Chess is for kids!

Chess is a fantastic game for kids.

Here are some of the benefits of chess as written by Christine Palm in her New York City Schools Chess Program Report in 1990:

• Chess instills in young players a sense of self-confidence and self-worth;
• Chess dramatically improves a child’s ability to think rationally,
• Chess increases cognitive skills;
• Chess improves children’s communication skills and aptitude in recognizing patterns;
• Chess results in higher grades, especially in English and Math studies,
• Chess builds a sense of team spirit while emphasizing the ability of the individual;
• Chess teaches the value of hard work, concentration and commitment;
• Chess makes a child realize that he or she is responsible for his or her own actions and must accept their consequences,
• Chess teaches children to try their best to win, while accepting defeat with grace;
• Chess provides an intellectual, comparative forum through which children can assert hostility i.e. “let off steam” in an acceptable way;
• Chess can become a child’s most eagerly awaited school activity, dramatically improving attendance;
• Chess allows girls to compete with boys on a non-threatening, socially acceptable plane;
• Chess helps children make friends more easily because it provides an easy, safe forum for gathering and discussion,
• Chess allows students and teachers to view each other in a more sympathetic way,
• Chess, through competition, gives kids a palpable sign of their accomplishments, and finally;
• Chess provides children with a concrete, inexpensive and compelling way to rise above the deprivation and self-doubt which are so much a part of their lives.