Research

The Saint Louis Chess Club is committed to gathering and sharing knowledge about the impact of playing chess on student outcomes. The Chess Club’s interest and participation in research on chess supports its mission to increase awareness of the educational value of chess. The Chess Club is engaged in the following research activities:

  • The Chess Club commissioned a rigorous and comprehensive review of research on the overall impact of scholastic chess programs. The review can be used to inform education decision-makers about implementing effective educational programs in schools.
  • The Chess Club provides access to chess studies through its research portal.
  • The Chess Club invites researchers to share their insights and highlight trends in chess through its Blog.
  • The Chess Club partners with researchers to evaluate the Chess Club’s after-school scholastic chess program in school districts in Missouri.
  • The Chess Club engages a strong group of academic researchers and practitioners in a chess research advisory panel that provides guidance on methodology and strategies to facilitate new research on chess.

Literature Review of Chess

In a systematic review of the literature, this report.

Click here to view Literature Review of Chess Studies.

Research Portal

Click here to access the studies included in the literature review of chess.

Blog

Click here to check out the Chess Club’s blog, including guest posts by prominent chess researchers.

commissioned by the Chess Club examined the degree to which existing empirical evidence supports the theory that participation in chess programs, whether designed as in-school or after-school programs, resulted in improved academic, cognitive, and/or behavioral outcomes for school-aged children. Twenty-four studies met a set of pre-determined criteria for eligibility and were included in analyses. The literature review found that after-school chess programs had a positive and statistically significant impact on mathematics outcomes and in-school chess interventions had a positive and statistically significant impact on mathematics and cognitive outcomes. While the two primary outcomes are based on studies that used rigorous research design methodologies, the results should be interpreted cautiously given the small number of eligible studies that the pooled results encompass (two high-quality after-school studies and six high-quality in-school studies). The after-school chess studies examined competitive chess clubs and provided very little detail about how the programs were implemented. On the other hand, the in-school chess studies examined scholastic chess programs that use chess as a springboard to work on cognitive and academic skills that are critical to student performance. The positive mathematics and cognitive outcome results from in-school chess studies may be explained by the chess programs being incorporated into students’ weekly academic schedules, instruction during the school day leading to higher attendance rates and lower attrition, administering the program for an extended period of time, and connecting the intervention with math instruction and curriculum.

Ongoing Research

With assistance from our research partners, the Chess Club has designed assessments that are being piloted with students in after-school chess programs in Saint Louis. The assessments look at three broad types of outcomes. First, the assessments determine if the after-school chess program experience is increasing students’ confidence in their ability to play chess. Second, the assessments measure if students are catching the chess “bug,” and will continue to make chess a part of their lives after the class concludes. Finally, the assessments measure the impact of chess on certain noncognitive and character skills, such as increased school engagement and enjoyment, higher feelings of self-efficacy, and increased self-control and determination. After learning from this pilot phase, the goal is to launch a more rigorous evaluation of our after-school chess programs, including an experimental study with a randomized treatment and control group. 

Click here to view the 2015 research of afterschool chess clubs.

Click here to view the 2015 research of Ferguson-Florissant School District chess clubs.

Click here to view the 2015 research summary of Ferguson-Florissant School District chess clubs.

Research Advisory Panel

The research advisory panel is currently undergoing changes and will be updated once individuals are confirmed.

EDUCATION

OUR MISSION It is the mission of the Saint Louis Chess Club, an educational organization, to maintain a formal program of instruction to teach the game of chess and to promote and support its educational program through community outreach and local and national partnerships to increase the awareness of the educational value of chess.

Wheelchair access is available in the rear of the STLCC building. Please proceed through the parking lot to our east and around to our back door. If you need additional assistance, please contact us at 314-361-2437 .

The STLCC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, citizenship, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, disability, and any other category protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws or regulations in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, events, programs, or activities.

The Saint Louis Chess Club complies with the Internal Revenue Service’s guidelines regarding publication of its non-discrimination policy in its brochures, catalogs, advertisements and otherwise making it known to the general community.

Any violation of this policy should be reported the General Manager, Joy Bray, [email protected] – 314.361.2437, Administrative Director, Tad Middleton, [email protected] -314.361.2437 and/or the HR Manager, Cathy Gallaher, [email protected] – 314.332.5582.

The integrity of Saint Louis Chess Club’s relationship with minor players is paramount to the Chess Club’s educational mission and success. All individuals employed by or working under the direction or authority of the Saint Louis Chess Club are expected and required to maintain appropriate boundaries and relationships with minors and are strictly prohibited from engaging in sexual misconduct, hazing and harassment.

We encourage any victim or other persons with information regarding inappropriate conduct to contact Cathy Gallaher, Saint Louis Chess Club HR Manager at [email protected]. You may also make a report confidentially, and if you wish, anonymously, through our ethics reporting hotline managed by Navex at (833)221-3624.

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