Effectiveness of chess training on memory performance among school students

Memory development during schooling is not merely a consequence of age-related maturation but can be actively enhanced through sustained engagement in cognitively demanding activities. Structured chess training requires continuous encoding, retrieval and reorganization of complex information, processes that are central to effective memory functioning. Using a pre-test-post-test repeated-measures design, memory performance was assessed at three time points among students who received systematic chess instruction and those who followed routine academic activities. Baseline scores were comparable across groups, indicating initial equivalence. Over twelve months, students exposed to chess training demonstrated a mean increase of 12.68 points in memory performance, while the comparison group showed a gain of 1.77 points. Mixed-design ANOVA revealed a significant effect of Time (F = 78.06, p