The benefits of chess for everyone

The Benefits of Playing Chess for Both Children & Adults
Posted on May 10, 2011 by Martin in Chess in the News & Everything Else
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The benefits of chess is a topic that has been debated by both parents and scholars alike for quite a few years now. As education becomes more competitive parents are always looking for any edge they can find to sharpen their children’s’ minds. It’s this exact pressure that has led people to many incorrect conclusions that we’re later proven false. One good example was the crazy in the 90′s and early 2000′s of playing classical music to your babies or children to make them smarter which was later proven false. Unlike many of these fads, there is no doubt about the benefits of chess. The evidence is clear that playing chess benefits the mind in both young and old alike.

The Benefits of Playing Chess for Kids – Does Chess Belong in The Classroom?

I really enjoyed an article that recently came out on the BBC Website asking whether every child should be made to play chess. The article debates the important question: Should chess be taught in school curriculum?

Chess is a very addictive process, a positive drug for children – Grandmaster Raymond Keene

It is very clear that playing chess has its benefits, there is no doubt here. However where there is doubt is whether these advantages can be used outside of the world of chess. The results on the benefits of chess in the real world show mixed, but encouraging results.

Children who start playing chess at a young age will gain increased:

• Focus
• Self-confidence
• Patience
• Logical thinking skills
• Imagination
• Problem solving skills
• Memory (especially spatial memory)
• Mental agility
• Mental resistance

But let’s not forget the most important benefit of chess for both kids and adults is that its a tremendous amount of fun! After all, the brain is like a muscle and chess is like a gym. Evidently playing chess is great for the mind and its benefits are interconnected. You start learning chess, you win a few games, your self esteem goes up, you get more into the game and you start thinking more logically, you improve your imagination. To play chess you must remember positions and distinguish patterns which force you to use your memory, after you improve your calculations you can apply this skill in math and start multiplying numbers fast. Last of all, after enduring a chess game for 4 hours, everything else seems easy. How do these benefits transfer into other aspects of life?

More here.