Compulsory chess lessons might be making Armenia’s kids supersmart

2 hrs ago
 
In 2011, Armenia made chess a mandatory class at every public school. You might laugh at the idea of every Armenian kid being a chess nerd — until the day their superior strategizing skills enable them to checkmate us. 

Ruben Aghuzumstyan, who’s leading a team of psychologists testing the effect of chess on budding minds, says preliminary results indicate that chess-playing kids show stronger individuality, creative thinking, reflexes and comparative analysis. 

Chess is wildly popular in Armenia, where grandmasters are celebrities who score freebies such as cars from the government. But before you start fearing the Eurasian nation’s chess-enhanced intelligence, remember it’s also the country partly responsible for the Kardashians.

Source: http://now.msn.com

Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Tags: ,