chess and the brain

yes...you have to exercise your brain. the more you stimulate it the more active it becomes.BUT, it does have it's limits.

I don't have a direct answer to your question but I know there was a study reported in the New England Journal of Medicine that found seniors who played chess or bridge had less incidence of altzheimer's and senile dementia.  Of course no one knows whether it's the activity itself or that folks attracted to chess or bridge are simply less likely to come down with the disease.

I know chess is taught in the public schools of at least one country.  Think it's Armenia, but I'm often wrong.  They obviously feel the study of chess has benefits for their students that go beyond the "board".  Were there studies done showing an IQ increase?  Again, I don't know.  Sorry I couldn't be more help.

I would be very interested in hearing more about that. Could you provide a link to further information? Thank you.

you're warped, kaynight, simply warped.:)

I play chess for a variety of reasons, but primarily to keep my mind active. While I can't say it has made me smarted I know that it help me think more abstractly and improves my logic thought processes or at least sharpens them. I believe this applies to everyone.

I dunno. I feel like a real idiot sometimes when I play chess.

Memory I don't know, but focus is the reason some schools teach it.

It also sounds plausible that chess has benefits in fighting neurological diseases so that in a way it "restores" your intelligence - any kind of mental exercise would be good, and chess has the added benefit (?) of being kind of addictive - but that's not our case here.

@OP: Any claim that "activity X makes you more intelligent/smart" is bogus. Chess, taking magic pills, following a website's zen advice, you name it.

Thank you, that was an interesing read.

Any kind of intellectual activity is no doubt good for the brain, stimulating the neurons to make new connections and to keep one's mind focused and active for years. But, though I have no studies to back it up, I strongly suspect that few or no activities have the effect of making us globally smarter--that is, increasing our overall intelligence.

If you play and study a lot of chess, you'll get better at chess. Lots of crossword puzzles, better at crossword puzzles. But that's pretty much it. My advice to those who want to get "smarter," or at least appear to be, is to engage a variety of intellectual activites such as chess, puzzles, memorizing poems, doing algebra problems, learning a musical instrument, etc. The greater variety of challenges, the more plastic the mind.

BUT a huge element that is frequently overlooked in these discussions is proper diet and exercise. The brain is an organ, first and foremost, and it consumes fully a quarter of the calories that we ingest each day. It depends on oxygenated blood to function optimally. A long daily walk or bout of vigorous exercise each day will probably do far more for it than sitting in a chair eating chips and solving chess problems.

Weird that most top chess players are really smart though isn't it?  Must be coincidence.

Carlsen's quote was interesting.  His point seemed to be more that being too intelligent, you might spend your life doing something more interesting or worthwhile than playing chess, which is probably true.

chess has nothing to do with intelligence as is wrongly believed    you could be correct but kasparovs IQ is 190  bobby fischers was 180 and i recently watched a superb documentary about susan polgar  MY BRILLIANT BRAIN i believe that an IQ of 148 or above is required to be accepted into mensa maybe im slightly out but around that figure i took the mensa test and my IQ was measured at 112 at my club my grade is 108 and rapid 118 BEST WISHES AND GOOD LUCK 

I don't know about IQ tests. They are a bit limiting. I think intelligence can not be measured so easily.

I am a disabled war veteran and I have been diagnosed with P.T.S.D. For many years I had problems with my memory. About fifteen years ago I learned to play Chess. I don't know about my intelligence, but I do know that Chess has helped my memory and my focus. It is a game worthy of respect and admiration.

I always thought it was Pinky and the Brain ....?

I chess, therefore I am.

Hey, it does help!

The idea that chess has anything at all to do with intelligence is a complete lie. It was understandable in the old days, but now that we have the internet and so much more information about people's habits and experiences, it's hard to believe some people could still be attracted to this silly old myth. 

First of all, if you were to go down that route of thinking you would also have to accept that playing other strategy games including videogames such as starcraft are equally "good for intelligence" or that succeeding at them demonstrated superior intelligence. There are all kinds of other holes in the theory and it doesn't make sense.     

It's not a harmless lie that chess players should allow the public to think, it's a terrible myth that has fostered countless addictions and obsessions with chess, with an underlying basis that it would improve their intelligence or demonstrate their intelligence. Some of us know better, but young people really can be led to believe that type of nonsense and take it literally. 

I'm going to guess you just pulled that out of your ass without any sources or any clue of real super GM memory.   

If it turned out that super GMs have a propensity for memorizing every tiny little detail, well that's just making stupid use of their brain. That's not intelligence, that's just memorizing. A complete waste of the brain.

Really, what kind of a person memorizes populations and thinks it's wise to do so? It'd be like memorizing the way stones are outside in your backyard. That's not intelligence, that's stupidity.   

Beat in chess or in real life? If real life then that really sucks .

How would that be funny? I was actually being serious it's hard to read between the lines on the internet . You also contradict yourself by claiming im trying to make an offensive joke about you and then saying it would be funny if my ribs were smashed? Claims to have recieved brain damaged from being beaten and then calls someone an idiot?

For the most part.