Chess is a game in which every action has a reaction - a consequence. Chess is a game that involves good and bad consequences, based on how well thought out the strategy is.
These are 16 reasons why your kids should play chess. (Number 16 is Mentor2Youth Specific)
1. Exercises the Brain.
Playing chess requires a complete mental workout! It’s no coincidence that the greatest chess masters in the world are also intellectual geniuses! Chess utilizes the entire brain, developing both the left and right hemispheres, which is crucial for young minds.
2. Grows Dendrites.
Dendrites are like antennas that transmit signals from the brain to the body. Learning to play chess at a young age encourages dendrites to grow and progress physically! The more children play the game, the better (and quicker) their cognitive skills develop.
3. Improves Spatial Skills.
Being able to calculate moves ten steps ahead and determine the possible outcomes of each move is a form of spatial skill development. Kids who play chess develop this skill early on, improving their ability to visualize, analyze, and manipulate objects in space.
4. Increases IQ Level.
A previous study in Venezuela has shown that students who played chess regularly scored significantly higher IQ scores than students who didn’t play after just 4 months of participation. This is further proof that playing the game increases a child’s intelligence quotient considerably.
5. Improves Problem-Solving Skills.
Problem-solving skills are vital for school-aged children and help them achieve success in a variety of subject areas, including math and science. Teaching kids how to recognize, analyze, and solve problems is the best way to impart independence, self-confidence, and maturity in youngsters.
6. Improves Memory.
Chess is a game of strategy, with pieces that move in specific patterns. These patterns must be memorized in order to play. Training the brain to remember and retain information gives it strength. This is crucial to expanding knowledge and developing young minds.
7. Increases Creativity.
A one-year study from Karunya University, with support of the Indian government, found that children who played chess scored significantly higher in areas like creativity and originality. This is essential for youngsters as it fosters mental growth and provides opportunities for new ways of thinking and problem-solving.
8. Improves Concentration.
Playing chess is an excellent way for kids to take a break from ‘information overload’ and immerse themselves in a fun and enriching game. It requires complete focus, so kids would have to concentrate on the game, instead of checking their phones every time.
9. Improves Reading Skills.
In 1991, Dr. Stuart Marguiles studied the reading performance of 53 elementary school students who participated in a chess program. He determined that playing chess showed definitive proof that the kids in the program improved their reading performance, testing higher than the national average!
10. Improves Verbal Skills.
I know what you’re thinking, how could playing chess possibly improve verbal skills when players barely engage one another! Well, Dr. Albert Frank studied children receiving chess instruction for 2 hours a week and the game, which is basically language-independent, improved verbal skills significantly by exercising brain functions related to language, such as logic.
11. Teaches Self-Discipline.
Chess is a game of strategy. Players must be patient, bidding their time, and waiting for just the right moment to attack! This teaches kids how to be patient and stay focused both on and off the board. Self-control is a vital skill in life, and playing chess will help encourage it.
12. Teaches Sportsmanship.
Chess teaches not only sportsmanship to kids but also life skills for success in the future. The nature of the game is such that is requires discipline, patience, creativity, forethought, and strategic planning. The game rewards its players of making right decisions and staying focused. All of which translates into future real-life skills needed in adulthood.
13. Gets Kids Offline.
We live in a technological age, as all parents know, dominated by video games, TV, the internet, and cell phones. Getting kids to play chess is a great way to get them offline. It allows them to unplug from the devices and engage in real-life, educational gameplay.
14. Builds Self-Confidence.
Being able to beat an opponent at a game that requires genuine skill, not luck, especially if the other player is older, is a great way for children to boost their self-esteem. It has been proven that in just one year of exposure to chess, self-esteem in youngsters is substantially improved.
15. Imparts Joy and Fun.
Fun is a big part of childhood, and playing a game like chess creates happy memories of good times with friends and family for kids. Best of all, it is imparts joy and the thrill of discovering something new. After all, it is fun that motivates youngsters more than anything else!
16. Raising Royalty.
The power of chess goes beyond just being a game. It has a wide range of cognitive, social, cultural, and health benefits, making it a powerful tool for personal development, strategic thinking, and mental stimulation. Chess is a timeless game that has captured the hearts and minds of millions of people worldwide, and its influence extends far beyond the 64 squares of the chessboard.
A key problem existing in communities is that most are not prepared to make effective decisions in a complex, interconnected society. It is not surprising that strategic plans are often ineffective. We leaders have not prepared our communities with the "capacities" necessary to be effective. Our society demands that we jump to action before we ask why that action is necessary. In addition, our decisions are often too narrowly defined and do not include strategies that will be able to deal with the impact of constant change. As a result, our communities decide on simple projects which are based on obsolete information and which focus on only part of the problem. There is a need to prepare a community to think differently; to have the ability to share information in real time; to develop a cadre of diverse leaders capable of facilitating a shared vision among diverse citizens; and to create a network of citizens throughout the community able to help manage change.
This is why we teach chess! We believe that life is a game of chess, not checkers!