A cherished and collegial yet exacting board game shared across generations, chess demands skill, concentration and intellect.
But players need never cast aside the reason they sit down to play in the first place—fun.
And as they challenge themselves and their opponents, chess enthusiasts develop a range of skills, from unleashing creativity and inspiring patience to sharpening critical thinking and memory skills.
Engaging players and observers alike for more than 1,000 years, the strategies that define chess generate drama that can captivate a room.
Captivating their own chess audience with an online platform that encourages camaraderie while offering guidance and instruction are Yvonne and Warren White, the founders of Chess Made Fun.
Chessmadefun.com allows players to compete against each other. The website offers an affordable subscription model and membership program while video technology provides access to expert coaches matched to a player’s skill level. Interactive lessons are delivered in real-time and Chessmadefun.com on an ongoing basis hosts group play and non-rated tournaments.
But wait, because when it comes to chess, there’s more.
“The game of chess is loved all over the world,” reads healthline.com. “From Amsterdam to Zhengzhou, people gather in living rooms, pubs, plazas, and libraries to match wits over the cherished checkered board. Why is it that people are willing to devote such time to the game? It’s undoubtedly the fact that chess involves an intense intellectual challenge that’s very good for the health of your mind.”
According to Healthline.com:
- Skilled chess players learn to anticipate an opponent’s next moves. To predict what another person will do next, a player must develop the ability to adopt another person’s perspective and infer what action they are likely to take. Behavioral scientists call this ability to see from another viewpoint the “theory of mind.” It’s an ability that is essential to exercising empathy and building healthy social relationships.
- Chess improves memory. Skilled chess players have a better than average ability to remember and quickly recognize visual patterns, which researchers think comes from memorizing complex chess positions.
- Chess leads to better planning skills. Chess games are known for long periods of silent contemplation, during which players consider each move. Players spend time anticipating their opponents’ responses and attempting to predict every eventuality. That habit of mind—careful contemplation and planning—is one of the cognitive health benefits of playing chess.
- Chess can make therapy more effective. Some counselors and therapists play chess with clients as a means of increasing self-awareness and building more effective therapeutic relationships.
- Researchers found evidence that chess, which challenges memory, calculation, visual-spatial skills and critical thinking abilities, may help reduce cognitive decline and postpone the effects of dementia as we age.
The benefits of chess extend far and wide beyond the excitement, the focus, the thrill of victory and reflection of defeat. Chess inspires us, stokes the coals of analysis and imparts a skill which has no equal—the ability to think ahead, anticipate and strategize while out in front of any situation nipping at your heels.
But please, don’t forget the core mission of playing chess, as illustrated by Chess Made Fun’s name—and its approach to increasing the accessibility of this beloved board game.
“Chess Made Fun is bringing the love of chess to families by making learning the game easy and exciting,” reads Chessmadefun.com. “Chess Made Fun exists to be a fun, reliable, and approachable one-stop spot for all your chess playing needs, whether you are new to the game or a seasoned pro at the game of chess.”
Visit Chessmadefun.com for information.
