These days we have seen how Magnus Carlsen, a young Norwegian of only 24 years old, has become the world chess champion by beating the Indian five-time champion Viswanathan Anand in a tense duel of the titans until the end. Anand made a mistake and Carlsen had no mercy by taking advantage of his mistake, something that has earned him the not inconsiderable amount of 600,000 euros.
Some questions come to mind after hearing this news: How does one become a chess champion? Do you have to be very smart to play chess well? Studies have not routinely found a relationship between IQ and skill in the game in chess experts.
However, a recent study published in the journal Intelligence (2014) seems to have found novelties regarding the influence of intelligence and motivation on performance in the game of chess in beginners.
In the study, conducted by Anique BH de Bruin and her collaborators, children taking their first chess course were asked to complete a report every day on the amount of practice they had put into the game and their degree of enjoyment with the course . Furthermore, the researchers assessed the children’s motivation and intelligence with standard questionnaires.
Statistical analyzes showed that intelligence and practice independently predicted better performance in the game of chess at the end of the course. This means that the smartest children and those who practiced the most were able to play better by the end of the beginner course. Furthermore, they found that motivation was indirectly related to performance through practice, in the sense that the higher the motivation, the more it was practiced and in some way this could also affect the final performance in the game.
Beyond the variables that favor the game, it is clear that chess is one of those good games to keep the mind active and that is always appreciated.
Marisa Fernández, Senior Neuropsychologist, Unobrain
