Did you know that chess originated in India? Well, it did! The earliest precursor of modern chess is a game called chaturanga, which flourished in India by the 6th century. Unfortunately, Chess hasn’t gained the popularity & momentum it deserves.
Recently, DiaryOfAnInsaneWriter learned that the World Youth Chess Championship 2019 is being hosted in India for the very first time! Over 65 Chess Playing nations and 700+ kids under the age of 18 will be battling for 6 championship crowns.
During an exclusive interview with Dr Parinay Fuke, President of All India Marathi Chess Association a lot of useful insights about chess were revealed. As a mother of two growing kids, I was naturally curious and wanted to know more about the sport.
Parents often question:
Why should children learn chess?
What are the benefits of learning chess for children?
What does chess teach a child?
What is a good age to learn chess?
To seek answers to parents’ questions, DiaryOfAnInsaneWriter met up with Ravindra Dongre, Tournament Director, World Youth Chess Championship 2019.
Mr. Dongre is the first Indian to be elected to the Ethics Commission of the World Chess Federation (FIDE). At present, he is also the President of Asian Zone 3.7. Though he has a successful family business, those in the chess community view him as an individual who has dedicated his entire life to Chess.
Mr. Dongre helped us with outlining 9 benefits of making your child learn to play chess:
Chess helps increase focus & concentration
Parents today often wonder that the children of this generation are always on the phone and their screen time too much and their attention span is a bare minimum. Chess is a sport that requires complete attention and this increases focus and concentration.
Chess makes kids assertive by teaching them to win & lose with equal grace
Chess is a mind-game and the one with stronger mental strength tends to win. Losing doesn’t mean that you are low on mental strength, it only allows you to accept your thought process at that moment which made you choose a wrong move. Chess teaches you to accept defeat and win with grace alike.
Chess-playing makes kids astute planners with prudent foresight
If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Chess is a sport which requires a lot of planning and strategising. A good player has to plan so many moves ahead and has to think through what moves the opponent can make. This surely aids children to hone their thinking skills so that they can become better planners of life.
Chess raises your child’s Intelligence Quotient (IQ)
IQ is an outcome of brain exercise. Chess as a sport always ensures that the brain as a muscle is flexed continuously. It inculcates a habit of thinking and makes your brain sharper.
Chess increases children’s problem-solving skills
There are more moves in chess than there are atoms in the universe. Yes, chess teaches you strategy and also allows you to think ahead and think fast. Solving problems too requires a lot of fast thinking and to think ahead to anticipate arising problems. If one is a chess player, chances are that he/she will be a great problem solver.
Chess improves your child’s spatial skills?
Engineers, Architects and other special career require spatial skills. It is a skill, which require you to imagine and visualise objects which are not there in front of you and you are still able to see them clearly. A chess player does this all the time and is very good at spatial skills.
Chess improves the memory of your child
A chess player has to remember not only his/her moves, but also what the opponent has played or what all can he play in response to your moves. Only a child with a good memory can store and remember so many moves which are dynamic in nature.
Chess exercises both sides of the brain & thus aids your child’s whole brain development
Spatial skills require right-brain thinking and logical thinking requires left-brain thinking. Chess allows a child you use both sides of the brain and thus enhances the holistic development of the child.
Chess increases your child’s Creativity Quotient
Right brain fosters creativity and the more one uses it, the more creative one becomes. As chess uses both sides of the brain, the child’s creativity quotient improves considerably.
If you have any questions regarding Chess or Chess coaching, do write them in the comment section below. We will surely get them answered by Mr. Dongre.
In case you want to know more about the World Youth Chess Championship, please check out their online presence: Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube.
Penned by:
Mayura Amarkant
I am taking my blog to the next level through #MyFriendAlexa.
DiaryOfAnInsaneWriter 
Of course we knew chess is a highly intellectual game. Your point to point details are even more a reason for all children to learn to play chess. Great post
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In this fast paced world I think chess is an important indoor game to make kids more analytical and focussed
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I always loved playing chess as a child. It indeed is one game every child should learn to play .
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This post remind me of my childhood when I used to play chess with my papa.
And now sometimes I play with my daughter but after reading this post I realise I should play chess every day with her. Will definitely do this
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I’m not surprised. Chess has worked wonders for me too. And when I have kids, I’ll make sure that they too learn to play chess. 😄
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Loved this post, Mayura. Very informative post. Never knew chess had so many benefits to offer to our kids.Thanks for writing this.
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A very different blog post indeed. Thanks for sharing. Here in Andhra, many parents start chess coaching at a young age so that kids do well in academics too. #wordsmithkaurreads #MyFriendAlexa #BlogChatter
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I am a chess lover but I didn’t know about the benefits, do this equally applies to the adults ?
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It’s a wonderful article! loved how you conveyed.
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Chess is indeed a terrific game. It helps growing minds in several ways which you have listed. It is indeed extremely gratifying to know that world youth chess championship 2019 is being hosted in India. It will give a big boost to the game in India.
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That’s a lovely article Citng the benefits of chess. My daughter is 2.5 and thank God I stumbled upon this article. I will definitely help her learn chess.
#tmmreads #myfriendalexa
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A very well written post. You have highlighted all the benefits well. Thanks :_
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Great post and you had shared really great reasons why should kids play chess. after reading your post, I am feeling really inspired and will buy a chess play set for my girls. #Surbhireads #Myfriendalexa
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Thanks for sharing this with me, yes playing chess helps in a lot of ways.
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well curated post, We are also training our son to learn chess. he is taking interest too.
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Some life skills these are! Now I regret not having learnt the sport!
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Completely agree with your every point. Chess is a good game for overall development of brain.
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We must encourage kids to play chess, it increases thinking capacity.#millennialscribbler #myfriendalexa
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I love people who play chess. I always wanted to learn this game 🙂 but koi nahi in future my kid will learn this game.
#MyFriendAlexa #vigorousreads
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Well curated post. The benefits of chess are unknown to many, you highlighted all reasons to play it starting young
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Chess is a wonderful game to exercise your grey cells. Unfortunately, I never learnt it however, wish daughter will get to learn it soon.
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Absolutely, I had not learned chess until this summer vacation. My husband used to be a chess champion during his school days so caught hold of him to teach the game to me and my son. I must admit after the initial hesitation, now I absolutely love the game. Though it is quite time-consuming. Great post by you!!
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Chess is really a fantastic game for the mind. I love your methodical approach to this post!
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Lovely post. My husband is a great chess player and we are trying to teach our little boy too. Thanks for the wonderful points you outlined. It only makes me feel that our decision is right.
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Undoubtedly, Chess is one of the few sports which helps in the overall mental development of kids. You have covered the nine key benefits wonderfully in your post. In context of the mental growth that Chess brings about in a child, i wonder why we don’t give required importance to it, maybe make it a permanent subject.
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Mayura, u have outlined the advantages of chess very well. it is otherwise considered to be a sluggish game, but ur well drafted points makes the game tempting. thanks for sharing this useful info.
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Agree with all your points here, indeed playing chess makes you sharp. Great Post
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Enjoyed reading your post. I have always loved playing chess. It is a great game for kids as it helps develop analytical skills.
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indeed chess helps in developing IQ at an early age. strategic planning skill improve in children
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It is for sure chess helps in thinking ahead and planning. I have read that good players may plan at least 10 moves before hand. For this to happen, a strong focus and ability to visualise a scene is important. Nowadays, many programs are available. Because people follow pre-played games, there is less scope of innovation. But good players can defeat a computer that basically does faster analysis based of fed programs and has an enormous ability to recall. If nothing else. regular playing of chess certainly develops brain.
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Hey Mayura, you nailed it again. Out of all the benefits, I am amazed by the quality of accepting winning and losing with the same grace.
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Very true! Chess helps to develop problem-solving skills in kids. Nice post. Playing other games also are helpful for their growth.
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I am a chess illiterate so to say, shall refer this to my daughter
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I remember playing chess as a child. In the vacation, my grandmother would make sure to play a game of chess with each one of us. I agree with the reasons you have stated, it helps a child immensely. #MyFriendAlexa #ShubhraReads
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Thanks for sharing so much benefits of playing chess…me and my son both are crazy about chess.
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Perfect timing. I was about to buy a chess board for my son. And your post just motivated me more. Chess definitely helps in focus and concentration & brain development. Thanks
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Well that is why my Grand Father taught me chess at my early age
And that is why i played at university leval.
Chess is indeed very good for brain devlopment form multi dimensions
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Completely agree with all the pointers, I m happy to share my both boys have a love for chess.
In mobile also we don’t have any games installed except online chess and sudoku.
Brainpower and concentration are improved by playing chess.
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Mayura, you have given some very attractive reasons to introduce chess. I was already contemplating with the idea. Thanks for helping me make up my mind!
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My daughter love to play chess with her dad and now this post make me happy
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I find chess to be a very fascinating game. My parents tried a lot to teach me during my childhood but I never learned. And now, after 27 years on this earth, I still don’t know how to play!
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That’s a wonderful detailed post highlighting the importance and I completely agree to your points.
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Chess indeed helps in expanding yout thinking capability and makes you a problem solver. Thanks for sharing so many benefits.
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For readers, give chess a go, even if it’s just playing with the young ones. In this way, the mind is exercised to reason and seek patterns, which is very helpful in problem solving.
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I never got around to playing chess but i am so glad that my son enjoys and plays it quite often, so glad that he likes it so much
#myfriendalexa #princyreads
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Loved this article and I completely agree :-). would love to teach chess to my son
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A very informative post. We are now promoting sports better than before but chess is still not in the mainstream.
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Great pointers, Mayura. I want my daughter to start learning chess. However, I haven’t been successful in finding the right coach for her. My quest is ongoing. I hope I find someone real soon.
Surbhi #surreads
https://prettymummasays.com
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From what age does we teach our kids chess or put them for chess classes
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You can begin as early as 3 years of age.
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Great …Thanks so much ..my DS is 4 ..so I will start it ..very informative blog ..thanks
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I’ve taught after school “games club,” helped with a friend and his “chess club.” Playing games was one way we learned strategies, following directions, and healthy competition.
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