On the Various Benefits of Chess

I admit, it does seem awfully convenient for me, a tournament player who plays online almost every day, to write about the various benefits of chess. However, I assure you, this writing is strictly coming from the heart. I have played chess for half my life, and will probably never quit. It is only fair that I might have something to say about this beloved game.

Benefit 1: Chess facilitates self-control

There are many moving parts involved when one is calculating in a chess game. In order to patiently understand where the position is going, whether we are doing well, and how to win the game, we must be able to control our impulses. We must be able to handle any possible stress, seeing as chess, like music or surgery, requires enormous attention to detail and consistency. Therefore, I would argue that chess is a fantastic way to work on one’s emotions, competitive insecurities, and egoistic tendencies. In order to really make sense of chess, you must be mentally calm, and that demands a meditative level of self-wielding. It helps us with anxiety, overthinking, fearing failure, and self-awareness.

Benefit 2: Chess makes us better at reasoning

Bobby Fischer once famously said, later in his life, that “Chess is a search for truth”. The significance of this statement comes from the fact that, indeed, chess has objective reality within it, and that reality is offered to us through our own mental evaluations of things. By understanding that chess, like mathematics, has a definite amount of correct answers, we may realize that “becoming better at chess” also translates to “becoming better at analysis”. Who wouldn’t want to be better at solving problems? This is why chess is more than a game — it is an exercise in reasoning. We must make choices every move, and those choices are not always clear to us 5–10 moves later. By taking interest in how our choices matter in chess, we are developing our general ability to make choices, which is wonderful.

Benefit 3: Chess is a discipline

In the spirit of what I said about analysis, it is important that chess demands a lot of effort from us. Like any sport, there is a need to practice, rehearse, and improve upon what we already know. This is why chess turns out to not be for everyone — I want people to play, even if they’re beginner level, but to actually get into the game and become decent at it, you have to put effort, and many people do not want to put effort into chess. They see chess as a mere pastime, a very unserious hobby, when it could actually be a fulfilling use of their time. Chess also becomes more fun when we get good at it, since we actually begin to understand the moves we’re making and convey that awareness to others. Chess is very teachable, and learning it is no different than learning a subject in school. That is to say, chess is worthwhile as a cognitive aid.

Benefit 4: Chess is a social activity

One thing you might not immediately grasp about playing chess is that it always involves two players. It is a group activity, and many friendships could come about from a simple conversation about the position, or just having a hobby in common. One can become very socially adept by befriending chess players, particularly because they are a quite diverse, oftentimes intelligent crowd of people. Conversations over chess tend to become conversations about society, philosophy, politics, because the nature of the game is contemplative. Chess can also help people with their lack of social confidence — they can use the board to communicate their thoughts.

Benefit 5: Chess develops your character

There is ultimately some spiritual utility in chess — beyond the obvious points about self-control and maintaining the ego, the way in which we grow as a person when our chess improves is something to behold. Chess brings us constant challenges, especially for perfectionists who can’t stand failure. It also reminds us that someone can always be better than us, and someone will always be worse. We have to be humbled by the beauty of the fact that something like chess, the most played board game in the world, is something which brings people together and makes us think more deeply.

Chess has offered me something to be passionate about, something to replace video games with, something to teach for a living, something to help my battle with mistake-making, and something to help me make good friends.

Thank you.