INQUIRER Sports

Parents and teachers around the globe are very proud when their children learn to play chess. They know it?s good for their kids. But why? Why is excellent chess instruction so beneficial to educational growth?

Let?s start with some basics. Kids do not get smarter when they?re forced to learn things that don?t interest them. They lose interest when they are not challenged. They also lose interest when they don?t understand what is being taught.

The best chess teachers are challenging and fun, while smoothly increasing the level of skill and understanding of each student. When teaching chess is approached that way, the kids remain interested and they improve. Studies done around the world prove that teaching chess to children has a very positive impact on their lives.

Today there are so many electronic distractions ? TV, internet, video games, to name a few. The problem with these activities is that they are very one sided. The child sits there and stares at a screen for hours at a time without personal interaction.

When you sit at a chess board, across from a live opponent, working through the logic puzzles that chess offers, it is far more stimulating and educationally beneficial than TV or video games.

Parents and teachers notice the difference right away. Chess gives children immediate life benefits, ones that will carry them through their lifetime.

We routinely see huge growth in students only after a half dozen classes.

One young man who was quite shy when he started his first chess class, walked with a certain hop in his step after a couple of months of chess training. He quickly became a leader in his class. He recently moved out of state and immediately made plans with his new school to start a chess club there.

Another student could never quite sit in his seat for more than two minutes when he started with us. He would be in constant motion, draping his body over the chair, lying on the floor and even crawling up on the table. There was a marked improvement in his ability to concentrate after only a few weeks and by the end of the semester he was able to play in a tournament lasting over an hour. He was so riveted on his games that he stayed in his seat the entire time.

Parents consistently report that their children can sit and concentrate on their chess games for longer and longer after only a few structured chess classes. This translates to their other studies, strengthening their ability to sit and learn other subjects. Even our very young 4-year-old students will stay interested for 45 minutes or more. You can?t ask for anything more than that!

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Laura Sherman founded Your Chess Coach (www.YourChessCoach.com) with her husband, Dan Sherman. The couple's full-time profession is teaching children to play chess. Along with Bill Kilpatrick, founder of several professional specialty schools, they provide consulting around the globe helping improve the ability of coaches, parents and educators to teach chess to children.