Compiled by my student Hazuin Hussain
1) Chess helps patients who suffered from stroke and disabilities to recover. Chess develops the fine motor skills of these individuals as chess requires the motion of chess pieces in different.
2) Chess optimizes the memory performance.
3) Chess improves visualization. For example, before implementing a move a player imagines/ visualizes the effect on chess board or game. A player considers different moves or possibilities before playing a move in other words a player visualizes different moves in his mind and selects the best one that adds accuracy and benefit to his game and increases his chances of winning.
4) Pattern recognition is a fundamental quality momentous in chess. You need to recall previous moves and compare it with the current scenario (position) before placing a move since; it is very difficult to recall each and every move as there are thousands of moves and its is almost impossible to recall them at one time therefore your mind search for pattern and similarity in each scenario (position), thus improving pattern recognition.
5) According to recent studies, Chess assist the persons suffering from physical and emotional disability to recover completely.
6) Experiments revealed that, chess leads to improvement in cognitive functioning (as chess improves attention, memory, organization skills and perception). It improves the ability of cognitive-impaired individual to work on issues related to orientation, sensory stimulation and environmental awareness.
7) According to American Therapeutic Recreation Association (2005), the involvement of individual (suffering from spinal cord injury) in recreational activity specifically chess, improves his ability to enjoy life (life satisfaction), make social contacts or interaction and quality to overcome or suppress depression. This leads to decreased loneliness, increased social interaction, improved morale and ability to manage stress efficiently.
8) Chess (as recreational therapy) prevents or reduces non-adaptive or inappropriate behavior (American Therapeutic Recreation 2005).
9) Chess prevents anxiety and depression by encouraging self improvement, improving self esteem and self confidence.
10) Chess improves visual memory and visual perception in addition to this; it improves caution/ attention and awareness.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Benefits of Chess
Compiled by my student Hazuin Hussain
-Chess is fun
»no chess game ever repeats itself, which means you create more and more new ideas each game. It never gets boring
-Chess is cheap
»you don't need big fancy equipment to play chess
-Full brain workout for better brain health
»focus
»speed
»attention
»memory
»flexibility
1) Chess accommodates all modality strengths.
2) Chess provides a far greater quantity of problems for practice.
3) Chess offers immediate punishments and rewards for problem solving.
4) Chess creates a pattern or thinking system that, when used faithfully, breeds success. The chess playing students had become accustomed to looking for more and different alternatives, which resulted in higher scores in fluency and originality.
5) Competition. Competition fosters interest, promotes mental alertness, challenges all students, and elicits the highest levels of achievement (Stephan, 1988).
6) A learning environment organized around games has a positive affect on students' attitudes toward learning. This affective dimension acts as a facilitator of cognitive achievement
7) Chess supplies a variety and quality of problems. As Langen (1992) states: ``The problems that arise in the 70-90 positions of the average chess game are, moreover, new. Contexts are familiar, themes repeat, but game positions never do. This makes chess good grist for the problem-solving mill.'
-Improve our thinking skills
»because chess requires identifying patterns, calculating moves
»chess develops memory and logical thinking
»promotes imagination and creativity
»learn about fairness and not cheating
-Increases concentration
»you are focused on only one main goal-to checkmate and become the victor
»as a child or adult first starts learning the game of chess, they may just be planning one move at a time. They do not have the skills to think ahead. But as they improve, they get better at thinking more moves in the future and planning strategies and counter strategies to defend their pieces as well as capture their opponent's pieces
-Chess inspires self-motivation
»search of the best move, the best plan
-Chess teaches independence
»you are forced to make important decisions influenced only by your own judgment
»learn confidence and self-esteem
-Chess improves schoolwork and grades
»numerous studies have proven that kids obtain a higher reading level, math level and a greater learning ability overall as a result of playing chess
-Teaches discipline from a very early age
»you have to be responsible for your actions, you make a move, you had better think ahead about what's going to happen
-Chess is a game for people of all ages
» You can learn to play at any age and in chess, unlike in many other sports, you don't ever have to retire. Age is also not a factor when you're looking for an opponent --young can play old and old can play young.
Check this interesting video on Youtube
-Chess is fun
»no chess game ever repeats itself, which means you create more and more new ideas each game. It never gets boring
-Chess is cheap
»you don't need big fancy equipment to play chess
-Full brain workout for better brain health
»focus
»speed
»attention
»memory
»flexibility
1) Chess accommodates all modality strengths.
2) Chess provides a far greater quantity of problems for practice.
3) Chess offers immediate punishments and rewards for problem solving.
4) Chess creates a pattern or thinking system that, when used faithfully, breeds success. The chess playing students had become accustomed to looking for more and different alternatives, which resulted in higher scores in fluency and originality.
5) Competition. Competition fosters interest, promotes mental alertness, challenges all students, and elicits the highest levels of achievement (Stephan, 1988).
6) A learning environment organized around games has a positive affect on students' attitudes toward learning. This affective dimension acts as a facilitator of cognitive achievement
7) Chess supplies a variety and quality of problems. As Langen (1992) states: ``The problems that arise in the 70-90 positions of the average chess game are, moreover, new. Contexts are familiar, themes repeat, but game positions never do. This makes chess good grist for the problem-solving mill.'
-Improve our thinking skills
»because chess requires identifying patterns, calculating moves
»chess develops memory and logical thinking
»promotes imagination and creativity
»learn about fairness and not cheating
-Increases concentration
»you are focused on only one main goal-to checkmate and become the victor
»as a child or adult first starts learning the game of chess, they may just be planning one move at a time. They do not have the skills to think ahead. But as they improve, they get better at thinking more moves in the future and planning strategies and counter strategies to defend their pieces as well as capture their opponent's pieces
-Chess inspires self-motivation
»search of the best move, the best plan
-Chess teaches independence
»you are forced to make important decisions influenced only by your own judgment
»learn confidence and self-esteem
-Chess improves schoolwork and grades
»numerous studies have proven that kids obtain a higher reading level, math level and a greater learning ability overall as a result of playing chess
-Teaches discipline from a very early age
»you have to be responsible for your actions, you make a move, you had better think ahead about what's going to happen
-Chess is a game for people of all ages
» You can learn to play at any age and in chess, unlike in many other sports, you don't ever have to retire. Age is also not a factor when you're looking for an opponent --young can play old and old can play young.
Check this interesting video on Youtube
Funny stories in Chess
There is a lot of humour in real-life chess. Check the example below:
Lasker received a box of cigars from a man, just before his match with Steinitz. The man said: "Smoke those cigars during the games. They will bring you luck."
Lasker smoked one cigar before the match, but was disgusted because the quality of the cigars was very bad. So he threw the whole rubbish away.
After he won the match he met this man again.
"My cigars brought you luck, didn't they?"
"Of course, they did!" said Lasker.
"So, you did smoke them all?"
"Not me! I gave them my opponent, he smoked them. And this brought me luck and victory."
More humour here, here and here
Lasker received a box of cigars from a man, just before his match with Steinitz. The man said: "Smoke those cigars during the games. They will bring you luck."
Lasker smoked one cigar before the match, but was disgusted because the quality of the cigars was very bad. So he threw the whole rubbish away.
After he won the match he met this man again.
"My cigars brought you luck, didn't they?"
"Of course, they did!" said Lasker.
"So, you did smoke them all?"
"Not me! I gave them my opponent, he smoked them. And this brought me luck and victory."
More humour here, here and here
Simple Checkmates - King & Queen vs King
In any position, mate can be delived within a maximum of 12 moves with King and Queen against a lone King.
The basic idea is to push the lone King into a corner or edge of the board where mate is possible. But be careful you do not allow Stalemate.
Here is a detailed explanation diagram by diagram
Explanation with moves on Wiki
Practise this mate on ChessVideos
Other Simple Checkmates on CWBlog: K+R vs K, K+R+R vs K
Below is a video explaining the technique
Reti's endgame study
This endgame study published in 1921 is one of the most famous compositions in chess. The beautiful solution has the theme that the shortest distance between 2 points is not necessarily a straight line.Though the position seems hopeless for White, White to play, can actually get a draw in this position.
Also a Video explaining the solution is below
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Hou Yifan story
Hou Yifan, the 16-year-old chess prodigy, tells Peter Foster about training, travelling - and Oliver Twist in this very interesting Telegraph interview.
Below is an instructive analysis from the Womens World Championship
Nakamura wins Tata Steel tournament 2011
Hikaru Nakamura won his first super-tournament scoring 9/13, half a point clear of World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand. Magnus Carlsen and Levan Aronian tied with 8 points for 3rd and 4th places.
The tournament had almost all the top players of the world and ran for 13 rounds at Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands.
Official site
Download all games in PGN: GrpA, GrpB, GrpC
Reports on ChessBase & TWIC
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