Science Advises Playing Chess. Here’s A Great Way To Begin
People have been playing chess for around 1500 years and it has never been as popular as now. The reasons are obvious – first there was the internet, then mobile devices, then covid, then The Queens Gambit. The perfect chess storm.
About a year ago, I said I was going to get better at chess. Well, I succeeded. This is all obviously relative, as I went from being pretty bad to just about ok. Beginner to intermediate, if you’re interested. But that still counts as progress.
How to get better, no matter what level you are
I had looked around for the best way to improve my game, and started with an app called Dr Wolf. This taught me openings, winning moves, and tons of strategies. It is on the Apple App store and I am guessing it will be on Android too.
At the same time, I watched a lot of chess on YouTube. I watched quite a few and it was mostly just random. Daniel Naroditsky is massively popular, so you can start there. (Here’s a link to his channel.)
However, for the vast majority of the time, I just played on Chess.com. Every bit of research about learning, watching videos and playing against bots kept leading me there. It is also the best place to play real people. I mean that literally. It has more chess players than anywhere else. Last I checked, there were something like 200 million people registered.
I don’t want to sound too much like an advert, but Chess.com has all you need. It has tons of videos, bots, coaches, lessons, puzzles, and pretty much anything you can think of. Plus, there are a lot of tournaments, opponent recommendations and all the advantages you can imagine with having so many users.
Depending on when you read this, you might be able to get a deal. I think Chess.com is half price right now. You can use my affiliate link if you like…
Science says chess is good for you
People playing chess always seem intellectual. Even if they are both rubbish. But is there any evidence that the game can actually embiggen the brain? (Embiggen is a word – look it up.)
The answer is yes.
For younger players, a 2019 study published in Revista de Psicología y Ciencias del Comportamiento found that regular chess training improved attention, working memory and reasoning skills in school age players.
There is also evidence that chess boosts academic performance. A meta analysis published in 2017 found consistent improvements in mathematics and critical thinking among students who received chess instruction.
For those of us who are awesome enough to be older, there was a study in Frontiers in Psychology on people aged 39-69 that found chess players display stronger problem solving and more efficient decision making compared with non players. The researchers described chess as a form of cognitive training that enhances pattern recognition and strategic thinking.
Psychologists often use the term flow to describe the mental state you enter when you are completely absorbed in a task. Writers and other people trying to be productive are probably familiar with how great Flow can be. Well, chess is perfectly engineered for this. It is challenging enough to demand focus but structured enough to feel manageable. That makes it surprisingly effective at reducing stress and quieting a busy mind.
Most games I play take around 10 to 15 minutes. You can also dip in and solve a puzzle that takes just a minute to solve. Probably. This makes it easy to introduce a quick game no matter how busy you are.
It can also be social, whether you play online, or if you’re lucky enough to live near a pub that has chess nights.
Now is the perfect time as there are a load of deals around
If you are thinking of trying chess or picking it up again, now is a very good moment to do it. Chess.com currently has deals on some memberships. You get puzzles, lessons, fair matchmaking and game analysis that explains exactly where you went wrong and how to improve.
As I mentioned earlier, I am an affiliate for Chess.com. I genuinely play on the site all the time and I think it’s the best platform out there by far. (Feel free to challenge me if you are rubbish.)
It won’t cost you anything – you might even get discounts. So if you’re thinking about it: feel free to use my link. Thanks and good luck!
