Chess can prevent dementia and is an excellent exercise for your brain
Playing chess regularly generates many benefits for brain health, such as improving memory, greater concentration and less risk of developing degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. It also provokes patience, discipline and mental agility in its players.
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Chess is an ancient strategy game in which two players face each other, has its roots in sixth-century India and has traveled through the centuries. The two opponents have 16 pieces that they can move, following certain rules, on a board divided into black and white squares, the final goal is to "overthrow the king" of the opponent.
Frequent chess practice generates many benefits for brain health, among which are improved memory, greater concentration and less risk of developing degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
The neurology expert attached to the Specialty Hospital of the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS) in Jalisco, Dr. Nayeli Alejandra Sánchez Rosales, reported that through this board game, people of all ages improve their problem-solving and even interpersonal skills.
Within the framework of World Chess Day he explained that it is used as an educational tool to teach planning and critical thinking, in addition to the fact that students have greater patience, discipline and faster and more effective decision-making.
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In general terms we can say that it stimulates various brain functions and has multiple cognitive benefits. For example, it stimulates short-term memory, since players must remember the positions of the pieces and the possible moves of the opponent. It also stimulates long-term memory, by memorizing and recovering game patterns and applying previously learned strategies.
Sánchez Rosales added that those who practice chess have a better management of stress, frustration and emotions, in addition to being more skilled in mathematical calculations. It is recommended for patients with cognitive impairment, depression, anxiety, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and those who recover from a cerebral infarction.
Chess is a sport
Chess combines elements of sport, scientific reasoning and art, there are various studies that suggest that meeting with friends or performing activities that cause pleasure such as reading, playing chess are associated with a lower risk of dementia.
Currently there are several studies that have raised the possibility that intellectual activities related to learning and memory would be the most protective against the development of the disease.
Among the intellectual activities in addition to reading, chess stands out, for its way of activating the brain to create the short- and long-term strategy. But not only mental activity helps the brain, but also exercise, studies show that regular physical activity can help reduce the risk of dementia.
According to a study published in Alzheimer's & Dementia, it determined that older adults who remain active have higher levels of brain proteins that improve connections between neurons, therefore it improves their memory and stimulates cognition and this protective effect was observed in all people, even in those who showed signs of dementia.
The study explains that physical activity is widely recommended for age-related brain health, but its neurobiology is not well understood. Animal models indicate that exercise is synaptogenic. One reason could be that physical activity promotes the health of the synapses, the small spaces that separate the neurons and allow them to communicate, so you already know how to exercise and learn to play chess.