Effectiveness of a chess-training program for improving cognition, mood, and quality of life in older adults: A pilot study

Background: Regular practice of a cognitively stimulating activity, such as chess, can help maintain a healthy cognitive, social, and psychological state during the aging process. Objective: To evaluate the effects of a chess-training program on cognitive status, mood, and quality of life (QoL) in a sample of institutionalized and semi-institutionalized older adults. Method: A nonrandomized, controlled pilot study with repeated measures (pre-and post-intervention) was conducted. Results: Analyses revealed a positive impact of the chess program on general cognitive status (p < 0.001) and promising evidence (p < 0.043) of an impact on attention, processing speed, and executive functions. The participants in the intervention group also showed significant improvement in QoL scores (p < 0.021). Conclusions: A 12-week chess-training protocol with two 60-minute sessions per week improved cognition and QoL in a sample of institutionalized and semi-institutionalized older adults. Further research with larger samples is needed to explore its effects in depth. (c) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Automated summary

Regular practice of chess can help maintain a healthy cognitive, social, and psychological state during the aging process. The study found that a chess-training program improved cognition and quality of life in institutionalized and semi-institutionalized older adults. Further research with larger samples is needed to explore its effects in depth.