Benefits of chess

There is a common perception that chess is a preserve of brighter children, but all academic research evidence shows the opposite. Chess skills can be acquired by anyone, and in fact just about everyone can reach a level of good proficiency. To the contrary of common wisdom research consistently demonstrates that children who develop chess skills actually 'become brighter', i.e. they measurably improve in other areas such as Languages and Maths after developing chess skills. Chess seems to help children become bright( or brighter), not the other way around. Why this happens is not so easy to explain, but what we are certain of based on all research, is that it does happen and the results are often dramatic, especially for those assessed to be at the lower end of the academic scale at the outset.

These assessments are normally made against basic measures of intellectual ability (such as IQ) or measures of attainment such as test scores, over time. Other studies point to social benefits from participating in chess as a team sport, and learning to deal with the challenges of competition. Much of the benefits of chess (IQ, Memory, Social adjustment) are realised in all persons who play chess regularly, but the benefits are greatest for children.

Below are some of the key measruable findings of research efforts and a few of the hundreds of articles that are freely available which detail the benfits of chess for children (and indeed all of us).

o Raise intelligence quotient (IQ) scores
o Strengthen problem solving skills, teaching how to make difficult and abstract decisions independently
o Enhance reading, memory, language, and mathematical abilities
o Foster critical, creative, and original thinking
o Provide practice at making accurate and fast decisions under time pressure, a skill that can help improve exam scores at school
o Teach how to think logically and efficiently, learning to select the ‘best’ choice from a large number of options
o Challenge gifted children while potentially helping underachieving gifted students learn how to study and strive for excellence
o Demonstrate the importance of flexible planning, concentration, and the consequences of decisions
o Reach boys and girls regardless of their natural abilities or socio-economic backgrounds

Article by Dr Peter Dauvergne
Time Magazine Article
NYC School program

Photo of some winners from the 2005 Munster Junior Championships (courtesy Irish Chess Union)



Properly taught, a student can learn more in a few hours than they would find out in ten years of untutored trial and error.
-Emanuel Lasker