There is a concerted effort these days to get chess into primary and secondary schools, either as an after-school activity or as a required subject. Some school administrators and teachers have become convinced that the act of learning chess increases cognitive skills and self-esteem.

There have been several studies done, using scientific criteria, to determine what learning chess can do for students. If these studies are accurate, the unmistakable conclusion is that when students learn chess, they learn to make decisions, plan ahead, accept the consequences of their decisions, think analytically, and thus improve self-esteem.

Another reason chess in the schools is such a good idea is the great amount of transferability involved. Skills learned through chess can transfer to skills in math, geography, English, foreign languages, science, finance, art, and many other subjects.

These studies have taken place using grade school students as the subjects, and they have taken place among privileged subjects as well as at-risk subjects. The results are always the same. Whether rich or poor, whether taken from good families or socially and/or financially challenged families, students who learn chess seem to improve their thinking skills.