soon, they finish and lose a game and only blundered deeper into the game.  Then I try to see if the beginner can recreate the game.  If he can remember or spot the critical positions, then he his getting good chess pattern recognition.  Pretty soon, they are able to remember and recreate the whole game, and avoid the bad moves.

yeah... that sounds smart, bill. i definately agree with everyone here that you shouldnt play down to another level, but i think it is probably instructional to let beginners take back or change bad moves. that way they can learn from the mistake then and there, and commit it to memory without needing to wait until the next time they see the same situation, which could potentially be many games later

 I offer rook odds; some accept, some decline. If they decline I give them the first move and play an opening not in my repertoire. In all cases I play my best game.

Being a bit of a beginner myself, I end up playing with people who are far superior to myself. I have a number of friends who are Masters and are willing to play games with me. Here's what they do:

They never give me anything in the way of an advantage because they feel I won't be given the same opportunity when I play in the real world of tournaments. They will, however, point out the mistake I've made after I move with some analysis thrown in for good measure. While I end up loosing the game, I win in the end by the amount of knowledge I acquire from the lesson learned during play. That's what it's all about, the lesson learned. If I am playing someone who is really new to the game, I will suggest they look at all the possible moves before making one, and then ask them to think about what the consequences are for that move (for both Black and White). I am lucky because my circle of chess friends are always willing to make a game both educational and fun at the same time. I think beginners should walk away from a game with something learned from that game.If each and every game teaches them something new, they won't become discouraged and give up before they have a chance to improve their skills. I have been lucky because in everything that I have been interested in there has been someone around to help me learn. I would never have become a professional musician if there were not other musicians around will to teach me as opposed to criticizing me.

This is the best way to model chess play. This is called a Think-aloud and it is used by the best literacy teachers for teaching emergent readers and learners. It is really more akin to analysis than to playing.

As for how hard you should play against them... You should not be playing against them at all. Children learn best when they learn from each other. Peer pairs are perfect for a two player game like chess. It also helps to have a lot of information like books, magazines, and articles on hand so kids can examine master games or solve puzzles at their own pace.

Many adults have trouble dealing with the frustration of chess (this is why no sane person should play chess and golf at the same time. ^_^). Many younger children have not fully devloped their coping skills and cannot handle losing. This is an oportunity for them to learn that losing isn't the end of the world. There has not been a GM or computer yet that can play chess and never lose. so let them learn in a low stakes environment where it is just a game between kids and if they want to add extra rules (one teleport move per game) them let them experiment.

My 5 year old son has just learned the basics and wants to play. There really isn't anyone else besides his older sister, so I play with him quite a lot. I don't put all my focus into the game, so I'm not playing at my best, but I also don't ever give him the game, or intentionally give up a piece or a position. I have been teaching him to look at the consequences of his move, including sometimes showing him: "If you do that, then I'll do this" - and he has been learning to watch the board much better as a result.

Won't be too long before he's beating me regularly. I'll turn him loose here when that happens

When I play my kids, I play with a couple handicaps, like I only have 5 seconds to make a move. If they get a little frustrated, I sometimes offer to turn the board around and let them play my pieces. We often do chess puzzles too, like mating problems, or playing with only pawns.

Playing adult beginners, I try to always play my best game. Laying traps and transparent tactics can too easily become bad habits. If they get tired of losing, I introduce them to folks more at their own level.

I have to agree with that.. I would prefer to lose and learn something, than win and learn nothing

I will say that if I am playing a beginner and they are just learning the game, I will let them win a couple games.  This is for games in person that are not rated and are just for fun.  It's my opinion, but not gospel.

Losing helps learning, but winning builds confidence and interest in the game.

There are several conversations in the forum about teaching children as well.  I'd recommend looking them up.

Now... if you are playing here and someone is rated 1050 and you are 1780, I say play for all you are worth. 

First of all, in my opinion, you have to determine what kind of game you two are play (fun game) (educational game) (war game).  If it is a fun game, give them a chance and hints, but never lower your level, because that could become a bad habit and make you a worse chess player.  If it is an educational game youcan let them take back moves, assuming you are coaching them along the way and they know why they shouldn't have made that move.  If it is a war game which it probably shouldn't be, totally thrash them!!!