Scientists have identified the positive effects of chess in mental disorders

Chess can be useful not only as an intellectual game, but also as an additional tool in dealing with certain mental and addictions. Two new studies have shown that special chess training has been associated with improvements in individual cognitive functions and quality of life in people with alcohol dependence, as well as in adolescents undergoing psychiatric treatment. At the same time, we are not talking about replacing traditional chess therapy, but about a possible addition to it. About how chess affects cognitive functions, what results the research participants got and why this game attracts the attention of specialists in general, is in the Izvestia material.

A chess game in which victory is not more important.

The results of two studies have been published in the scientific journals Neuropsychological Rehabilitation and Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry. In the first study, we studied the possibility of using chess cognitive training in the rehabilitation of people with alcohol dependence, in the second — in children and adolescents undergoing psychiatric treatment.

At the same time, the therapeutic program was different from the usual game of chess. Participants were not required to compete with each other or demonstrate a deep knowledge of strategy. The main focus was on individual cognitive skills: concentration, working memory, planning, and problem solving. For example, the participants had to memorize the arrangement of the pieces on the chessboard, and then reproduce it.

This approach is due to the fact that chess simultaneously involves several brain functions. While working with the board, a person needs to keep information in memory, monitor several elements, plan a sequence of actions, evaluate the consequences of a decision, and control an impulsive reaction. It was the combination of these tasks that interested specialists as a possible option for cognitive training.

According to her, the purpose of such programs is to create methods that can be applied in everyday life and that can complement existing treatment.

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Attention, memory, and communication: what did the training give

The first study involved people with alcohol dependence who continued to receive standard treatment at the same time. Additionally, they completed a structured program with chess problems. After the intervention, participants held their attention better than people in the control group, and also reported a higher quality of life.

The positive changes were not only related to cognitive indicators. The group class format facilitated communication and social interaction during rehabilitation. Participants generally had a positive opinion of the program, and their willingness to recommend it to a friend increased markedly and remained elevated even three months after the end of the study.

The second work was devoted to adolescents aged 13 to 17 years who were undergoing psychiatric treatment. For six weeks, they additionally engaged in chess cognitive training. In this group, the researchers also found positive changes: working memory scores improved, and the teens themselves reported higher psychological well-being and quality of life compared to the control group.

At the same time, the authors emphasize the preliminary nature of the results. Both studies relate to pilot studies, so larger-scale studies and longer-term follow-up are needed to verify the effect.

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Why is chess good for the brain at all?

The interest in chess is not only related to its possible therapeutic use. The game itself is a complex cognitive load: a person has to simultaneously use attention, working memory, planning, impulse control, and the ability to solve problems. Therefore, regular play is considered as one of the variants of intellectual activity, which forces the brain to constantly process and retain new information.

The social side of chess may have a separate meaning. This activity can be practiced in a group, discuss games, solve problems together, and interact with other people. In a study of people with alcohol dependence, it was group activities that were accompanied by improved communication and social interactions. Therefore, the potential effect of chess can be formed not only from the cognitive load, but also from the format of joint activity itself.

At the same time, it would be wrong to say that chess is guaranteed to "train the brain" or prevent mental illness. The evidence base is still heterogeneous, and the results of individual studies cannot be automatically distributed to all people. It is more correct to consider chess as an accessible form of intellectual and social activity that can bring cognitive and psychological benefits.

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Not a substitute for treatment, but an additional tool.

The authors of the new papers specifically emphasize that their task is not to replace psychotherapy or other treatment methods with chess. We are talking about an additional program that can be used together with existing help.

Especially important was the fact that similar changes in the quality of life were found in two very different groups — people with alcohol dependence and adolescents with mental disorders. For patients with such conditions, the quality of life is of independent importance.: It is associated with the ability to cope with everyday tasks, build social relationships and return to an active life.

Now the researchers want to do more extensive work to find out which groups of patients benefit most from chess and how best to integrate such training into existing treatment programs. If the initial results are confirmed, chess cognitive training may become another additional tool in psychiatric and rehabilitation practice.