One of my son's big hobbies is playing chess. Concentrating on the game and developing strategies that end the rival in a few plays, pose a challenge that make him grow, learn and motivate while having fun.
Many people believe that chess is very complicated and therefore appropriate for children. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is a fabulous sport for kids and with multiple benefits and advantages for its development. We tell you!
Improves memory
One of the first things to memorize when learning to play chess is the Name of the figures, their value and their movements. Chess has six different types of figures and each of them has its own movement on the board.
At first the children will learn the most basic and easy movements, but very soon they will have memorized how the rest of the pieces move, knowing how to move them diagonally, forward and backward or jumping.
Improve concentration and attention
To play chess it is important be focused on the game and pay attention to your opponent's movements. But the concentration acquired by children who play chess goes much further, and it has been shown that those students who practice it have a greater ability to concentrate on other subjects than other classmates.
In addition, according to the online magazine Neurología, chess could help children with ADHD improve their concentration and behavior. This statement is based on a study carried out in 2012 where it was found that children with ADHD who had practiced chess had improved their general behavior and attention, managed to control their impulsivity, body posture and favored the study habit.
Similarly, and according to this study, children with ADHD who continued to play chess on a regular basis even reduced medication consumption and achieved better academic results.
Improve mathematical reasoning
The Kasparov Foundation tells us about a pioneering experiment that was carried out in a school in Germany between 2004 and 2007 where half of the elementary students replaced a math class a week with a chess class.
During four consecutive courses, this last group of students obtained better results in mathematics than the control group that had received one more hour of this subject but none of chess.
And it is that by simply playing chess, the student performs various mathematical operations: from the handling of Cartesian coordinates, to the geometry of movements or arithmetic operations to capture the opponent's chips.
Improve emotional intelligence
Chess helps improve emotional intelligence, that is, the ability to use reason to properly manage emotions.
As explained in the chess website The Zugzang "if the rational brain does not dominate the decisions that occur on the board we usually find ourselves faced with poor quality decisions." That is why it is important the self-control in each play, the concentration and the correct management of emotions.
It has the advantages of strategy games
Chess teaches children to plan their moves and think quickly to anticipate the opposite. In addition, it teaches them to apply a strategic thinking to resolve conflicts and improves their mental abilities, helping to prevent brain deterioration and the onset of degenerative diseases.
Other associated benefits are the improvement of creativity and imagination, the increase in reading ability and the increase in the intellectual quotient.
Teach to respect the adversary
Chess is a competitive game between two people in which there is no room for cheating or cheating, because the rules of the game are immutable.
In addition, by spending so much time before the adversary, the child learns to respect, value and know him, since identifying his strengths and weaknesses is essential to anticipate his plays and win the game.
It is always a good time to play
If in addition to all this we add that it is a Very economical activity that can be practiced anywhere, anytime, there is no excuse to teach children to play. Luckily, this activity begins to gain adherents and there are already many schools that have seen the benefits it has in children, incorporating it into the extracurricular activities program.
And you, did you know the incredible benefits that chess practice has for kids?
In Xataca, does chess really help in the development of intelligence?
In Babies and More Book: "Your child can be a genius of the mates" (or just have fun with them), 15 activities with a lot of rhythm that stimulate the creativity of children, Seven keys to prevent our children from being illiterate emotional, They demonstrate that ADHD is not a behavioral disorder, but insufficient maturation of the brain
