Why do children who learn chess get better grades? After taking my children to learn chess for a year, I understand

I wrote an article before about using the Pomodoro Technique to cultivate children\’s concentration. Many mothers felt that it was not enough and asked for it to be more specific and more practical. After thinking about it for a long time, I felt that it would be too complicated to list the various methods in detail. Until one day I accompanied Xiaochuan to a chess class, and the teacher praised him for making rapid progress and becoming more and more focused on chess. It suddenly occurred to me, why not recommend chess to everyone? This sport can simultaneously cultivate children\’s concentration, thinking, memory and other abilities, and also enhance their international standards! Worried that my understanding of chess was not comprehensive and deep enough, I specially formulated some questions and took the opportunity of Ogawa\’s class to consult with Ogawa\’s teacher (a well-known chess master) face-to-face. 01 Why should children learn chess? Although Ogawa has been learning chess for less than a year, we have already seen obvious changes in him, such as significant improvements in logic ability, concentration, and memory. Of course, whether it is chess, Chinese chess, or Go, they all have more or less similar functions: first, to exercise children\’s thinking ability. A skilled chess player can think several moves after each move, and has strong ability to predict situations and make overall judgments. Therefore, children who learn chess and play chess frequently often have strong logical thinking ability, are clear and systematic; when learning mathematics, they can often get twice the result with half the effort. The students in the Ogawa Club all have very good academic performance (some are very outstanding), especially in mathematics, which is somewhat related to learning chess. The second is to train children\’s concentration. One of the most common characteristics of children and teenagers is that they have insufficient concentration and their attention is easily attracted by external things. A game of chess often takes dozens of minutes. A child\’s desire to win will prompt him to concentrate, think about his own moves, and pay attention to his opponent\’s reaction. After long-term training, his concentration naturally improved. There are often a dozen students (mostly primary school students) gathered in the club where Ogawa studies. But as long as it is time for class and chess playing, no child is making a fuss or making noise. They are all quietly and concentrating on playing chess. After Xiaochuan studied for a while, he gradually became able to sit still. The third is to exercise children\’s observation skills. In chess sports, each chess piece has its own action rules and action routes, and there are close connections between the chess pieces. Each move of the chess pieces may affect the trend and outcome of the entire chess game. Chess players must have keen and overall observation skills to accurately grasp the chess game. In the process of learning and playing chess, children will slowly grow from \”not seeing\” to \”seeing part of it\” to \”seeing the whole picture\”, realizing the transformation of their observation ability. The fourth is to exercise children\’s memory. In chess, let’s not talk about the opening, middle game, endgame records, well-known offensive and defensive systems and classic chess games. The player must keep in mind what his next move is and what his opponent has just done. From the beginning, Ogawa had to memorize four-step kills, six-step kills, Russian openings, Italian openings, etc. After long-term training, memory has indeed improved. The fifth is to cultivate children\’s correct concept of victory and defeat. For children who are afraid of losing and cannot lose, when playing chess, the loserThe more you practice, the more you will be able to accept failure; for children who lack the desire to win, their love for playing chess will slowly inspire their desire to win. Of course there are many benefits. If a game of chess is regarded as a problem, the process of children playing chess and thinking about how to win is actually a process of independent problem-solving. Therefore, children who learn chess often have stronger ability to solve problems independently. 02 Why chess? Of course Chinese chess and Go are also very good. It should be said that compared with international chess, they have their own merits. The reason why I chose chess for Ogawa is based on the following considerations: First, chess is a three-dimensional chess piece. Compared with Chinese chess and Go, it can attract children\’s attention and stimulate their interest. Second, the rules of chess are more liberal. Compared with the complex and numerous rules of Chinese chess, it is easier for children to get started with chess. Third, it is more implementable. Compared with the time-consuming nature of Go, chess requires a relatively short time and is highly feasible for children who are so busy with homework. The fourth is the international scope of chess. The popularity of Chinese chess is relatively limited, and Go is also limited to Asian countries such as my country, Japan and South Korea. In contrast, chess is more popular, with more than 160 member countries second only to football. There are people who know chess in every part of the world, especially in Western countries. Many high schools and universities have chess clubs. This was one of the key reasons why we chose chess for Ogawa. In the future, he is likely to study abroad (probably nine out of ten children of his generation), and learning chess will be a positive help for him in applying to American universities in the future. Moreover, when he does go there, chess will become a powerful way for him to socialize and make friends. My own experience overseas is that as a Chinese, it is very difficult to integrate into the unfamiliar Western world. It’s not necessary to pursue mixing with the locals, but if you just mix with your own people, the value of studying abroad will be greatly reduced. If there is a medium, communication will become simpler and easier. 03 At what age can you start learning to play chess? Advice from professional teachers: the sooner the better! You can start as young as 4 years old. My experience is that if conditions permit, you can enroll your children in club courses from the beginning. Compared with us, the club teachers have more professional knowledge and know better how to give children the right enlightenment and stimulate their interest in chess. Moreover, the environmental impact is important. The concentration and love for chess of the brothers and sisters in the club will have a significant motivating effect on the children. However, a 4-year-old child\’s attention span is only 5-10 minutes. At the beginning of class, he may not be able to sit still or calm down. Don\’t be anxious or forceful. Take your time. Over time, he will be able to sit still naturally. Persistence is key. 04 Do you want your parents to study together? It is strongly recommended that parents learn together, at least one of them should accompany the child. This matter is not suitable to be entrusted to the elderly. When children first start learning, it is easy to forget the content of the class. Parents need to help take notes, and review and practice after returning home to consolidate their memory. Chess is two people againexercise. If parents learn it well, they will be their children\’s best sparring partners and can play chess with their children anytime and anywhere. Parents are still the best role models and cheerleaders for their children. Your children will learn like you, study chess and play chess seriously, and will be inspired and motivated by your enthusiasm. But it’s easier said than done. Chess is not easy and requires a lot of time and effort. Take me as an example. Sichuan\’s father is too busy at work, so I accompany Xiaochuan to classes and practice chess. I am physically and mentally exhausted from work at ordinary times. I would like to relax and rest, but at night I have to continue to use my brain, study chess records and study tactics. On weekends, I have to take my children through the capital. However, who let this be an era of \”fighting for mother\” and \”fighting for father\”? For the sake of children, we can only be more cruel to ourselves and more cruel… To sum up: chess sports affect children\’s concentration, thinking and imagination. Strength and other abilities are a comprehensive training. Finding a good teacher and persevering will definitely be helpful for your child\’s current or future learning. Moreover, I think chess is very suitable for children as an introduction to chess, and it is also more suitable for children who plan to study abroad in the future. Of course, as children grow older, they can master Go, chess, and chess at the same time. So, don’t worry, just pick one and learn the others slowly~