A research study has proved without doubt that children who are encouraged to learn the game of chess and play it regularly in their free time have shown tremendous results in their academic career in comparison to those who did not know the game or have not played the game.
Chess is a board game and it requires a minimum of two players to play the game. The objective of the game is to capture the opponent’s pieces, weaken their chief piece – the King, and corner the King, make him immovable and then finally say, “Checkmate”.
One interesting aspect or feature of this game is that there is no external influence to this game either in the form of chance or in the form of luck. The chess player decides the fate of his game, in that if he makes a wrong move, he has to face the consequences. To put in other words, the game of chess gives instant punishment for the wrong moves.
When children are taught the game of chess, it would be a fun to them trying out the various moves and the capabilities of the various pieces. The concept of instant punishment for the wrong moves makes them think before making a move. They are taught to remain focused for a period, look at the position of the pieces and then make a move. This skill of focusing on an object makes him concentrate more and thus help him fare better in subjects that require concentration, such as mathematics. Concentration and focusing on a particular object helps them perform better than other players.
Children are exposed to yet another important trait or habit of visualizing things. Not only should the focus on the board, or concentrate on the position of the pieces before making a move, they are also taught to foresee how the opponent will respond to his move. While this habit does not come instantly, the more and more the children play, they will realize the importance of each move and the counter move, driven by the concept of instant punishment for wrong moves, and then, without their knowledge, develop the habit of visualizing the opponent’s response. Starting from visualizing the next move, the child slowly develops the habit of visualizing his second move in response to the opponent’s move. This trait of visualizing one or two moves ahead leads to the trait of looking ahead or thinking ahead.
Children will be exposed to the habit of thinking ahead. They will not only gain expertise in visualizing what would be the immediate response for his move from the opponent, but also will try to look a little beyond and try to extend the art of visualizing a little further and think what should be his response in relation to the opponent’s move. He will start thinking ahead of not one move, but a series of moves.
The moves may not happen the way he expected, thus leading to other new ideas or expanding his thought process. This exposure and training happen behind the scenes and the mind and the brain does all these things. The child, unaware of all these good things, happening inside his brain, enjoys the game and loves the fun part of the game. Learning taught in a funny way is what the game of chess does for the young kids, if they take up chess as part of their activities.
The game not only teaches them these invaluable traits but also improve their self-confidence, their fighting spirit, and their determination. If these qualities are developed, it is but natural that their academic performance will be much better than those who did not take up the game of chess.
Now, learning chess or teaching chess to children has become much easier, thanks to the advancement of technology. A number of software programs are available that teach the game of chess in a fun manner with animations and simple explanations. Children will love these teaching.
Children can also play online chess with his friends or relatives who are away – may be in the next street or in a different city, without moving out of their seat before the personal computer.
Let us encourage our children to learn this noble game and make them better persons in real life, armed with the traits of concentration, visualization and thinking ahead.
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