[It was, and it's not a learning curve she expects of any of them.]

I want to teach them to think strategically, but I want them to learn the basic skills first.

[Indeed, she's not sure how receptive any of them will be to learning how to play shogi or go, but strategy is important, and it's best to develop a sense of it before an emergency comes up, like being outnumbered, or when fighting someone much stronger.]

Maybe an exercise that combines both, somehow.