Practice between unevenly matched players needs an agreed learning goal. A balanced exercise can be more useful than an unchanged series of losses.
What to do
Choose a training position, explain whether advice or take-backs are allowed and alternate roles. Keep the result separate from any claimed official rating or tournament outcome.
A mistake to avoid
Do not secretly let someone win while presenting the game as normal competition. Clear exercise rules make the learning purpose easier to understand.
A detail worth checking
Give both players a meaningful task. The stronger player might defend a specific legal endgame while the learner practices conversion. This is clearer than an unexplained change in effort halfway through a normal game.
Try this practical check
Play the same legal endgame twice with colors reversed. Discuss one decision each player found difficult rather than focusing only on the score.
Related reading
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