Chess is sometimes described as a science, an art, and a sport.  It has the virtue of being completely free of luck: the result of each game depends entirely upon the skill of the players.

        A youngster who plays chess soon learns that he or she cannot blame failure on anyone else. Results are completely due to a child's own abilities and efforts, and a child must take responsibility for his or her own actions. Victory is earned and can be savoured as a personal accomplishment.  A youngster taking part in a chess program develops critical thinking, logic, reasoning and problem  visualization skills; confidence; patience; determination; poise; self-expression; and good sportsmanship. And, perhaps more importantly, children who participate in the program improve their self-esteem.

    Everyone associates a good chess player with a good mind. A child who can play a good game of chess has proof of his or her mental abilities- and no one can take that away!

    Chess is a great equalizer, regardless of language, academic experience, racial or socio-economic background.  Chess provides something for every child.  The simple games introduced are adaptable and easily modified for ESL, LA, ADD, or EMH, while at the sametime challenging gifted students.
 
 

The effect of chess on Special Education students at Roberto Clemente School (C.I.S. 166), New York 1988.  Joyce Brown, assistant principal said, "Not only have the reading and math skills of these children soared, their ability to socialize has increased substantially, too.  Our studies have shown that incidents of suspension and outside altercations have decreased by at least 60% since these children became interested in chess."
 
 

"I like the aspect of socialization. (Jerome Fishman, Guidance Counsellor, C.J.H.S., Queens, N.Y. ) You get into friendly, competitive activity where no one gets hurt.  Instead of two bodies slamming into each other...you've got the meeting of two minds.  Chess develops their social skills too. It makes them feel they belong.  It helps kids learn how to be better friends.  They analyze the game and talk it over afterwards.  Kids are literally lining up to get in a little chess before classes start."

RESEARCH HAS PROVEN: 
 

Margulies (1991) The Effect of Chess on Reading Scores:
This report evaluates the reading performance of 53 elementary pupils who participated in the chess program compared with 1118 nonparticipants.  Dr. Stuart Margulies concluded students who were taught chess outperformed the district and country average with an average gain of 5.37 percentile points.
 

Cristiaen, Johan (1976) Chess & Cognitive Development: The chess group scored somewhat better than the control group on various Piagetís tests for cognitive development.  More of a difference, however was evident the chess group did significantly better in both the fifth and sixth grade tests.

The New York City School Chess Program
- founded in 1986 by Faneuil Adams Jr. and Bruce Pandolfini.

Between 1989 and 1990 3,000 inner-city children in more than 100 public schools participated. The program continues to motivate young people in some of the poorest neighborhoods in the city. Since evaluating the program they have found:

NYCHESS has proven that:

• Chess in instills in young players a sense of self-confidence and self-worth
• Chess dramatically improves a child's ability to think rationally
• Chess increases cognitive skills
• Chess results in higher grades, especially in English and Math studies
• Chess builds a sense of team spirit while emphasizing the ability of the individual
• Chess teaches the value of hard work, concentration and commitment
• Chess makes a child realize that he or she is responsible for his or her own actions and must accept their consequences
• Chess teaches children to try their best to win while accepting defeat with grace;
• Chess provides an intellectual, competitive forum through which children can assert hostility, i.e. "let off steam," in an acceptable way;
• Chess can become a child's most eagerly awaited school activity, dramatically improving attendance;
• Chess allows girls to compete with boys on a non-threatening, socially acceptable plane;
• Chess helps children make friends more easily because it provides an easy, safe forum for gathering and discussion;
• Chess allows students and teachers to view each other in a more sympathetic way;
• Chess, through competition, gives kids a palpable sign of their accomplishments, and finally;
• Chess provides children with a concrete, inexpensive and compelling way to rise above the deprivation and self-doubt which are so much a part of their lives

(Christine Palm, 1990 pp.5-7)