Benefits Of Playing Chess

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.