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Chess training / Go training / Board games

Chess training / Go training / Board games

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A small study found an improvement in ADHD symptoms related to IQ after 11 weeks of chess training.1 Effect size was 0.85 when assessed by the parents. However, a parent-only assessment should always be treated with caution.
Another study found a comparable effect of GO, whereby inattention was improved, but not hyperactivity.2 The results of further studies could not be converted into Effect sizes.34

  1. Blasco-Fontecilla, Gonzalez-Perez, Garcia-Lopez, Poza-Cano, Perez-Moreno, Leon-Martinez, Otero-Perez (2016): Efficacy of chess training for the treatment of ADHD: A prospective, open label study, Revista de Psiquiatría y Salud Mental (English Edition), Volume 9, Issue 1, 2016, Pages 13-21, ISSN 2173-5050 ↥

  2. Kim, Han, Lee, Kim, Cheong, Han (2019): Baduk (the Game of Go) Improved Cognitive Function and Brain Activity in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Psychiatry Investig. 2014;11(2):143–151. doi:10.4306/pi.2014.11.2.143 ↥

  3. Noda, Shirotsuki, Nakao (2019): The effectiveness of intervention with board games: a systematic review. Biopsychosoc Med. 2019 Oct 21;13:22. doi: 10.1186/s13030-019-0164-1. eCollection 2019. REVIEW ↥

  4. Thair H, Holloway AL, Newport R, Smith AD (2017): Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS): A Beginner’s Guide for Design and Implementation. Front Neurosci. 2017 Nov 22;11:641. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2017.00641. PMID: 29213226; PMCID: PMC5702643. ↥