The Influence of Physical Activity and Chess Sports on Children’s Physical Condition and Cognitive Functions

Background. Children who play chess improve their academic results, cognitive and social skills, however, both cognitive and physical abilities are important for healthy development. Recent evidence suggests that physical activity has a positive impact not only on children’s physical abilities but cognitive functions as well. Yet it is not clear the effect of physical activity and chess on children’s physical condition and cognitive functions. The aim. To identify the influence of physical activity and chess sports on children’s physical condition and cognitive functions. Methods. The study involved 30 children (8-9 years). They were equally divided into three groups: chess-playing (CHESS), physical activity and chess-playing (PA+CHESS), and physical activity (PA). The fnger reaching test was used to assess flexibility, 10x5 m shuttlecock test was used to assess dexterity, handgrip strength was measured using the dynamometer, cognitive functions were evaluated using “MoCA-LT” and Bourdon-Anfmov tests. Results. Flexibility and handgrip strength did not differ signifcantly between groups (p>0.05). The dexterity in CHESS group was worse than in CHESS+PA and PA groups (p<0.05). The dexterity results of the CHESS+PA and PA groups did not differ (p>0.05). The cognitive functions of the CHESS+PA group, as assessed by the MoCA test, were better than those of the PA group (p<0.05). No difference was found between other groups (p>0.05). Conclusions. Children who play chess and participate in sport activity have better cognitive functions than children who only do sport. The worst results of dexterity test were in children who play chess only. Keywords: physical condition, cognitive functions, chess sports, children.