Every time I suggest to my wife that she is doing things to cause me to age prematurely, she gets offended.

Women love to manipulate and control men by "getting offended" and other tactics. They are masters at manipulating us. Don't fall for it. 

Thanks.  I'll take a look. (A bit pressed for time right now, but I will look.) What specifically caught my attention was the assertion that new neuronal connections were formed.

There seems little doubt that some form of mental exercise is good for all ages, and Chess is certainly one form of mental exercise. Also,like with physical exercise, a fun form of mental exercise is one that people are likely to stick with, so Chess is better than solving a lot of math problems for most people.

One has to wonder if there's a point of diminishing returns.  At some point, does Chess stop being a mental exercise and start being a mental distraction?  Would it be even more beneficial to alternate between Chess and some other games, puzzles, or learning activities?

The new neuronal connections part has been demonstrated repeatedly on brain scans and other tests. 

And yes, other activities, e.g. learning a musical instrument, listening to and studying classical and some other music, doing crosswords or other puzzles, playing tennis or ping pong, learning a foreign language, and many others, all have been demonstrated to have enhancing effects on the brain. Not only do you form new connections, but your body produces all kinds of healthy chemicals that it does not produce when you are sitting around, watching TV or whatever.

The brain is an amazing organ and we are only beginning to understand it. It continually regenerates itself throughout ones life.

Oh, btw - yes chess can become an obsession and become "unhealthy" i guess if it causes you to neglect your family, not eat, lose your job, etc. But this is true of lots of activities. Chess is one of many pasttimes that is extremely beneficial but can be taken too far

Well, Chess Does not actually help us in our personal life!
But People play it for fun and entertainment.

Well for my case, i train so i can Win, so i dont have to lose to anyone again...so i can defeat my chess rivals...so i can dominate everyone on the board.

All This gives me is satisfaction...Nothing Else!

No help at all.

Actually...never.

I was a very intelligent person. 4.0 GPA in school, and usually answered all questions as opposed to asking them. Then, I started smoking cigarettes, and after 4 years, I can tell my intelligence has dropped. And, let me tell you, that is a strange feeling.

Say no to cigarettes, kids. It will make you retarded.

Cigarettes affect blood circulation and oxygen levels in the brain. That, in turn, efects how well your brain functions.

A-hole.

I believe it can have some impact on how you try to reach your goals by evaluating a situation, making a plan, thinking about intermediate moves etc...

I find while planning the steps required to do my job, it is much easier since I stared playing chess all of the time. I almost don't even have to think about it, it happens more as a reflex now.

Have your chess skills helped you in real life?

No.  Chess skills are a very specific skill set.

waffllemaster wrote:

Have your chess skills helped you in real life?

No.  Chess skills are a very specific skill set.

I guess we see it differently. Some of my skills that I use for a multitude of things are also part of the same skills I use when I play chess. I didn't recall anyone saying specifically that any of your chess skills, couldn't help you otherwise. A good example would be that you could claim calculation, visualization, or analysis as chess skills because you were using those same skills to learn and solve other problems. In fact memorization and calculation are the two main chess skills and we all use them for practically everyting we do.

In a broad sense, yes, skills that are reinforced in chess have been useful to me.  Concentration, study skills, and a problem solving POV.  But I don't count them as chess specific, I might as well have been playing poker :)

I could see how visualization would be very useful for some tasks, so that could be a big one, but I haven't found it useful for myself personally (yet?).

Not sure where you could use calculation in every day life.  Maybe like contingency planning?  e.g. if I do this, then that, if this, then that, if this, then that etc.  I guess I can see this.  I chalk this up with general problem solving but tomatoes tomotoes.

It apparently matters to dhale72  or he wouldn't have asked. To answer his question I probably would've been way better off if I never learned how to play chess considering all the time I've spent on the game instead of more important matters, like building up a retirement fund, fixing & maintaining my house, etc etc. IMHO chess is a very addictive hobby - for some of us at any rate - although I'm sure it has positive effects for many of us inc. me at times.

Fully agree with the well decorated nimzoroy. Chess training can help in real life, but many things can help more. Build your own business, save the planet...

To cite only one source, you could look up the work of Dr Daniel G Amen, who has done 1000's of brain scans of people and demonstrated that the brain does indeed light up and form new neural connections during activities like chess. It not only helps you in other areas, it also fortitifies your brain againsts Alzheimers and other ravages of old age. 

Just because something is reported in the "major media, internet" etc, does not mean it's bs. There's a lot of accurate stuff there, interspersed with some bs.

WE HAVE A CASE OF INSULTING BEHAVIOUR HERE IT SEEMS. CHESS.COM SUGGEST FRIENDLY BEHAVIOUR CHAPS.

THANK YOU.

I cannot think of any area of my life in which chess was of any use,except recreationally of course.