Role of chess in a student’s life
One of the most important phases in a man’s life is his school days, where as a student, he starts learning the various academic subjects that will make him earn a living in his adult age and help him lead a purposeful and satisfactory life.
It is in the school that the children are taught extra-curricular activities as well apart from the academic subjects. The learning part should involve some fun and art that will help him learn the academic subjects with more interest and motivation.
One such game that teaches very good and invaluable virtues to a child that helps him perform relatively better than others in addition to providing ample fun and entertainment is the game of Chess.
Chess, the board game, involves two players playing over a square board with the primary objective of capturing the opponent’s King and saying checkmate. It would be fun learning this game and playing it out in the school days. Children would love to take up the challenge of making the moves that are not wrong ones.
The game of chess is a thinking game. There is no room for chance or luck in the game. The game is not only a thinking game that provides lot of fun to the players, it is also a very cruel game in that if you make any mistake, you will be punished for that mistake instantly. The punishment might result in loss of advantage, losing a key piece or hearing “checkmate” from the opponent.
In other words, as a chess player, if you make a wrong move, you will get punished. So, the onus lies on you to make the correct moves. You cannot make any random moves and deem them to be correct. So, you need to think before making a move. This act of thinking on the part of the students helps them learn the trait of focusing on the board, think about the possible alternate moves, and finally take a decision to make a move. By involving in this activity, the capability of the student or the child to think will increase and this act of thinking exercises the brain.
Not only will the child be thinking about his move, but also, during the course, learn to anticipate the possible counter move from the opponent. Taking in to account the response from the opponent, the player starts to think a bit more deeply and visualize the position mentally and formulates plans to counter the move of the opponent. This invaluable trait of analyzing and foreseeing what would be the opponent’s move is a very important trait, which is taught to managers in their management course. Children playing chess automatically cultivate this aspect and that too at a tender age.
These analytical skills and decision-making skills, which children or students learn by playing chess will help them apply these very skills when faced with real-life decisions and will end up taking the wise decision. They will realize that it is their activities that decided their way of life and fate. This is a very important virtue that gives the mental strength and confidence to take up the life and make it prosperous.
Now, with online chess, it makes it much easier for the children and the students to learn the game of chess. A number of software are available in the market that teach the game in a fun way and stimulate the mind with tons of puzzles. Friends and relatives separated by distance can still play chess online through the Internet and improve their skill sets.
Students learn the virtues of thinking, visualizing, analyzing, planning and concentration through the game of chess and these traits help him fare better in real life situations and succeed in their life.
Research has proved beyond doubt that students playing chess regularly have excelled in their academic career. The confidence level of a chess player who wins a game over the opponent will be much higher than others because it was his decisions that led to the victory. This self-confidence motivates him and strengthens him to face the life in a better way.