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Playing Chess Every Day: 20+ Things That Can Happen (Benefits,…)

Last Updated on January 25, 2024 by Gamesver Team and JC Franco

Chess is a remarkable game. Very few games stimulate the brain better than chess, and even fewer lead to as much personal growth and development as chess does. Playing chess has several benefits, but the best way to realize these benefits is to play the game daily. What can happen if you play chess every day? What benefits will you reap?

Playing chess every day improves mental and emotional health and well-being. This practice also enhances critical skills such as problem-solving and patience. Playing chess every day improves self-confidence, brain health, memory, and can potentially increase a player’s intellectual wellness over time. 

Learning to play chess is good for everyone. This game has important benefits for everyone who plays it, regardless of age or skill level. Important lessons about life, critical skills, and even the ability to deal with disappointment are all benefits of playing this game, but let’s explore some of the most significant benefits of playing chess every day.

Playing chess every day: 

1. Helps Manage Anxiety

Playing chess every day is an effective method for managing anxiety. The game takes your mind off your feelings and teaches you to focus on external events and situations rather than introspective emotions. 

2. Helps Deal With Turbulent Emotions

Playing chess every day teaches a person to deal with difficult emotions. It improves a person’s ability to think clearly and make decisions despite turbulent emotions such as frustration or nervousness. 

3. Improves Attention Span

Chess can take a long time to complete, and every moment of the game requires concentration. Playing chess every day significantly improves attention span and the ability to think clearly for longer periods. 

4. Improves Creativity

It has been proven that playing chess every day improves creativity and creative thinking. It challenges a person to think outside of their usual creative patterns to solve problems they are presented with and find new ways to deal with similar situations. 

5. Improves Self-Confidence

Playing chess every day improves self-confidence by building a positive association with personal ability. Winning chess games improves self-confidence quickly, develops good motivation, improves work ethic, and generally improves self-image. 

6. Significantly Improves Patience

Playing chess every day teaches players to be patient. This is an important general life skill, and chess players who play every day display far more patience than their peers, especially young adults, teens, and children. 

7. Improves Cognitive Function

Playing chess stimulates both sides of the brain and improves mental function on all levels. People who play chess regularly often display higher brain function than people who do not engage in chess or similar activities.

8. Improves Brain Health

Playing chess every day improves dendrite growth. Dendrites are the neurological links from the brain to the rest of the body. Playing chess regularly enhances the development of these neurons, which is caused by better brain health and results in better mental function and overall health. 

9. Increases Intellectual Wellness

Multiple studies have proven that playing chess regularly from a young age increases mental function, but it also increases intellectual wellness. Playing chess every day can improve every aspect of mental acuity. 

10. Decreases The Risk Of Dementia

Playing and practicing chess every day uses almost the entire brain. The more the brain is used in this way, the less likely the player is to develop diseases such as Dementia and Alzheimer’s. 

11. Improves Critical Thinking Skills

Chess is a strategy game, forcing players to use critical thinking to play through it. Critical thinking is a skill that is improved by practice, and playing chess every day is among the best ways to develop this necessary skill. 

12. Improves Mental And Emotional Endurance

Playing a long game of chess or playing multiple games of chess every day improves mental and emotional endurance. Concentrating and dealing with emotions on a high level for a long time develops the player’s ability to sustain this state for longer periods. 

13. Drastically Improves Memory

Playing chess well requires a good memory, especially when learning and executing chess strategies. Utilizing this skill every day improves memory overall and significantly enhances the players’ ability to recall complex memories. 

14. Improves Concentration And Focus

The ability to concentrate well and focus on a specific task is a skill that is learned over time, and it can be applied to all aspects of life—playing chess every day trains this skill more effectively than almost any other task. 

15. Reduces Symptoms Of ADHD

Studies show about a 40% decrease in inattentiveness and hyperactivity in children who incorporate chess into a multi-faceted ADHD treatment. Playing chess every day is a helpful form of ADHD treatment. 

16. Improves Observation Skills

Observing and taking in information is a critical skill for daily life. Observing carefully is a significant aspect of playing chess, and playing the game every day quickly develops this essential life skill. 

17. Improves Problem Solving Skills

Playing a game of chess is a series of strategies and problems to be solved. Playing chess daily helps players learn to overcome issues quickly by using logic, critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and decisiveness. 

18. Teaches How To Deal With Disappointment

Losing a chess game can be challenging, especially if the game has been played for a long time. Playing chess every day teaches the player to deal with feelings of disappointment and discouragement to move forward quickly. 

19. Improves Stress Management

A significant aspect of playing chess is making decisions under pressure and performing well in high-stress situations. Playing chess every day improves the players’ ability to use these skills in all aspects of life. 

20. Improves Decision-Making Skills

It is impossible to succeed in chess without making clear, well-thought-out decisions. Playing the game every day teaches players to make decisions quickly and effectively and encourages players to think ahead to the outcome of the decision.

21. Makes You A Great Chess Player

The most obvious benefit of playing chess daily is that you will become a great player. Playing chess well is a practiced skill, and playing it every day will quickly turn anyone into a good chess player. 

All In All

Playing chess every day is an excellent way to improve mental ability, deal with emotions and anxiety, and a great way to develop essential life skills such as problem-solving and critical thinking. Anyone who plays chess every day will notice all of the benefits, even over a short time.

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This article was co-authored by our team of in-house and freelance writers, and reviewed by our editors, who enjoy sharing their knowledge about their favorite games with others!

JC Franco
Editor | + posts

JC Franco serves as a New York-based editor for Gamesver. His interest for board games centers around chess, a pursuit he began in elementary school at the age of 9. Holding a Bachelor’s degree in Business from Mercyhurst University, JC brings a blend of business acumen and creative insight to his role. Beyond his editorial endeavors, he is a certified USPTA professional, imparting his knowledge in tennis to enthusiasts across the New York City Metropolitan area.