A Rookie can be a master in chess with practice and dedication. It takes years to learn chess and absolute commitment to be better with every passing day. This is the modern chess which we play in a contemporary 8x8 chessboard. However, there are more than 2000 variants of chess in shapes and sizes, even with different rules. Let us find out the most popular variants of chess other than the one we see every day.
Can our brains be re-wired? Could we reboot the matrix of our mind and upgrade it to perform better? Psychiatric researches intended to study the neuroplasticity of the brain - "the ability to change its structure and function in response to experience," (Sharon Begley, TIME, 2007) - reveal that consistent mental practices help in reorganizing our brain patterns. And that is good news! What if our emotional responses could be controlled, behavioural patterns altered, and the entire thought process re-worked to make us better, smarter and productive individuals? Can our kids get less wimpy, grumpy, cranky and lazy with a few brain-tricks? Provokingly enticing!
What we generally like to do is systemise everything in our life. Categorize, classify and sort everything around us and make life easy. But, not everything must be classified or can be sorted. Some are unique in their own way. Just like chess. Is it a game, a sport, an art or science? We don’t know, but we know it’s popular and educational. It is played across borders, irrespective of age, gender or community. It is an activity that unities people.
You might have come across many unforgettable moments in your lifetime. These moments are stored in your memory for a long period of time, having various symbolic significance. You associate your numerous emotions with such moments and thus recollect memories from the past.
Chess as a game has come a long way since it’s birth. Its epic transformation from being a strategic gameplan framework to a prestigious sport is noteworthy. Today let us find out the monumental events that occurred in the history of chess.
ZugZwang- This one is a premium chess institute in Bangalore that believes in training your child to be future-proof. The world is moving towards technology swiftly and you need your child to be updated for the future. However, this institute is known to build India’s first brain gym for kids. The objective is to enhance fluid intelligence in kids through various recreational activities like Robotics, Coding, Chess, Maths and Rubik’s Cube. They promise to gift your child with a strong cognitive ability to critically think, make logical decisions, make decisions based on circumstances and solve problems.
Bangalore Chess Academy- Preserving the mission to provide a new platform for the new talent in the country, Bangalore Chess Academy was established in 2005. Being one of the oldest chess academies in Bangalore, it has always upheld the dignity of chess both nationally and internationally. If you want your kid to learn from a professional chess player, FIDE Trainer Vedant Goswami could be one of the best. The institution has received prestigious acclamation with the extensive effort of all its trainers and students.
Mind Mentorz- What started as a passion for the founders, has now spread across places within a span of five years. With an aim to grow the cognitive thinking skills among its students, Mind Mentorz help kids be the master of their own creativity and imagination. Through Chess, Rubik’s Cube, Coding and Robotics, they have already created a platform for kids to enjoy their after school hours. Playing and learning simultaneously.
These are the premium chess clubs in Bangalore that will nurture your child and their future. All of these institutions have an individual goal to make the future of the country reliable and strong-willed. Enroll your kids for any recreational activity of their choice to bring out the best in them.
Learning new activities is fun for everyone. However, it has been speculated that children are better at learning chess than adults. Why is it so? Though it has not been proved, it is assumed that children take up new activities not as a task but a medium to celebrate, smile and laugh. They later get engaged in those activities that help them express better. At first, even chess is a way of expression for kids which later turns into an interest, plus they don’t have external pressure to perform, so whatever time they invest on it, they grasp the tricks and techniques well. So, who are these little geniuses in your state, Karnataka? Let’s find out.
The transition of fine- dine restaurants to causal, easy-going cafes have made a huge difference in the way people perceive food. Going out for food was a big deal back in the day when eating out was a way of celebration. Food etiquettes, table manners were all a part of yesterday. Presently, food is not considered a medium of celebration, it itself is celebrated with family, friends and acquaintances. Meetings and unions over food is a way to keep it all casual and fun-filled.
The distinction between a Superhero and an Antihero is simple. It’s the principles or vision they embrace. A hero would be portrayed as a person who serves the humankind and a villain is one who wishes to destroy it. But is that simple? There are different kinds of humans in this planet, all having a distinctive personality, a likely or even unlikely perspective towards things. Is protecting their kind from the enemies an evil thing to do? Then what makes Magneto a villain?
We all know the specific roles of each piece in chess. They all have defined movements like the Pawn only moves forward, the knights can jump the board, the rooks can move forward in a continuous line, and the queen is responsible to protect the king.
The game represents the relationship between the King and the Queen, but it’s the first where a queen’s fault led the king to the path of destruction and banishment. Lady Macbeth was known as the one who brought ill-fate to Macbeth but we know according to her she was just encouraging her husband to have a prosperous future. She is known to be a villain, a witch but nobody doubted her strategic planning to take over the throne.
Who’s the World’s Greatest Detective? It’s Sherlock Holmes! We decided to deduce the smart, attractive and observant Holmes as a creative minded, high-functioning sociopath. However, what makes Sherlock Holmes the greatest detective is his deadliest nemesis, Professor James Moriarty. He is the best suited super villain that Homes could come across. He is evil, witty and known to be the ‘Napoleon of Crime’.
What makes Moriarty best suited for Chess, is his ability to plan, plot and strategize. Chess is a game that needs patience, a cool mind and a designated power holder to take over the gameplay through sheer mind games.
What do we know about our super villains? One thing for sure is, they make our heroes stand out. But, is that it? Do they just glorify our heroes and prove the dominance of good over evil? It is time we hail our supervillains too. Even if we do, their contribution to the movies are significantly greater and more impactful. If that wouldn’t have been the case, we wouldn’t have considered Heath Ledger as an outstanding performer and thus winning an Oscar.
Recently in an interview, Anish Giri, the former chess prodigy was quoted saying, “Chess is Extremely Psychological”. Everyone knows this, but still what grabbed the attention of chess enthusiasts is, when he mentioned that a player should be in his/her ideal state of mind. He also said that observing the body language of your opponent can put you in a good place in the game. But then what about Online Chess? How do observe your opponents?
The World was in awe on February 10, 1996, when IBM’s Deep Blue beats Garry Kasparov. This was the first record of a computer defeating a human in chess. What followed up with such an event is building stronger technologies that could challenge the intelligence of man. After the event, Garry Kasparov, in an interview said that, “For machines to beat humans, it doesn't have to be perfect it just has to make less mistakes than a human. Humans eventually get less vigilant and make mistakes from tiredness. Machines don’t.”
In a very recent interview he made a statement which stated that he has been convinced by the fact that if humans and AI work together, the future can live up to the expectations of high ‘augmented intelligence’.
The internet is a treasure chest of knowledge, there is always something that was unknown to you. That’s what the internet was used for, to know the unknown. The World Wide Web is a vast universe and everyone would find something suiting their interest, however, kids of a tender age get distracted towards unfamiliar websites that keeps popping up on the screen.
Does playing chess make people smart or smart people are attracted towards chess? We might never find out the right answer to that. However, we already know that chess is the game of kings and emperors. It helped them strategize and plan their warfare. It helps them defend their throne by scrutinizing attacking possibilities of their opponent.
Parenting is a tough job. Both emotionally and intellectually, you get to experience new obstacles every day. There is a lot going on every day and it is so obvious to feel exhausted. You try to juggle between your work life and parenting and even try to nurture your kids in the limited time that you spend with them.
Alzheimer’s is a chronic neurological disorder that is caused due to damage or destruction of brain cells. It is known to be a common type of dementia that can lead to memory loss, problems in thinking and hinders daily functioning of an individual. Every year in India, more than 1 million cases are registered concerning Alzheimer’s.
While symptoms of the disorder vary from person to person, but early onset of alzheimer’s starts in early to mid 30’s and a late onset begins in the mid 60’s. Scientists still have found out various stages and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. It starts with memory problems in the preclinical stage of the disorder. It then progresses to mild, moderate and severe stages.
For some people, chess is one such board game that leads them to anxiety and panic attacks. It would be wrong to deny the fact that, for some people chess is stressful. It is because a person can relate to real-life situations while playing chess. Though they know it is a game, it seems to be a real life representation of various strenuous scenarios they have come across.
Actually, it is the other way around, chess has numerous benefits, it helps you make better decisions, strategise, increase IQ, improve memory, enhance problem solving skills and it also comes with being patient.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a common mental disorder of the neurodevelopmental type that affects the regular activities of an individual, like difficulty in paying attention, hyperactive in performing daily tasks, unstable behaviour without thinking about prior consequences, irrespective of age.
It is a mental disorder that is estimated to prevail in India at a rate of 5.8%. Researchers discovered that the brain of an individual suffering from ADHD is 5% smaller than that of a person without it. The basic symptoms of the disorder usually begin in childhood but may continue until an adult stage. The symptoms can be really tough to be diagnosed among these people.
According to Google, Schizophrenia is “a long-term mental disorder of a type involving a breakdown in the relation between thought, emotion, and behaviour, leading to faulty perception, inappropriate actions and feelings, withdrawal from reality and personal relationships into fantasy and delusion, and a sense of mental fragmentation.”
This might not be enough to sum up what a person suffering from Schizophrenia experiences. It is a broad prospect of mental awareness that needs to be addressed to the general population of the country. The Indian Psychiatric Society is trying hard to spread awareness about the mental disorder among the commoners through various programmes.
