Why play chess? Perhaps you are a parent, and you have seen the latest press promoting “chess in schools”. Maybe your child’s teacher has recommended your child join the school’s chess club. Or you were recently in a collectibles shop or restaurant and saw a sign that announced a local chess club’s meeting schedule and you wondered what that was all about.
Well, if you are like me, you played chess as a child – right after you graduated from checkers. But it has been years since you even thought about playing chess – or saw someone playing chess – except for the occasional scene in a movie or television show. So what is all the fuss about? Is chess making a comeback? The answer is yes – and no. Let me explain.
For those in the know, chess never really went away. Chess clubs and tournaments have been occurring this whole time – right under our noses! It is time that we caught on to what those other people have known all along: chess makes you think better.
It is true. Psychologists tell us that chess makes one think better in at least 3 ways. First, chess teaches consequences. It forces the player to think multiple steps ahead to consider the opponent’s possible moves. Therefore it helps with decision making and builds responsibility. Second, by teaching consequences chess builds emotional maturity by encouraging delayed gratification. Rather than take this pawn or bishop now, wait and take the queen later. Third, chess helps a person (especially a child) to organize his or her interior world. In our current society of moral and cultural relativism, there are few absolutes. While a mature mind might experience this as freedom, a developing mind frequently experiences this as chaos. Because the highly structured nature of chess helps to organize the multiple possible variations (chaos) of the game, the game then helps the individual to better organize their own individual world of thoughts. Chess does not increase an individual’s base level intelligence, but it does help a person apply his or her intelligence more effectively and efficiently.
You don’t have to start big. You don’t need a high quality hand-carved set like we sell when you are just beginning. Pick up 2-3 inexpensive sets from your local big box retailer. Give a couple of the sets away to your friends (or your children’s friends) – then start playing! There are several online sites where you can play games, take lessons, and see videos. We will cover those next week – but for now, just get a set and start playing!
Thanks for taking the time to read this.
The Support Team at MyChessSet.com
MyChessSet 