Your Move: The Effects of Chess on Mathematics Test Scores Expand A pilot study from Denmark first published in 2017. Involving 482 primary school children, it found that replacing one mathematics lesson per week with chess led to a significant improvement in mathematics results, especially for less motivated children. However, the lack of an active control group or random allocation to the treatment group limits the study's statistical power. Read more here.
Efficacy of Chess Training for the Treatment of ADHD Expand The winning entry to the 2015 London Chess Conference boot camp. Parental assessments of ADHD sufferers, using the SNAP-IV and CPRS-HI scales, found statistically significant improvements after an 11-week chess course. This is a pilot study; the field awaits future research with randomisation and a control group. View or download the report in PDF.
Chess at Trier-Olewig Primary School Expand This work considers the effect of four years of chess lessons in Germany. The test school's results in cognitive and behaviour assessments were significantly better than a control school with similar demographics, but the schools were not randomly allocated to test and control groups. Read more here.
Does Playing Chess Enhance Maths Learning? Expand A 2011 dissertation conducted in Italy, involving over 1750 children from 30 schools. Each school was randomly allocated a control class and test class, which received a 30-hour chess course. The test classes showed a statistically significant improvement in maths scores, but schools were not randomly selected. Read more here.
Susan Sallon Explores the Impact of Chess on Children's Cognitive Development Expand An investigation of the impact of the CSC programme on 201 Year 3 children relative to a 282-strong control group. The research found statistically significant gains in numeracy, spatial awareness, logical deduction and problem-solving, although the study is an unpublished dissertation and yet to be peer-reviewed. Read more here.
A Three-Group Design to Control for Placebo Effects Expand This 2016 study of 52 primary-school children in Italy tackles the field's main methodological flaw by using Go lessons as a placebo group. It found that chess had greater mathematical benefit than the Placebo, having similar impact to conventional lessons, but no group showed any improvement in cognitive skills. However, the study is hindered by its small sample size. Read more here.
Do the Benefits of Chess Transfer to Academic and Cognitive Skills? Expand A 2016 meta-analysis of 24 studies on educational chess. It found that chess can have a significant impact on mathematical ability, but only if the intervention is of approximately 25 hours or more. Studies with optimal design, including 'active' control groups, are still needed. Download or view the 12-page document in PDF.
Literature Review of Chess Studies Expand This independent review of research literature on chess as an educational intervention was commissioned by the Chess Club & Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. Of 51 academic studies, 24 were judged eligible for inclusion in a meta-analysis, which found statistically significant benefits to mathematical and cognitive abilities. However, results must be interpreted with caution in light of the limited pool of eligible research. Download or view the 38-page review in PDF.
State of the Art and Theoretical Challenges Expand A short summary of current thinking and directions for future study on chess as an educational intervention. Meta-analyses have shown a positive short-term impact on mathematics performance, but no causal model has been established and more studies with adequate control for placebo effects are needed. Read more here.