Chess Is Cool for Kids!

Other Studies Showing that Chess is Good for Kids

"Chess in Education Research Summary" by Robert Ferguson (1995). A 14-page summary of key chess research.

"Chess Improves Academic Performance" summary of NY School Chess Program.

"The Importance of Chess in the Classroom", Atlantic Chess News, 1990 (Michael D. Wojcio). Wojcio teaches chess to slow learners in 5 NJ schools and this describes his program and the benefits.

"Chess and Education" (John Artise). After 2 years of psychological research in chess, Artise found cognitive improvements in memory, logic, observation and analysis, and operant conditioning.

"The Effect of Chess on Reading Scores" by Stuart Margulies, Ph. D.

"Teaching the Fourth R (Reasoning) Through Chess" (Robert Ferguson). A 1979 project teaching the gifted (grade 7-9) in Bradford Pa. Statistical "proof" that chess increases thinking scores. Also, includes description of teaching program.

"Chess Makes Kids Smart" (Anne Graham-PARENTS-Dec 1985). Urges parents to introduce their kids to chess and quotes work of Pete Shaw, Jeff Chesin, Bob Cotter, etc.

"Chess Makes Kids Smarter" (Dr. Gerard J. Dullea).

"Chess as a Way to Teach Thinking" (Diane Horgan).

These are only scratching the surface. In the Netherlands, the Dutch found that kids who play chess overall do 8% better in mathematics and science compared to kids who didn’t play (The statistic for girls alone is a difference of 12%).

Chess in the Schools

Chess (long embraced by the Russians and Europeans who have taught the game as part of their educational curriculum) has now moved as part of the curriculum in hundreds of schools in our Northern neighbor, Canada. They have seen the benefits of children learning the game.

But these reasons don’t compel children to take up the game. As a chess coach, I have seen attendance swell in the school chess clubs I teach. The company I work for in Phoenix, AZ, has seen a 20% annual growth in children’s chess participation from its onset eight years ago. When I started teaching chess five years ago, we would hold a scholastic tournament with 70 players. When we had a hundred and fifty entrants we thought it was big. This year (2004) in the eight tournaments we’ve held, the average attendance exceeded 350 in 5 sections, and that’s only from the greater Phoenix area. The Arizona State Championship and the Arizona Governor’s Cup each saw close to 600 entrants while the recent U.S. Chess Federation’s Elementary Championship was close 2100 children in attendance.

Kids are Attracted to Chess

So why are children attracted to chess? I believe that it appeals to our (their) inherited, individualistic, competitive nature. As a child grows, he/she wants to stand on their own, away from any parent or guardian and at the same time, when achieving a goal, say to them, “Hey, look what I can do!”

Unlike many team sports, chess players do stand on their own. If they loose a game, it is their fault, their failure and no one else’s. They cannot blame their loss on a teammate’s failure to pass the ball, miss the goal, or in being forced to play no matter how bad at the game the teammate may be. At the same time, when they win, it is also on their shoulders. It is because they were the ones who had put a little extra effort into learning the intricacies of the game. They are the ones who out thought their opponent in a long drawn out struggle or a short trap. And after their match, that win can create an adrenaline high that is unmatched except at the professional levels of sports.

Children who take up chess harbor deep emotions for the game. Once learned, it is with them for life. Yet, it is only those who play competitive chess who will develop into better players quicker than those who just learn the moves of the game. But is this healthy? Isn’t fostering a competitive attitude in our children supposed to be a bad thing? I don’t believe so, at least not in the competitive chess arena.

I’ve seen kids in chess grow up to become great kids. Kids who are jumpy, calm down; Kids who are overly hyper, sit and play for hours; Kids who are too emotional, learn to take losses and come back to play again; Kids who are over achievers, learn that there is always someone else out there who can beat you; Kids who never believe that they can perform or excel at anything, win games. Kids who want to win at all costs learn that winning isn’t everything. And I’ve seen kids, win or loose, connect with their parents at an indescribable level when they walk out of the tournament hall.

I believe chess is good for you and is great for children.

And in the immortal words of the 13th World Chess Champion, Gary Kasparov:

“If you think it’s just a game, then you’re not playing it right!”

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