Benefits of Playing Chess

"Keep that King in check!"

To dethrone that king or keep him in check is universally called Checkmate,and is the core goal that every Chess player strives for, using the best strategy within the shortest time. Chess has deep roots in India, Iran (Persia), Eastern Asia, the kingdom of Islam and Europe. It is the ultimate strategic game of kingdoms, rulership, defense and offense. This two-player game is perfect for persons of all ages. If you haven't tried your hand at this game, you may be missing out on certain benefits.

Playing Chess:

• improves concentration ~ Be more focused, as you keep a tab on your moves and your opponent's.
• improves memory ~ You have to use your past experiences to make better plays, and even remember the tendencies of your opponents. As you strive to beat your opponents, you memory will improve.
• improves decision making skills ~ When playing, you will be faced with a number of possible good plays, and after a time you will increase in speed and accuracy of choosing the 'best of the best' plays.
• improves efficiency in working under stress ~ The time factor, and the threat of your king being kept in check, may cause good mental stress. You will have to keep your cool and think things through.

• encourages competitiveness ~ It's healthy to have goodhearted competition, as it can be a motivating factor to excel as a better player and beat that good player in your tracks.
  
• improves logical reasoning ~ Chess requires you to think things through step by step, i.e. in a logical fashion. You will beat good players as you develop this crucial mental ability.
  
• improves mathematical skills ~ As your logical thinking improves, so will your mathematical skills. You will be able to 'see' computations much more clearly, and your speed of doing them will increase.
  
• encourages creative thinking ~ You will need to think 'out of the box' to make fantastic moves to bring your kingdom to victory. The creative part of your brain will be stimulated, and you will be surprised at plays that you make over time.
  
• encourages independent thinking ~ Build your confidence as a powerful independent thinker who makes good decisions, and this will be expressed in how you play.
  
• encourages discipline ~ Your patience and self-control will be tested and stretched as you spend time thinking, observing and making plays. Your overall discipline will certainly increase.

The benefits stated, are not at all limited to Chess but will translate to all spheres of your life. As you can see, playing Chess is highly advantageous and the great thing about it is that it doesn't take much to get started, including the fact that buying a Chess board game is pretty cheap. Here is the 1-2-3 to start playing chess:

1. Get A Chess Set!
2. Learn the rules.
3. Have someone to play with.

An alternative is to obtain a Chess software, that already has built in tutorials and the computer as your opponent. Consider going even further and join a chess team or club, that will motivate you to bring your playing skills to another level.

The advantages of playing Chess is real, and extensive research has been done to verify all the benefits stated. Children, even at very tender ages can be encouraged to play as they too will reap the rewards of playing. In fact, some countries have placed the playing of Chess into the education curricula.

As much as Chess is seen by some as a boring brainy game for nerds, it is a fun and lovely game for many.

Get smarter and have fun while you play Chess!