Chess anyone?

The boys have been eating and breathing Chess in their spare moments these days. They pulled out Papa's chess board and play in between bites of lunch or after a particular chore is done.

I found some interesting information about the benefits of children playing the game of Chess.

Chess has been around since about 550-620 A.D. and has been known as the “King of Games" and the "Game of Kings”. When a child begins to play chess he begins to develop logical thinking, critical thinking, decision making, problem solving, as well as, mathematical skills, algebra and geometry.

A study by Dr Peter Dauvergne at the University of Sydney, has found that students who play chess have raised their intelligence quotient (IQ) scores in the following areas:

• Strengthened problem solving skills
• Learned how to make difficult and abstract decisions independently
  Enhance reading, memory, language, and mathematical abilities; fostered critical, creative, and original thinking
• Provided practice at making accurate and fast decisions under time pressure, (a skill that can help improve exam scores at school)
• Taught them how to think logically and efficiently, learning to select the "best" choice from a large number of options
• Challenged gifted children while potentially helping underachieving gifted students learn how to study and strive for excellence
• Demonstrated the importance of flexible planning, concentration, and the consequences of decisions
• Reached boys and girls regardless of their natural abilities or socio-economic backgrounds.

Hmmm. Play on boys!

If you'd like to learn to play chess, take some lessons.