CSC runs chess activities in a number of settings for older people, using the game both to tackle social isolation and to bring cognitive benefits. Chess is a highly social game, offering players a fun leisure activity to share with friends and family. Our clubs for older people cater for complete beginners and are always free at the point of delivery. 

Chess as a protective factor against dementia

Academic studies suggest that the cognitive benefits of chess can be a protective factor against developing dementia in later life. In a recent study of 10,318 adults in Australia, cognitively stimulating leisure activities such as chess were shown to be likely to prevent dementia in older age. Ongoing research is investigating whether the game can provide benefit to those already diagnosed with the condition. A good summary of the current status of research can be found here. An article in the Washington Post also makes a good read.

Below you can find a summary of some of our recent projects with older people. 

Working with older people in Westminster

CSC has joined forces with the charity Clear Village to deliver chess sessions to older people at their Small Works community centre in Victoria, London. A CSC tutor is providing free lessons to players of a range of chess abilities, with the emphasis on the social side of chess. Players can stay on for a free lunch provided by Clear Village. 

Demonstrating great versatility, our tutor then remains at the centre to deliver sessions helping older people who are struggling with IT!

 

Brighton Chess Again!

CSC Chess Tutor Andrew Wallace once again worked with Age UK in running a 10 week chess course in Brighton for older people. Building on the success of previous 10 week courses, we welcomed elderly chess players including several newcomers. 

 

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Chess & bridging the Generation divide

Samantha Ali, our Havering and Camden coordinator worked on spreading our chess provision to older people in nursing homes. Since our eldest chess players (one is 97!) could not come to the London Chess Classic, we brought the chess to them. A CSC supported school in Brentwood selected their best and brightest chess players to the nursing home to show their skills and chat about all things chess. 

From this successful chess club, a 2nd old people's home in the area followed suit to get chess going. The charity supplied the chess tutor, the chess sets and the chess workbooks. It proved to be so popular our tutor Raphaele notes that the residents of the chess club started playing chess before she arrived, and carried on playing long after her tutoring finishes!

The residents of the nursing home chatted to the pupils and were eager to know how the World Chess Championship in London was getting on (they were rooting for Caruana). The day was a fantastic trip for the pupils, getting to mix with an age group they might not normally have a chance to interact with. The residents told us they thoroughly enjoyed themselves - it was a rare and treasured opportunity for them to socialise with bright, happy children over the engaging and stimulating game that is chess.

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Department for DCMS recognizes the part chess has to play in combatting Dementia 

The Secretary of State for the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport spoke at the World Dementia Council about how "common sense solutions" like chess are simple and effective that need to be used more to fight the disease. 

Citing our work with Age UK, Matt Hancock said, "In Brighton, the Dementia Action Alliance is partnering with Chess in Schools and Communities to give free chess lessons to older people, helping them keep their minds active while giving them opportunities to socialise."

You can read the government's press release here. 

Our work in Brighton is a follow up from earlier foundations laid in Bracknell Forest, about which you can read more below. 

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Teaching Chess to the Older Person

Jon Lloyd is a CSC tutor in Berkshire and Surrey who has been active in the voluntary sector for vulnerable adults over the last 15 years and recognised the potential value of the Chess in Schools program for use in the wider adult community. In 2015 Jon successfully approached CSC with a proposal for teaching chess to older people in order to help maintain or improve cognitive functions [thinking skills] and socialisation.

Training for cognitive skills has been shown to improve cognitive abilities that diminish with age. Chess is particularly helpful for improving cognitive skills such as reasoning, problem solving and speed of processing.

Jon runs classes every Thursday, 4-5pm Crowthorne Library. See below for further details

Jon’s idea was to use chess to both aid cognitive ability and also combat loneliness, a problem on a national scale which has only recently been receiving the attention, if not the resources it deserves. 

Silverline, a UK charity devoted to providing 24 hour a day / 7 days a week support to lonely older people, have received 920,000 calls since their call centre was founded in November 2012, 53% of the callers saying they have no one else to talk to.

They receive 10,000 calls every week from lonely and isolated people. Chess could be an ideal way of bringing people together.

Jon approached his local council, Bracknell Forest Borough Council [BFBC] to support a chess program for older people in local libraries. BFBC recognises that loneliness among adults [particularly in men] is the single biggest concern for social welfare in their borough. They were very willing to participate in a program of teaching chess to older residents as part of their self-care year. In conjunction with CSC, BFBC helped raise £2000 in lottery funding to support this program.

The teaching of chess to older people will broadly follow the curriculum devised for teaching chess to children by building chess knowledge from mini-games. A 10 week course of one hour per week has been devised and this will be run at four libraries or resource centres across the borough, the first starting on 27th January. Participants will be encouraged to continue playing after the course has finished. Any potential trainers will be identified for further training by CSC and Jon in order to spread teaching of chess to other older people in the borough.

Reading University are being approached to measure the success of the program. The program of teaching chess to older people went live in BFBC on 4th January 2017 with a poster advertising the program being sent to local community centres, voluntary groups, libraries and GP surgeries.

It is very much hoped that the program will lead to the wider Bracknell community playing chess, perhaps even schoolchildren playing against adults, something which worked out spectacularly well in New York a couple of years ago.

The possibilities for social engagement within the borough are huge. This program starts with a well founded enthusiasm for social change.