Chess and the Medical Profession

[Fred Henderson]

hmmm, I started thinking, if chess really helps develop (whatever that means) a child's brain then it might be useful to see what the medical professionals have to say. A search of the American Academy of Paediatrics website https://www.aap.org/en/search/?k=chess turns up a big fat zero. What do y'all make of that? I have a few thoughts, but I wanted to get some input first.

[Dilip Panjwani]

hmmm, I started thinking, if chess really helps develop (whatever that means) a child's brain then it might be useful to see what the medical professionals have to say. A search of the American Academy of Paediatrics website https://www.aap.org/en/search/?k=chess turns up a big fat zero. What do y'all make of that? I have a few thoughts, but I wanted to get some input first.

A decent review of the evidence is included in this article:
https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10...9-p425-441.pdf

[Dilip Panjwani]

A 2012 study by Farhad Kazemi, Mozafar Yektayar, Ali Mohammadi Bolban Abad examined the effect of learning and playing chess on meta-cognitive ability and mathematical problem-solving skills. For that, the researchers conducted a randomized controlled trial with 86 students being taught chess for 6 months, with a control group of 94 students receiving no treatment. The subjects were almost equally distributed between fifth, eigthts and ninths grade.

The results show that students learning and playing chess did better in tests for both meta-cognitive ability as well as mathematical problem solving skills.
Students Playing Chess Score Higher on Math Tests
This lets us conclude that children and early teens benefit from playing chess in general cognitive ability, as well as math in particular. This effect was positive and significant across all grades.


The drawback of the above study is that it does not tell us what the control group did with its time. (Many pharmacological studies which are widely acclaimed because of the push by big-pharma, also have the same drawback, with the control group often getting less than the usually administered treatment...)

[Sid Belzberg]

A 2012 study by Farhad Kazemi, Mozafar Yektayar, Ali Mohammadi Bolban Abad examined the effect of learning and playing chess on meta-cognitive ability and mathematical problem-solving skills. For that, the researchers conducted a randomized controlled trial with 86 students being taught chess for 6 months, with a control group of 94 students receiving no treatment. The subjects were almost equally distributed between fifth, eigthts and ninths grade.

The results show that students learning and playing chess did better in tests for both meta-cognitive ability as well as mathematical problem solving skills.
Students Playing Chess Score Higher on Math Tests
This lets us conclude that children and early teens benefit from playing chess in general cognitive ability, as well as math in particular. This effect was positive and significant across all grades.


The drawback of the above study is that it does not tell us what the control group did with its time. (Many pharmacological studies which are widely acclaimed because of the push by big-pharma, also have the same drawback, with the control group often getting less than the usually administered treatment...)

Thank you, Dilip, for this very edifying information. Despite the possibility of confounding factors within the control group, it is convincing evidence.

[Fred Henderson]

Thank you, Dilip, for this very edifying information. Despite the possibility of confounding factors within the control group, it is convincing evidence.

I was gonna say.

I haven't done the research, but I have always claimed that after learning chess in grade 7, from my FATHER (bless his resting soul), winning the junior hign ch in the lowest grade the next year, is that it (my early success) gave me confidence in my smarts, that I was born with, and motivation to prove it. I remember at the end of grade 8 being turned down for the advance grade 9 math course, because the teacher said I wasn't "advanced enough". I was pissed, but showed them bygetting perfect scores straight through.

I have already posted in the chess in schools thread. As an alternative, I would suggest maybe approaching the ... CPA ?? on the issue, perhaps this could be part of some sort of parental training or advisory that goes out to new parents.

I could deal with this myself. WHat do you think?

[Richard Holman]

Fred, I'm starting to think the Medical Profession would be much more use to you than chess. Being so egotistical on a public forum as an 1800 CFC screams a need for mental treatment.

[Fred Henderson]

Fred, I'm starting to think the Medical Profession would be much more use to you than chess. Being so egotistical on a public forum as an 1800 CFC screams a need for mental treatment.

We can play, if you'd care to put your money where your mouth is.

[Fred Henderson]

https://www.un.org/en/site-search?query=chess

https://www.who.int/home/search?inde...dsMode=AnyWord

The WHO search is amusing in a way, at least to me. It turned up one article. A gov't initiative in Sri Lanka to help impoverished children. It mentions as a side benefit that those youth who participate in the program see an improvement in their chess skills. A lot more links in the UN article.

i don't see what the problem is. Like I said in the Chess/Sport thread, which got no response, Do we really know how much chess learning and is going on, within families? That is not CFC registered? I'm sure we have all talked to parents at chess tournaments, and oh yeah, they want to see it in schools where they don't have to pay for it. Probably the same parents (not all mind you) who who will argue for a 50% if they don't get a fat discount on everything (clubs, tournaments, etc.).

OK, I'm just going to run with this myself. If I get anywhere, you will know, one way or another. And I will not under any circumstances be approaching the gov't. Maybe instead I will write a letter to Elon Musk. I'm sure he would be more than happy to increase the brainpower of the entire world, for maybe what? $100,000,000. Chump Change.

I don't expect to be in Canada much longer. So doubtful I will re-join the CFC, which expired around the same time as the Bayview Games Club. But I have always been working on my game, as you will find out soon enough. I have some solid connections far away, some from Internet chess. One option is Tanzania, so one day I will take a run at the FIDE cycle. that way, if for no other reason than to show y'all I'm not just blowing hot air

I really have nothing more to say on this topic, but I will respond if someone quotes me with a question or a request,

Thank you for reading to the end.

:)

[Henri Hughes]

We can play, if you'd care to put your money where your mouth is.

ill give you a game, we can see what the temperature is of the air you are blowing

[Fred Henderson]

ill give you a game, we can see what the temperature is of the air you are blowing

Thank you. I accept. We can meet if you are in Toronto, or we can play on chess.com, I am fguy64. Due to circumstances, I am able to play only correspondence chess, minimum 3 days/move. be warned, my chess.com rating is even more out of whack than my CFC rating, due to many timeouts over the last few years, due to extenuating circumstances.

regards...

[Henri Hughes]

Thank you. I accept. We can meet if you are in Toronto, or we can play on chess.com, I am fguy64. Due to circumstances, I am able to play only correspondence chess, minimum 3 days/move. be warned, my chess.com rating is even more out of whack than my CFC rating, due to many timeouts over the last few years, due to extenuating circumstances.

regards...

excuses already I see, ill send you a 3 day challenge.

[Fred Henderson]

excuses already I see, ill send you a 3 day challenge.

Well, no not an excuse. More like a disclaimer. I'm on my way...

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

hmmm, I started thinking, if chess really helps develop (whatever that means) a child's brain then it might be useful to see what the medical professionals have to say. A search of the American Academy of Paediatrics website https://www.aap.org/en/search/?k=chess turns up a big fat zero. What do y'all make of that? I have a few thoughts, but I wanted to get some input first.

You probably will not find much about math, brain, and pediatrics too.

It should be not a secret that search on medicine should start at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ (PubMed). For "chess" - 2,582 hits. The first (for me) "Chess Practice as a Protective Factor in Dementia." Yeah, it is on the other end of the age spectrum but related to brains.

Fun fact - "hockey" - 4,164 results.

[Fred Henderson]

You probably will not find much about math, brain, and pediatrics too.

It should be not a secret that search on medicine should start at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ (PubMed). For "chess" - 2,582 hits. The first (for me) "Chess Practice as a Protective Factor in Dementia." Yeah, it is on the other end of the age spectrum but related to brains.

Fun fact - "hockey" - 4,164 results.

Not sure of your point. Why, in your opinion, does the American Academy of Paediatrics not address this matter? if chess is so beneficial to the developing young brain, which as far as |I know reaches peak learning ability in the early teens, right after puberty I suppose.

I am not disputing that studying chess helps the brain, not at all. But can anyone say that chess is better in that role than doing crossword puzzles? I have not researched this specifically, but I strongly suspect that studying linear algebra is just as beneficial, and will have a positive effect on your chess skills. If so, the the question that should be asked is 'Why should chess get preferential treatment?

In my opinion, having the 'early childhood professionals' (paediatricians) advise new parents about said benefits of chess and provide them with options, such as hiring Mr Jung, or Ms Muchtaler, or the Chess Institute of Canada, would be a much more effective way of promoting the game, assuming of course that the 'brain doctors' or paediatricians support the idea.

[Fred Harvey]

Not sure of your point. Why, in your opinion, does the American Academy of Paediatrics not address this matter? if chess is so beneficial to the developing young brain, which as far as |I know reaches peak learning ability in the early teens, right after puberty I suppose.

I am not disputing that studying chess helps the brain, not at all. But can anyone say that chess is better in that role than doing crossword puzzles? I have not researched this specifically, but I strongly suspect that studying linear algebra is just as beneficial, and will have a positive effect on your chess skills. If so, the the question that should be asked is 'Why should chess get preferential treatment?

In my opinion, having the 'early childhood professionals' (paediatricians) advise new parents about said benefits of chess and provide them with options, such as hiring Mr Jung, or Ms Muchtaler, or the Chess Institute of Canada, would be a much more effective way of promoting the game, assuming of course that the 'brain doctors' or paediatricians support the idea.

I just counted the number of angels on the head of a pin. It was a big fat zero.....