7 ways chess can improve your brain
long touted as the game of kings, chess is the game everyone associates with intelligence. Easy to learn but will take a life time to master, it has many layers and variations that can bring most games into new lines and scenarios. To many who play, the game is perfectly balanced. Most grandmasters reside in the upper levels of I.Q and enjoy the benefits chess can provide for your brain health.
1 MEMORY
The best players in the world have almost super power like memory. First they must memorise a opening for both the white and black pieces. Then all relevant lines(optimal move orders) for that opening. Not to mention the lines your opponent plays. Now this is only 2 openings, grandmasters have many and are able to play to a high level with all.
A stand out in the memory aspect of chess is arguably the greatest chess player of all time Magnus Carlson. Their are many videos where he is able to recall games, some played over a hundred years ago just by seeing the positions of the board. Don’t believe us check out this video.
2 CREATIVITY
Creativity is in abundance in the early stages of your chess journey. You do not have the pattern recognition of your favourite openings and you are being put into mental knots by the more experienced opponents. Your brain is firing on all cylinders trying to look for a way out of your hanging queen or the checkmate in one move. You are now forced into chess survival mode. Adding to your already losing position is the fact that you are under time restraints. This is where your brain will find a way or lose the game. The great thing about this is that regardless of your outcome your brain is being creative.
3 PLAN AHEAD
Another one of the fundamental skills involved in chess is playing ahead. Being able to see what your enemy is trying to achieve and countering. Challenging your brain to mentally play a scenario and determine if the outcome is good for you will improve yours brain’s synapses. As well as improving your brains function it will also translate into other aspects of your life. Planning ahead and being prepared will improve many avenues of your life, such as time and productivity.
4 FIRES BOTH SIDE OF YOUR BRAIN
Chess players tend to use both sides of their brains. They show more activity in the frontal parts of the brain. This is due to the high volume of problem solving in chess. The left side of the brain makes logical moves and the right side calculates and recognises patterns. As you become better, your brain will become more efficient at handling the stimuli. Luckily with websites like chess.com you are able to play harder and harder opponents as you climb the Elo ratings.
5 Focus
We are in a world of short attention spans. Tick Tok, YouTube shorts, Instagram they are all designed to grab your attention and pump you with a product or idea. This is great for marketers but not for the consumers who have grown accustomed to this and are now struggling in the focus department. Chess requires your full attention until the game is finished, otherwise in a blink of a eye your opponent can checkmate you. We have all been there, in a winning position only to let our attention slip and to lose the game. Learning to keep your focus throughout the game keeps your mind like a laser. Like number three this will translate into other parts of your life. In a world of unfocused people, someone who is focused will have the advantage.
6 LEARNING
Your brain grows when you learn new things it is as simple as that. Learning chess will grow your brain but as you get better, it’s brain growing ability is lowered. Going deeper into the theory and learning new openings will raise it back up. Chess theory involves a lot of reading and chess notation which will also keep your brain stimulated.
7 MOTOR SKILLS
A bonus way chess grows our brain is through the fine motor skills of moving and taking the pieces. This is particularly evident for young, old and anyone who struggles with their motor skills. It doesn’t score the highest in this department but you still get a small benefit without even realising it.
Learning the game of chess is a must for anyone that wants to improve their brain function. Even if you just learn the game to a basic level, then you can stop the embarrassment when someone asks if you know how to play and you look to the floor. I believe chess is particularly potent in the early stages of childhood. A child’s mind is a sponge and will adapt to whatever stimulus you give it. Feed them with chess, reading and music and not iPhone’s and tik tok.
