About: an independent site on chess, the brain and health
How To Play Chess is an independent editorial site. It presents what scientific research has measured about chess and the brain, citing each study with its authors, journal, year and sample size. It is not a club, an association or a medical practice.
Why this site
The benefits of chess are the subject of countless articles, often copied from one another and rarely sourced. They tell you that chess “raises IQ”, “prevents Alzheimer’s” or “makes dendrites grow”. The scientific reality is more nuanced, and more interesting. This site was entirely rewritten in October 2026 to replace an earlier page that repeated several of these claims without checking them.
Our method
- A named study for every figure. Authors, journal, year, number of participants, type of study. When a figure circulates without an identifiable source, we say so, or we do not repeat it.
- Checking at source. The abstracts and, where possible, the full text of the articles were consulted (PubMed Central, journal websites, the Cochrane Library, official reports).
- Limits first. Each study summary includes a section headed “What the study does not say”.
- No promise of a cure. We write “is associated with”, never “cures” or “prevents”.
- Corrections owned. An error that is reported and verified is corrected, and the update date is changed.
What this site is not
We are not doctors and this site gives no personalised medical advice. It sells nothing and collects no personal data. Some pages link to articles or collections on the Le Palais des Échecs site where they usefully complement the subject (choosing a chessboard, going further on a topic); these links do not influence how the studies are presented.
How to read our levels of evidence
| Level | What it means | Example on this site |
|---|---|---|
| High | Large randomised trial or good-quality meta-analysis | EEF trial of 4,009 pupils (Jerrim et al., 2018) |
| Moderate | Large observational cohort or small randomised trial | PAQUID cohort (Dartigues et al., 2013) |
| Low | Study without a control group, small sample, cross-sectional study | Pilot study on ADHD (Blasco-Fontecilla et al., 2016) |
| Very low | Letter, isolated case, figure with no publication | “6,000 calories” per tournament day |
Contact us
This site does not publish a contact address. If you spot an error, the best source remains the original study: all those we cite are listed in the annotated bibliography.