Ebenezer, the first Indian to be certified as a chess trainer by the World Chess Federation, says children who play chess have shown 100% improvement in academic performances.
Therapists and psychologists often refer children with learning disabilities and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to chess training. For example, 12- year-old Vijay was diagnosed with ADHD in 2009. His parents complained that he did not concentrate in class or cooperate with his teachers. Dr Khursheed Begaum, a psychologist who specializes with ADHD kids, says she suggested only chess training and no psychological therapy for him. “Initially he was not interested, he played impulsively. He slowly started processing and his attention deficiency reduced. He has overcome ADHD now and sits in one place for half an hour. ADHD kids usually cannot sit for more than 3 minutes continuously”, she said. Vijay even went on to play the National age group chess championship in 2011.
Psychologists also assert that after a year of playing chess consistently, children have shown an increase in their IQ levels. “Chess looks at the intellectual capability and not academics. So even children with learning disorders have shown an improvement in their cognitive skills”, says Dr Veena Doss, head, department of psychology, Women’s Christian College. She explains the case of 8-year-old, Ashish who exhibited disruptive behaviour, and gave up in the middle of tasks. “A year after playing chess he had the ability to focus and did not get mentally tired of tasks”, she says.
Swapna Raman, a parent of two girls who have been playing chess for almost three years says that there is drastic improvement in both of them. “My elder daughter, Sumanna, 11 couldn’t concentrate for more than five minutes and her teachers also frequently complained. After she started training in chess, her concentration improved, and she scored really well in mathematics. My younger daughter Sowmya, 7, had memory problems. I don’t find her saying she doesn’t remember things anymore. Her IQ has also gone up from normal to very superior in two years”, she says. Swapna is now an accredited chess trainer and works to improve cognition in children with disorders. “My daughters always win an argument with me now and all explanations to them have to be logical”, she adds.
(Names of the children have been changed to protect their identity)
