The benefits of chess for the brain: what the studies really say
Why play chess? First of all because it is a gripping game. On the health side, large population studies associate regular play of mentally demanding games, chess included, with a slightly slower cognitive decline and a moderately lower risk of dementia. However, no trial has shown that chess durably raises IQ or cures a disease.
Chess has a reputation as a “brain sport”. Articles praising its benefits are plentiful, but few say where their figures come from. This site does the opposite: every claim points to a named study (authors, journal, year, number of participants), and every page flags what the study does not show. The aim is not to discourage anyone from playing, quite the opposite: it is to know what you can reasonably expect from a game of chess, and what is myth.
Observed benefit: a measured difference between people who play and people who do not. In an observational study, it may be explained by something other than the game (level of education, health, social circle). Only a randomised trial, where chance decides who plays, allows us to speak of an effect of the game itself.
Why play chess: 9 reasons put to the test
Lists of “benefits of chess” are everywhere. Here are the most common, with the study that backs each one and a label summarising the strength of the evidence: solid, promising or fragile.
- Slightly slower cognitive ageing promising
In the French PAQUID cohort (3,675 people aged 65 and over followed for 20 years), regular players of board games had a 15% lower risk of dementia; however, the gap disappears once baseline cognitive state and depression are taken into account (Dartigues et al., BMJ Open, 2013). Details on the page chess and Alzheimer’s. - “Active” pastimes associated with less dementia promising
Among 10,318 Australians aged 70 and over, playing cards or chess, doing crosswords or puzzles is associated with a 9% lower risk of dementia per level of frequency (Wu et al., JAMA Network Open, 2023). - An impressive specialised memory solid
Masters can reconstruct a game position seen for five seconds, but not a random position (Chase and Simon, 1973). Chess memory is real, but it remains… a memory for chess. See chess and memory. - A brain that specialises promising
Imaging shows that experts process the chessboard with different regions from novices (Bilalić et al., Journal of Neuroscience, 2011). This proves learning, not a health benefit. See the chess player’s brain. - Better school results fragile
The meta-analysis by Sala and Gobet (2016) finds a moderate effect, but the largest randomised trial, involving 4,009 English pupils, finds no effect on mathematics (Jerrim et al., 2018). See chess and children. - A higher IQ fragile
IQ and chess skill are modestly correlated (about 0.24 according to Burgoyne et al., 2016), but nothing shows that playing raises IQ. See the IQ of chess players. - Help with attention (ADHD) fragile
A single pilot study of 44 children, with no control group, reports a drop in symptoms rated by parents (Blasco-Fontecilla et al., 2016). See chess and ADHD. - A rule-based game suited to many autistic people fragile
The game’s predictable framework appeals to many autistic players, but no controlled trial has measured an effect. See chess and autism. - An antidote to stress fragile
A competitive game raises the heart rate (Troubat et al., 2009): competition is stressful. A relaxed game among friends is another matter. See chess, stress and anxiety.
The benefits of chess for the brain, theme by theme
The site is organised into four main themes. Each groups pages that detail the studies, their figures and their limits.
Ageing
Does chess protect against dementia? Which games should you suggest to a relative who is ill or in a care home?
Intelligence
Champions’ IQ, chess at school, the memory of masters and brain imaging.
Mental health
Attention, autism, stress: what the few studies allow us to say.
Reference
All the studies cited on this site, and the most stubborn myths.
How to read a study on chess and health
Studies on chess and the brain are not all equal. Before remembering a figure, three questions are enough to sort the wheat from the chaff.
1. Who was studied, and how many?
A study of 16 players does not carry the weight of a cohort of 10,000 people. Chess studies often involve small groups, sometimes men only, which limits what can be drawn from them.
2. Did chance decide who played?
This is the decisive question. People who play chess at 75 are often better educated, have a wider social circle and are in better health than others. If they decline more slowly, is it thanks to the game, or to everything else? Only a randomised trial settles it, and there are very few on chess.
3. Was it compared with another activity?
A child taking chess lessons also receives attention, a framework, a motivated adult. Without a control group doing another activity, we cannot know whether the effect comes from chess or from this context. This is precisely what Sala and Gobet criticise in the school studies.
The full table of studies, with their level of evidence, can be found in the annotated bibliography of studies on chess.
What the previous version of this site wrongly claimed
This site long presented a list of benefits copied from one article to another across the web. Checking it study by study, several claims proved false or exaggerated. We prefer to say so plainly.
| Widespread claim | What the studies say |
|---|---|
| “Chess raises IQ in four months” | No solid study shows this. The best-controlled trials find no lasting effect on general intelligence (Sala and Gobet, 2017). |
| “Playing makes dendrites grow” | No study has observed this in chess players. Imaging shows structural differences between experts and non-players, without being able to say which comes first (Hänggi et al., 2014). |
| “Chess makes you use both hemispheres” | A meaningless formula: almost all complex activities engage both hemispheres. Imaging studies describe specific networks, not a “switching on of both brains”. |
| “Chess improves the symptoms of schizophrenia” | A single research letter on 26 patients reports better planning scores after ten hours of play (Demily et al., 2009). Nothing on the symptoms of the illness. |
| “Chess prevents Alzheimer’s” | Studies show an association, partly explained by other factors. No trial has shown that chess prevents the disease. |
The other myths, such as the “6,000 calories” burned by a grandmaster in a tournament, are examined on the page chess and health: the myths.
Starting or returning to chess
If the medical evidence remains modest, there is no shortage of reasons to play: the pleasure of thinking, meeting people at a club, games with the family, the satisfaction of improving at any age. Cohort studies suggest above all one thing: what matters is the regularity of an activity that demands mental effort, over years. Chess lends itself well to this, because you never get to the end of it.
To begin with, a real chessboard has advantages over a screen: it can be shared, it slows the pace and it suits games with family or neighbours. If you are looking to choose a chess set to play at home, go for legible pieces and a board large enough to place the pieces without difficulty.
And if the question that brings you here is about intelligence, Le Palais des Échecs has an article that complements our pages on IQ: does chess really make you more intelligent?
Key takeaway. Playing chess is a good leisure activity, which makes you think and creates social bonds. The studies allow us to say that it is associated with better cognitive ageing, without being able to claim that it is the game itself that protects. Promises of a rising IQ or of a cure rest on no evidence.
Frequently asked questions
What are the benefits of chess?
Studies associate regular practice of mentally demanding games with a slightly slower cognitive decline with age, and playing chess builds a highly specialised memory and perception. The effects on IQ, school results or attention disorders are small or unproven.
What are the benefits of chess for the brain?
In expert players, imaging shows that certain regions specialise in recognising positions. In older people, playing mentally demanding games is associated with less dementia in several cohorts, without proof that the game is the cause.
Is chess good for the brain?
It is an activity that calls on attention, working memory and planning, and that you can practise all your life. Observational studies are rather favourable, but they do not prove that chess does better than other demanding pastimes, such as reading or crosswords.
What effect does playing chess have on your brain?
In the short term, a game calls on attention and, in competition, raises the heart rate. In the long term, training changes the way the brain perceives the chessboard, with thousands of memorised patterns. These changes mainly concern the game itself.
Is online chess good for your brain?
No study clearly distinguishes online chess from chess on a board. Online play uses the same abilities, but very fast games and playing one after another without a break encourage haste; slower games and face-to-face play add considered thinking and social contact.