The Impact of chess education on students' human capital

The ability to analyze multiple options and make well-informed decisions, along with skills such as strategic planning, memory enhancement, and spatial understanding, are invaluable attributes cultivated through chess. Concurrently, studies have indicated that poverty can hinder cognitive function. Especially in developing settings, children underutilize their brains both outside and in school. The researchers use chess as an educational tool to enhance children's cognitive development. Their hypothesis posits that these essential skills—decision-making, planning, memory, and spatial awareness—can be acquired, and chess stands out as a highly effective method for honing them, offering lasting benefits in later life. The research is specifically geared towards understanding the impact of chess instruction in schools on both academic and non-academic achievements of students, delving into the underlying mechanisms at play. To causally study this question, the researchers employ a randomized field experiment in rural schools in Kenya.