Chess is a not a game of chance, but rather one in which imagination, hard work, and deep thinking are rewarded.  Chess equipment is inexpensive and it can be played almost anywhere.  It is a game for young and old alike, which can be learned and played at any age.

Chess is challenging, since there is always more to learn and enjoy.  Aside from the satisfaction of mastering the ancient game, players often make life-long friends.

In addition, chess can be good for one's long-term health.  Articles from The New England Journal of Medicine and from ABC News show how playing chess can help to prevent Alzheimer's Disease.

Click here to read an excerpt from Benjamin Franklin's essay on the game of chess.

Children Improve Academically

Dr. Stuart Margulies, a noted educational psychologist, performed two studies of reading score changes among third and fourth grade students in five New York and Los Angeles schools.  The chess players outperformed the average student nationwide and in their school districts, with particularly impressive improvements among children who started with low or average scores. 

Dr. Barbara Radner, Director of Urban Education at DePaul University, conducted research with fourth grade students that showed remarkable improvement in reading among those students who participated in a year long chess program.  Radner's students, who began the study reading significantly below grade level, were reading at or near grade level by the end of the year.  Other fourth graders from the same school who did not participate in the program remained significantly below grade level in their reading scores. 

Dr. Robert Ferguson compiled a summary of several international studies, which demonstrate significant improvements in memory, reasoning, comprehension and self-esteem among children who participated in chess activities.    (Requires Acrobat Reader)

In April 2000, National Public Radio aired an audio segment "Chess on the Rise", describing the benefits of scholastic chess for children.  Listen to this NPR audio segment (approximately five minutes in length):

Chess Teaches Life Skills

Chess can teach children to make careful, disciplined decisions, understanding that the first option available is not always the best option.

In an April, 2003 keynote address at an education conference in Scotland, University of Strathclyde professor Dr. Brian Boyd stated that "playing chess is likely to promote spatial and analytical intelligence, effective learning and interpersonal skills, problem solving and decision making, self esteem and self confidence." 

Life Lessons Learned From Chess:

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