Chess has long been an important part of school culture. Many people believe chess has a range of cognitive benefits including improved memory, IQ, problem solving

skills and concentration.



But there is very little evidence supporting these conclusions. We conducted two studies (still unpublished) that found educators and parents believe chess has many

educational benefits. But children in our study who played chess did not show significant improvements in standardised test scores compared to children who didn’t play

Gardiner, Graeme

Ormsby, Gail

van der Laan, Luke

English

University of Southern Queensland ePrints

Most people think playing chess makes you ‘smarter’, but the evidence isn’t clear on that

AuthorsGraeme GardinerPhD Student, University of SouthernQueenslandGail OrmsbyResearcher, University of SouthernQueenslandLuke van der LaanSenior Lecturer (Foresight) and Director;Professional Studies, University ofAcademic rigour, journalistic flairChess has long been an important part of school culture. Many people believe chess has a range of cognitive benefits including improved memory, IQ, problem solvingskills and concentration.But there is very little evidence supporting these conclusions. We conducted twostudies (still unpublished) that found educators and parents believe chess has manyeducational benefits. But children in our study who played chess did not showsignificant improvements in standardised test scores compared to children whodidn’t play.We found students who played chess didn’t show significant improvements in their standardised test scores. from shutterstock.comMost people think playing chess makes you ‘smarter’, but theevidence isn’t clear on thatJuly 11, 2019 6.16am AESTMost people think playing chess makes you 'smarter', but the evidence i... https://theconversation.com/most-people-think-playing-chess-makes-y...1 of 7 29/04/2020, 2:28 pmSouthern QueenslandRead more: If machines can beat us at games, does it make them more intelligent than us?Most people think chess improves learningThe first study looked at the perceptions of educators and parents regarding the benefits of playingchess.In 2016, 314 participants – which included school principals, teachers, chess-coordinators andparents in parts of Queensland and NSW – filled out an anonymous, online survey.Participants were asked to state how much they agreed or disagreed with 34 statements about thebenefits of playing chess, such as: learning chess helps children develop critical thinking abilities.Most participants either agreed or strongly agreed with most of the statements for chess benefits. Forinstance, almost 80% (249 out of 313) strongly agreed learning chess had educational benefits forchildren.Another 87% (269 out of 310) strongly agreed learning chess helps children develop problem solvingabilities. And 59% (184 out of 314) strongly agreed learning chess has benefits for Indigenous andTorres Strait Islander Children.Most people think playing chess makes you 'smarter', but the evidence i... https://theconversation.com/most-people-think-playing-chess-makes-y...2 of 7 29/04/2020, 2:28 pmThe survey also included a space for comments. Some comments from participants included:Chess is a great activity for all children to be involved in. It is one of a number of activitiesthat schools can offer that assist in the academic, social and emotional development ofchildren.One parent said:Since starting classes [my son] has become a full-time student and is managing socialsituations a lot better than before. Chess has pushed him to think in different ways.But does it?Previous studies that explored whether chess improves children’s cognitive abilities have had mixedresults.Some studies have found playing chess was linked to better thinking abilities. For instance, asignificant 2012 New York study found that children in a group that had learnt either chess or musicperformed slightly better than children in the group who learnt neither.But the study also noted the improvement in the chess group was not statistically significant.Read more: How to use music to fine tune your child for schoolA 2017 trial of more than 4,000 children in England found no evidence that chess instruction had anyeffect on children’s mathematics, reading or science test scores.We wanted to test if there was, in fact, a positive correlation between learning to play chess andlearners’ verbal, numerical and abstract (visual) reasoning skills. The study explored this in Year 1 toYear 5 students in a private school in Queensland.In particular, the study examined whether a range of chess-related and non-chess related variablesaffected the standardised test scores of the chess group as compared to the control groups.The study consisted of 203 students (with approval of their parents) who opted into the study. Theymade up four groups (based on the same approach as the 2012 New York study mentioned above).The groups were made of:Some questions in the survey and the answers given by participants.Most people think playing chess makes you 'smarter', but the evidence i... https://theconversation.com/most-people-think-playing-chess-makes-y...3 of 7 29/04/2020, 2:28 pm46 students who learnt to play chess48 students who learnt to play music37 students who learnt to play chess and music72 students who neither learnt chess nor musicWeekly chess lessons were given to 83 students for six months: 24 from Year 1, 20 from Year 2, 8from Year 3, 18 from Year 4 and 13 from year 5.Weekly music lessons were given to 85 students for six months: 16 from year 1, 15 from year 2, 12from year 3, 23 from year 4 and 19 from year 5.We used standardised tests to measure whether there was any significant change in the scores of thedifferent groups.Year 1 and 2 students were tested using the Raven’s Progressive Matrices (RPM) tests, which aremultiple-choice intelligence tests of abstract reasoning.Grade 3, 4 and 5 students were tested using the ACER (Australian Council of Educational Research)General Ability Tests (AGAT), used to assess learners’ reasoning skills in three areas: verbal,numerical and abstract (visual).There were small improvements in the standardised test scores of the chess and music groups butthese were not statistically significant.Many schools have chess programs, and there are state and nation wide competitions. Author providedMost people think playing chess makes you 'smarter', but the evidence i... https://theconversation.com/most-people-think-playing-chess-makes-y...4 of 7 29/04/2020, 2:28 pmIntelligence IQ Chess Cognitive abilityRead more: A good move to master maths? Check out these chess puzzlesOur findings don’t mean learning to play chess has no benefits for cognitive skills. There are manydifferent types of thinking and measures of intelligence we do not yet fully understand. This isespecially relevant in a world where conceptual thinking has become such a vital skill.The different ways of thinking associated with the benefits of chess may include creative thinking,critical thinking, logical thinking, intuition, logical reasoning, systemic thinking, strategic thinking,foresight, convergent thinking, analytical thinking, problem solving and concentration.Further research should aim to explore which type of thinking chess may improve, if we are to agreewith the positive views of academics, educators, parents and players.You might also likeDonate NowMost people think playing chess makes you 'smarter', but the evidence i... https://theconversation.com/most-people-think-playing-chess-makes-y...5 of 7 29/04/2020, 2:28 pmDiplomacy and defence remain a boys’ club, but women are making inroadsEarly days, but we’ve found a way to lift the IQ and resilience of Australia’s mostvulnerable childrenMost people think playing chess makes you 'smarter', but the evidence i... https://theconversation.com/most-people-think-playing-chess-makes-y...6 of 7 29/04/2020, 2:28 pmHuawei: fears in the West are misplaced and could backfire in the long runA chess program helped this 8-year-old raise $240,000 and get his family out of ahomeless shelter – here’s what to look for in a chess program for your childMost people think playing chess makes you 'smarter', but the evidence i... https://theconversation.com/most-people-think-playing-chess-makes-y...7 of 7 29/04/2020, 2:28 pm

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Most people think playing chess makes you ‘smarter’, but the evidence isn’t clear on that

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University of Southern Queensland ePrints

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