Short answer: chess probably does not make children smarter in the way the internet says. The largest trial found no lasting gain in math, reading or science. Children who play chess do score higher on thinking tests, but that may be because bright children choose chess. The honest reasons to give a child chess are different: they enjoy it, they get good at something hard, and they learn to lose and try again.
We sell chess lessons, so you might expect us to say the opposite. Parents deserve the real picture, so we went through the studies. Here is what they say, and what we think chess is good for anyway.
Does chess make you smarter?
Players do score higher. A review of 19 studies found a modest link between chess skill and cognitive ability, stronger in young players than in adults. A second review found that chess players outscored non-players on tests related to intelligence.
But neither can tell you which way the arrow points. Its authors say so: a study like this "cannot address the causal structure". Bright, patient children may simply be the ones who stay with chess.
To know whether chess causes anything, you need a trial: some children get chess, others do not, and you compare them later. When two of the leading researchers looked over that evidence, they concluded there is "little evidence that chess or music instruction makes people smarter".
What the research found, claim by claim
| The claim | Our reading | What the best evidence says |
|---|---|---|
| Chess raises math scores | Not supported | The largest trial, with 4,009 children in 100 English schools and about 30 hours of lessons, found no effect a year later |
| Chess raises reading and science scores | Not supported | The same trial found about zero |
| Chess raises IQ | Not shown | Players score higher, but no good trial shows that chess is the cause |
| Chess builds attention and patience | Not shown | Two school studies, in Bangladesh and in Catalonia, measured these and found no change |
| Chess treats ADHD | Not shown | One small study had no control group, and a later trial did not improve executive function |
| Children enjoy learning chess | Yes | In the English trial, 92% of the children who took part said they enjoyed it |
| Children get better at chess | Yes | Yes, in every study that measures it |
The English trial is the one to remember. It was run for the Education Endowment Foundation, and its results were later peer-reviewed. Its conclusion was plain: schools "should not expect chess classes or chess clubs to raise pupil attainment in the medium or long term". It did not find any harm either.
Why older studies looked so good
If you have read that chess boosts math, you did not imagine it. A 2016 review of 24 studies did find a positive overall effect. But the same authors warned that almost none compared chess with another engaging activity, so the effects "could have been systematically overestimated".
That detail matters. A new, exciting activity with a caring adult can lift children for a while, whatever the activity is. When children were compared with children playing checkers, the difference in math disappeared. A 2022 audit of 45 studies found that much of this research was too small to trust.
Scientists call this the problem of far transfer. You get better at the thing you practice. Getting better at something far away from it is much harder, and chess is no exception.
Attention, patience and ADHD
These are the claims parents hope for most, so we looked closely.
- Attention and patience. A trial in 16 schools in Bangladesh, with 30 hours of chess, found no effect on measured attention, creativity or patience. A 2025 study of 204 pupils in Catalonia, with 30 weekly classes, found no change in attention, patience or critical thinking. Only their chess knowledge rose.
- ADHD. A small Spanish study of 44 young people reported better parent ratings after chess training, but it had no control group, so we cannot tell what caused the change. The same group's later trial did not improve executive function. Chess can be a good hobby for a child with ADHD. It is not a treatment, and it should never replace one.
One fair limit: these were school classes. Nobody has properly tested small coached groups or private lessons, so the research does not tell us much about them either way. Nor does it say much about confidence or well-being, which have barely been measured.
So why do chess at all?
Because the case for chess never needed the IQ claim. This is what we see in lessons. It is our experience as teachers, not a study.
They get really good at something hard. A child who could not see a fork in September and spots one in December knows that effort changed something. That is one thing every study agrees on: children who practice chess get better at chess.
They learn to lose. Even world champions lose. A child goes through tears, then anger, then "one more game", then a calm look at what went wrong. Few activities give so much safe practice at this.
It is fair. There is no luck, no referee and no team to blame. A child who wins knows they did it themselves.
It is a game for life. Children enjoy it, it costs almost nothing, and they can still play at eighty, with anyone, in any country.
It is social. In a small group, children find others who care about the same thing. For a child who is quiet at school, that can matter more than any rating.
How to get the most from it
Whatever your reason for choosing chess, the same things help.
- Start gently. Complete beginners do best with structure. Our chess lessons for beginners start from how the pieces move.
- Keep it social. Children stay longer when they learn alongside others and a coach who knows their name.
- Practice little and often. Ten minutes a day beats an hour on Sunday. You can learn chess online for free, with puzzles and homework.
- Add a coach when they want more. A coach notices the mistake a child cannot see, and explains why it keeps happening.
Be careful with any school, ours included, that promises higher grades or a higher IQ. The evidence is not there.
FAQ
Is chess good for kids?
Yes, as a game they enjoy and can get really good at. It is cheap, it can be played anywhere, and no study we read found any harm. It is just not a proven way to raise grades.
Does chess improve math?
Not reliably. The largest trial found no effect on math scores a year later. Earlier positive results mostly came from studies without a fair comparison group.
Does chess increase IQ?
There is no good evidence that it does. Players score higher on average, but that may be because of who chooses chess.
Does chess help children with ADHD?
It has not been shown to. A child with ADHD may still love it, and if so, it is a good hobby. Talk to your child's doctor about treatment.
What is the best age to start?
Most children can begin a structured class at six or seven. There is more in the best age to start chess.
The bottom line
Choose chess because it is a beautiful, difficult game that your child might love, and not because it will raise their grades. If that sounds like enough, it is easy to try: you can book a live lesson with a real coach, the first lesson is free and one to one, or start free and add coaching when you are ready.
Looking for a class? See the best online chess classes for kids in 2026.