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  • research
  1. Why Chess?
  2. Research

Research

There is a growing field of scientific research into the potential benefits of chess as an educational intervention. Chess teaches cognitive and emotional skills that can be applied throughout a child's development, such as logical thinking, problem solving and taking responsibility for one's actions. The game's emphasis on calculation, co-ordinates and numerical values of the pieces gives it a particularly close affinity with mathematics, which is where most research date has been focussed.

The current academic consensus is that chess has a positive impact on mathematics attainment (see "Do The Benefits of Chess Transfer to Academic and Cognitive Skills?" below). However, there is not yet an accepted model to explain this improvement, and the overall methodology is patchy - in short, more research is needed. Details of major recent research can be found below.

If you are interested in bringing these benefits to your school or community, find out how we can help.

A- Your Move: The Effects of Chess on Mathematics Test Scores

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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.

Published: 25th October, 2017

Updated: 20th April, 2021

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B- Efficacy of Chess Training for the Treatment of ADHD

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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.

Published: 25th October, 2017

Updated: 20th April, 2021

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C- Chess helps make children less risk averse

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In the Journal of Development Economics- A randomized field experiment to investigate the benefits of an intensive chess training program undertaken by primary school students in a developing country context. We examine the effects on academic
outcomes, and a number of non-cognitive outcomes: risk preferences, patience, creativity and attention/focus.
Our main finding is that chess training reduces the level of risk aversion almost a year after the intervention
ended. We also find that chess training improves math scores, reduces the incidence of time inconsistency and the
incidence of non-monotonic time preferences. However, these (non-risk preference) results are less conclusive
once we account for multiple hypothesis testing. We do not find any evidence of significant effects of chess
training on other academic outcomes, creativity, and attention/focus. You may read the paper here. 

Published: 20th April, 2021

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D- Chess at Trier-Olewig Primary School

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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.

Published: 25th October, 2017

Updated: 20th April, 2021

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E- A Three-Group Design to Control for Placebo Effects

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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.

Published: 25th October, 2017

Updated: 20th April, 2021

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F- Do the Benefits of Chess Transfer to Academic and Cognitive Skills?

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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.

Published: 25th October, 2017

Updated: 20th April, 2021

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G- Literature Review of Chess Studies

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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.

Published: 25th October, 2017

Updated: 20th April, 2021

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H- State of the Art and Theoretical Challenges

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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.

Published: 25th October, 2017

Updated: 20th April, 2021

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J- Does Playing Chess Enhance Maths Learning?

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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.

Published: 25th October, 2017

Updated: 20th April, 2021

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K- Susan Sallon Explores the Impact of Chess on Children's Cognitive Development

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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.

Published: 25th October, 2017

Updated: 20th April, 2021

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