What playing chess can do for you

History of chess:

There are no exact records to indicate where chess originated from. Although highly speculated, it seems to have been derived from the game called Chaturanga from India in the six century (MasterClass, 2022). Over the centuries the game spread across the world constantly changing. When it eventually came to Europe it was adopted by the higher society and became an important game to learn. Over the years the game was transformed in Europe till it came to be the game that we all know today. The first international game occurred in London in 1851 and the first world championship was held in 1886 (MasterClass, 2022; Britannica, 2023). Wilhelm Steinitz won this championship and thereby became the first world chess champion.

Benefits of playing chess.

Playing chess has a whole range of benefits that it can have for you. Chess forces people to take responsibility for every decision that they make, as every move can either improve your position or make it significantly worse. Nobody except yourself can be blamed and therefore you always need to be focused and decisive. As with every sport, it teaches people that hard work pays of and that you should never give up. Below is a list of benefits beyond it just being a hobby.

Academic improvements:

• Learn how to look at a problem/ situation from a different perspective (Stanborough, 2023).
• Enhances your memory capabilities (Stanborough, 2023).
• Helps you to improve your creative thinking ability (Stanborough, 2023).
• Teaches you to be better with planning (Stanborough, 2023).

Health benefits:

• Helps to prevent/slow down dementia (Stanborough, 2023).
• Can assist in lessening the severity of ADHD (Stanborough, 2023).

My chess career:

My chess career started in 2011 when I played my first chess tournament. I thoroughly enjoyed it and my passion for the game just started. The game taught me many lessons and skills along the way, which are now invaluable. Life lessons and skills like facing disappointment, handling pressure and performing when it matters the most are but some of the lessons that I learned from the game. Chess also exposed me to different cultures and people who think differently. When playing as a team you had to pull inspiration from each other and find the middle ground between any differences there might be in approaching a goal.

Timeline with all my achievements: