Although it is widely acknowledged that chess is the best example of an intellectual activity among games, evidence showing the association between any kind of intellectual ability and chess skill has been remarkably sparse. One of the reasons is that most of the studies investigated only one factor (e.g., intelligence), neglecting other factors relevant for the acquisition of chess skill (e.g....

Based upon the evidence that the best chessplayers in the world are becoming increasingly represented by relatively young individuals, Howard (1999) claimed that human intelligence is rising over generations. We suggest that this explanation has several difficulties, and show that alternative explanations relating to changes in the chess environment, including increased access to chess knowledg...

A zero-sum perfect information game is one where every player knows all the moves. Chess is a good example where the object is to checkmate or capture the enemy king. One important feature of checkmates, especially in chess problem composition, is economy. This paper proposes a computational function to evaluate the economy of checkmate configurations on the chessboard. Several experiments were...

This paper studies the population of chess players and the distribution of their performances measured by Elo ratings and by computer analysis of moves. Evidence that ratings have remained stable since the inception of the Elo system in the 1970’s is given in several forms: by showing that the population of strong players fits a simple logistic-curve model without inflation, by plotting players...

Research has revealed the impact of cognitive-affective strategies (Molds of the Mind) on subjective well-being, interpersonal relationships, or school achievement. However, it seems odd that such strategies could influence the success of chess players, because this game is usually considered to be influenced mainly by technical and cognitive skills. To examine the influence of cognitive-affect...