Chess is one of those games that requires a lot of brain involvement and concentration, but at the same time can be really fun and entertaining. Are there any real benefits to mastering this game? If you are not yet convinced of the benefits that chess has to offer, let’s go through the list and see what they are!
- Increase in Concentration
This is especially true for children. As adults, often, we have already trained ourselves to concentrate to some degree, and not be distracted by minor things surrounding us. But for children, it can be really tough. That’s why it is of absolutely vital importance to interest them in whatever they have to do, so learning doesn’t turn into torture. Luckily, with chess, this task is easily accomplished. And once they are genuinely interested, they are ready to practice more and more, thus, training their ability to concentrate in the process. The same happens for the elderly. They need this ability to keep their mind quick and responsive, and what better way to do it than play chess! Needless to say, that an above-average ability to concentrate your attention can have life-long benefits.
- Memory treadmill
Chess is a real gym for the brain. With varied exercises and great results. It trains your memory, among everything else. Memorizing is a complex process, involving different parts of your brain creating patterns of sorts, that come in handy when you encounter the object again and recognize it. Well, chess can speed up this process, if you play it frequently enough. First of all, you have to memorize the positions of your chess pieces at any given moment. Again, to push your general strategy forward, you have to evaluate its effectiveness. And that task can be demanding to your memory. A brain trained to memorize quickly and sufficiently will serve you well through life and will confidently back you up in all your aspirations.
- Conscious Strategy for Life
We couldn’t possibly make this list without including the concept of strategy. Unfortunately, so many of us go through life without fully realizing our goals and dreams, and more importantly, how to make them a reality. Chess can help us there as well. Much like in life, in order to win around the chessboard, you have to make conscious decisions and develop a strategy for success. If you expect to just go with the flow and win a chess game, think again. You need both the main strategy and a plan B, which is needless to say, a priceless skill to have in life. So, basically, chess trains your mind to set long term goals and devise various strategies to reach them.
- Learning to Sacrifice
In order to win a chess match, you have to be ready to sacrifice a lot of different chess pieces to get there. That happens in life more frequently than we would like, but we still have to deal with it. You have to be ready to sacrifice a lot of time, energy and finances either big or small to get what you want. Sacrifice is also a major part of the game of chess, which can also be applied and related to real-life experiences.
- Strong Community
Chess builds a strong community by uniting people. It also provides a strong platform for people from all around the world to play together, share stories and experience, as well as have a good time. And today, Chess is one of the most interesting, diverse and intellectual games.
Who knew chess sets have so many lessons to teach!
Source: theexeterdaily.co.uk
