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Chess as a Medicine

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Children addicted to TV and video games? – Break the habit with Chess


Is your child playing video games instead of doing schoolwork? Is he avoiding social situations—and is his behavior worsening as a result of constant gaming? If you’re worried about the amount of time your child spends gaming or watching TV, you’re not alone— we listen about this on a regular basis.  We have heard the desperation and concern in the voices of many, many parents whose kids seem to spend all their time playing video games or sitting in front of the idiot box, as if possessed by some mysterious outside force. Kids have been immersed in a digital universe. There are lot of disadvantages of playing video games such as damaged eyesight, headaches and the inability to sleep.(Reference: Wikipedia)

The video game designers are constantly building upon the game, adding new features to try out and territories to explore on a regular basis. PlayStation, Xbox, PSP, Ipad, Nintendo and the list goes on and on. There is no set end to the game, and the competitive nature of the cooperative online play encourages people to play as often they can. All the TV shows are scripted in such a way that the audience always remains curious about the next episode and most of the programmes focus to attract the young generation with more and more reality shows with their favorite celebrities on the show. With time it becomes their habit for the children to remain in front of the TV or keep playing video games, sparing no time for the activities needed for their body or for their brain. kids playing video games

Overcoming the TV and video games addiction with Chess


Chess is the best medicine for the kids who are addicted to video games and TV. Parents should encourage their children to learn and eventually learn the game which proves to be a learning tool to help children and young adults improve their decision-making ability, concentration, personal responsibility, and sportsmanship. Chess is something that helps your child to divert his mind from TV and use it for something that would sharpen his brain and help him excel in life. Chess is one of the most popular sports in Russia and Armenia is also a chess passionate country. In the US also the game is immensely popular and the New York City Charity promotes the game across the country and that too mainly in the schools for the benefit of the young learners. Many countries organize chess nights and chess tournaments for refugees, mentally retarded people and at urban recreation centers, so as to keep their engaged in something positive.

Related: Benefits of Chess!

The best example that how chess can drag you away from the addictions is this – According to a BBC report, Marottichal, a village in India was rife with alcoholism and illicit gambling, but everything changed after one man taught the town to play an ancient game of strategy – Chess. Unnikrishnan developed a zeal for chess while he was living in a nearby village. He decided to move to his afflicted hometown and opened tea shop, where he started teaching chess to his customers as a healthier way to pass the time.
Marottichal’s village people playing chess Miraculously, the game’s popularity flourished while drinking and gambling declined. If you visit this village, one can easily catch sights of people playing chess. A native of this village says, “Chess improves concentration, builds character and creates community”. “We don’t watch television here; we play chess and talk to each other, even the kids.” So true!! Related: Chess Board and Pieces Dimensions For long, chess has been considered as a game played only by intellectuals and individuals with critical thinking abilities. However, the interesting fact is that chess can be played by people of all age groups and mind sets. Chess is extremely helpful in brain development, particularly when it is played regularly from a very early age. Learning to play chess at a young age helps the children to gain valuable experience and wisdom which can be applied to almost any situation they will encounter in life. I believe that the parents should feel fortunate for having this brain-training tool to overcome the TV addiction. Encourage your Child to play chess and imagine how it could benefit your children. Children playing chess perform academically much better than others. Globally, the ages of the latest crops of chess grand masters are getting younger and younger. Who knows, if your child wins the next GM title.

Related: Perfect medicine for Alzheimer’s disease – Chess!

Getting into a new hobby like playing chess with wooden chess set is an expensive endeavor. Sometimes the cheapest point of entry is a starter kit that perfectly combines a group of items you need to learn about your new hobby.

What to consider When Buying Chess for Kids

When buying chess for kids there is a need to consider some important factors to ensure that is appropriate for age, gaming level, and interests. Here are some things to keep in mind. Let’s explore all such important factors:
    • Age-Specific Pieces– Chess pieces that are easy to handle and colorful in nature are ideal for younger kids. On the other hand, older children may prefer standard chess pieces. Make sure to consider your child’s preferences, especially if they are younger, before purchasing chess pieces.
    • Portability – When buying chess set for kids always focus on the portability so that they can easily take their chess set with them to school, trip etc. Travel Chess Set can be your best companion ever.
    • Must Hold Educational Value – As previously discussed that chess is the best medicine for kids who addicted to video games, so you need to look for a chess set that comes up with instructional material or guides how to set up a chess board and everything about chess pieces names and moves. Please take a look at the attached image below:
DGT Chess Starter Box
DGT CHESS STARTER BOX

By considering above mentioned factors, you can select a chess set that is not only age specific but also portable, educational and enjoyable for your kids.

Alzheimer was first described and named after a German Psychiatrist in 1906. He presented the pathological findings on a brain of a 56 years old woman who died after a progressive Dementia.

Alzheimer’s Disease is the most common cause of Dementia. Alzheimer is a chronic neurodegenerative  disease, the symptoms are generally mild to start with, but they get worse over time and start to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease. This means that gradually, over time, more parts of the brain are damaged. As this happens, more symptoms develop. They also become more severe.

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For most people with Alzheimer’s, the earliest symptoms are memory lapses. In particular, they may have difficulty recalling recent events and learning new information. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems with language, disorientation, mood swings, loss of motivation, not managing self care and behavioral issues. Patients may become anxious, irritable or depressed. Many people become withdrawn and lose interest in activities and hobbies. As a person’s condition declines, they often withdraw from family and society. Gradually, bodily functions are lost, ultimately leading to death.

It is a very serious problem but some steps can be taken to prevent the Alzheimer’s disease. Research has found that keeping the brain active seems to increase its vitality and may build its reserves of brain cells and connections. You could even generate new brain cells. According to latest research elderly people who regularly read or play mentally challenging games are 2 ½ times less likely to suffer from this memory disease. Chess is the best option to keep the brain working.

Cure for Alzheimer’s disease – Chess

The emergence of mind sports as a tool to reduce our risk of Alzheimer’s is based on using and exercising all six cognitive areas of the brain and continuing the program over a period of time. These six cognitive areas are:

  1. Visual-spatial
  2. Executive function
  3. Verbal fluency
  4. Memory
  5. Attention
  6. Orientation

Chess touches every one of those areas. Chess is in fact a particularly good brain builder! It is an easy game to learn and takes little time to practice. Playing chess can stimulate our minds, increase our social interactions with others and possibly reduce stress. Staying cognitively active through mentally stimulating activities such as playing games are linked to keeping the mind sharp. An analysis demonstrated those that played only games reduced their risk of Alzheimer by 75% and those that played musical instruments reduced theirs by 64%. Crossword puzzle enthusiasts get a 38% lowered risk.

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We all know that games can be fun and challenging, but if we are interested in actually maintaining brain fitness, then chess stimulates all the areas of brain and is endlessly fascinating. The game lends itself to a variety of complexities from various patterns to complex calculations that stimulate players’ brains.  Though there is no scientific evidence showing that games can prevent Alzheimer’s, it is suggested that stimulating the mind on a regular basis is beneficial to delay onset of this disease and slow down its progression and moreover there is no harm in learning such an interesting game like chess.

So keep playing and enjoying the beautiful game ‘’chess’’ and keep this disease at the bay.

Take a look of our amazing collection of handmade wooden chess pieces and chess boards.

 

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