Chess is a battle of minds.
Also known as Levon Aronian or Tigran Petrosyan, kids begin to play chess from as young as six years in Armenian schools.
Even so, both men and women, adults and kids play chess.
Dating back more than 1500 years ago, chess is one of the world’s oldest games. It has evolved over the years into what it is today. People from different backgrounds, cultures, and ages have come together to enjoy a common passion and bond for chess.
As a game for the intellectually gifted, chess is beneficial for both the young and the elderly.
So…
What are the benefits of playing chess?
The popular indoor game can raise a child’s IQ and help develop problem-solving skills.
Smart kids play chess…
According to a study of 4000 students in Venezuela, both girls and boys indicated IQ scores post 4 months of instruction on playing chess.
With heightened intelligence, your young ones can easily move the chess pieces across the board. It’s not just an ordinary activity but one that can help your kids improve their IQ scores.
Additionally, life is full of obstacles and challenges. And, due to the lack of problem-solving skills, some problems go unsolved.
Therefore, it’s necessary to prepare your kids for life’s challenges, teaching them to solve issues as they arise and move on. It takes lots of preparation to raise an independent, and confident kid.
Chess can help your kids to develop problem-solving skills and confidence.
Similarly, the elderly can benefit from a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s. The brain is the most active part of the body when playing chess. Regular exercise is the key to a healthy and fit brain that’s free from injuries.
Playing chess, according to a medical study, reduces the risk of developing dementia, and related symptoms. The functioning of the brain improves whenever you play chess. As a result, you experience a reduced risk of developing anxiety, Alzheimer’s and depression.
According to the results of a study published in the New England Medicine Journal, people aged over 75 years who engage in mental exercises such as chess have a lower risk of developing dementia than their peers who don’t play board games.
Other benefits of playing chess include:
- Promotes the growth of dendrites (neurons and neural cells) in kids
- Enhances spatial and analysis skills
- Exercises the brain and boosts memory
- Improves creativity and focus or concentration
- Improves planning and prediction or foresight skills
- Brings people together and builds confidence
- Calms the mind under pressure and teaches how to win and lose
- Treats schizophrenia and fosters therapy and rehabilitation
- Improves kids’ reading skills
- Fun and supports socialization
6 Tips to Becoming a Better Player at Chess
Nobody was born a good player at chess. Even without intellectuals, you don’t need studies or to be a genius to start playing the game. Playing chess regularly can make you smarter.
Advanced chess players begin playing the game as novices with little intelligence. But with practice, they became more intelligent and improve their IQ.
Here’re tips to become a better player:
- Know the rules and play lots of games
Review the basic rules of moving pieces and special chess rules to become a serious player. Knowing the rules of playing chess is the beginning of learning how to play. Learn how to:
- Setup the board for playing chess
- Move the pieces
- The castle as part of the special rules of playing chess
- Make the first move and know who does so
- Win a chess game
- Follow basic strategies of playing chess
- Practice playing
After you’ve known all the rules of playing chess, play lots of games to master the skill. Playing different chess games involves repetition to help you master the game.
Whether you’re at home or moving up and down, play lots of chess games to improve your playing skills. It’s also necessary to review every game you play.
Every chess game presents opportunities and mistakes to learn from. Use automated computer analysis to better understand every chess game you play.
- Practice with chess puzzles and analyze fundamental endgames
The techniques of playing chess are problems in bites waiting for a solution from you. Chess puzzles represent actual game scenarios with an opportunity to win.
Although it’s similar to playing chess, you skip to where you’re already a winner. Consider free chess puzzles to help you develop chess-playing tactics.
Some chess games only end after multiple moves and most, if not all, pieces have been traded away. This means that such games don’t end fast.
Kings and some pawns are usually left behind. In endgames, your focus is to promote the remaining pawns to queens.
The skill to navigate endgames is key in winning several chess games. Practice common endgame drills to improve your chess playing skills and become a better player.
Analysis can help you avoid the mistakes you made when playing the game under analysis.
- Drink lots of water to boost your brain’s performance
According to a study published in Medical News Today, drinking a significant amount of water can improve the reaction time of your brain. The performance of your brain is boosted whenever you drink water.
Drinking at least three cups of water increases your brain’s reaction time by up to 14%. Cognitive performance is directly dependent on the consumption of salt-free water.
Drinking more of it is good for your cognitive abilities and performance in playing chess.
Similarly, sleep can easily improve your brain performance to become a better chess player. The best water softener from you can help ensure that you only get clean water to drink at all times.
- Double-check your moves and avoid wasting time with openings
Avoid making bad moves when playing chess. It takes a blunder to lose a chess game.
Double-check your pieces before making a move. This safeguards your king and ensures that you don’t give out your pieces freely.
Memorizing openings is a waste of time.
Don’t waste time memorizing chess moves or openings. Players know only a few openings and/or rarely play an opponent’s particular lines even if they know the openings.
Learn opening principles from the moment you begin to play chess to avoid the need to memorize them.
- Learn from experienced chess players
Another way to become a better chess player is to play with experienced players and learn from them. Ask for advice from them to help guide your games.
Find out an advanced player’s favorite chess book to boost your playing strength. Ask them what to study that’ll foster your aim of becoming a prowess at playing chess.
Let them share with you some important endgames to explore and the chess games to analyze. Ask experienced players to share with you the best endgames to play and analyze.
The experienced player can be a grandmaster, a chess coach, a relative, or even an opponent who won the game.
- Practice, practice, practice
It takes practice to make your chess playing skills and knowledge perfect. Practice with at least 10,000 puzzles or games, use chess apps, and take part in local tournaments to improve your playing skills.
With consistent practice, expect your chess playing skills to improve. Find the best water softener to ensure that the water you drink to improve your brain performance is clean and salt-free.
