The Brainy Benefits of ChessBy Beth Weinhouse, Photo by Annie SchlechterPinterestOn Manhattan&s Upper East Side, 18 kindergartners are staring at a large vinyl screen at the front of their classroom. But it&s not a video they&re watching -- it&s a chess game. Amazingly for a group of energetic 5-year-olds, the kids sit still and listen raptly as a dapper gentleman with an eastern European accent points at the magnetic pieces on the hanging board, explaining excitedly that &chess is an art, a struggle, a science, a war!&This is the Dalton , a private academy in New York City, which has one of the country&s first -- and best -- chess programs. Its director, Svetozar Jovanovic, started the program 18 years ago, and today all the school&s students begin chess instruction in . Those who remain interested after first grade join Dalton&s after-school Chess Academy, whose team regularly wins local and national championships.Barely three miles uptown, a classroom of equally attentive kindergartners is also transfixed by a vinyl chessboard. These are students at P.S. 194, a public school in Harlem. There, Nikki Church, an instructor from Chess-in-the-Schools, a New York City-based nonprofit organization, is greeted with applause at her weekly visit. &Let&s put on our chess faces,& Church says, helping kids find the calm they&ll need to play. The students watch the board, and each time they see a piece captured, they shout, &Splat!& This school, too, has a winning chess team -- the Renaissance Warriors.What the elite private academy and the inner-city public school both know is that &Chess makes you smart,& a slogan of the U.S. Chess Federation (USCF). A growing body of research is showing that chess improves kids& thinking and problem-solving skills as well as their math and reading test scores. Accordingly, communities across the country are racing to create after-school chess programs and start local chess clubs, and some states -- New Jersey, for one -- have written chess into official school curricula.The USCF has seen the number of scholastic members ages 14 and under soar in the last decade, from just over 3,000 in 1990 to more than 35,000 today. The game&s image is changing too: It&s going from geeky to groovy, thanks in part to pop-culture icons like rock star Sting and New York Knicks forward Larry Johnson, who boast of their chess prowess in interviews.Schools that encourage chess are reacting to studies like that of New York City-based educational psychologist Stuart Margulies, Ph.D., who in 1996 found that
students in Los Angeles and New York who played chess scored approximately 10 percentage points higher on reading tests than their peers who didn&t play. James M. Liptrap, a teacher and chess sponsor at Klein
in Spring, TX, conducted a similar study in 1997. He found that fifth-graders who played chess scored 4.3 points higher on state reading assessments and 6.4 points higher on math tests than their non-chess-playing peers.Further proof comes from the doctoral dissertation of Robert Ferguson, executive director of the American Chess School in Bradford, PA. He studied junior-high students, each of whom was enrolled in an activity -- either working with computers, playing chess, taking a creative writing workshop, or playing Dungeons and Dragons -- that was designed to develop critical and creative thinking skills. By the time the students had spent about 60 hours on their chosen activities, the chess players were well ahead of the others in several psychological tests, scoring almost 13 percentage points higher in critical thinking and 35 percentage points higher in creative thinking.Experts attribute chess players' higher scores to the rigorous workout chess gives the brain. Studies by Dianne Horgan, Ph.D., dean of the graduate school of counseling, educational psychology, and research at the University of Memphis, has found that chess improves a child's visual memory, attention span, and spatial-reasoning ability. And because it requires players to make a series of decisions, each move helps kids learn to plan ahead, evaluate alternatives, and use logic to make sound choices.Science aside, anecdotal evidence is enough to convince some teachers and parents of chess's benefits -- behavioral as well as cognitive. In 1990, for instance, the principal at Russell
in Brownsville, TX, had become concerned about some boys who were being dropped off at school early and getting into mischief. But when she visited J. J. Guajardo's fifth-grade classroom one day, she was surprised to see some of those boys quietly engrossed in chess games. So she asked Guajardo to start a before-school chess program. Soon kids from
through sixth grade had signed up to play, and by 1993 the Russell team was winning state championships."We were a public school with a lot of students from low-income families, but we were beating magnet schools with gifted students," says Guajardo, who's now a
teacher. "And I noticed that every one of our kids who played chess was also passing the state assessment tests in reading, writing, and math."Not all experts agree on the optimal age for children to start learning to play chess. Some simply say the earlier the better. "I believe the younger the child, the greater the impact," says the American Chess School's Dr. Ferguson, who has taught the game to kindergartners. "These kids have brains like sponges."While some children will be ready to learn the game by age 4, the consensus among chess teachers seems to be that second grade -- meaning age 7 or 8 -- is the ideal time to start. "I've had mixed results when teaching kindergartners and first-graders, but by second grade, they're all ready," says Tom Brownscombe, scholastic director of the U.S. Chess Federation.As for gender, most agree that many more boys than girls become interested in the game and continue playing. "I don't think there's any reason for it other than society seems to think chess is a boys' thing," Brownscombe says. "Obviously, females are perfectly capable of competing with males in chess."Though Jovanovic admits there aren't many girls in Dalton School's chess academy, he says that girls who do play are extremely good. "I have one sixth-grade girl, Katharine Pelletier, who's the highest-rated middle school player in the United States," he says proudly. "She's not intimidated by anybody."As chess's popularity rises among children, experts who've been involved with chess for years say that more girls are playing -- and winning. "My older daughter, who's now 21, started playing when she was in , but she quit after a year and a half because there just weren't any other girls doing it," says Susan Breeding, director of instruction for the Dallas Area Chess-in-the-Schools program. "For my younger daughter, who's 10, it's a whole other ball game now."For some, the thought of
chess conjures up images of the 1993 film Searching for Bobby Fischer, which chronicles the exhausting training and competition schedule of 7-year-old chess prodigy Joshua Waitzkin, a former Dalton student. Experts warn that for the average kid, such intense pressure can cause more harm than good. For one thing, tournament play can be extremely taxing to the body: A Temple University study found that chess players can expend as much energy during a tournament as a boxer.What's more, chess's effect on the brain will be undermined if kids feel forced to play, says Dr. Nelson. "It has to be fun. A parent who wants to make a child into the next Bobby Fischer is as bad as one who pressures a child to be a star football player or neurosurgeon. Children have to want to play to derive the benefits."The key to making chess fun, say the instructors, is how you teach the game. Dalton's Jovanovic spices his lessons with all kinds of cultural and literary references as well as dramatic battles between chess pieces. At P.S. 194, Church's students take breaks from learning game strategy to design their own chess pieces with crayons and paper. They get up from their seats to perform dances that help them remember moves: In the Rook Dance, for example, kids move up, down, and side to side.Students of Keith Halonen, a chess teacher in Santa Rosa, CA, learn about the history of the game. He'll ask the kids if they've seen the Disney movie Aladdin, for instance. "Then I tell them the real Aladdin was an adviser in the 15th-century Persian court. He was such a good chess player that he could conduct four games of chess simultaneously while blindfolded and at the same time carry on conversations with his friends!"And Yakov Hirsch, a Chess-in-the-Schools instructor who teaches in New York City's Chinatown, enlivens his instruction with banter designed to make the kids giggle. "The king is naked!" he exclaims, showing an unprotected monarch. "The pawns were the king's clothing, and the white queen took them away," he explains as the class dissolves in general second-grade hilarity. The lesson is about when to let a piece to be captured -- a "sacrifice" -- instead of losing it because of bad moves.Teachers say that anyone can play chess and almost anyone can play well. For kids who aren't interested in entering tournaments, just playing for fun still confers all of the game's cognitive benefits. "It's a misconception that chess is only for nerdy, gifted kids," Guajardo says. "I've found that chess helps all students, whether they're bilingual, special-ed, dyslexic, or economically disadvantaged."For parents who still aren't convinced, consider that a child who's playing chess is sitting quietly and concentrating, not needing to be entertained by anything loud, violent, or silly. I discovered this benefit firsthand on a flight home from Paris with my son last summer. Though my bag was filled with books and toys, I dreaded trying to keep a squirmy 5-year-old occupied for seven hours.Shortly after takeoff, a fellow passenger -- an older man -- walked down the aisle with a portable chess set. "Chess, anyone?" he inquired. No one took him up on his offer, so I nudged Daniel. "Would you like to play?" I asked. Daniel bounded over to the man's seat.The gentleman turned out to be a retired
teacher who had coached his school's chess team. He and Daniel played for hours, with my son returning to his seat only when the "fasten seat belts" sign lit up. As for me, I actually got to relax and read the book I'd optimistically carried aboard -- a first for me when traveling with my son. I really love this game!Check out the U.S. Chess Federation's Web site, below, where players -- including kids -- can register to play online with others at their level.By Beth Weinhouse, Photo by Annie SchlechterChildPopular in Intellectual DevelopmentCHESS SET - 玩具 - 亚马逊中国
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全尺寸塑料斯汤顿象棋人物
包括76.20 cm King
38.1 x 38.1 cm 的可折叠棋盘 ( 32 ) 塑料棋子
38.1 x 38.1 cm 的可折叠棋盘( 32 ) 塑料棋子
国际象棋。 该游戏的棋是由两个人，每一个有*的指挥的十六件，上一个板分为64正方形。 这款正方形通常是黑色和红色。 包括：折叠棋盘，黑色和乳白塑料 Staunton ，棋子带有6.35 cm 小皇帝规则。 适合8岁以上儿童，成人
商品尺寸4.3 x 40 x 20.8 cm
商品重量249 g
产品颜色红色
厂商推荐适用年龄:1 个月以上
是否需要电池 不是
ASINB005DVV0B4
发货重量263 g
Amazon.cn上架时间日
-- 本品含有小零件，可能产生窒息危险。不适合3岁以下儿童使用。
5 星 (0%)0%4 星4 星 (0%)0%3 星3 星 (0%)0%2 星2 星 (0%)0%1 星1 星 (0%)0%与其他买家分享您的想法
Lisbeth Blomkvist2.0 颗星，最多 5 颗星Incorrect amount of pieces, not missing. -
已在美国亚马逊上发表已确认购买I have been needing a chess set for quite some time now, and have been duped by misleading photos and descriptions. This is exactly as described, and personally would have been great for the purpose it was needed. (Teaching someone to play chess.) However, my chess came with 3 black bishops and only one knight. I thought it was an easy fix, I decorated the piece thinking it could help but only confused my student even more. I understand this is a manufacturer incident, which is why it got a 2 star rating, also the price is ridiculously cheap. I know mistakes are made, but I am highly frustrated that this is now the second set I've purchased that I have not been able to use.
5 个人发现此评论有用.
Just Jenny4.0 颗星，最多 5 颗星Gets the job done... -
已在美国亚马逊上发表已确认购买I have a half dozen humans most of whom aren't very responsible. I wanted to stimulate their brain with a minimum of cash investment and this chess board accomplished that mission. My eldest commented on the cheap nature of the set to which I retorted that it is precisely that quality which drew me to it, and perfectly fit the bill of my requirements.The great thing is that this chess set is still going strong, many early mornings I've gone in to the kids rooms' to find them huddled around the chess board, and when I hear the pieces fall to the floor, I just grin and know it is in good use and if it breaks--who cares?Buy this set, leave it lying around, and with any luck, someone you love will actually put it to use and offer some muscle building competition to the brain jelling most of our society's entertainment outlets offer.
50 个人发现此评论有用.
ZekeTT2.0 颗星，最多 5 颗星This low quality chess set has presented me with an ethical dilemma -
已在美国亚马逊上发表已确认购买This product could not be made more cheaply. It's pretty much the lowest quality chess set that you could manufacture without having a guilty conscience. Using this chess set makes me sad. I'm anxious to replace it with another one but I feel conflicted about simply throwing this one away. So now I don't know what to do.Larry P. Price5.0 颗星，最多 5 颗星Five Stars -
已在美国亚马逊上发表已确认购买Great product, for the price.
I wouldn't want to pay any more for this plastic and cardboard...
3 个人发现此评论有用.
Dwide Schrude3.0 颗星，最多 5 颗星Not well made, good for learning -
已在美国亚马逊上发表已确认购买this is not a very good set.
Some pieces are not formed properly-almost look melted, but the kids still played with it.
I think it's a good value for someone just beginning.
Will buy a nicer set later.
1 个人发现此评论有用.
查看产品详情页面完毕后，在此处了解返回您感兴趣的页面的方式。
查看产品详情页面完毕后，在此处了解返回您感兴趣的页面的方式。Thinking Chess
We wish that you will have time and opportunity this summer to sit under a tree in a shadowed park on a languid afternoon. Maybe you will simply watch the clouds in the sky and reflect about life. We hope that you will also have time to reflect about thinking. Maybe you thought will drift towards chess, which is basically a mind game. 
When people are taught to play chess, they first begin with the names and possible moves of the pieces followed by the rules. In the next stage, standard opening sequences and end game patterns are memorized. This kind of teaching chess is fundamentally teaching to copy by description. Usually no attention is given on what to do when attacked.Rarely is attention paid to the thinking needed and the aims with the thinking. For example, a basic strategy in the beginning of the game: 1 Protect your king. Get your king to the corner of the board where he is usually safer. Don’t put off castling. You should usually castle as quickly as possible. Remember, it doesn’t matter how close you are to checkmating your opponent if your own king is checkmated first!2 Don’t give pieces away. Don’t carelessly lose your pieces! Each piece is valuable and you can’t win a game without pieces to checkmate. There is an easy system that most players use to keep track of the relative value of each chess piece3 Control the center. You should try to control the center of the board with your pieces and pawns. If you control the center, you will have more room to move your pieces and will make it harder for your opponent to find good squares for his pieces.4 Use all of your pieces. Your pieces don’t do any good when they are sitting back on the first row. Try and develop all of your pieces so that you have more to use when you attack the king. Using one or two pieces to attack will not work against any decent opponent.Note that learning basic strategy is essentially different from recall.Every turn a player has to systematic check if he is attacked, and also if he can design a trap to checkmate the enemy king. When , a player has several options:
interpose another piece in between the two (if the attacker is not a knight and is not directly adjacent to the piece attacked);
defend the attacked piece, permitting
the attacking piece so the capture becomes ill
(create a counter-threat of equal or greater consequence
It would be interesting to study how the skill to play chess would improve if we were taught
and  (the thinking process) in comparison to acquiring skills to replaying successful opening sequences and end games. What would that mean for teaching in general and particularly for education programs? If chess is a mind game and improving playing chess could be attained by paying attention to the thinking process itself, wouldn’t that give us clues about “our daily mind-games”?Enjoy your summer!Photo: “3d Gold And Silver Chessmans On Round Chessboard” by Boians Cho Joo Young
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remember meFree Critical Thinking Games
Instructions for the Free Critical Thinking Games
World's Largest Flood It Game - This is a record breaking critical thinking game for kids and adults. There are 5000 rows and 18 columns for a total of 90,000 game pieces. You have 5000 attempts to turn the Flood It board into a single color. It is the Mona Lisa of Flood It games. Play begins when you select one of the Free Thinking Games logo icons. Doing this will make the game pieces at the top left hand side of the board change to the color you selected. Pieces only change color is they match the color you selected. Finishing the game might take you several hours or an entire day! The World's Largest Flood It puzzle is the definition of critical thinking as it requires patience and skill. The best advice I can give you is to make a path through the center of the board. Use colors that connect to each other so that maximum ground can be colored as you play the game.
3D Critical Thinking Game -
This free online 3D game tests your critical thinking skills. The game starts with an impossible looking puzzle in cube form. Time will immediately begin to disappear as soon as a new board has been loaded. Use the tiny black arrows surrounding the 3D squares to move the pieces. The logic behind every move should be considered before selecting an arrow. You can analyze the three-dimensional cube underneath the opposite side view heading on the right side of your screen. Utilize the flip controls to rotate the critical thinking game. This will help you skillfully solve the puzzle. Sometimes this game can make you think winning is impossible but you should be able to power through if you play it for an extended period of time. Logical thinking plays an important role in creating an effective strategy. The goal is to have the same colored squares on every side of the cube. Your score will depend on how fast you were able to complete the puzzle.
Daily Chess - This free critical thinking game is not your ordinary everyday chess game. The object of this game is to figure out what the correct move would be. The quiz begins in the middle of a chess match. You have to answer the question of what the best move would be. Think it over for a while and then move your chess piece. If you get the quiz wrong on your first try, don't worry. You can keep trying until you get it right. If your thinking skills get maxed out, there is a hint button. Use it if you think the quiz is impossible to solve and it will show you a few choices of where the smart move would be. There are three
easy, medium, and hard. The puzzles are updated daily so you can have seven new critical thinking activities in one week. The program is by Stefan Meyer-Kahlen who have won twelve titles as World Computer Chess Champion. He is the leader in the all important computer chess rating lists and are accepted as the best chess program for PCs. Since 1996, Stefan Meyer-Kahlen's Shredder chess program has won twelve titles as World Computer Chess Champion.
Numbers- If you have math skills or want to develop your math skills, this is the free game for you. When you click start, you will be presented with a math question and four possible answers. Calculate the result select the answer that you believe is the correct solution. If you are right, there will be points added to your score. If not, don't fret as you will be asked another question. This is a really good exercise for the mind.
Guess the Flag Game - If you were not good at social studies, this free online quiz will seem impossible. The idea is to pick the country of the flag shown. When you click start, you will be presented with a flag description and four possible countries that the flag could represent. Think it over, but don't take too long. Select a country and click continue. If you are correct, your score will improve. If not, try again. It is a good critical thinking activity when you play it more than once as it can test your short term memory.
Pipe Mania - Pipe Mania is like Tetris for the thinking man. The same skill set is needed. The object of the game is to build a pipe between the start and end point. The pipe in the the black circle is the current pipe that you will place on the board when you click your mouse button. To get to the next pipe in the line without using the pipe in the circle, just click on the pipe you just put down again. Do not be thinking all day as there is a time limit. Once you have made the pipe that you think goes from start to finish, click the three forward arrows in blue on the bottom right hand side of the screen. Your pipes will be filled to see if you correctly laid the pipes down. If you did, then you will advance to the next level.
Critical Thinking Trivia Game - How knowledgeable are you? This free game tests your memory, intelligence, and quiz taking abilities. It puts your critical thinking skills to the test in a series of timed questions. The educational game begins with a trivia question. You need to answer the brain teaser correctly. Make sure that your answer is spelled correctly. Select &Check& to see if you are correct. Points will be awarded for correct answers and taken away if you answer incorrectly.
Some of the questions are tricky. Be smart and think your answers through.
Trivia makes a great mind game because it forces you to recall things that you learned a long time ago.
Free Thinking Games & Copyright 2018
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