Benjamin Franklin
Statesman and scientist · United States
Chess, he wrote, strengthens “several very valuable qualities of the mind”: foresight, circumspection, caution and perseverance.
Why Chess?
64 squares. Endless possibilities. One activated mind.
For fifteen centuries, chess has crossed borders, outlasted empires and challenged the first computers. That staying power is why we looked closer. We were searching for one activity that could challenge the mind, end the silence and give every player a voice. Chess does all three, across one table.
A Game Fifteen Centuries in the Making
From the courts of ancient India to the age of computers, every era found its own reason to sit down at the board.
-
500sSouth Asia · India
An army in miniature. Chaturanga's four kinds of pieces mirror the four divisions of an ancient army: infantry, cavalry, elephants and chariots.
-
600sWestern Asia · Persia
A new name, a wider world. As shatranj, the game spreads across the Islamic world.
-
1000Europe · Across the continent
A continent learns to play. Arriving from the 800s onward, chess has spread throughout Europe by about the year 1000.
-
1475Southern Europe · Valencia, Spain
The queen gains her power. The queen and bishop gain the moves we use today, and the modern game takes shape.
-
1779Western Europe · France
A founding father defends the game. Benjamin Franklin writes The Morals of Chess, arguing that the game strengthens the mind.
-
1886North America · United States
The first world champion is crowned. Wilhelm Steinitz wins the first official World Chess Championship.
-
1950Europe and North America · Britain and United States
Chess becomes the test of thinking machines. By 1950, Alan Turing and Claude Shannon have designed some of the first chess programs, asking whether a machine can think.
-
1997North America · New York City
A computer defeats the world champion. IBM's Deep Blue beats Garry Kasparov in a six-game match.
Today an estimated 605 million adults play chess regularly. The United Nations has named July 20th as World Chess Day.
The Game Great Minds Chose
They helped found a nation, laid the groundwork for computing, broke records and broke barriers. Each sharpened their mind at the same 64 squares.
Judit Polgár
Grandmaster · Hungary
Became the youngest grandmaster of her time in 1991, beat 11 current or former world champions, and remains the only woman ever rated above 2700.
Source: ChessBase, on her World Chess Hall of Fame induction, 2022 (opens in a new tab)
Alan Turing
Mathematician and computing pioneer · Britain
When he wanted to ask whether a machine could think, he turned to chess, co-writing one of the first chess programs in 1948.
Source: Turing and Champernowne, Turochamp, 1948 (opens in a new tab)
Hou Yifan
Grandmaster and professor · China
The youngest woman to earn the grandmaster title at the time, at 14. She won four women's world championships, studied at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar and became a university professor at 26.
Sources: FIDE Commission for Women's Chess (opens in a new tab); Rhodes Trust, Rhodes Scholars Class of 2018 (opens in a new tab)
Maurice Ashley
Grandmaster and educator · United States
The first African-American grandmaster. He has spent his career bringing chess to new audiences, and wrote Chess for Success on how the game builds strengths in young people.
Source: World Chess Hall of Fame, US Chess Hall of Fame inductee, 2016 (opens in a new tab)
Phiona Mutesi
Champion · Uganda
Learned chess in a community program in Katwe, one of Kampala's poorest neighborhoods, and went on to represent Uganda at the Chess Olympiad. Her story became the film Queen of Katwe.
Source: NPR (opens in a new tab)
Our Brain on Chess
Before we touch a piece, our brains are already at work. Brain-imaging studies have watched people play: chess draws on areas in all four lobes, and on structures deep inside.
-
Frontal lobe
Planning ahead, holding the position in mind, weighing options.
Atherton et al., 2003 (opens in a new tab); Williams et al., 2025 (opens in a new tab)
-
Parietal lobe
Seeing how the pieces relate in space.
Atherton et al., 2003 (opens in a new tab); Wan et al., Science, 2011 (opens in a new tab)
-
Temporal lobe (underside)
Recognizing familiar patterns at a glance.
Bilalić et al., 2011 (opens in a new tab); Williams et al., 2025 (opens in a new tab)
-
Caudate (deep)
The quick, intuitive move that comes with practice.
These studies show which parts of the brain chess uses, mostly in younger and expert players. Whether regular play protects the aging brain is what research still needs to test.
Sources: review of 18 imaging studies, Brain Mechanisms, 2025 (opens in a new tab); Atherton et al., Cognitive Brain Research, 2003 (opens in a new tab); Wan et al., Science, 2011 (opens in a new tab); Bilalić et al., Journal of Neuroscience, 2011 (opens in a new tab).
One Move, Six Thinking Skills
In the seconds between one move and the next, the brain sees, remembers, calculates, chooses, waits and adapts. Three of these, working memory, self-control and flexible thinking, are the core executive functions, and they are among the skills that often change first with age. Every chess move puts them to work.
-
1 See
Occipital lobe
Taking in the board
Skill: Attention
-
2 Remember
Fusiform gyrus
Recognizing a familiar pattern
Skill: Pattern recognition
-
3 Calculate
Parietal lobe + Prefrontal cortex
Mapping pieces and lines
Skill: Working memory
-
4 Choose
Caudate (deep)
The quick, intuitive move
Skill: Decision-making
-
5 Wait
Anterior cingulate + Prefrontal cortex
Holding back the tempting move
Skill: Self-control
-
6 Adapt
Anterior cingulate + Prefrontal cortex
Rethinking after a reply
Skill: Flexible thinking
Simplified: every step draws on many areas at once. Each panel highlights the areas imaging studies most associate with that step. Dashed circles mark inner or deep areas. Sources: Williams et al., 2025 (opens in a new tab); Atherton et al., 2003 (opens in a new tab); Wan et al., Science, 2011 (opens in a new tab); Bilalić et al., 2011 (opens in a new tab).
Why a Board Game, in a World of Apps?
Many activities exercise the mind, and many bring people together. Few do both at once, and fewer still open the door to an individual's unique story. That combination is why we chose chess.
| Solo Puzzles | Brain-Training Apps | Social Clubs and Events | Chess at Our Table | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Will I talk with someone? | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Will it make me think hard? | Yes | Yes | Depends on the event | Yes |
| Can I share my story? | No | No | Depends on the event | Yes, by design |
| Does it keep up as I improve? | Only if you choose harder ones | Yes | No | Yes |
| Can I do it any time, on my own? | Yes | Yes | No | Partly: we meet in person, and chess can be played anywhere between sessions |
This compares what each activity is designed to offer, not how well it works. Structured computer training has its own trial evidence. See the trial evidence on The Evidence page
Want to see how it all comes together? Read about our six pillars on About Us
A Seat for Every Partner
Care homes, community groups, researchers and funders each have a place at our table. Here is what each one gains.
For research partners
An open question.
- A defined, repeatable session: a game, a conversation and a life story.
- A real gap in the research: no study has yet tested chess combined with guided storytelling.
- A team ready to measure from day one, and to publish what we find.
For care and community partners
A ready-made gathering.
- Needs only a table, a board and two chairs. No screens, no special equipment.
- Welcomes beginners, with large-piece and tactile boards for low vision and limited hand movement.
- Gives people a standing reason to gather, and something to talk about afterwards.
For funders
A clear, honest case.
- Targets social isolation, one of 14 changeable risks named by the 2024 Lancet Commission.
- Grounded in 28 published sources, each linked and summarized.
- Honest by design: we will report outcomes only once we have measured them.
Before We Sit Down
The questions people ask before their first game, and the ones partners ask before their first meeting.
Is this a medical treatment?
No. We offer mental challenge, real connection and a chance to tell your story. We don't diagnose, treat, cure or prevent dementia, and we never replace medical care. Our program sits alongside good care, not instead of it.
How will you know it works?
We are designing our program to be measured from the start, with research partners. We will publish what we find, whatever it shows, and we won't report outcomes we haven't measured.
Why chess, and not brain-training apps?
Structured computer training has its own trial evidence, and we cite it on The Evidence page. Chess adds what a screen can't: a person across the table, a reason to talk and room for a life story.
Do I need to know how to play?
Not at all. We teach complete beginners and set the pace to each player. For many of us, learning something new is everything.
What if chess feels too hard?
Chess can be as gentle or as demanding as you like. We start where you are, use large-piece and tactile boards where they help, and treat every player as a thinker, never as a patient.
Check Every Number
Nothing on this page is a hunch. The brain studies, the history and the figures all rest on published sources, listed on The Evidence page with what each one found and where it has its limits.