Future World Champion?

Illya Nyzhnyk, also known as Dril, is shown in this video at the age of 8 years and one week. From the Ukraine, he is currently 13 years old.  Visit his personal website here.

How to Play Chess: Beginner instructions and Video

Many ask for a tutorial on how to play chess.  Chess.com has an excellent beginner tutorial here, with a video you can watch here.

Benefits of Chess

Research has shown many real and desirable benefits of chess in terms of education and personal development. Here are a few divided into Personal, Social, and Academic categories:


Personal

• Increased confidence
• Self Esteem
• Discipline
• Commitment
• Intellectual Maturity
• Overcome fear of risk-taking
• Responsibility for Actions
• Measurable Individual Accomplishments
• Increased English Skills
• Improved communication
• Planning Ahead
• Analyzing Actions & Consequences

Chess Game on GameKnot.com

Play chess online

Chess in Education: Examples of Research Supporting the Benefits

Where it chess being used in schools, what are some examples of research and positive feedback about it, and where can you learn more?  


Chess in Education: Where is it being used? 

• In 30 countries around the world, chess is part of the required school curriculum. In Venezuela, Iceland, Russia and other countries, chess is a subject in all public schools.

• Starting this year, chess is being offered as a Board Approved and Authorized (BAA) high school course at the Robert Bateman Sec. School, Abbotsford, in British Columbia, Canada. So chess is now offered as a full credit high school course, on an equal with Science, Socials or Mathematics.

• The mathematics curriculum in New Brunswick, Canada, is a text series called "Challenging Mathematics" which uses chess to teach logic from grades 2 to 7. Using this curriculum, the average problem-solving score of pupils in the province increased from 62% to 81%. The Province of Quebec, where the program was first introduced, has the best math marks in Canada and Canada scores better than the U.S.A. on international mathematics exams. (http://www.chess-math.org)

Schools Recognize Benefits of Chess

Studies worldwide have shown that playing chess has benefits, especially for young children. Inspired by this knowledge, a growing number of teachers in the U.S. are trying to incorporate chess into their students' lives.