Chess and Education

Numerous studies, over the past thirty years, have demonstrated a link between chess playing and improvements in educational performance. From visualization and strategic thinking skills through to enhanced memory and concentration, the benefits of chess playing may be vast. It is surprising to find then that children who play chess are able to process complex cognitive tasks as well as most adults, with data indicating that young children utilize higher-order thinking skills, analyze actions and consequences, and visualize future possibilities when playing chess. Therefore every time they play a game of chess, these skills are practiced and improved. Chess has been shown to increase:

·            Spatial awareness

·            Numerical abilities

·            Verbal aptitude

·            Learning

·            Problem solving skills

·            Reading levels

·            Concentration and self-discipline

·            Socialization skills

·            Ability to overcome the fear of risk-taking

The educational benefits of chess playing are vast; however, the following aptitudes are specifically developed through playing chess:

Concentration – In the fast-paced age of computer games, television and Internet technology, educational experts have bemoaned deteriorating concentration levels in students, to the detriment of classroom learning and exam performance. Chess games, on the other hand, can be long, arduous and require consistent intense concentration; any lapse may forfeit the game. Thus when tested by various educational researchers, some studies have shown that chess playing students show increased aptitude for concentration, patience and perseverance than their non-chess playing counterparts.

Problem solving – the game promotes efficient problem solving since success relies on the ability to fully assess a given game scenario, rapidly and completely, taking into account own and anticipated opponent strategy and drawing upon a pool of experience and knowledge of game scenarios. Strong analytical and logic skills are thus also required. A Belgium study (Christiansen) showed that primary school students given chess education to support their curriculum, on average displayed accelerated levels of cognitive development than those following the traditional curriculum.

IQ – More generally, chess has been shown to raise overall levels of intelligence among school children. An experiment entitled the Learning to Think Project, conducted in South America, demonstrated an increase of intelligence quotient (IQ) among both male and female children after less than a year of studying chess systematically. As a result of this experiment some countries formally adopted chess into their curriculum, most notably Venezuela in the early eighties, with widespread reports for success.

Critical thinking and memory – A successful chess player will not only analyze the situation in front of him or her, but will draw upon a host of previous experiences and knowledge of the game to determine the best course of action. Several scientific studies have shown that strong chess players use different techniques for memorizing, than non chess players. Processing of information involves different areas of the brain and a system of chunking large amounts of information together is employed for memory and recall. This means that an experienced chess player will be better at determining patterns within the chess game but does not necessarily have a better memory for specific detail.

Decision making – The ability to make thoughtfully considered, strategic decisions under pressure are crucial to the success of chess. When a player feels (s)he is losing or the game is played under strict timing restrictions, a player must resist pressure to make a rash decision for ultimate success. Many believe that this aptitude is essential for effective exam performance and studies have shown improved exam performance arising from the playing of chess. Additionally, advanced chess players demonstrate increased expertise in the making of tough and abstract decisions (Seymour and Norwood 1993).

On the whole, successful chess playing requires a combination of aptitudes. A study by Dr. Albert Frank in Zaire, found that good teenage chess players (16-18 year olds) possessed strong spatial, numerical, administrative-directional and organizational abilities. Other studies have noted the correlation between ability in chess and presence of various abilities to draw upon. Indeed, Frank’s study also showed that as a result of taking up chess playing, students strengthened not only mathematical, logic and problem-solving skills a but also increased verbal aptitudes. It is possible that as a result of improving skills involving certain parts of the brain, this will also benefit other seemingly unrelated skills and aptitudes. Additionally, an American study (Margulies) found that year 9 (13-14 year olds) students placed on a regular chess-playing program for two years showed higher reading scores than peers with similar performances not placed on the program. However, no conclusion was reached as to an explanation for this.

Source:  Chess – An Educational Tool? 

http://www.portfolio.mvm.ed.ac.uk/studentwebs/session4/18/chessandeducation.htm