Why a Chess Club?

Proven Results: New York City Public Chess Program

In a report from New York City on their Public Funded Chess Program it was stated that after four years, City Schools proved that chess:

• Instills in young players a sense of self-confidence and self-worth
• Dramatically improves a child's ability to think rationally
• Increases cognitive skills
• Improves children's communication skills and aptitude in recognizing patterns
• Results in higher grades, especially in English and Math studies
• Builds a sense of team spirit while emphasizing the ability of the individual
• Teaches the value of hard work, concentration and commitment
• Makes a child realize that he or she is responsible for his or her own actions and must accept their consequences
• Teaches children to try their best to win, while accepting defeat with grace
• Provides an intellectual forum through which children can assert hostility in an acceptable way
• Can become a child's most eagerly awaited school activity, dramatically improving attendance
• Allows girls to compete with boys on a non-threatening, socially acceptable plane
• Helps children make friends more easily because it provides an easy, safe forum for gathering and discussion
• Allows students and teachers to view each other in a more sympathetic way
• Through competition, gives kids a palpable sign of their accomplishments
• Provides children with a concrete, inexpensive and compelling way to rise above deprivation and self-doubt

— 1990 report, NYCP C. Palm