Chess and increasing mental performance

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A typical chess set and tournament clock.

Chess presents interesting intellectual challenges. It is said that: "Chess has an advantage over most school subjects: it combines both theory and practice. Ideas are honed and tested in the crucible of competitive play. Poor formulation or poor execution of ideas loses games. Careless, faulty thinking is ruthlessly refuted on the chessboard."[1]

According to Healthline.com: "Playing chess can improve cognitive skills like memory, planning, and problem-solving. It may also help reduce symptoms of certain brain conditions."[2] "Cognitive stimulating activities seem to be protective factors against dementia", observed one study.[3]

Some countries, particularly nations like Uzbekistan from the former Soviet Union, promote chess as a fundamental aspect of learning and mental development.

Chess grandmaster Bobby Fischer and increasing mental performance

See also: Bobby Fischer

Robert James Fischer (1943-2008[4]), popularly known as Bobby Fischer, was the only American to become the official world chess champion[5] when he defeated Soviet grandmaster Boris Spassky in a 1972 match in Iceland. Fischer's championship was the culmination of a record-setting 20 consecutive victories in qualifying tournaments, which included two 6-0 records in the "Candidates Tournaments" in 1971. He was by far the highest rated player in the first official FIDE ratings, as published in July 1971, and Fischer is the only person to win the U.S. championship with a perfect score (11 wins in 11 games, at age 20 in 1963-64).

The author Robert Green wrote about Bobby Fischer in his book Mastery:

“ Throughout history we read of masters in every conceivable form of human endeavor describing a sensation of suddenly possessing heightened intellectual powers. After years of intense absorption in a particular field over a long period of time (well past the 10,000 hour mark), they come to understand all of the parts involved in what they are studying. They reach a point at which these parts become internalized and they are now seeing the whole, the dynamic itself of their particular field. For example, the great chess Master Bobby Fischer spoke of being able to think beyond the various moves of his pieces on the chessboard; after awhile he could see “fields of forces” that allowed him to anticipate the entire direction of the match.[6] ”

Bobby Fischer and Bible reading

Earlier in life he mentioned that "I can remember times coming home from a chess club at four in the morning when I was half asleep and half dead and forcing myself to pray an hour and study (the Bible) an hour. You know, I was half out of my head-stoned almost."[7]

Bobby Fischer playing chess against Boris Spassky in 1974.

Bobby Fischer and exercise to increase mental performance

See also: Exercise and Academic performance and nutrition

Bobby Fischer in Amsterdam, Jan. 1, 1972

Valley News reported concerning Bobby Fischer and exercise to increase mental performance:

“ Bobby Fischer is revered for his mastery of chess. According to Garry Kasparov, he was a decade or so ahead of his time.

But Fischer was body as well as mind. A teacher, at a summer camp the prodigy-to-be had attended as a child, told me that he had been the best underwater swimmer at a summer camp he attended.

It is hard to think of a sport that Fischer did not try at one time or another. Tennis, baseball, weight-lifting, pingpong and walking (at a world-class level, as a trainer described it) come to mind, in addition to swimming.

His physical efforts complemented his apparently natural high level of energy and stamina. At his best, a glow of health and physical strength seemed to encompass him — the aura probably intimidating many who would oppose him on the chessboard.

Part of his legacy was a conscious and public embrace of the mind-body connection. Until Fischer, that awareness was honored more in the breach than in the actual world of chess at large.

Magnus Carlsen, the current world champion, sounded very much like Fischer of half a century ago when he told Men’s Health magazine: “Training your brain is just as important as training your body. … It’s just like a muscle — if you’re not using it, you can lose it.”[8]

”

According to the Columbus Dispatch:

“ When he wandered the streets of New York in his teens and 20s, he walked much faster than most other people.

A Yugoslavian sportsman of exceptional endurance and ability confessed to me that he found it difficult to keep up with Fischer.

"Bobby's legs seemed to be stretching out to the horizon with each step," he said.

Fischer might have possessed more than a little athletic ability. A New York teacher remembered him as "the best underwater swimmer" at a summer camp.

At the chessboard, "the kid from Brooklyn" was mercilessly competitive, exhausting his opponents by relentless and prolonged efforts to win.

But his competitiveness could also have a boyish quality, as when he taunted Boris Spassky while they swam in a hotel pool during a 1966 tournament that took place in Santa Monica, Calif.

"I swim faster than you," Fischer told his Soviet foe.

Or when, during the same event, a construction worker overheard him declaring: "I'm going to crush Nadjorf and Larsen! Petrosian doesn't stand a chance. Just wait until I get to play Spassky."[9]

”

Journal articles on chess and increasing mental performance

Chess and the role of memory

The human brain is the most complex physical entity in the universe.[11][12][13]

See also: Chess mastery and memory improvement

In his article Memory and Chess, Bill Wall wrote:

“ Studies of chess players have confirmed that the ability to memorize board positions was one of the best overall indicators of how good a chess player is.

To the average person, playing a game of chess without sight of the board represents an extremely difficult, if not impossible challenge for the memory. No other human memory feat can surpass the achievements of the best simultaneous blindfold players. Blindfold chess players need knowledge and experience, imagination, and memory. Masters who were tested in blindfold games were generally able to remember all the moves played in a sequence of blindfold games. Masters differed on whether they used visual or abstract imagery to represent the chess board. The majority of masters said that they used only an abstract representation, combined with sub vocalizations of previous moves, to mentally examine the board.

In 1881, an article called "Memory in Chess Playing," appeared in Scientific American. It stated that wonderful as are the feats of chess-players who can work out a game or a series of games without seeing the board, there is nothing really remarkable in them. When once mastered, the trick is not only fairly easy of performance, but the fact that the process is purely mental rather facilitates than impedes the action of the mind. To the "blindfold" chess player, there is present a mental picture of the board with the pieces in position. He can change the position of the men as easily as he can think, and after he has mastered the difficulty of fixing the mental picture, it is distinctly before him. As a rule, chess-players are mental-picture-readers, and can at pleasure call up any one of several pictures of boards as they last conceived them. The most difficult feat is to play two or three games simultaneously blindfold, the moves made by their opponents being told them in close sequence and their own moves being directed after all the reports of the proceedings of their opponents have been received. (source: Scientific American, Dec 10, 1881, Vol. 45, # 24, p. 378)

In 1893 and 1894, Alfred Binet (1857-1911) conducted perhaps the first psychological studies into chess. He investigated the cognitive facilities of chess masters who could play blindfold chess. He hypothesized that chess depends upon the phenomenological qualities of visual memory. He found that only chess masters were able to play chess successfully without seeing the board and intermediate players found it impossible to play a game of blindfold chess. Binet found that experience, imagination, and memories of abstract and concrete varieties were required in master chess.[14]

”

Chessarena.com notes:

“ Chess is a mental battleground where strategic prowess and memory go hand in hand. A strong memory is essential for recalling opening lines, calculating variations, and making informed decisions...

A strong memory not only aids in recall but also influences your strategic decision-making, helping you outwit opponents and formulate winning plans. As you continue your journey in the world of chess, remember that honing your memory skills is not only a path to success but also a profound way to appreciate the intricate interplay of strategy and memory that defines this timeless game.[15]

”

The website Chessify.com indicates:

“ Chess demands a high level of memory and concentration. Players must remember complex sequences of moves, as well as the positions of all the pieces on the board, in order to make informed decisions. This constant mental exercise can significantly improve a player’s memory and focus.

How does chess improve memory?

Playing chess involves memorizing numerous openings, middle-game strategies, and endgame techniques. This continuous exposure to complex information helps strengthen the neural connections in the brain, leading to improved memory retention and recall.

Additionally, chess requires players to think several moves ahead, which involves holding multiple pieces of information in the working memory simultaneously. This mental exercise can lead to a more efficient and effective working memory.[16]

”

Articles on improving one's chess game via memory improvement techniques and strategies

Journal articles on improving one's chess game via memory improvement techniques and strategies

Journal articles on chess and mnemonics

See also: Mnemonic

A mnemonic device (memory device), is any learning technique that assists someone's memory.

Age at which chess players commonly peak

Books

  • Chess and Individual Differences by Angel Blanch,‎ Cambridge University Press (December 17, 2020)

Modern great chess champions, daily Bible reading and human flourishing

See also: Bible reading and human flourishing

The Bible is the best-selling book of all time.[18] The King James Bible is a literary masterpiece with poetic cadences and vivid imagery that has profoundly influenced the English-speaking world ever since its publication in 1611.[19] To this day, this is by far the most preferred version by English-speaking Christians.

Many modern great chess champions, from Bobby Fischer to Wesley So, have been avid Bible readers. Wesely So is a devout Christian who reads the Bible daily and he attends church weekly.[20]

Historical and scientific evidence show that Bible reading has greatly increased human flourishing (See: Bible reading and human flourishing).

Wesley So reads the Bible daily.

See: Bible reading and human flourishing

External links

References

  1. ↑ There Is No Satisfactory Alternative To Go
  2. ↑ The 9 Best Benefits of Playing Chess, Healthline.com
  3. ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6617066/
  4. ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/18/obituaries/18cnd-fischer.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
  5. ↑ Paul Morphy of Louisiana was widely regarded as the #1 player in the world in the 1850s, but this was in an era before an official world champion was determined.
  6. ↑ [Greene, Robert. Interviews with the Masters: A Companion to Robert Greene's Mastery (pp. 5-6). Brass Check Marketing. Kindle Edition.
  7. ↑ Bobby Fischer - Quotes
  8. ↑ Shelby Lyman on Chess: Mind-Body Connection
  9. ↑ Fischer even swam as if victory were only option
  10. ↑ Does Chess Make You Smarter?, Wall Street Journal, 2016
  11. ↑ The Human Body: God's Masterpiece
  12. ↑ The Enigmatic Human Brain by Wallace G. Smith
  13. ↑ The Most Complex Structure, Creation Moments
  14. ↑ Memory and Chess by Bill Wall
  15. ↑ Chess and Memory: Techniques for Recall and Strategy
  16. ↑ How chess can improve your brain, Chessify.com
  17. ↑ Mnemonic virtuosity: A study of chess players by Alfred Binet. [Trans. M. L. Simmel & S. B. Barron.]. Genetic Psychology Monographs, 74(1), 127–162
  18. ↑ The Bible is the best selling book of all time, Guinness Book of Word Record
  19. ↑ Why the King James Bible of 1611 Remains the Most Popular Translation in History, History.com
  20. ↑ Wesley So Bible reading
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