What game do thousands of academic courses and clubs focus on?
What game engages the interest of kindergartners and college professors alike?
What game develops concentration, memory, and math skills?
What game remains common 1,400 years after it was invented?
What game is played around the world?
The answer to all of these questions is chess!
At Mathnasium of Littleton we like how chess requires many of the same thinking skills as math including abstract reasoning, pattern recognition, mental flexibility, and problem solving. Education researchers are investigating playing chess as an effective math intervention for children struggling in math. Like playing a musical instrument, there is a positive correlation of playing chess and math achievement.
The Basics of Chess
Chess is played on an 8x8 board with 64 squares. Each player begins with six types of pieces: one king, one queen, two knights, two bishops, two rooks, and eight pawns for a total of sixteen pieces. Chess players create complex strategies to put their opponent’s king in “checkmate.” Checkmate means a player trapped the opponent’s king and there is no escape route.
Geometry and Patterns in Chess
Each of the six types pieces move in a distinct pattern. Some pieces can move in multiple ways depending on the situation. For example, pawns can always move one square forward. In specific circumstances, like capturing an opponent’s piece, a player can choose to move the pawn differently. The knights always move in an L-shape but the player can choose either one space vertically and two spaces horizontally, or two spaces horizontally and one space vertically. Chess players must understand all the strategic advantages of various geometric patterns of movement to make the best move each time.
Using Combinatorial Math to Explain the Allure of Chess
Computer programs used combinatorial math to predict the number of possible legal positions in chess as being 10 to the 43rd! Players can usually choose from thirty to forty possible moves for every turn, but the number of legal moves varies greatly from turn to turn, depending on the positions of the pieces. There can be as many as 218 legal moves in a single play. The game is over when one of the players has zero legal moves, usually when the king is in checkmate. Having so many variations of movements is one reason that chess has remained popular for so long across such a variety of cultures. The game just doesn’t get boring. The diversity of chess situations explains why playing develops thinking skills. Each move is like solving a puzzle!
Mathematical Chess Problems
A mathematical chess problem is a math puzzle that can be solved using a chess board. Examples of these are the Eight Queens Puzzle and the Knight’s Tour. The solutions to the puzzles create complex geometrical shapes on chess boards. Famous mathematicians, such as Euler, Legendre, and Gauss did chess problems such as these for fun.
If you are looking for ways to sharpen your child’s mathematical thinking skills, playing chess is a fun way to do it. Of course, enrolling in Mathnasium of Littleton is another great way for your child to learn math skills. The Mathnasium Method is perfect for a child with a growing and inquisitive mind. Call us today at 303-979-9077 and find out how we can help your child develop or improve their math skills or join us at one of our Game Nights!
You may also be interested in these articles:
Should Your Child Play a Musical Instrument to Develop Math Skills?
When One Correct Answer Isn't Enough
A Parent's Guide to Math Interventions
The effect of chess on mathematics test scores http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0177257
Your move: Get out there and play some chess with your kids!
