Chess Is Making A Comeback

Can you name a board game that’s more than 1,400 years old, and is suddenly making a comeback in 2009? According to USA Today, the classic skill game of chess is currently taking North American schools by storm. In the past six years alone, a scholastic chess organization called First Move has gone from 1,500 student members to more than 50,000! When the game’s top players gathered in St. Louis recently - for America’s so-called “Super Bowl” of chess – four of the Top 24 players were under the age of 21.

Wendi Fischer is the executive director of America’s Foundation for Chess. She says this youth movement has been spurred by a growing number of teachers who’ve rediscovered the academic benefits of playing chess. For example: One of the first things a child learns in chess is how to use a board’s coordinate system – as in “knight moves from B-1 to C-3.” That coordinate system is the basis for algebra, and more complex math skills. Students also learn to take notes during a chess match, and to study the moves of other players printed in books. Research has shown that the patience, concentration, and logical thinking required in a game of chess can help students perform better on math and vocabulary tests. Basically, experts say chess: “Teaches the mind how to think!”

There are also social benefits to playing chess. For starters, it’s a game that kids can practice at home with their parents or with friends, and that promotes social bonding in a way that no videogame ever could. That’s one reason why the game of chess has remained popular for so long. Jerry Nash is the scholastic director for the U.S. Chess Federation. He says chess survives because it’s “an equalizer.” Your success has nothing to do with your size, age, or what language you speak. All you have to do is out-think your opponent. Plus, Nash says chess is a very inexpensive game to play, and in this economy, that may be one of the best benefits of all.