Chess is often known as a game for intellectually gifted people, chess is one of the best sports to exercise the brain. While Chess Grandmaster Bobby Fischer made it popular in the 1950s and 1960s, the game is still widely played around the world today among participants of all ages, from the young to the elderly.
Doesn’t the chessboard seem like a battleground to you? Where the queen, the rooks, the bishops and the pawn, together try to take the king towards victory. Chess games could actually be as complicated as an actual war because one wrong move and you are destined to lose. But here in chess, even if you lose you actually win. Because you get to take so much out of the chess game than just victory.
If you are interested in learn chess and are planning to learn this difficult game. Below I have written about the main benefits of playing chess which will surely convince you to go ahead and become a grandmaster!
Improves your Memory
Chess is not just about remembering the names of the sixteen pieces on the board or knowing how these 16 pieces move. If you are playing to win, you need to remember each and every move that you and your rival made throughout the game. So, one benefit of playing chess is that If you are playing chess regularly, you are exercising your brain and with practice, you will be able to remember and retain things for a longer duration.
Boosts Concentration
Chess is a game where if you lose concentration even for a moment you can lose track of the entire game. Chess games don’t provide time for the brain to relax and thus give you a higher level of concentration which is one of the top benefits of playing chess. You are engaged throughout the entire duration of the game in analysing the opponent’s moves, countering them, and planning the next one. Can you really go through all this without having yourself fully focussed on the game? If you are someone who is struggling with short attention spans then it’s recommended to indulge in chess.
Improves your Problem Solving Skills
Chess is like a maze in which you have to help your king reach the endpoint while crossing many hurdles. For that, you need to quickly recognise the visual patterns and think of the moves which will help you reach the endpoint. You need to plan ahead, analyse the situation and then only you can actually win. What basically happens is that your opponent keeps trying to create hurdles in order to stop you from progressing in the game and you simply need to solve them in order to move forward. Thus, another key benefit of playing chess is it helps in improving your problem-solving potential.
A Cure for Anxiety
Chess is an indoor game which requires calm thinking. To play chess, you need to first quiet your brain and think rationally about the next move that you are going to make. For people suffering from anxiety, this might be a bit difficult at the beginning but with constant practice, it can actually help to reduce your anxiety. It works like meditation but just more fun than it. So, the ability to cure anxiety is another benefit of playing chess.
Raises your IQ
Chess has always been considered as a game for genius people. Now, it’s not like only people who are genius can play chess but that you can actually increase your intelligence level through chess. In a span of one chess game, you have to do analysis, evaluation, engage in logical thinking and strategical planning. Thus, amongst our listed benefits of playing chess, this one has been scientifically proven that playing chess regularly can help in raising your IQ level.
Teaches you to be Patient
When you start playing chess as a routine, you will slowly learn the importance of making decisions with a calm mind. If you lack patience, you will end up making movies without thinking it through and you will end up losing the game. So, a chess player requires a lot of patience in order to not jump into conclusions without properly analysing the moves and the position of other pieces on the board. You might struggle with this part at first, but with the time you will eventually master the art of patience which is one of the best benefits of playing chess.
Trains You to Work Under Pressure
Have you ever thought about how stressful a chess game could be? A chess game requires you to think calmly under pressure. You are given a few seconds to make the move but you need to make sure that in these few seconds you make the right decision. And that will definitely put you in a stressful situation. But have you ever seen how calmly chess players play their game? This is a result of continuous practice and if you also engage in it you would be able to diffuse the tension and it will help you give your best thus help you gain from all the key benefits of playing chess!
Teaches Planning and Foresight
If you remember yourself when you were a teenager, maybe you will regret some things that you have done without thinking about the consequences. You know what the characteristic feature of all chess players is, they plan and predict all the time, no matter where they are. While playing chess, planning is also important, which becomes the part of the personality and makes the person always follow those rules. So if you want to have a teenager with planning skills, act now.
The most important thing is the skills that are being taught through this game go far from the board, and prepare the person for life difficulties, and problems, teach them how to solve those obstacles in a creative way. In the result teaching your children how to play chess, can be one of the greatest things that you will do for them.
Let’s chess together, maybe your kid will conquer the chess world and will become the next Fischer, you never know till you try.