educational benefits of chess

CHESS BENEFITS. Helps children. Chess is not just and add-on but a dedicated part of the curriculum. This enhances their memory, which comes in handy for them in memorizing their lessons as well. His parents got him involved in chess and he channelled his energy into it, to become a brilliant player. We’ll have a look at both of these individually and hopefully we’ll be able to give you a feel as to why chess should be in schools using these two main benefit areas as the basis. Once again, the synergy with education are there – students need to be able to utilise various types of thinking in their school work. In this report, Ferguson evaluated the impact of a weekly chess club intervention, lasting 32 weeks, on grade 7-9 gifted and talented students’ cognitive development, measured by the Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal and the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking. In this post, we have compiled some of the most sought-after educational benefits of chess. As an educational tool. Chess has the power to bring people together. Over the years we have seen many students at first ‘spit the dummy’ over a lost game, but learn to accept this and get on with the next one. On the flip side, we teach them that when they lose a game, they are in fact gaining more knowledge so we don’t regard it as losing. We would argue that this is a massive benefit when we consider than in today’s society self-image is a major problem for many children and particularly teenagers. Now the improvement of reading skills might come as a bit of a surprise, however when students learn to play, they regularly have to describe moves using coordinates and when they reach a slightly higher level, they have to write down their moves as well – both of these have a positive influence on reading skills. Of course everyone likes to win, but it is just important to … Your order is processing, this may take a minute or two. Heading along to interschool tournaments and seeing kids mingling with others from different schools gives us a buzz every time we run a tournament. Around 500 million people in 167 countries play the game and only football can rival that”. Age, sex, race, religion … they mean nothing in chess. An example of this we can share with you is from Australia’s #2 chess player, David Smerdon. The graphs above illustrate the results of the students undertaking testing each year from 2005 through to 2009. Chess allows girls to compete with boys on a non-threatening, socially acceptable plane Many of the various modalities of thinking involved are shared between the two. Learning to interact socially is another great aspect of chess, particularly for students who may have behavioural or learning difficulties, and especially those on the autism spectrum. Wisdom is the combination of knowledge experience and sound character. Chess Increases Creativity. As an aside this focus on Chess within and out of the curriculum has dramatic effect on our school Chess team’s popularity and competition success.”. Learning chess has many educational benefits too — it’s a game that requires many different skills for one to truly master it. As an aside of decision making, consequences get brought into the equation. Teaches you how to win and lose. Mathematics is more than equations and numbers. When you are a kid, you have energy bubbling around, but when you are playing chess, you have to channel that energy into focus”. Creativity is linked with the right side of your brain. Chess was introduced in 2007 so there are two years of historical comparisons available. This post is sponsored by Grow Up Smart. We have seen countless examples where students who have struggled to make friends, and over time have learnt to interact with others, using chess as a medium. Chess is a game of prediction, calculation and pattern recognition. At Winters Flat, chess is taught to all year 2 to 6 students as one of the 5 dedicated maths lessons each week. Interschool chess competitions are a great way to develop team spirit and camaraderie. Furthermore, a study has also been conducted on this subject, which revealed that people who do not indulge in mind-stretching activities are more at risk of developing certain neurological disorders such as dementia or Alzheimer’s. Not only has chess provided a further avenue for our gifted and talented children to express themselves, but it has also provided an opportunity for other children to shine in an academic and competitive pursuit. When students are taught to play chess, they not only learn the moves but also patterns that are created. 38 Educational Benefits of Chess. ACADEMIC:  Chess involves a whole range of cognitive skills including analysis, planning, forward thinking, memory and a knowledge of history. With regard to the Paraguayan Bill, Deputy Juan Antonio Denis, draftsman, argued for the document highlighting the importance of its application compulsory in the Basic School Education cycles, so they can help develop the student’s creative thinking, to develop visual memory overall and intellect. Conversely, students in the above average section went from 14% in 2006 up to a peak of 48% in 2008. The educational benefits of being a chess player are many and include honing analytical thinking skills and aiding memory retention. Chess teaches you how to win and lose. FAQ. As the brain works like a muscle, it needs regular exercises for being healthy and avoid injuries. Benefits of chess Chess is a universal game, knowing no boundaries of age, gender, faith, ethnicity or disability, that promotes key intellectual skills such as problem solving, logical thinking, pattern recognition and concentration. Chess teaches students to narrow down the possibilities and think rationally about the options in order to come to the best decision. What chess also helps teach students is all about winning and losing. One of the key educational benefits is raised IQ scores. Before we get stuck into the guts of the benefits we’d like to share with you a brief quote. Builds confidence. This is of course is invaluable during their school work where concentration and focus are needed. By remembering these patterns they are sharpening their memories, and this helps them in all areas of learning. Chess teaches children to think analytically and logically. We have found instances where children with learning difficulties have succeeded over the chess board, and, this in turn, has helped them to achieve in the regular literacy and numeracy activities of their classroom.”. After this study, the Venezuelan government introduced chess lessons to all schools. As a further example, many chess players will form solid bonds of friendship and remain steadfast friends regardless of whether the players live in the ACT, QLD or Amsterdam! Sportsmanship is a vital part of chess and students are taught early on about how to react when they win a game and to think about the feelings of the opposing players. In Venezuela, a study of over 4,000 second grade students found a significant increase in most student’s IQ scores after only 4.5 months of systematically studying chess. Various studies and conference presentations (e.g., Christiaen and Verholfstadt, 1978; Liptrap, 1998; Bart and Atherton, 2004) provided results in support of the educational benefits of chess instruction in the schools. In a paper by John Artise, “Chess and Education,” several benefits are mentioned, including memory improvement: Chess has done wonders for people in this area. 2. CheckMates Promotion Process. It also helps them build up their decision-making tools. 35 The Importance of Chess in the Classroom Michael David Wojcio shares his enthusiasm for the art, the challenge and the benefits of chess. Obviously these two attributes are both heavily linked to maths where using logic is important and the ability to work through problems sequentially becomes invaluable. When we play a game of chess we learn that we need to concentrate and focus on the game. “Chess is an excellent low cost, all ages, all weather activity that everyone can participate in. Chess provides us with a vehicle to develop the character of our young men. 1. Even at a basic level where students play for about half an hour, they find they can block out everything else and focus solely on the board and pieces. PHYSICAL:  Chess involves controlling oneself physically particularly impulsiveness for extended periods of time. Students are able to learn to interact socially with others in a non-threatening environment. Playing chess also fosters intellectual character. Chess helps teach students that for each decision there will be a consequence – and at least when playing chess, perhaps the worst consequence is that we lose the game. The educational benefits of being a chess player are many and include honing analytical thinking skills and aiding memory retention. This creativity helps students to be better in studies. A strengthened brain helps an individual to put more focus on studies and grasp the lesson in a better way. It has encouraged risk taking in a safe environment and creates an enjoyable problem solving environment with a strong emphasis on good sportsmanship. The energy a player has is channeled into focus when they are playing a game of chess. Other research has corroborated these results of skill transfer. These skills are inevitable for students who want to perform well in their exams. This resilience is highly transferrable to all other areas of life because it is stored as character. As an example, our Director of Operations can recall a number of times when his former chess coach would tell people how when he was little, he would send the pieces flying across the room for being told he was wrong, let alone losing a game. Can help you focus. Ferguson, R. (n.d.); on . It’s a great confidence builder and teaches patience and persistence. The Eu Parliament also says that chess can “help social cohesion and contribute to policy objectives such as social integration, combating discrimination, reducing crime rates ane even the fight against various addictions. We’ve already touched on the coordinates when concerned with the reading side of things, but of course as we’re sure many, if not all of you know, that coordinates and grids also form a part of the NAPLAN testing. 8/55 Railway Street, Mudgeeraba, QLD, AUSTRALIA Phone: +61 7 5522 7221 And since it’s the school holidays, what better time is there to let your child learn chess and see just how far you can progress? I love the fact that any Emu Park student plays a game with whomever is the next one to enter the room, no matter their age or even if they don’t know each other. Official Queensland Inter-School Chess Competitions. For the wider curriculum, chess helps improve concentration skills, critical thinking, and creativity. SOCIAL: Chess builds inter-personal skills through game playing and encouraging dynamic interaction. It’s a great confidence builder and teaches patience and persistence. This mimics many aspects of school work, and life in general where decision making is of the utmost importance. By . Winters Flat builds numeracy and mathematical thinking into its class tournament structures which involves using regrouping, simplification by cancellation, addition, subtraction, embryonic algebra, measurement and area, and geometric problem solving. As International Chess Master and journalist Malcolm Pein says “There is no other activity that costs so little to organise and that cuts across so many barriers. It became my favorite pastime. The children learn how to concentrate, how to think ahead, how to solve complex problems, and how to make difficult decisions—all valuable life skills. Develops creativity. One of the most well-known and the prominent educational benefits of playing chess is that it helps to increase the memory. Chess is one of the mostly widely available games or sports in the world. Similar to other muscles of our body, our brain also needs exercise to function properly since it works like one. When an individual regularly plays chess, these skills are instilled in them and help them to improve their performance in studies. About Us. This increases as we improve our skills, and play longer games – some games can even last as long as 5hrs. Learning chess has many educational benefits too — it’s a game that requires many different skills for one to truly master it. If you have other useful studies or links about the benefits of chess in education, please include them in the comments and we may add to this article as needed. Educational Benefits of Chess. Playing chess requires constant planning and problem-solving skills from a player to outdo their opponent. Educational Benefits of Chess; Cognitive abilities; STEM Skills; Promote and disseminate the use of chess for therapeutic and educational purposes by helping groups with special learning difficulties, especially people diagnosed with ADHD, autism or Asperger. Decision making is the cornerstone of chess. Every move requires a decision and the ability to choose the best option will determine how you go in a game of chess. Fax: +61 7 5522 7760 Sequential thinking comes into practice when having to plan ahead and working out sequences (which can get very complex when we consider the increase in possibilities after each move), whilst logical thinking is used when reacting to opponents’ plans, and working out our own at each and every turn. Educational Benefits of Chess for Kids. A game of chess means students need to employ a level of creativity in their chess to solve problems encountered during the game. Also in New Brunswick, chess was added to the curriculum in a program called Challenging Mathematics. One of the most well-known and the prominent educational benefits of playing chess is that it helps to increase the memory. This quote from Michael Wang (2013), an upcoming junior chess playing in the US, is quite apt and shows one of the keys benefits of chess which helps in many different areas; that of focus. Winters Flat has developed a mathematics based chess program where the mathematical concepts embedded in the game of chess are used to teach maths and facilitate student’s development. All in all I can’t speak highly enough of the visible and invisible benefits of chess, your school should get started on the journey.”. Chess embodies every aspect of Winters Flat’s SPACE Concept in the broadest sense. The educational benefits of chess are many and varied. Contact. Health experts believe that people who do not indulge in brain-exercise activities such as chess etc., their brain tends to lose strength and power. Helps you being calm. Thus, it is known to improve focus and concentration, which helps the students to enhance their performance in studies. It further helps improve children’s concentration, patience and persistence and can develop the sense of creativity, intuition, memory, and analytical and decision-making skills as well as teaching determination, motivation and sportsmanship.”. A chess player needs to be aware of the moves that their opponents have already made or the ones that have worked for you in the previous games. In 1992 a study in New Brunswick, Canada, showed that chess, built into a part of the maths curriculum significantly raised the problem solving scores of the students, when compared to the students who undertook the regular maths curriculum. This is similar to life where for each decision there is a good or bad consequence – at an extreme level a bad decision might lead to serious repercussions in the judicial system. For every bad move or poor decision in a game of chess there is a consequence. While playing chess, the most active part of our body is the brain. At a normal level, a consequence could be such as time out due to bad behaviour and so on. During the meeting Mrs. Vassiliou expressed her satisfaction with the big progress of the European Chess Union concerning the project “Chess in school” and the big support which the Written Declaration had received by the MEPs in the EU Parliament. Chess helps promote intellectual growth and has been shown to improve academic performance. Chess students learn to analyze, to plan and to perform, both over the board and in real life. 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