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Does chess increase IQ?

Author

William Rodriguez

Published Jan 21, 2026

Chess and IQ

A Venezuelan study involving 4,000 second grade students found a significant increase in their IQ scores after only 4.5 months of systematically studying chess.

Is chess skill related to IQ?

The study found that intelligence was linked to chess skill for the overall sample, but particularly among young chess players and those at lower levels of skill. This may be because the upper-level players represent a winnowed distribution of cognitive ability -- in other words, they all tend to be fairly bright.

What games increase IQ?

15 games that might make you smarter just by playing them

  • Lumosity Brain-Training App, free to download. ...
  • Chinese Mahjong set with compact wooden case, $72.99. ...
  • Hasbro Scrabble Crossword Game, $16.99. ...
  • Sudoku: 400+ Sudoku Puzzles (Easy, Medium, Hard, Very Hard), $6.29. ...
  • Fit Brains Trainer App by Rosetta Stone, free to download.

Is chess good for brain?

When playing chess, your brain will be challenged to exercise logic, develop pattern recognition, make decisions both visually and analytically, and test your memory. Chess can be enjoyed by any age—as a result, these brain exercises can be part of the health of your brain for your entire life!

Is chess the hardest game?

One of the most famously difficult games in the world to master is chess. There's much debate about how old chess is and where it came from, but one thing's for sure: The objective is to checkmate the opposition king, while keeping your own monarch safe.

43 related questions found

Did Einstein play chess?

It's well known that Albert Einstein was a friend of former world chess champion (and mathematician) Emanuel Lasker. It's also known that Einstein could play chess, though he reportedly disliked the competitive aspect. That said, he was a great player, even though he never really pursued the game.

What is the average IQ of chess players?

The average IQ of chess grandmasters seems to be around 130 or so, at least from what I have seen on the subject (if you have additional data on this, please feel free to post it). Some grandmasters will be higher, some lower than the average.

What is anands IQ?

Viswanathan Anand IQ. The average IQ of top Grandmasters is believed to be in the region of 180-190 (+/- 20). Although blessed with a great mind, Anand worked his way to the top through sheer hard work and perseverance.

What was Einstein's IQ level?

The maximum IQ score assigned by the WAIS-IV, a commonly-used test today, is 160. A score of 135 or above puts a person in the 99th percentile of the population. News articles often put Einstein's IQ at 160, though it's unclear what that estimate is based upon.

Who has the highest IQ ever?

Writer Marilyn vos Savant (born 1946) has an IQ of 228, one of the highest ever recorded. Someone with a “normal” intelligence will score somewhere around 100 on an IQ test. To meet someone with an IQ approaching 200 is certainly impressive.

Was Vishy Anand a world champion?

Viswanathan Anand, (born December 11, 1969, Madras [now Chennai], India), Indian chess master who won the Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE; international chess federation) world championship in 2000, 2007, 2008, 2010, and 2012.

How high is Magnus Carlsen's IQ?

Magnus Carlsen (IQ: 190)

Are chess grandmasters smart?

So, are chess players smart? Yes, most chess players who play the game professionally are quite smart. They have a good memory, pattern recognition, excellent calculation abilities, and are strategic thinkers. This system of thinking is what makes chess players smarter than the average person.

Who is GMHikaru?

Hikaru Nakamura (born: December 9, 1987 (1987-12-09) [age 34]), known online as GMHikaru, is a Chess Grandmaster, YouTuber and Twitch streamer. A chess prodigy, at age 15 years and 79 days, he became the youngest American to earn the title of Grandmaster.

Is chess a waste of time?

Chess is a game and not a sport. And the same thing can be said about any game. Chess is not a waste of time, it makes us think and solve problems as we see them. It needs a lot of analytical thinking, tactics, memory (old games), hard work and studying.

How much of chess is luck?

Using that definition of luck a weaker player beating a stronger or equal player is always the result of luck while with a 1000 point discrepancy luck plays no role at all. For something more reasonable like 100 point discrepancy, the stronger player winning is 26% skill, 74% luck.

Does chess drain your brain?

For example, perhaps practice associated with elite performance leads to brain shrinkage when the practice is performed in childhood and adolescence (as was the case with the elite chess players), during the period of synaptic pruning that occurs at that time.

Is Go harder than chess?

Both Chess and Go are strategy games. Both are worthwhile to learn and play. Go is simpler than Chess and yet more complex. Simpler because all pieces are the same, just black and white, and in Go the pieces do not move around the board.

Why is chess not in the Olympics?

All Olympic games are tests of physical abilities. Chess is a test of mental ability. So chess has it's own competitions, apart from sports.

Why chess is so hard?

There are hundreds of different moves that you can make in chess. A chess master knows them all or at least most of them to ensure their victory. Because of this level of complexity and memorization, chess is hard to learn and play.

Why are Russians so good at chess?

The Soviets put vast resources into developing champions and a chess culture. You still see the remnants of that today with many former Soviet Bloc countries having strong chess cultures which produce strong players.