Chess-based training linked to better quality of life in pilot studies

A chessboard becomes a memory test at the Central Institute of Mental Health: participants study where the pieces sit, then try to rebuild the position. They are not learning openings or competing. In two pilot studies, the CIMH found that this structured training was associated with better quality of life and stronger cognitive performance when added to existing psychiatric treatment.

The first study, published in Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, involved people with alcohol dependence undergoing rehabilitation. Alongside their regular care, participants worked through chess problems. They were able to sustain attention better than a control group and reported a higher quality of life after the intervention. Group sessions also supported communication and social interaction, while participants rated the intervention positively.

A second study, published in Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, tested the approach with adolescents aged 13 to 17 receiving child and adolescent psychiatric treatment. Over six weeks, the participants trained with the same kind of board-position exercises. Compared with the control group, they showed improvements in working memory and reported greater psychological well-being and a better quality of life.

The mechanism is deliberately broader than chess. By memorizing and reconstructing positions, participants exercise attention and working memory, while the problems also involve planning and problem-solving. No prior chess knowledge is required, and competition is not the goal. In the alcohol-dependence study, willingness to recommend the intervention to a friend increased significantly and stayed higher three months after the intervention.

So what, concretely? The approach could give psychiatric teams an accessible group activity that adds cognitive training, social contact and a focus on daily well-being to established treatment. It is not a replacement for psychotherapy or rehabilitation: Sabine Vollstädt-Klein says it is intended as a supplement. The evidence is still preliminary, and the CIMH plans larger studies to determine which patients benefit most and how the training should be integrated.