Your Brain on Chess

Today is international chess day!

In the game of chess, two opponents go head to head with 16 playing pieces each. These pieces include eight pawns, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, one queen and one king in each color. Their objective is to capture the opponent’s king through a series of strategic moves.

Chess is recognized and scientifically proven as a powerful tool against dementia and Alzheimer’s. It is known that mental stimulation, including games, helps delay, reduce, or even improve cognitive decline and associated diseases. Chess in particular has been recognized as a leading activity for brain health. As we know, the brain is just like a muscle – if you don’t use it, you lose it, and you need to continuously exercise it in order to maintain top brain functioning.

But what about chess makes it so good for your brain?

Improves memory – Being a good player means remembering how your opponent has operated in the past and recalling moves that have helped you win before. 

Grows Dendrites – This means that chess physically bolsters your brain. Dendrites are the tree-like branches that conduct signals from other neural cells into the neurons they are attached to. Think of them like antennas picking up signals from other brain cells. The more antennas you have and the bigger they are, the more signals you’ll pick up. Dementia and Alzheimer’s involve dendrites becoming weakened or tangled, which lessens memory and brain functionality. But, learning a new skill like chess-playing causes dendrites to grow!

Improved concentration – Looking away or thinking about something else for even a moment can result in the loss of a match, as an opponent is not required to tell you how he moved if you didn’t pay attention.

Problem solving – A chess match is like one big puzzle that needs solving, and solving on the fly, because your opponent is constantly changing the parameters.

Enhances Creativity – Since the right hemisphere of the brain is responsible for creativity, it should come as no surprise that activating the right side of your brain helps develop your creative side. Specifically, chess greatly increases originality. 

Chess uses BOTH sides of the brain – Chess is an encompassing brain-game, which means that it involves many parts of your brain! The game is considered a science and an art. Studies show that in order to play chess well, a player must develop and utilize his or her brain’s left hemisphere, which deals with object recognition, as well as the right hemisphere, which deals with pattern recognition. Over time, thanks to the rules and techniques involved in the game, playing chess will effectively exercise and develop not one but both sides of your brain, which is ideal for brain health!

Improved reading and raises IQ – Many studies have shown that playing chess improves reading and raises IQ for children, teenagers, adults, and seniors!

Strengthens planning and foresight – A telling symptoms of cognitive decline is decreased planning and foresight. Strategy games like chess can promote prefrontal cortex development and help them make better decisions in all areas of life, especially those affected by dementia.

Did you know: Millions of people all over the world have been playing chess for over a thousand years! Chess developed in India during the fifth century. Also, the term ‘Checkmate’, used when defeating an opponent in chess, derives from the Persian phrase Shah Mat. The phrase means “the King is dead.”