IT APPEARS THAT THE BRAINS OF CHESS PLAYERS ARE DIFFERENT IN STRUCTURE FROM MOST PEOPLE

Chess players have long puzzled the public with their fast and intuitive calculations of chess moves and steps. Now Japanese scientists have succeeded in revealing the secrets of successful chess players. Based on tracking blood flow to the brain to detect spikes in activity, scientists discovered that a typical Japanese chess master, Shogi, uses both sides of the brain when making critical moves.

Unlike amateur players who use the precuneus and parietal lobes of the brain, professional chess players use the caudate nucleus in the center of the brain, said Keiji Tanaka of the RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Japan.

“Professional players train for a long time, at least 10 years, several hours every day. This extensive training causes a shift in brain activity from the cerebral cortex to the caudate nucleus,” said Tanaka, who led the study.

Experts believe the caudate nucleus is responsible for changes in body movement. “The caudate nucleus is so well developed in primates, a chess expert makes full use of this part of the brain,” Tanaka said.

IT APPEARS THAT THE BRAINS OF CHESS PLAYERS ARE DIFFERENT IN STRUCTURE FROM MOST PEOPLE

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