Chess Skill Research Articles

Los Alamos chess game 2 (after P-K3) is solved; black wins in 21 moves

In a defining event for the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the first game of chess skill between a human and computer took place in 1956 (Chess Review (1957) 13–17; The Machine Plays Chess? (1978) Pergamon Press). In this match, Dr Martin Kruskal from Princeton University played White against the MANIAC I computer at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory in New Mexico, programmed by Paul Stein and Mark Wells. Due to the very limited capacity of computers at the time, which couldn’t handle a full 8 × 8 chess board, the competitors played “Los Alamos Chess”, a minichess variant using a 6 × 6 board without bishops. For this game, White played without a queen, opened with P-K3 and ultimately won against the machine opponent in 38 moves. Here we show that Black can force a win in 21 moves.

Ways to improve chess training

With the development of modern technologies, chess sports are becoming more and more popular every day. Chess contributes to the development of concentration of attention, the ability to overcome difficulties, to plan their own actions, to think logically. They are also used to model artificial intelligence systems. As the game of chess manifests the qualities of the human person, they are used as a model for scientific research in psychology and pedagogy. The system of chess classes, identifying and developing personal abilities, forming a progressive orientation of the personality, contributes to the general development and education of the younger generation. Study of possibility of improvement of training process in chess sport on the basis of targeted study of professionally significant intellectual functions of chess players - one of worthy tasks of specialists in the field of medicine, regardless of specialization. They are also used to model artificial intelligence systems. The training of chess players and continuous improvement require the attention of athletes and coaches. Only with the right approach to the training process can an effective result be possible. The use of modern computer technology greatly expands the trainer’s ability to train athletes. With the use of chess computer programs, it becomes possible to carry out more detailed information-retrieval, training and play functions, develop skills and skills of chess skill athlete at all stages of the chess game. Also, their use will help to carry out the optimal search for sparring partners on game portals, to conduct distance training and get operational information. The article describes the classification of chess players by rating, ranks and ranks. Also considered the training of chess players in modern realities. Modern trainers and chess players in the constant search for new effective chess books and computer programs to improve the technique of training.

Методология исследования влияния психологических характеристик учеников при обучении шахматам

<p>Purpose. The article aims to reveal the influence of individual psychological characteristics of schoolchildren who studied chess subject on the results of chess test. Method and sampling. The method of free drawing, «My chess lesson», was used, and the method of assessing chess knowledge and skills was also applied using the developed chess test. Based on the school chess curriculum, the test was compiled by a team of experienced specialists in the field of chess education, psychologists, sociologists and professional chess players. The materials of an empirical study on a sample of schoolchildren from all regions of the Republic of Armenia (N=383) are presented. Results and conclusions. Comparing the review of previous studies and empirical data, authors talk about the conditionality of chess skills by individual psychological characteristics of children, such as introversion, intuition, intelligence, reflexivity, etc. Psychological resources and the gender of schoolchildren also determine the development of chess skills. The results emphasize the need to consider individual psychological characteristics both in the preparation of the program and in teaching chess as a general subject at school.</p>

The performance advantage of traveling

Many individuals travel between countries as part of their professional routines. How do they perform during those short trips abroad? To begin to answer this question, I analyzed the outcomes of over 5 million chess games played around the world. Importantly, tournament chess provides a clean setting in which location-dependent factors are mostly irrelevant; the audiences are quiet and the referees make hardly any judgments. Controlling for differences in chess skills, I found enhanced performance among players who were competing outside of their home countries. This finding was robust to additional controls such as age, sex, and skill momentum or game practice, and to the inclusion of individual or country fixed effects. This advantage, an approximately 2% increase in game outcome, suggests that traveling has a positive effect on performance.

Chess, visual memory and geometric transformations

This work shows how playing chess creates capacities in the student such as increasing visual memory. This helps to classify information in an orderly manner in the mind and contributes to a better understanding of geometric transformations such as displacements, turns and similarities. This was done with a mixed technique (Quantitative and Qualitative), starting with a structured questionnaire that was applied to 487 students. A case study was carried out with two students (one with and the other without notable chess skills) in two schools in Bogotá-Colombia, with the aim of understanding chess as a tool that can help the teacher to teach mathematics¡. In the quantitative part, data were collected by a structured questionnaire, and in the qualitative part, recordings and transcripts were made of what the two students reported in the case study. So, favorable results were achieved for students who usually play chess, because they show a great capacity for visual memory (in the long and short term) that contributes to a more optimal learning of displacements and similarities in the Cartesian plane. This research shows a powerful tool (chess) that can be used in the teaching of mathematics, thanks to the skills and concepts that are generated in the experience with the game.

CHESS RESEARCH: RECENT TRENDS

Considerable research has been carried out on chess in the last seventy years. While classic research has centred on perception, memory, and decision making, contemporary research has focused on deliberate practice, individual differences, and education. Contrasting with classical research, which has mainly used experiments and computer modelling, more recent research has tended to use questionnaires, interviews, and analysis of computer databases as source of information. This article reviews these recent research trends, focusing on what has been learnt from chess research with respect to deliberate practice, intelligence, and transfer of skill. It also discusses ageing and risk taking between civilizations as examples of computer database analyses. Results clearly indicate that deliberate practice is a necessary, but not sufficient condition for achieving high levels of expertise. Other factors are important, some of which are innate. One of them is intelligence. Data show that chess players on average are more intelligent than individuals who do not play chess, and that chess skill positively correlates with intelligence. These results are unlikely to be explained by the hypothesis that chess leads to an increase of intelligence, as the results of experiments using chess instruction to bring about far-transfer effects are inconsistent. In addition, experiment designs used in chess instruction research are typically insufficient to allow strong conclusions about causality. Research using chess databases have led to interesting results, but its generalisability is likely to be limited. The article ends with recommendations for future research.

ANALYSIS OF CHESS PLAYING SKILLS ON MATHEMATICS LEARNING OUTCOMES JUNIOR ATHLETES RAJA KOMBI TRENGGALEK CHESS CLUB

<p><em>This study aims to determine the results of the analysis of chess playing skills on mathematics learning outcomes for junior athletes of the Raja Kombi Trenggalek chess club. The research method used is a qualitative descriptive method with a quantitative approach. Participants in this study were 8 junior athletes of Raja Kombi Trenggalek chess club. Data collection techniques using interviews, skills results and documentation. The data analysis in this study used the mean and percentage formula.</em></p><p><em> After analyzing the data, the results of this study concluded that in this study, the average score of playing chess skills was 85.00, then the average score of mathematics learning outcomes was 86.25. This is of course the higher the level of achievement of skills or intellectual intelligence, the higher the level of problem solving such as in learning mathematics. This is also influenced by motor and psychological aspects as a support for intelligence skills that affect the thinking of athletes. Then from the data analysis it can be said that the higher the level of achievement of chess playing skills, the higher the level of problem solving as in learning mathematics</em><em></em></p>

An Empirical Study of Artificial Participants

This study is an investigation of artificial participants operating in their appropriate environment. The artificial participants in this study are artificial chess players and their appropriate environment is a chess game. This study is an empirical investigation testing the hypothesis that the length of a chess game is inversely related to the difference in the chess skill levels of the artificial chess players. Five series of chess games of 18 games in each series were instituted between five pairings of web-based chess engines. The chess engine, chess.com Level 10, was a player in each series and won all 18 games in each series. The opposing players came from the Play Magnus app at five different levels of chess skill. This study provided an investigation of 90 chess games involving artificial chess players. The hypothesis for the study was confirmed. Game length was significantly inversely related to the disparity in chess proficiency between artificial chess players. This is one of the first scientific studies of artificial participants.

Ability and non-ability traits in chess skill

Chess is an appropriate model to study ability and non-ability traits as related with performance because it bears intellectual and emotional demanding requirements. With a group of amateur chess players (n = 100), the current study addressed two interrelated aims. First, we assessed whether the three broad PEN personality factors (psychoticism, extraversion, and neuroticism), and emotion regulation traits (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) differentiated chess players from the general population. Second, we compared the association of domain knowledge and personality/emotion traits with chess skill. The main findings indicated that chess players scored lower in neuroticism and higher in expressive suppression compared with the general population. Moreover, chess knowledge related in a greater extent with chess skill than personality/emotion regulation traits, even though extraversion explained additional variability in chess skill. Overall, the findings suggest that non-ability traits may be influential in the selection of the chess environment. Besides, the findings corroborate the stronger impact of cognitive ability than personality traits on intellectual performance found in other domains.

Does perceived chess skills mediate the relationship between fluid intelligence and academic performance?

We analysed the association between chess skills and academic performance in primary school students. Additionally, we tested the potential mediating effect of fluid intelligence on this association. The sample consisted of 255 primary school students (48.2% girls), aged between 10 and 12 years, who had received instruction in chess. The students completed fluid intelligence measures and self-reported their chess play abilities. For the academic achievement measure, we accessed the students’ school records. Following mediation analysis, results indicated fluid intelligence to mediate the relationship between chess skills and academic performance in that students with high self-reported chess skills also had higher academic grades. We conclude that chess skills might be a reliable proxy measure of student academic achievement and fluid intelligence.

An Empirical Study of Artificial Participants - A Factor Affecting Game Length in Chess

This study is an investigation of artificial participants operating in their appropriate environment. The artificial participants in this study are artificial chess players and their appropriate environment is a chess game. This study is an empirical investigation testing the hypothesis that the length of a chess game is inversely related to the difference in the chess skill levels of the artificial chess players. Five series of chess games of 18 games in each series were instituted between five pairings of web-based chess engines. The chess engine, chess.com Level 10, was a player in each series and won all 18 games in each series. The opposing players came from the Play Magnus app at five different levels of chess skill. This study provided an investigation of 90 chess games involving artificial chess players. The hypothesis for the study was confirmed. Game length was significantly inversely related to the disparity in chess proficiency between artificial chess players. This is one of the first scientific studies of artificial participants.

Balanced difficulty task finder: an adaptive recommendation method for learning tasks based on the concept of state of flow

An adaptive task difficulty assignment method which we reckon as balanced difficulty task finder (BDTF) is proposed in this paper. The aim is to recommend tasks to a learner using a trade-off between skills of the learner and difficulty of the tasks such that the learner experiences a state of flow during the learning. Flow is a mental state that psychologists refer to when someone is completely immersed in an activity. Flow state is a multidisciplinary field of research and has been studied not only in psychology, but also neuroscience, education, sport, and games. The idea behind this paper is to try to achieve a flow state in a similar way as Elo’s chess skill rating (Glickman in Am Chess J 3:59–102) and TrueSkill (Herbrich et al. in Advances in neural information processing systems, 2006) for matching game players, where “matched players” should possess similar capabilities and skills in order to maintain the level of motivation and involvement in the game. The BDTF draws analogy between choosing an appropriate opponent or appropriate game level and automatically choosing an appropriate difficulty level of a learning task. This method, as an intelligent tutoring system, could be used in a wide range of applications from online learning environments and e-learning, to learning and remembering techniques in traditional methods such as adjusting delayed matching to sample and spaced retrieval training that can be used for people with memory problems such as people with dementia.

Mapping the outer reaches of the learning curve: Complex intellectual skill performance after decades of extensive practice

Little is known about the outer reaches of learning curves for very complex cognitive skills exercised over decades. Can skill performance improve as long as practice lasts or do all learners ultimately plateau? Furthermore, does natural talent set widely varying performance limits or do all learning curves eventually converge? Chess skill learning curves were examined for 333 players, mostly grandmasters, who, over a median 20 years, played at least 1500 internationally-rated games. Curves of nine of the 333 participants who played more than 3050 games, and one of the 333 and two others who played more than 4250 games over more than 30 years, also were examined. Players on average reached an approximate plateau by around 1200 games. This asymptotic value has changed little from the 1990s despite massive changes in the chess environment. Out to more than 3050 or 4250 games, players stayed at an approximate plateau for many games and years and then performance eventually declined. Chess skill learning curves do not rise forever. Over extensive practice lasting decades, they typically plateau for a long time and eventually decline. The more talented tend to plateau later and curves of the greater and lesser talented do not converge.

Slow and fast chess performance across three expert levels

ObjectivesSlow and fast thinking are crucial for human decision making in several domains of human activity including sports. These cognitive processes are remarkable in the intellectually demanding sport of chess. Slow and fast thinking underlie chess performance. However, the relative influence of each process has elicited controversial findings. Moreover, individual differences in chess skill are likely to moderate the integration of both processes. DesignThe simultaneous change over six time points in slow and fast chess performance was analyzed with a cross-domain latent curve model (LCM). MethodArchival data from an extensive group of chess players (n = 32,173) were included in these analyses at untitled, intermediate, and advanced levels of expertise. Intercept and slope latent factors of growth were specified and correlated for both processes. ResultsThere were remarkable differences in the change in slow and fast performance regarding the three expert levels, and in the concurrent interrelationship of both processes. The interdependence between both processes was more robust for the advanced than for the untitled and intermediate players. ConclusionsThese findings suggest that a better integration of slow and fast performance is produced at higher levels of expertise.

Treasure Chess: Worthy Contributions of the Game in the Lives of Student Champions

This study explored the holistic benefits assimilated by former chess university varsities who became regional champions. Using basic qualitative research design, the researcher uncovered and described the experiences of 15 purposively sampled participants in their years of playing the game. Five major themes emerged in the thematic analysis. The first theme "the kickoff" pertains to the participants' acquisition of chess skills. The second theme “sharp as a tack” refers to the developed thinking skills, and the third theme “mathemathchess” (mathematics utilized by the participants while playing chess), which they have found useful in their studies and in taking government examinations. The fourth theme “feather in the cap" makes public of the merits and achievements of the participants as recognized chess players. Lastly, “the treasures within" discloses good virtues developed among the participants in their years of continuous training, playing and studying chess. The findings of the study have valuable implications for policy regarding chess and education.

Typical Expression Of Cognitive Dissonance And Consonance In The Course Of Argumentation Among Primary-School Children Playing Chess

The research aims to reveal the typical expressions of cognitive dissonance and consonance among the primary-school children by their argumentations upon their deed. The relevance of the research stems from the applicability of the study of the phenomena of dissonance and consonance, which inherently emerge in the sphere of argumentation among the children who study how to play chess. Cognitive dissonance and consonance in the sphere of argumentation in the course of the game of chess are gradually transforming both into the respective reference points – relevant to the situation given, and into the emotional and behavioural manifestations – either adequately or inadequately expressed and, by the logical and inner conflict, are observed as the result of juxtaposition of the realms of emotions and logic.
 The present research evidences that, in the case of similar chess skills, the manifestation of cognitive dissonance, and the own argumentation as well are detectable within the domain of extroversion – emotional instability. Such children, even more than the introverts, need the school psychologist’s support. The cognitive consonance is typical of those of the children involved who are ready to gain new experience and appear to be more positively charged towards their rivals or opponents.

Gender differences in performance under time constraint: Evidence from chess tournaments

The economic literature on time-pressured decisions is slim and has mainly relied on laboratory collected data. Within this literature, only few studies have investigated the gender differences in the effects of time constraint on decision making. The World Chess Federation reports the official player ratings in Standard, Rapid and Blitz Chess. Standard, Rapid, and Blitz Chess only differ from each other in the stringency of the time constraint they impose on the players. While Standard Chess can last several hours, Rapid (Blitz) Chess allocates each player (30) 10 min or less for the entire game. The present paper uses 2012 to 2019 chess tournament data of the World Chess Federation to investigate the gender differences in the effects of time constraint on performance. These data, containing more than 1.8 million individual observations, are analyzed using several approaches to ensure the robustness of the findings. The results indicate that the Rapid and Blitz ratings of female chess players are below the ratings of male chess players of the same skills. While female underperformance is largely robust even at the country level, its magnitude is rather small. Finally, reexamining the question by chess skill thresholds produces evidence that female underperformance is greater among the elite players. The findings are discussed in light of the past literature.

The joint influence of intelligence and practice on skill development throughout the life span

The relative importance of different factors in the development of human skills has been extensively discussed. Research on expertise indicates that focused practice may be the sole determinant of skill, while intelligence researchers underline the relative importance of abilities at even the highest level of skill. There is indeed a large body of research that acknowledges the role of both factors in skill development and retention. It is, however, unknown how intelligence and practice come together to enable the acquisition and retention of complex skills across the life span. Instead of focusing on the 2 factors, intelligence and practice, in isolation, here we look at their interplay throughout development. In a longitudinal study that tracked chess players throughout their careers, we show that both intelligence and practice positively affect the acquisition and retention of chess skill. Importantly, the nonlinear interaction between the 2 factors revealed that more intelligent individuals benefited more from practice. With the same amount of practice, they acquired chess skill more quickly than less intelligent players, reached a higher peak performance, and arrested decline in older age. Our research demonstrates the futility of scrutinizing the relative importance of highly intertwined factors in human development.

The Plurality of Goal-setting in Pedagogical Activity: Integration of Mathematics on a Chessboard

The article reveals the potential for the integration of mathematics education and gaming activities in the formation of professional competencies of a future teacher. The disclosure of a wider range of possibilities for the interdisciplinary integration of mathematical knowledge and chess skills in the context of setting and selecting goals for solving mathematical problems on a chessboard seems to be very relevant for teaching students. A modern professional is constantly faced with the need to change and select goals, search for the optimal way out in conditions of pedagogical uncertainty and pedagogical risk. An important condition for its self-realization in pedagogical activity is goal-setting. Goal-setting as a choice or resolution of uncertainty in a plurality of alternatives involves understanding by learners of their own existential essence with subsequent creative actions. Knowledge of the mechanisms of goal-setting is necessary both for assessing by a teacher his/her own activities (level of universal competencies – critical thinking, self-organization and selfdevelopment), and the activities of students (level of general professional competencies – monitoring and evaluation of educational results). Therefore, the authors propose to study the features of goal-setting with a plurality of alternatives during the process of training bachelors and masters majoring in pedagogy within the disciplines of the methodical module. The goal of the article is to theoretically substantiate, develop and implement the technology of integrative teaching mathematics on the basis of chess game with the actualization of the phenomenon of a plurality of goal-setting as an effective mechanism of content modernization in training programs of future math teachers. The main result of the research we consider the developed integrative technology of teaching mathematics on the basis of solving problems on a chessboard with the actualization of the phenomenon of goal setting plurality. To implement the technology, a holistic, hierarchical complex of multi-stage math problems on the chessboard has been composed, which encourages students to master not only various methods (combinatorial, probabilistic, graph and set theory, mathematical and computer modeling), but also to develop the basic qualities of personality, such as creativity, reflection of one’s own choice, creative independence, motivation. The materials of the article are of scientific and practical value for researches in the field of math teaching methods, psychology, and pedagogy and accounting for them in the adjustment of programs and curricula in pedagogical universities.

SYNERGETIC EFFECTS MANIFESTATION BY FOUNDING COMPLEXES DEPLOYMENT OF MATHEMATICAL TASKS ON THE CHESSBOARD

The urgency of the problem is due to the insufficient development of theoretical, content-technological and methodological aspects of the integration of mathematical knowledge and chess skills. The manifestations of synergistic effects arising in the course of the integration of mathematical and game chess activity, while resolving uncertainties on the chessboard due to the activation of key components of creativity, have not been sufficiently studied. The synergistic effect of the integration of mathematical knowledge and chess skills is considered from the perspective of the components of theoretical thinking and is evaluated by the student’s creative choice in the search for alternative solutions. The purpose of the study is to describe and evaluate the manifestations of the structural components of the creative effect in the context of the introduction of funded complexes of mathematical problems on a chessboard. The hypothesis of the research: theoretical analysis of educational material, reflection and an internal plan of action as comparable processes for solving mathematical problems in terms of implementation substantiate complexes will lead to manifestations of arguments-heuristic, intellectual and logical and motivational components of creative activity. The research assumed the measurement of the manifestations of the structural components of creativity in the context of the introduction of funding complexes of mathematical problems on a chessboard. In the process of identifying the structural components of creativity, psychodiagnostic diagnostics tools were developed for intellectual-heuristic, intellectual-logical, motivational and reflexive aspects, comparative diagnostics were carried out for all structural components, the average level and integral indicators in the control and experimental groups were calculated. The formation of creativity was carried out by developing the ability to argue in the process of solving multi-stage mathematical problems on the chessboard. The choice of cause-and-effect relationships stimulated creative independence and reflexivity, enhancing the manifestations of the synergistic effect. On the basis of internal cognitive consonance, non-standard original ideas were identified; by overcoming emotional instability, the logical component of argumentation was strengthened. The results of the research revealed a positive trend in the key components of creativity in the context of the introduction of a chess game in the process of learning mathematics. In the future, it is possible to upgrade the methodological educational material for the system of inclusive mathematical education.