Mano A Mano, in an 8-squared black and white battlefield. Thirty-two pieces a set, with 16 pieces on each side. Each player with a thousand opening possibilities. That is the beauty of chess—a mind-blowing sport and game made for everyone. The chess game was first invented in 1866, and starting from the early 1970s, there was a rising trend of younger Grandmasters playing chess. For example, many of the International Chess Masters and Grandmasters are child prodigies such as Hikaru Nakamura, Magnus Carlsen, and the legendary Bobby Fischer.
As quoted from chess.com, the game of chess has attracted younger generations. For instance, Abhimanyu Mishra from New Jersey became the world’s youngest Grandmaster at 12 years and 4 months, followed by Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, who became a Grandmaster in 2022 at the age of 16 after beating Magnus Carlsen, the current chess grandmaster in an online event.
How could this phenomenon happen? How could the younger players get better? Chessity.com highlights the matter of commitments as one of the factors that drive such a phenomenon. Many adult players have other obligations besides playing chess, such as a 9 to 5 work schedule and family responsibilities, compared to children with fewer work-related commitments.
Vladimir Kramnik, a former Chess Grandmaster, once said, “Chess is like body-building. If you train every day, you stay in top shape. It is the same with your brain – Chess is a matter of daily training.”
That being said, when one considers work & personal commitments and time availability, young children are at an advantage in that they have more chances to train for chess competitions than adults.
Source :
1. https://www.chess.com/article/view/youngest-chess-grandmasters
2. https://bit.ly/learning_chess
In addition, many adults have had to learn chess openings and moves without understanding them, which leads to “flawed” openings or first moves. On the other hand, younger children tend to be driven by more fearless openings or first moves, which allows for more unpredictability.
With so many advantages of playing chess as kids, are you interested in starting them young?