Why Chess? Our Impact Surveys by Sandy In 2016, the researcher Sandy Ruxton carried out a survey of 64 tutors, 89 teachers, 40 parents and 197 pupils on behalf of Chess in Schools and Communities. The results were very positive: 96% of staff felt that pupils enjoyed the lessons "tremendously" or "quite a bit" There was widespread agreement that chess had improved thinking skills (97%), problem-solving (97%), sportsmanship (97%), self-esteem (90%) and concentration (89%). 77% of children played chess with friends, 65% with a computer and 53% with parents. Parents saw improvement in coping with winning and losing (95%), self-esteem (92%) and sportsmanship (92%). "Our younger children have embraced the structure and routine of chess and it has definitely helped with their concentration skills. It has been a wonderful addition to the school curriculum." "It's a thing everyone can play and even if you're not good at other subjects you can be good at this." Manage Cookie Preferences