Chess in Education Part VI

Conclusions

As reported in this series of articles, the game of chess has long been associated with human intelligence and mental development. From its inception, chess has been an educational tool primarily due to the mental challenge it offers. In the United States, Benjamin Franklin was an early advocate of using chess in public school to develop original thinking in students and many educators support this view presently. Numerous studies argue the positive benefits of chess in the development of the cognitive process and these studies offer valid reasoning as to why chess ought to be part of school curriculum. Chess objectively increases mathematical and verbal abilities in school-aged children, and, as a side benefit, teaches invaluable lessons to students in proper planning, conceptualization/visualization, analyzing problems, weighing options, and decisive decision-making. Those chess skills confer the ability to be successful in business or a field of study for any student who chooses to apply them. Educators achieve desirable results when chess is made part of the school curriculum, in part due to the increase in standardized testing scores; however, teachers also reap the rewards of having students participate in an activity that is not only thought provoking, but also fun. Moreover, teaching students to appreciate chess in school will give these individuals a life-long pastime that continually offers a mental challenge, thereby maintaining cognitive ability and reducing the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease substantially.

The author feels that every school, whether public or private, needs to make an investment in a chess program. The start up costs for such a program is minimal and the benefits to a student’s education are great. This makes chess an excellent value. Since the cited studies prove that chess has the greatest impact on a child’s mental development during their elementary education, chess study should be mandatory for grades Kindergarten through Sixth, and thereafter, chess should be an elective course of study. Teaching our children how to think is what chess in education is all about.

Chess in Education Part V

Chess Maintains Cognitive Ability

Chess is undeniably the world’s greatest puzzle, and as such, it is a difficult and challenging game to play. Chess is not physically demanding, but it requires a cognitive ability of the highest order and an astonishing degree of concentration to play the game well. Studies report that people with Multiple Sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease derive great benefit from playing chess, and are less likely to experience a rapid mental deterioration. Patients who regularly play chess are forced to remember how the playing pieces move, and must call upon encyclopedia-like knowledge to play the opening, middle game, and end game. This mental activity will stall the degradation of cognitive ability that is a hallmark of these diseases, therefore, enabling the people who are afflicted with these disorders to enjoy a fuller life (Russell, 2006). Furthermore, Chicago, Illinois, researchers report that playing chess reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease since the game keeps the brain active, and the practitioners’ of the game are 260 percent less likely to develop the malady (Childers, 2007).

Chess in Education Part IV

Chess in Education

Chess has positive benefits for students because it forces the full utilization of an individual student’s cognitive ability. According to chess master Jerry Meyers (2005), chess increases a student’s intelligence by teaching them important skills that, while not specific to chess, are part of the game. Students learn the how to observe what is happening, and how to respond in a logical manner. Further, students learn how to think ahead, develop and weigh options, analyze concretely, and handle and prioritize multiple considerations. In a New York Times article, chess grandmaster Maurice Ashley asserted, “A lot of times [in] education we try to teach kids the one right answer [to a given problem] and that leads….to robotic thinking. We need kids who know how to think.” Grandmaster Ashley believes that chess encourages students to think of candidate solutions to problems before choosing the alternative that offers the best solution (as cited in Saulny, 2005). In a recent Rocky Mountain News article, Colorado chess master Todd Bardwick emphasized, “The time management and logical-thinking skills required of a chess master can be applied to any business or field of study.” Mr. Bardwick declared that the skills he had taught to one of his chess students made it possible for this particular student to complete law school in two and a half years and enjoy considerable success as a lawyer (Bardwick, 2007).

The benefits of chess are not just for students; educators have much to gain by incorporating chess into their curriculum. Mr. Stephen Lampkin (2000), in a Chess Life magazine article wrote about how the North Tonawanda School District, a city located near Buffalo, New York, introduced chess as part of the school district’s program of study, and how chess was responsible for the remarkable gains in the district’s standardized test scores at the elementary school level. Dr. Calvin Deyermond, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, reported, “We have seen improvement in mathematical reasoning skills as well as critical thinking as a result of this [chess] program” (as cited in Lampkin, 2000). Additionally, studies demonstrate that chess-in-school programs in New York City, Houston, Texas, and Bradford, Pennsylvania, have led to higher scores on the Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal and the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (Ferguson Jr., 1995, pp. 8-11; Meyers, 2005).

Chess in Education Part III

Chess and Mental Development

In an important study in the mid-1920’s, the psychologists Djakow, Petrowski, and Rudik concluded, from their observations of chess grandmasters, that accomplishment in chess came from “exceptional visual memory, combination power, speed of calculation, power of concentration, and logical thinking” (as cited in Ferguson Jr., 1995, p. 1). Further, other psychologists have theorized that besides requiring the aforementioned attributes, chess essentially cultivates them. John Artise draws upon his years of psychological research in chess to identify the contribution chess makes in mental development. In his article Chess and Education, Mr. Artise asserts, “Visual stimuli tend to improve memory more than any other stimuli…chess is definitely an excellent memory exerciser the effects of which are transferable to other subjects where memory is necessary” (as cited in Ferguson Jr., 1995, p. 1).

In an effort to confirm that chess does develop mental abilities, Dr. Albert Frank conducted an experiment at the Lisanga School in Kisangani, Zaire, during the 1973-74 school year. This groundbreaking work became the article Chess and Aptitudes or the Zaire study. The experiment had the following organization:

"Ninety-two (92) students, 16-18 years of age, were selected from the fourth year humanity’s class and distributed at random into two groups (experimental and control) of 46 students each. All of the students were given a battery of tests which included the Primary Mental Abilities test (PMA) in the French adaptation, the Differential Aptitude Test (DAT), the General Aptitudes Test Battery (GATB), and a Rohrschach test. The tests were administered to all of the students both before and after the school year, except for the DAT which was administered only before
the school year and the Rohrschach which was given only after the school year. At the end of the first semester, a partial retesting was made. The experimental group was given a required chess course of two hours each week with optionalplay after school and during vacations." (as cited in Ferguson Jr., 1995, p. 2)

Robert Ferguson Jr., (1995, p. 2) reported that Dr. Frank had two hypothesis concerning chess and its affect on cognitive development. The first hypothesis concerned itself with the necessary skills that form the basis of the ability to learn how to play chess well. The second hypothesis theorized that learning to play chess well contributed to the development of the ability to learn other skills. The result confirmed the first hypothesis, specifically, “There was a significant correlation between the ability to play chess well, and spatial, numerical, administrative-directional, and paper work abilities.” Additionally, confirmation of the second hypothesis, in particular: “… learning to play chess had a positive influence on the development of both numerical and verbal aptitude.” Dr. Frank found that playing chess assists in mental development because chess makes the most of an individual’s potential and enhances it further, therefore, making chess beneficial in education.

Chess in Education Part II

The Game of Chess

Chess is a board game that has a playing surface consisting of 64 light and dark colored squares set in an alternating pattern, and arranged in eight horizontal rows and eight vertical rows. The chess opponent’s designation is by the color of the pieces they play with, either white or black—no matter the colors of the set in use. The opponents sit opposite of one another with the board between them. Each chess player has an army consisting of 16 chessmen; one of these armies will be a light color for white side and the other will be a dark color for black side. The white player always has the first move and all the moves must be in accordance with the rules of the game. The object of the game is to capture the opposing king; however, chess games can end in a draw when neither side can force a capture (Chess, 1993).

Chess in Education Part I

History

The game of chess has long been associated with intelligence and mental development; some of the greatest minds that the human race has ever known have played chess for the challenge and enjoyment of matching their wits against a similarly gifted opponent. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica (Chess, 1993) the game of chess originated in either India or China around the 6th century A.D. and then migrated westward toward Persia and Arabia, finally reaching Europe by way of the Muslims and Byzantines. Chess master Jerry Meyers in the article Why Offer Chess in Schools? (2005) further amplifies this history; he reports:

"Chess is a classic game of strategy, invented more than 1500 years ago in India. Legend has it that the ruler of India asked his wise men to devise a way to teach the children of the royal family to become better thinkers…chess was the result." (History section, para. 1)

Indeed, Benjamin Franklin embraced chess as an educational tool for schools in the United States, and this support continues to the present by many in the teaching profession (Meyers, 2005). This paper intends to examine how the classical game of chess assists in mental development and how that is beneficial to students and educators. Additionally, and of equal importance, this paper will analyze how chess maintains cognitive ability and will argue that the game is effective in reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Therefore, this report will deal the following issues:

1. Chess
2. Chess and mental development
3. Chess in education
4. Chess maintains cognitive ability

Chess in Education: Beyond Mental Development

Abstract

This paper deals with the subject of chess in education, and its value beyond mental development; it gives a general history of the association of chess to intelligence and includes the origins of the game. This report outlines chess as an educational tool for schools in the United States that has the endorsement of many prominent educators, including Benjamin Franklin. A brief description of the game is given. The chess in education research summary by Dr. Robert Ferguson Jr., Chess in Education: "A wise Move" Conference (1995) provided research study information linking chess to cognitive development and an increase in mental abilities. Studies have proved that chess has a positive influence in education from both the student and educators perspective, and that the mental stimulus provided by playing chess reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. In conclusion, chess education needs to be part of every school curriculum, especially at the elementary levels, where its benefits will have the greatest impact on thinking abilities of children.