My Brilliant Brain

Chess and Brain

Chess and Brain - The lasting connection

Chess, an indoor activity, is one of the most intellectual and competitive games played between two individuals. The game is played on a square chessboard of 64 squares arranged in a fashion of eight by eight grids. It is the fun game as well as brain food, not only for kids but for all age groups.

Some studies show that chess-playing students show marvelous improvement in their overall academic performance. Students’ exposure to chess actually improves the memory, concentration, vocabulary, logical thinking, problem-solving skills, forethought, self-discipline, capacity to take decisions more analytically and logically, and much more. In many countries, chess has been added as the main part of curriculum.

Chess and Brain (My Brilliant Brain Video)

Chess and Brain (right brain and left brain)

Chess is the brain booster. It is the only game which activates both parts of our brain. Many studies reveal that chess-playing best helps scientists to better understand how brain works. Understanding of the coordinated work of our brain is very complex. Our brain is made up of two halves, left brain and right brain. Each half is responsible for different characteristics of our personality. A person may be right-dominant or left-dominant. Imagination, fantasy, creativity, colors, sense of touch, hearing, feeling and intuition are the few traits of right brain. Right-brain dominant personalities are future thinkers. Since animals are purely right-brained, many considered right brain as animal brain. On contrary, left brain is associated with logical and analytical thinking, reasoning part. Left brain is more complex. Left-brain thinkers are led by logic, not by emotions.

Chess is the game where we fully use two halves of the brain, a complete package for brain. While playing chess, first we have to separate the color-coded chess pieces, white and black ones (characteristics of right brain). Even for a single move of chess, we have to retrieve all the rules of the game. On the same time we must learn about the unique manner in which a particular chess piece can move and relative value of each chess piece. And then we have to analyze the whole position logically and think analytically keeping in mind what may be the countermoves of your opponent. Chess is the test of your patience and foresightedness. While playing chess, we have to separate and use all the steps in a single time: separate color-coded pieces in your mind, analyze your each move and countermove of your opponent. We can say chess-playing is the game of whole brain. Checkmate judgment activates the right brain with full coordination of left brain. And you know, when a well-developed right brain is fully integrated with left brain, we get a genius.

Source: http://hubpages.com

Queen's Gambit

Tuesday, December 04, 2007 11:59:00 PM

Queen’s gambit

Vikas Hotwani

Chess Grand Master Susan Polgar is living proof of her dad’s theory that geniuses are made, not born

If you thought the sporting world just revolves around cricket and soccer, Woman Chess Grandmaster Susan Polgar has news for you.

“Actually, chess is the most popular game in the world — not only do people play it professionally, it’s a very popualr past time as well. If the general perception does not point to this, it’s because chess is not given that competitive recognition,” says Polgar when After Hours caught up with her during one of her rare visits to India.

“This is my second visit to the country. The first time I came was in 1999 and I must say, the pace of development is phenomenal,” she notes.

Susan is today also acknowledged for changing the sexist perception towards the game.

“Before I came in, chess was seen to be a male-dominated game. However, my sister (GM Judit Polgar) and me, along with many other women who subsequently got involved with the game, turned that theory around. Today there are more women in the game than ever before,” she says.

Here is the full story and here is the video.

My Brilliant Brain on National Geographic TV

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This was shown with big success in the UK last month. It will be aired worldwide as well as the US soon.