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Chess For Young Children

Chess has many benefits for young children. It improves cognitive skills like IQ, problem solving abilities, and memory. Playing chess also exercises both sides of the brain. Socially, chess teaches children how to follow rules and interact with others. It can help them learn patience, obedience, and how to handle losing. Overall, introducing chess at a young age aids intellectual and social development.

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Alexandru Baciu
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31 views

Chess For Young Children

Chess has many benefits for young children. It improves cognitive skills like IQ, problem solving abilities, and memory. Playing chess also exercises both sides of the brain. Socially, chess teaches children how to follow rules and interact with others. It can help them learn patience, obedience, and how to handle losing. Overall, introducing chess at a young age aids intellectual and social development.

Uploaded by

Alexandru Baciu
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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“Chess for young children”

By Baciu C. Alexandru
Group 1206A

Abstract
There are a few facts about the advantages of teaching young children how to play chess.
Most experts agree on the fact that start studying chess from a youthful age has a beneficial
impact. The reader should note the fact that the benefits range from intellectual development to
social domain. Most studies have shown that children who practice chess early in their lives have
developed better cognitive skills and had a higher grade of social interaction than the ones who
don’t play it. The conclusion is that chess is linked to improvements in several areas of a young
children’s life.

Introduction
Chess is often called the king of sports because it involves a high level of logical
thinking, decision making, etc. Unlike other board games, like checkers, for example, it’s not a
solved game. (A solved game is a game whose outcome (win, lose or draw) can be correctly
predicted from any position, assuming that both players play perfectly.) In the first 10 moves, the
number of possible positions is as high as 1043 so, as everybody expects, it’s a complex game.
Now a question arises: ”Can one teach a child to play chess?”. The answer is yes; there are many
ways to do it. The most important factor is that you mustn’t overstrain your kids with
information en masse. The children should see chess solely as a game, so it’s purpose should be
to entertain him or her.
Main body
In the following lines the advantages of the matter will be presented. In the first place it
raises the player’s IQ. A study showed that 4000 Venezuelan students both boys and girls
showed IQ scores after 4 months of chess instruction. Playing chess doesn’t mean just moving
around the pieces, so it’s not just an ordinary activity, instead it’s a result of thinking. In
addition, it develops problem solving skills because the child is left alone to make decisions, to
be responsible for his or her own actions, even if we talk about a game. Another great advantage
is that it improves memory. While playing chess you should remember your opponents move,
remember which positions can help him/her in that situation.

Furthermore, playing chess exercises both sides of the brain. A German study showed
that when chess experts were given chess position and geometric shapes to identify, researchers
expected to find the player’s left brain being more active, but the surprising thing happened when
they saw that the right hemisphere of the brain was equally active as the left one. The left side of
the brain is responsible of analytical thinking, while the right side is responsible for creative
thinking. Considering this, playing chess also develops imagination, an important factor in a
children’s life.

Almost everybody knows about the intellectual advantages of playing chess and the proof
for them is undeniable. However, there are far more things to focus on apart from these. At a
young age, the learner wouldn’t just target developing some academic skills; for them, it will
also be a social game, considering the fact that you can’t play alone, you must interact with your
possible opponents. Moreover, chess is having a set of rules that must be respected. Learning to
follow several rules that are about both the game and the relationship with the opponent will
develop him/her. Several studies have shown that children who play chess are more patient, more
obedient and are less prone to argue, to fight than the ones who don’t. And that’s a very
important thing for parents, sometimes a child who doesn’t behave is a huge inconvenience for
parents. Another advantage is that chess, like any game, involves losing so, automatically, kids
start to learn how to deal with it. This prepares them for many situations that would appear in the
future.

Chess, like any other sport, involves competition. There are a lot of tournaments held for
young children. Winning a trophy makes them proud, it gives them the feeling that they are
rewarded for their work. It also helps developing perseverance, whether we talk about winning or
losing.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are a great number of advantages in teaching chess to young children, even
preschool. The range varies greatly, from cognitive developing even to social interaction. Some
results are immediate, some are better seen in time, however there aren’t any bad points in it. A
parent should focus on the development of the child as early as possible and chess is a perfect
way to do it.

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