Chess
If there is one game that is cherished all over the world, it’s got to be chess. Dating back as far as 1500 years, it originated with the Indian game, chaturanga. Complex enough to be challenging and easy enough to be able to remember and teach, chess is a game that can easily become a hobby and has led to the development of many clubs and contests. If you aren’t familiar with it, we’ve provided a link below that outlines the rules of the game and how each piece moves. And we’re going to cover some of the benefits that playing chess can have.
One of the very best things about chess is the way it requires those who play it to consider the board from the other player’s perspective. You’ll never be a very good chess player if you can’t see the moves your opponent might make. A great game of chess requires two players who are actively aware of the possibilities before each of them and how those possibilities change with every move on the board. This is wonderful for a number of reasons, the most apparent being that it challenges those who play to develop and deepen their theory of mind, an integral part of having empathy (Stanborough, 2020).
Memory is another area where chess playing makes a real splash. In studies conducted recently, chess players consistently demonstrate a higher ability to specifically retain auditory memory (things learned from hearing them). Chess players have also been found to be able to recall longer lists of words than those who don’t play. Lastly, the more skilled chess players are known to develop a greater ability to recognize visual patterns. This is likely due to the game’s requirement to recognize various moves at once that pieces may make (Stanborough, 2020).
Researchers at one school in India decided to test chess’s effect on creativity among two different groups of students. One group contained students who played chess, while the other did not. Each group was asked to think up different applications for everyday items and to “interpret patterns and meaning in abstract forms.” They found that students who played chess scored higher on these tests and that chess likely increased the students’ ability to think outside the box (Stanborough, 2020).
Other benefits to chess include that it leads to better planning skills, can make therapy more effective, can improve the symptoms of ADHD, may help prevent the development of dementia, and that it can connect you to a built-in community of others who all appreciate and play chess (Stanborough, 2020). If you get really good at chess, you can pursue competing in chess competitions with others who also excel at the game.
If you’re interested in finding others to practice and play chess with, your local library is a perfect place to start. Call or ask to speak with a librarian. Ask if there are any meetups for chess players or chess clubs currently active. If that doesn’t yield any groups, try a google search for your city or ask a friend if they know of any groups through a school or church that might welcome you. When you learn to play chess, you learn for life!
References:
How to play chess: 7 steps to get you started - https://www.chess.com/learn-how-to-play-chess
Stanborough, R. (2020). The 9 best benefits of playing chess. Healthline. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/benefits-of-playing-chess#benefits-for-kids.
Challenges/Points:
Chess is a wonderful game that is played all over the world and has many benefits.
Theory of mind and memory are both mental areas that grow stronger with chess.
Chess has been linked in at least one study to greater levels of creativity.
Questions:
Is chess a game that you’re familiar with and have played before?
Who can you ask to teach you more about chess? A family member? A friend?
How do you think learning to play chess could benefit your life?
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