WHEN there’s no competitive sport available to take part in, and we’re all confined to our homes, it’s no wonder we’re all bored. But Sam Kammin has the answer – how about taking up chess...

* By Sam Kammin, Farnham Online Chess Club

Chess is far more expansive than you would first think. Despite it being many centuries old, chess still continues to be very much alive, having not even reached its peak, even with the advent of computers.

The game can range from being a good laugh to a career, from a light speed bullet match to a geometrically stunning masterpiece.

For most chess players, though, a balance of everything is the most fun. But ultimately, it’s up to you.

Learning chess is such an enriching experience for anyone to enjoy. Most schools these days have a chess club of some kind – well, at least, they did before Covid-19 said otherwise.

Some countries, such as Armenia, have gone a step further by implementing chess into the school curriculum. This is a debatable move, I guess, but it just goes to show the extent to which governments understand the importance of the game (and its very transferable skills).

Remarkably, chess is loaded with health benefits.

You might think this is surprising considering no-one actually moves that much during the game; but interestingly enough, there is strong evidence to suggest people who play chess are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s.

Think of it like this: to get the most benefit from a physical workout, you need to exercise both the left and right sides of your body, right?

Likewise, to play chess well, a player must develop and utilise the brain’s left hemisphere, which deals with object recognition, as well as the right hemisphere, which deals with pattern recognition.

Therefore, over time, playing chess will effectively exercise and develop not one but both sides of your brain.

A healthy brain is far less likely to develop Alzheimer’s, just like a healthy body is far less likely to develop diseases such as diabetes.

Another benefit of the game is it can be easily and effectively played online. So chess can be another way to maintain friendships during these isolated times.

One example of an online chess club I participate in is called Farnham Online Chess club. I’ll explain more about this in a bit.

On another note, chess is also a very interesting and enjoyable game in itself. From a tactical confrontation to a psychological warfare, chess is riddled with opportunities to attack, defend, outmanoeuvre or simply grind your opponent to a slow agonising defeat; although this is far easier said than done.

Chess teaches us the importance of patience, structure, awareness and technique, which are all incredibly applicable to most careers and pretty much everyday life as well.

For example, the concept of initiative in chess basically means to take control of the position and to force your opponent to react to your ideas.

This could relate to real life in the sense that if you take control of your studies, for example, you could be in line for some successful results in the final exam; although, this year, this isn’t particularly helpful for the exam sitters.

Now, in terms of Farnham Online Chess club, we would very much recommend this club if you would like to have a bit of fun during your spare time.

It is free for anyone to join and if you would like to, all you need to do is go to https://www.chess.com/club/farnham-online-chess-club

Alternatively if you want to contact the organisers of the club or find out more information, you can email [email protected] or [email protected]

When things get back to normal post virus, the club meets at the Conservative Club in Farnham on the first Thursday of every month – so hope to see you there!