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Patience is a virtue

And the game of chess requires a lot of it!

Patience can no only help you win better positions, but it can also help you turn a losing position into a winning one. The latter is where most of this article will focus.

But often in the chess world, this term is misunderstood. So here we want to share the real meaning of it, in chess terms. At the same time, you’ll discover the 3 great players (2 world champions and 1 minister) who personify the word ‘patience’ in the chess dictionary.

Who are they?

You’ll find out as you read the article. So let’s jump right into it. It’s going to change the way you associate patience and chess.

Be Patient When There’s No Hope

A lot of chess players give up when the position looks hopeless. Children are especially prone to making such mistakes, as they often make decisions based on their emotions.

But it’s extremely important to hold one’s nerves when things aren’t going as planned. Everyone can be patient when things are doing great! But only champions can keep going when things are out of control

Don’t Live a Disaster In Your Head

When children have a bad position in their game, it’s easy for most of them to look into the future, and live the disastrous outcomes in their minds.

During such situations, they might have thoughts like –

“What will my parent say?” “I will be embarrassed if I show this game to my coach” “My chess friends would laugh at me”

This damages their self-belief, which was their main hope in turning the game around.

What follows is that they become more nervous, lose their patience, play a rash move and lose the game quickly.

You can blame that they didn’t show any fight, but in reality, they were overwhelmed by the future and the disastrous events in their mind.

This caused them to lose patience.

The solution is simple ー Don’t look at the future and think it’s bleak. Rather, focus on playing the best moves in the given moment and think happy thoughts.

3 Great Players Whose Games Will Teach You The Meaning of Patience in Chess

At our chess academy, we show children games of chess legends. Our coaches believe that there are 3 great players whose game you should study to understand what patience translates to on the chessboard.

Two of them are former world champions ー Anatoly Karpov and Tigran Petrosian.

By studying their games(especially the latter’s!), children come to understand how these world champions would keep playing even in dead drawn positions, and eventually after 30-40 moves they would magically win the game!

Their strategy?

They would be extremely patient, keep grinding on and on, and just prolong the game without making a very terrible move or a very great move.

Sooner or later, their opponent would lose patience and make a mistake, on which these champions would pounce like a hungry wolf.

The third player is a modern-day great. He’s renowned for his ability to be extremely patient and defend the daylights out of any bad position.

His name? Sergey Karjakin.

Even strong players like Magnus Carlsen, Vishy Anand, Ian Nepomniatchchi find it difficult to break through his defenses when he has a slightly worse position.

This has earned him the nickname of being the ‘Minister of Defense’!

What patience means in chess?

Here’s what it boils down to –

Continuing to play the best moves that you can find even if your position is losing.

Having a strong belief that you can turn the tide in your favor.

Just prolonging a game to keep the fight going.

Holding your nerves, no matter what you’re faced with.

But there’s a common misconception people have when it comes to patience in chess.

Being Idle and Being Patient Are Not The Same Things

By being patient, we don’t mean that you should sit idle. Idleness is being lazy and not doing anything. It means not thinking and not foreseeing your opponent’s resources. Idleness relies on hope and luck –

‘Let’s hope that the move I play will be missed by my opponent.’

‘Let’s hope that this move doesn’t lose immediately’

Patience, on the other hand, is different. It’s taking active steps to be an obstacle in your opponent’s route to victory. It sounds more like –

‘I know the position is difficult for me, so let me try to find a move that keeps the game going and does the least damage to my position. I’m not going to give up just yet.

‘If I go in that line, my opponent will surely see my trap after which I’ll have a bad position. So let me play this line where the position is unclear.’

Read this section again because this is where the real meaning of patience lies!

The Reason Why Patience Is So Powerful and Effective

It’s because your patience builds frustration in your opponent!

How does this happen?

See once a player gets a winning position, there’s a tendency to relax and ease down. It is expected that the advantage should be more than sufficient to convert itself into a win.

But what happens when the other player just refuses to give up?

The superior side tries to break through, the weaker side holds. When this goes back and forth without any real gains for the superior side, the more frustrated they become.

Consequently, they lose their nerve, make a mistake and see their advantage evaporate into the air.

That’s why patience is such a powerful tool!

In Conclusion...

We hope you enjoyed reading the article and found useful points to implement in your games.

To summarize everything, patience is about holding your nerve and prolonging the game when things seem bleak. This will help you save losing positions. Also, you learned how this skill can often leave your opponent frustrated.

In the chess world, there are 3 players who personify patience like no others.

Studying their game will help you develop this skill in chess. Our coaches can show you the right method of learning from the games of greats players like them.

“How to handle our pieces well?” is a question often faced by chess players. Placing them on optimal squares and using them to their full potential is important.

Making exchanges/ trades and sacrifices are a critical part of handling your pieces well. The one who knows how to do these correctly benefits a lot from this understanding!

Let’s take a thorough look into what exactly trades and sacrifices are!

What are trades?

Trading pieces means you exchange your pieces with that of your opponent — which is of similar value. It can be when you

Exchange your queen (9 points) with their queen (9 points).

Exchange your bishop(3 points) for their knight (3 points).

Exchanging pawns

It’s like you give Rs. 20, and buy chocolate that’s worth Rs.20 in a supermarket. A fair trade!

Trading pieces is one of the most fundamental elements of chess. They happen in every game and without them, the game can’t really progress. Since they are inevitable, you need to have a good understanding of how to make these exchanges correctly.

Good Trades vs Bad Trades

Exchanges can be good or bad depending on the positional value of those pieces.

For example, if you capture your opponent’s good bishop that was controlling an important diagonal with your not-so-great bishop – that is a good exchange! You eliminated your opponent’s good piece against your bad piece.

Try to do such trades as much as possible to get a good position.

Similarly, a bad exchange is when you give up your important piece for an average piece of your opponent. Such exchanges are unfavorable for you.

What are sacrifices?

Sacrificing pieces basically means that you intentionally give up your piece which is of a higher value to a piece of lower value of your opponent. Or sometimes you just give up your piece without anything in return at all!

For example –

Giving up your rook (which is 5 points) to capture the opponent’s bishop (3 points)

Giving up a queen(which is 9 points) for your opponent’s pawn (1 point).

But why sacrifice?

Would you give away Rs. 10 for a Re. 1 coin?

Obviously no right?

But what if you do research and realize that if you buy the Re. 1 coin today, the coin will be worth Rs. 100 in the next 3 months in the market? All you have to do is pay Rs.10 right now for the coin.

Most likely, you’ll buy it, depending on how good your research is!

That’s exactly what sacrifice is in chess. It’s a form of investment. You give up something right now, with the intention to get a return in the future.

Making a sacrifice requires some degree of understanding and tactical ability. You must be sharp in your calculations and be able to soundly evaluate the resulting position beforehand. External factors like risk-taking skills, courageousness, and confidence are also important. After all, you are giving up your piece so you must trust your decision!

Also, sacrifices need to have an intention behind them. If not, then you can call them blunders(or bad investments!).

Sacrifices are usually decisive in nature. Unlike trades where the material is balanced after exchanging pieces, sacrifices are usually done for two purposes – to get a better position or to get out of a bad position.

Types of sacrifices

There are 3 basic types of sacrifices for your understanding –

Gambit – this word is commonly used to describe pawn sacrifices. Usually done in the opening or early middlegame, gambits are made to gain a positional advantage at the cost of a pawn (or two). Most of the time, you gain time by making good piece development or controlling squares while your opponent is busy capturing your pawns.

Piece Sacrifice – it is when you sacrifice any piece other than your pawns. Usually, this is more decisive than pawn sacrifice and leads to a better position in the resulting position or even better – a mate!

Exchange sacrifice – it is when you give up your rook for your opponent’s knight or bishop. It is usually done to control important squares and where your minor piece might have more activity than your opponent’s rook.

Taking the decision to make a sacrifice comes with a lot of experience and training. That’s why our coaches often emphasize solving tactics and mate puzzles. This way, children can build their confidence when it comes to giving with their pieces and evaluating the future position correctly in their mind.

Conclusion? Know your purpose

Knowing the purpose of exchange and a sacrifice really helps in understanding how to use them. The more you play, the better your choices will be regarding the various trades and sacrifices you make.

Good luck and have fun trading and sacrificing your pieces.

Chess compositions are often considered as an art of the game. They don’t occur in regular games but are created to specifically force you to put on your creative thinking hat. They make you think in unconventional ways.

Composing a puzzle is not easy though. Not only does the composer have to design a mating net, they also have to make the process beautiful.

These puzzles are often tough in the beginning and many players have claimed to have an “aha” moment right before they solve it. They’re made of interesting patterns made of creative logic and hence require some out of the box thinking.

Some of the very famous chess composers are GM Pal Benko, Alexey Troitsky, Genrikh Kasparyan, Edith Baird and Comins Mansfield.

Let’s see some of their famous chess compositions. I would like to ask the readers to try and solve them on their own first and only then check the solution.

Happy solving!

Compositions

Puzzle 1

Let us start with a composition by Pal Benko. He is a well-known grandmaster who popularised the famous “Benko Gambit” opening. He was also awarded the title of International Master of Chess Composition by FIDE.

This particular example is a White to play and mate-in-two problem.

Answer – Waiting moves are often the key while solving chess compositions. This problem is a great example of it.

White first plays 1. Qb4! to throw the ball in the opponent’s court. Now, no matter what Black plays, it’s a mate in 1! Let’s consider the following –

If 1…Kd5 then 2. Qd6# as the bishop on h1 pins the knight on e4.

If 1…Ke5 then 2. Qe4# as the bishop on b8 pins the knight on d6.

If the knight on d6 moves anywhere then 2. Nf4# is inevitable.

If the knight on e4 moves to c5 then 2.Rf6# & if he moves to f2 then 2. Qd6#

Puzzle 2

This example is by Alexey Troitsky. He is considered to be one of the greatest composers of chess endgame studies. Hence, we bring to you one of his famous endgame compositions.

This study is White to play and it teaches us how to mate with minimal resources.

Answer – This example highlights the importance of giving up important material to get the opponent’s king in the desired position.

White starts with 1. Bh6+. Black will respond with 1…Kg8 (as 1…Ke8 will lead to 2.gxh7). 2.g7! Avoiding the exchange with the h pawn. 2…Ke6 is the best try for Black.

Other moves like 2…e6 or 2…e5 don’t work because –

2…e6 3.Kd6 Kf7 (3…e5 4. Ke6 e4 5.Kf6 e3 6.Bxe3 wins) 4.Ke5 Kg8 5. Kf6 e5 6. Ke6 e4 7. Kf6 e3 8. Bxe3 wins.

2…e5 3. Ke6 is similar to the above variation in brackets.

After 2…Ke6, White will play the brilliant 3. g8=Q!! forcing black to play 3…Kg8. 4 Ke6 pushes the Black king further inside as he is now forced to play 4…Kh8. White now has the Black king exactly where he wants, and there is a forced mate after

5.Kf7 e6 6. Bg7#

Puzzle 3

Genrikh Kasparyan was the first person to receive the title of Grandmaster of Chess Compositions by FIDE. His contribution of composing mind-boggling endgame studies is highly regarded. His book ‘Domination in 2545 Endgame studies’ is used by many professional players to enhance their creative thinking abilities and sharpen their calculations.

Here is a beautiful miniature study by Kasparyan. It is white to play. I’m sure the solution will blow your mind just like it did ours! It highlights the importance of blocking important squares to make a mate.

Answer – White starts with 1. Ne8! (with the idea of 2.Ng7 Kg6 3.Bf5#). Black plays 1…Kg6 as a prophylactic move. This is where the magic begins! 2. h5+! forcing black to play 2…Rh5 (as 2…Kh5 3. Ng7 Kg6 4. Bf5#). By doing so, white has blocked the important square of h5.

Now White plays 3. f5+! forcing Black to play 3…Rf5. Now White plays 4. g4 (with the idea of 5.Bf5#). Moving the f5 rook is the only option so Black plays 4…Re5 attacking the knight.

The final important move is 5.Bf5+!! forcing Black to play 5…Rf5 again. White has successfully managed to block the f5 square as well. And now, the soft move 6.Ng7 seals the deal as Black gets mated either with 7.gf5# or 7.gh5#.

Puzzle 4

Edith Baird was one of the first and very important females in the chess composing world. She is credited for creating numerous beautiful studies and was referred to as the “Queen of Chess” by the press.

Here is one of her compositions. It is White to play and mate in 3.

Answer – This composition displays how you should identify crucial flight squares for the opponent’s king and strategically block them in one way or the other.

White starts with 1. Qg7. It is a waiting move that cuts off the crucial 7th rank flight squares for the Black king. Now, no matter what Black plays, it’s a mate in two –

1…Kc4 2. Qd4 Kb3 3. Qb4#

1…Kb6 2. Nb5 Ka5/a6 (2…Kc6/c5 3. Qc7#) 3. Qa7#

1…Kd6 2. Nb5+ Ke6 (2…Kc6/c5 3. Qc7#) 3. Ncd4#

One final beautiful variation is 1…Kc6 2. c5! forcing Black to capture 2…Kxc5 followed by 3. Qc7#.

Puzzle 5

Comins Mansfield was an excellent composer and was well-known for complex studies with lots of pieces. He received the Grandmaster for Chess Compositions title by FIDE. He was also awarded the MBE by the British Crown. His book “Adventures in Composition – the art of the two move chess problem” is widely regarded.

One of his compositions is the next position — White to play and mate in two.

Answer – This example aptly shows that the first move of the solution can be as small as a pawn moving a step ahead and still create a deadly mating net.

White starts with 1.a3! (with the idea to play 2.Rb4#). Now, no matter what Black plays, it is a mate in one. Serious variations are the ones where Black moves his e3 knight to pin White’s b6 rook by his bishop on g1. They are –

1…Nd5 2. Qe8# (here, Black’s queen’s path to c6 is blocked)

1…Ng4 2. Qc4# (here, Black’s h4 rook’s path to c4 is blocked)

1…Ng2 2. Qc6# (here, Black’s queen’s path to c6 is blocked)

1…Nf5 2. Qc2# (here, Black’s h7 bishop’s path to c2 is blocked)

One other variation is 1…a5 to control b4 square then 2.Nc5#

We hope you enjoyed solving the above studies! Solving compositions teases your brain and pushes you to bring out your creative side. At our academy, our coaches use this as a means to build calculation skills.It helps you in learning to consider all the possibilities and to think about the least expected moves!

true facts !

Chess compositions are often considered as an art of the game. They don’t occur in regular games but are created to specifically force you to put on your creative thinking hat. They make you think in unconventional ways.

Composing a puzzle is not easy though. Not only does the composer have to design a mating net, they also have to make the process beautiful.

These puzzles are often tough in the beginning and many players have claimed to have an “aha” moment right before they solve it. They’re made of interesting patterns made of creative logic and hence require some out of the box thinking.

Some of the very famous chess composers are GM Pal Benko, Alexey Troitsky, Genrikh Kasparyan, Edith Baird and Comins Mansfield.

Let’s see some of their famous chess compositions. I would like to ask the readers to try and solve them on their own first and only then check the solution.

Happy solving!

Compositions

Puzzle 1

Let us start with a composition by Pal Benko. He is a well-known grandmaster who popularised the famous “Benko Gambit” opening. He was also awarded the title of International Master of Chess Composition by FIDE.

This particular example is a White to play and mate-in-two problem.

Answer – Waiting moves are often the key while solving chess compositions. This problem is a great example of it.

White first plays 1. Qb4! to throw the ball in the opponent’s court. Now, no matter what Black plays, it’s a mate in 1! Let’s consider the following –

If 1…Kd5 then 2. Qd6# as the bishop on h1 pins the knight on e4.

If 1…Ke5 then 2. Qe4# as the bishop on b8 pins the knight on d6.

If the knight on d6 moves anywhere then 2. Nf4# is inevitable.

If the knight on e4 moves to c5 then 2.Rf6# & if he moves to f2 then 2. Qd6#

Puzzle 2

This example is by Alexey Troitsky. He is considered to be one of the greatest composers of chess endgame studies. Hence, we bring to you one of his famous endgame compositions.

This study is White to play and it teaches us how to mate with minimal resources.

Answer – This example highlights the importance of giving up important material to get the opponent’s king in the desired position.

White starts with 1. Bh6+. Black will respond with 1…Kg8 (as 1…Ke8 will lead to 2.gxh7). 2.g7! Avoiding the exchange with the h pawn. 2…Ke6 is the best try for Black.

Other moves like 2…e6 or 2…e5 don’t work because –

2…e6 3.Kd6 Kf7 (3…e5 4. Ke6 e4 5.Kf6 e3 6.Bxe3 wins) 4.Ke5 Kg8 5. Kf6 e5 6. Ke6 e4 7. Kf6 e3 8. Bxe3 wins.

2…e5 3. Ke6 is similar to the above variation in brackets.

After 2…Ke6, White will play the brilliant 3. g8=Q!! forcing black to play 3…Kg8. 4 Ke6 pushes the Black king further inside as he is now forced to play 4…Kh8. White now has the Black king exactly where he wants, and there is a forced mate after

5.Kf7 e6 6. Bg7#

Puzzle 3

Genrikh Kasparyan was the first person to receive the title of Grandmaster of Chess Compositions by FIDE. His contribution of composing mind-boggling endgame studies is highly regarded. His book ‘Domination in 2545 Endgame studies’ is used by many professional players to enhance their creative thinking abilities and sharpen their calculations.

Here is a beautiful miniature study by Kasparyan. It is white to play. I’m sure the solution will blow your mind just like it did ours! It highlights the importance of blocking important squares to make a mate.

Answer – White starts with 1. Ne8! (with the idea of 2.Ng7 Kg6 3.Bf5#). Black plays 1…Kg6 as a prophylactic move. This is where the magic begins! 2. h5+! forcing black to play 2…Rh5 (as 2…Kh5 3. Ng7 Kg6 4. Bf5#). By doing so, white has blocked the important square of h5.

Now White plays 3. f5+! forcing Black to play 3…Rf5. Now White plays 4. g4 (with the idea of 5.Bf5#). Moving the f5 rook is the only option so Black plays 4…Re5 attacking the knight.

The final important move is 5.Bf5+!! forcing Black to play 5…Rf5 again. White has successfully managed to block the f5 square as well. And now, the soft move 6.Ng7 seals the deal as Black gets mated either with 7.gf5# or 7.gh5#.

Puzzle 4

Edith Baird was one of the first and very important females in the chess composing world. She is credited for creating numerous beautiful studies and was referred to as the “Queen of Chess” by the press.

Here is one of her compositions. It is White to play and mate in 3.

Answer – This composition displays how you should identify crucial flight squares for the opponent’s king and strategically block them in one way or the other.

White starts with 1. Qg7. It is a waiting move that cuts off the crucial 7th rank flight squares for the Black king. Now, no matter what Black plays, it’s a mate in two –

1…Kc4 2. Qd4 Kb3 3. Qb4#

1…Kb6 2. Nb5 Ka5/a6 (2…Kc6/c5 3. Qc7#) 3. Qa7#

1…Kd6 2. Nb5+ Ke6 (2…Kc6/c5 3. Qc7#) 3. Ncd4#

One final beautiful variation is 1…Kc6 2. c5! forcing Black to capture 2…Kxc5 followed by 3. Qc7#.

Puzzle 5

Comins Mansfield was an excellent composer and was well-known for complex studies with lots of pieces. He received the Grandmaster for Chess Compositions title by FIDE. He was also awarded the MBE by the British Crown. His book “Adventures in Composition – the art of the two move chess problem” is widely regarded.

One of his compositions is the next position — White to play and mate in two.

Answer – This example aptly shows that the first move of the solution can be as small as a pawn moving a step ahead and still create a deadly mating net.

White starts with 1.a3! (with the idea to play 2.Rb4#). Now, no matter what Black plays, it is a mate in one. Serious variations are the ones where Black moves his e3 knight to pin White’s b6 rook by his bishop on g1. They are –

1…Nd5 2. Qe8# (here, Black’s queen’s path to c6 is blocked)

1…Ng4 2. Qc4# (here, Black’s h4 rook’s path to c4 is blocked)

1…Ng2 2. Qc6# (here, Black’s queen’s path to c6 is blocked)

1…Nf5 2. Qc2# (here, Black’s h7 bishop’s path to c2 is blocked)

One other variation is 1…a5 to control b4 square then 2.Nc5#

We hope you enjoyed solving the above studies! Solving compositions teases your brain and pushes you to bring out your creative side. At our academy, our coaches use this as a means to build calculation skills.It helps you in learning to consider all the possibilities and to think about the least expected moves!

Puzzles — sometimes they can be very easy to solve. Other times, they can be tough nuts to crack!

But no matter their difficulty, they are very important for a chess player to build their chess strength.

In this article, we’ll reveal the 6 reasons why they’re so important!

1. Puzzles Builds a Collection of Ideas

How does your child improve their mathematical skills? Most likely, they’ll grab a textbook, go to the exercises section and start solving them one-by-one. Then they’ll check their answers with the solution or with the teacher, and find out where they went wrong.Once they are made aware of their mistakes, they then have a guiding compass to solve the problem. They have studied an idea, and they’ll use it whenever a similar question arises in their exam.And when they solve many such exercises, they’ll eventually have a lot of ideas to solve different types of problems.The same thing happens in chess when you solve puzzles. You build a collection of ideas that you can use during the real game.So when you solve puzzles related to pins, you’ll become better at spotting pins.When you solve puzzles on improving pieces, you’ll have an idea of when you should improve your pieces and how.In chess, people call this intuition. Fortune tellers call this the 6th sense. But in reality, it’s just having 893 ideas fitted deeply into your mind, and knowing the right time to use them.

2. Puzzles Train You For The Real Game

Many puzzles that you solve on chess.com(or any other platform) are taken from real games. This means there’s actually a chance of the puzzles you solve appearing in the real game.In this fashion, you are training for what to do if the same position happens in your game. Not always the position will arise, but in most cases you can play the same idea in different games. We’ve seen it happen countless times in our student’s games!

3. Puzzles Require Active Learning

Let’s say if you are a software engineer — it’s one thing to know the theory of code and it’s a completely different thing to sit on the computer and write it!Sure you can know the theory of everything, but if you don’t apply what you learn, you’ll never know if what you learned works or not.And when you solve puzzles, you actively engage your brain to face real challenges on the chessboard. This way, you’ll also realize whether what you learned in a book or a lecture is actually effective!

4. Puzzles Are Fun & Build Confidence!

We see the joy on our children’s faces when they solve simple tactics. And when they are on a winning streak, it delights us even more to see their faces light up brimming with energy!In our academy, coaches regularly use puzzles to help his students build confidence. We have noticed many times students who become demotivated because of having trouble calculating simple lines in a game, get their confidence back by picking up simple puzzle excercizes.Not always you need to solve hard puzzles to improve your ability. Sometimes, you just need to spend time on simple ones that will give you a shot of confidence.

5. Puzzles Improve Your Thinking Process

In order for this to happen, you need to work with a coach or a player who’s stronger than you. When you solve puzzles, the road you took is much more important than the final goal you arrived at.You can take a bumpy road or a highway and still arrive at the same destination. But we all know what happens when you take the bumpy road. Your back hurts. You feel you are going against the flow, instead of going with it.That’s why it’s important to know whether the process behind solving the problem is actually effective or not!If you try to improve on the process on your own, you’ll have to use trial and error methods. But still you won’t be sure whether the process is effective or if there’s anything better.That’s why a coach or an experienced player can help you so much to fasten the process, and save you time and wasted effort.

6. Puzzle Improve Your Board Sight

Being able to see the board and how pieces move, without moving them physically, is a very important ability for a chess player. (Yes! Chess players are mentalists who see the invisible!)If you don’t use your chess brain for a long time, you’ll face difficulties in this area. And the best way to train this skill is by actually seeing the pieces move in your mind’s eye when you solve puzzles.We recommend solving longer puzzles — those whose solution is 3–4 moves at least. Here, you’ll have to push your mental eye to hold the position in your head for a little longer and get a much-need workout!

Every chess player does it!

Be it a world champion or an amatuer, every player indulges in puzzles. And if you are serious about taking your chess to the next level, make this activity a part of your daily routine! In time, you’ll see massive improvements in your game!

Good luck!

Do Grandmasters really have 220 IQ? Or are they normal people like you and me, who just got better through practice? Scientists have been doing research on this for years, and on the internet you’ll find articles telling you how chess makes you smart. This article though, will be different.

Here, I’ll share some unheard stories of famous chess personalities. And along with that, share how playing chess sharpens your mind. In my opinion, the 7th point on the list is perhaps why chess players are a little more smarter than the average person.

Hint – It’s not because they have better memory or better focus. It’s something that you wouldn’t expect from a chess player.

What’s that? Keep reading and you’ll find out!

1. Better memory

Recently, I was watching a stream where Garry Kasparov was invited to show his best game. He showed some truly fascinating lines, like one would expect of him.

But what surprised me was his ability to remember novelties he prepared during his prime and the incident behind them!

In one such story, he explained how he had prepared a strong idea against Karpov, but had to play it against Vassily Ivanchuk. And when he showed the position, he was able to recollect where the pieces go, how the attack continues even after 20+ years!

Also have you heard about Magnus Carlsen’s famous story? Legend has it that he could name the capital of every country by the time he was 6 years old! And this is just one of his small feats!

Most chess players have a good memory. They remember things which are important to them! Maybe not as well as Kasparov or Magnus, but better than your average person next door.

2. Better spatial ability

Research done on Samuel Reshvesky, one of the top chess prodigies in the 1940s revealed Reshvesky’s remarkable spatial ability. You might wonder what it is in the first place? It’s simply the ability to understand space between two objects. For chess players, a well developed spatial recognition ability helps them visualize better. You can ‘see’ the pieces in your mind well without moving them.

And since most coaches ask their students to solve chess puzzles, this skill gets strengthened more and more!

Note: If you’re looking for an experienced chess coach who’ll ask you to solve tactics, get in touch with us.

3. The Tale of 3 World Champions who were great at maths

There are 3 world champions who were also mathematicians. They were – Mikhail Botvinnik, Max Euwe and Emmanuel Lasker. Now this doesn’t mean that because of chess, they were better mathematicians or vice-versa. But definitely, there has to be some correlation.

See, chess players spend so much time calculating the lines – “Like this piece goes here, that goes there, and if I take 2 of his men, he takes 1 one mine, what am I left at in the end?” Asking such questions over and over during the game is going to improve the mathematical ability of players. Maybe not in the most effective fashion, but it certainly does the trick.

4. Improved focus

Yeah, this one has to be there on the list. It’s no secret that chess requires concentration. When you see Grandmasters play, you’ll see how quiet and focussed they are.

This same skill helps them in their studies. It makes them more focussed and helps them stay on track! I wouldn’t convince you on this one because this is probably the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of chess.

At Saswath Academy and Mind mentorz,

“It is about offering ample opportunities for the kids to explore, grow and perfect the art of playing chess”, says Praveen Sagar. “For the budding chess players, it is important to strengthen the skills and have the right perception about the broader canvas of chess before plunging into competitions. We help them approach the game from different angles and challenge their skills at various levels through competitions.”

Praveen Sagar, Coach, Mentor at Mind mentorz and Saswath Academy

5. Chess players are curious

Chess is a game of unlimited possibilities. Even after it’s existence for so many centuries, no one has solved the game. There are endless possibilities that still need to be explored. All of this makes one very curious.

When you apply the same mindset to academics, it makes you thirsty for more knowledge in the subject of your liking.

Many strong players follow other sports and have other interests. One such example that comes to mind is Vishwanathan Anand. He has an interest in astronomy, poker which are outside the realm of chess.

6. Chess players can sometimes read minds

Our coaches often teach the concept of prophylaxis — where you understand what your opponent wants to do, and make a move to anticipate that. And in chess, the skill to read your opponent’s mind is gold.

So, I know when you clicked on this article, you probably wanted to hear something apart from chess improves IQ, makes you a strategic thinker and all the vague terms which just add fluff. How did I do it?

Because I was using prophylaxis! 

Moving on, as I promised, the 7th point is in my opinion the secret sauce which makes chess players smart.

7. Gritty Grandmasters

Most people will be surprised by this. But Grandmasters show a lot of grit and fight during difficult moments. Today, chess has become a sport. So a chess player requires all the mental skills that a track and field athlete possesses. When you fight in chess, people don’t see it. That’s because you get neither bruises nor sweat. You could look as cool as a cucumber even after resisting pressure for 6 hours!

Think Karpov, or Sergey Karjakin.

But to put that kind of a resistance, you need to have the mindset of a hardened warrior!

And this is what helps chess players tremendously in their academies.

If they don’t find a solution to a problem, they won’t give up. They’ll ask for help and they will find a way!

If they know they have to complete their homework after finishing a tiring tournament, they’ll do it.

They know how to fight peacefully, they know what mental perseverance looks like. So they know how to stick around when things get tough.

It’s this grit which makes the most difference.

Conclusion

Learning to play chess at an early age can definitely be one the best investments you can make in your child’s future. If they play well, they get to meet new people, travel the world and do everything that most people could only dream of!

If not, it’ll always benefit them tremendously in their studies and life, years down the line. It’s a win-win!