Mathematics with chess pieces
Increase and improve your mathematical mental calculation skills, developing mathematical thinking and grouping strategies, and exercising your short-term memory while automating the learning of the absolute value of chess pieces.
The student is presented with an arithmetic operation with chess pieces, where each piece has a corresponding numeric value, precisely the theoretical material value of each chess piece, with the higher value of the pair of bishops. The student should indicate the result of the mathematic operation in the shortest time possible. By doing so, the student will slowly develop their own strategies for grouping pieces by their value, in order to obtain the result.
There are multiple levels of difficulty in this exercise, depending principally on the complexity of the mathematic operation to solve, and the variety of pieces present in order to do each exercise, as well as the influence of the control of time necessary to do the calculations.
Through training with this exercise, concentration, attention, calculation, and abstract reasoning, among other factors are effectively stimulated. Each one of these aspects are also basic and necessary tools in order to improve one’s level in the game of chess.
The exercise is designed to work on certain cognitive abilities, which can be consulted below. With continued and constant practice, the student will develop a sustained working habit, as positive and beneficial in people diagnosed with ADHD.
In addition to the benefits on cognitive abilities that can be achieved through the training developed with this great exercise variety, students will also improve their chess level and their skill in the game practice, but most importantly, this will contribute to improve his self-esteem and self-confidence while developing his interest in chess. Chess is a game forever.
Most Worked Skills |
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A person’s ability to imagine an object with a shape, dimensions, proportions and a certain movement, located in a specific physical space, overcoming obstacles or estimating distances between objects.
Practicing chess involves imagining the movement of different pieces along the board and demands a concrete spatial visualization in each real position, and the effort to mentally visualize the board and pieces configurations that could occur hypothetically.
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The brain’s ability to store what a person learns or experiences on a day-to-day basis, and then turn to that information when necessary. We distinguish between long-term memory and short-term memory or working memory.
Chess practice effectively contributes to working short-term memory even in the simplest reasoning from the initiation level, in addition to other types of memory at more advanced levels. Memory stimulation and pattern recognition are two critical elements in cognitive rehabilitation. An improvement in memory capacity will allow a person to transfer their good memory to their academic or educational disciplines.
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Ability to select and concentrate on relevant stimuli. This means that attention is the cognitive proves that allows us to orient ourselves towards the relevant stimuli and process them in order to respond accordingly.
Chess practice, which requires continuous thinking about how the opponent will act, is a permanent battle of action-reaction in all reasoning and play, which contributes to the attention logical development, in its different types, such as selective attention and sustained attention.
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It is the mental process that allows the individual to recognize, interpret and elaborate meaning about the sensations obtained from the outside environment. Therefore, its main objective is to give meaning to the information that the subject obtains from the surroundings. It is a subjective cognitive process because it depends on how the individual perceives and interprets the information. Selective depending on the interests of the individual and temporary being a short-term process that depends on the individual’s experience and needs.
Even though perception is a subjective and temporal process, working with the tools proposed in the training plans will help the student in several of the phases involved in this cognitive process, since the brain must codify, organize and interpret the information resulting from previous inputs.
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It is the ability to fix attention selectively on an idea, objective, object or activity without allowing outside interference, that is, leaving aside the whole series of facts or other objects that may be capable of interfering with its achievement or attention.
The resolution of the different chess exercises proposed in the Training Plans is oriented so that the student spends time focusing his/her attention in a selective way and for a continued time, helping to obtain a habit and a concrete work discipline.
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It is the ability that allows us to perform mathematical operations, without the aid of a calculator or any other support material, such as a pencil. The calculus function is a complex task that requires several cognitive functions integration such as: language, visuouspatial skills, memory, graphic and verbal information processing, executive function, as well as orthography and numerical symbolism, among others. It is one of the most grateful in the majority of occasions, because with the practice, it is possible to appreciate fast improvements in the agility and fluidity answering.
Within the Training Plans, this functionality can be used as a simple “warm up” for the brain, or as an objective measure of the progress made in mental calculation. In addition, with the mathematic exercises with chess pieces a work in reasoning is also made, especially in the capacity to generate strategies of object grouping (chess pieces) and its hierarchization. Undoubtedly, advances in mental calculation are transferable to academic and educational performance.
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Reasoning has been defined as the process that allows us to draw conclusions from premises or events previously given, using a combination of processes, such as analysis, information coding and integration.
In relation to chess, some aspects to be highlighted are: the capacity to mentally represent something that suffers variations with respect to its initial state, the capacity to mentally represent the inverse process to an observed transformation, the capacity to form classes grouping objects according to certain specific or general characteristics, or the capacity to mentally hierarchize the groupings of said realities. All these characteristics together with creative thinking, constitute the essence of chess thinking at all levels.
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Time, when limited, can be an element of pressure that influences the different processes involved in reasoning and decision making. At the same time, it is also an objective measure that indicates the number of minutes or seconds invested in making a specific decision, whether correct or incorrect. The student must learn to perform his own time management with the practice of these exercises.
In chess, time is a key objective factor, and it leaves at the player’s disposal the time he/she wants to dedicate to make a specific move or reasoning, within the overall management of the time he/she has to play a complete game. Both time management and decision making are an intrinsic part of several executive functions (set of cognitive operations in charge of a series of strategies that are activated with the aim of achieving a certain purpose), specifically: anticipation, planning and self-control.
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Decision-making is the best choice of the best alternative in order to achieve objectives, based on probability. The decision maker is immersed in a situation, tries to achieve objectives, has personal preferences and determines strategies to obtain results. An individual’s preference for taking a risk is inversely proportional to the commitment magnitude involved in the decision.
In chess, decision making at the individual level is characterized by a person using their reasoning and thinking to select a decision faced with a problem. Both decision making and time management are an intrinsic part of several executive functions (set of cognitive operations in charge of series of strategies that are activated with the objective of achieving a certain purpose), specifically: anticipation, planning, execution and self-control.
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In chess, the habitual practice of these exercises will also imply an important improvement in many skills that are required to play chess better, by increasing the capacity of calculation in the board, the abstract and real visualization, the pieces movement control, the different tactical resources, the attention to the threats, the capacity to perceive details, etc.
In chess, as an athlete in his training repeats thousands of times the gesture of hitting a ball with his foot, throwing is into the basket, or hitting the ball with a racket until he reaches mastery, the repeated practice of specific chess exercises will help automate tasks and skills, increasing the level of play and knowledge. Chess is a very complete educational tool and will be more enjoyable when you discover the details and nuances of this infinite game.
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For the accomplishment of this exercise, an elementary knowledge in several chess aspects is required. In any case, the practice of these exercises in a continuous way will help the student to improve and play chess better.
In the following table we indicate the chess knowledge that can be desirable for the optimal accomplishment of the exercises proposed in this exercise.
In some cases, even if the desired knowledge is not yet available, the accomplishment of the proposed exercises will be sufficient to gradually acquire the desired level.
Chess knowledge | Subject |
Desirable |
Acquired |
The user must know how pieces move on the chessboard. |
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The user must know the basic game rules, how other pieces are captures, and other typical situations such as check and castling.
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The user must know the rules of the game necessary for a complete game development. In addition, it is desirable to know some characteristic rules on typical topics such as the pawns promotion, tables situations, the capture in passing and the drowned king, among others.
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The user must identify some chess openings and defenses in his first moves. Through the training with this exercise, the repertoire of known opening and the elaboration of its main game plans, attack and defense will be extended gradually.
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The user must know some elementary tactical resources, such as uncovered attacks, nailed attacks, or double attacks, among others. By training with this type of exercises, this repertoire of tactical resources, as well as their practical application in chess games, will be extended gradually.
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The user must know some basic strategic concepts, such as initiative, development principles, coordination of parts, among others. Through the training with this type of exercises, this repertoire of positional and strategic resources, as well as its practical application in chess games, will be widened gradually.
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The user must know some elementary endings, such as simple pawn endings, or basic mates with towers or dames. Through the training with this type of exercises, the mastery of the game techniques applicable in the last phase of the development of a game, when there are few pieces left on the board, will be extended gradually.
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In case of not having the recommended minimum chess knowledge, we suggest to first make a
basic elementary approach to chess.
If you wish, you can see a
complete comparison of the Training Plans and make the decision that best suits your needs.
If you have doubts about the plan that best fits your needs, we are at your disposal to help you and recommend the Training Plan that best suits your specific case.
This exercise allows different configuration possibilities and difficulty levels, which can be gradually increased together.
Next, we show, approximately, the degree of difficulty or “challenge” that this exercise can entail for the student, from the easiest configuration to the most difficult.
Difficulty level for the student with the easiest configuration
Difficulty level for the student with the most difficult configuration
Description of the level of difficulty for the student
Difficulty level |
Challenge description |
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Challenges very simple and affordable from the first moment of using the platform, suitable for all ages, even the most children. With practice skills, speed and accuracy in responses will be acquired. |
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Simple challenges from the first moment of using the platform, suitable for all ages, even the most children. With practice skills, speed and accuracy in responses will be acquired. |
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Moderately complicated challenges , which pose a certain difficulty. Suitable for all ages, but with a difficulty that requires practice in the exercise that is being solved. |
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Challenges complicated , which require skill and knowledge in the type of exercise that is being solved, either by the level of practice or the degree of knowledge of chess desirable. |
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Challenges quite complicated and difficult , which require great skill and knowledge in the type of exercise that is being solved, either by the level of practice or the degree of knowledge of chess desirable. |
You can practice this exercise included in any of the following Training Plans
The plan includes the number of available exercises
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Squirrel
Number of available exercises / month
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Monkey
Number of available exercises / month
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Elephant
Number of available exercises / month
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Mathematics with Chess Pieces |
unlimited |
unlimited |
unlimited |
If you wish, you can see a
complete comparison of the Training Plans and make the decision that best suits your needs.
If you have doubts about the plan that best fits your needs, we are at your disposal to help you and recommend the Training Plan that best suits your specific case.