Association Between Cognitive Abilities and Chess Skills in Children: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background. Children’s success in school requires a high level of cognitive abilities. Chess training, the popularity of which among children is growing, can help promote cognitive development. Research on the relationship between cognitive abilities and chess skills is becoming relevant, especially in the view of the recommendations for the integration of chess into educational programmes for children. However, research findings on the relationship between chess skills and cognitive ability are inconsistent. Objectives. The aim of the current work was to classify and systematize empirical studies aimed at investigating the relationship between cognitive abilities and chess training in children 5–12 years old. Methods. A literature review was conducted using the PRISMA method. 273 English-language and 90 Russian-language articles corresponding to the search query were found. As a result of screening and selection, 18 studies were included in further qualitative analysis. Results. Two main approaches to studying the relationship between chess classes and cognitive abilities in children were identified in the analysis: general cognitive abilities and special cognitive abilities. It was shown that children who attend additional chess classes have higher levels of intelligence and visual-spatial abilities. In addition, teaching children chess promotes the development of mathematical problem solving and mental numeracy skills in schoolchildren. However, there has been a lack of research on the relationship between chess lessons and regulatory functions in children, despite the significant predictive value of these cognitive abilities. Conclusions. The conducted theoretical review demonstrated the significance of chess in children’s cognitive development, on the one hand; and, on the other hand, allowed us to outline the prospects for further research in this area, in order to obtain reliable and less ambiguous results. The materials of the article can be useful for planning research in the field of child development and educational psychology.