Chess is a highly benefitting game for school students. It’s not just an independent indoor sporting activity, but also helps students sharpen their skills conducive to studies and overall academic performance. It’s the choicest extracurricular activity of students at numerous schools, and students regularly get opportunities of participating in various interschool chess tournaments.
Why Offer Chess in Schools
Focusing
Children are taught the benefits of observing carefully and concentrating. If they don’t watch what is happening, they can’t respond to it adequately.
Thinking Ahead
Children are taught to think first and then act. We teach them to think moves ahead. Over time, chess helps develop patience and thoughtfulness.
Weighing Options
Children are taught that they don’t have to do the first thing that pops into their mind. They learn to identify alternatives and consider the pros and cons of various actions.
Visualizing
Children are prompted to imagine a sequence of moves and actions before it happens. We actually strengthen the ability to visualize by training them to move the pieces in their mind, first one move and then several moves ahead.
Analyzing Concretely
Children learn to evaluate the results of specific actions and sequences. Does this sequence help me or hurt me? Decisions are better when guided by logic, rather than impulse
Planning
Children are taught to develop long range goals and take actions to achieve it. They are also taught of the need to reevaluate their plans as new developments change the situation.