What chess does to our brain Part 2

The brain, as stated earlier, does not grow and as such there is no room for further expansion of the brain. However, the trillions of connections that the neurons create among themselves get activated when put to use by the activities. The connections activated by the brain reflect the memory area of the brain. As such, by playing chess, a person activates a higher number of connections and strengthens them. These connections occupy a bigger area of the memory created in the brain. In other words, the memory area of the brain gets expanded and not the brain that gets expanded.

Mind, we said, is equal to the software in a computer. In other words, mind refers to the application of the memory area of the brain. As the memory area of the brain gets expanded, the mind is also said to expand and incorporate new ideas and thinking skills. Thus the mind expands its horizon and includes important traits such as critical thinking, out of the box thinking, lateral thinking, decision-making, analyzing, visualizing and such other things associated with the game of chess.

Playing chess regularly also helps in keeping you alert at all times, have a sharp mind and improve intelligence. Intelligence is not knowledge. It is the intelligence that matters the most than the knowledge. That is why, we give more importance to the Intelligence Quotient or the IQ of a person and not the Knowledge Quotient or KQ. In fact, there is nothing like KQ but IQ is there and has a special value.

Intelligence refers to the instant reaction to events or problems not experienced in life earlier. Knowledge is nothing but a reproduction of what we have learnt and experienced in life.

In the game of chess, one applies serious thinking and also shows signs of creativity and imagination with out-of-the-box ideas and lateral thinking, as part of his objective to capture the opponent’s King and say checkmate.

Now, with the advent of technology, anybody having interest in the game and a little bit of understanding can play chess whenever he wants to play and learn the tricks of the game by playing chess online. All he needs is a personal computer and internet connection.