Why Chess?
The educational benefits of chess are only recently starting to be fully understood. Many countries across Europe are following the lead of Armenia, Norway and Spain by adopting chess as part of their school curriculums. Studies that have explored the effects of learning chess on the mental ability of children and as a result, the educational benefits have all had the same general outcome: no matter whether children are academically gifted or of average intelligence, chess is beneficial in increasing academic performance. There are endless benefits that come alongside learning chess, some of the main ones are listed below:
-
Improved concentration
-
Improved problem solving abilities
-
Improved memory
-
Well developed critical thinking and logic skills
-
Learning that hard work leads to success
While chess is often thought of as being associated with high intelligence, there are also many social benefits of playing chess that are frequently overlooked. Below are some of the reasons that chess is a great tool to increase social skills:
-
Brings people together
-
Improves behaviour
-
Creates better self-image
-
Teaches patience
-
Sportsmanship – Accepting defeat and winning graciously
-
Overcomes all social and geographical barriers
If you would like to learn more about how chess can help, the following link is useful: