Using Chess Symbols To Teach Arithmetic

When you think about Chess, what do you think of first? Which aspects of Chess are important, which are essential, and which ones can you take or leave? You be the judge.

Using Chess Symbols To Teach Arithmetic
By: Frank Ho

Background

Chess benefits descendants and this claim has been evident in hundreds of articles published ( 1 ) In the past, many chess puzzles have been published and Sam Loyd, the " Puzzle King ", is an authentic American genius, meritorious as a composer of chess problems. The most recent mathematics and chess related book entitled Mathematics and Chess has 110 entertaining problems and solutions.

( 2 ) Almost all of these published puzzles, old and new, are related to the moves of chess pieces
and the majority of them are considered difficult for most of painless students to perfect.

In 1995, after searching market for a suitable math and chess lesser workbook reserve void, I decided to write one myself. I pioneered the idea of integrating chess symbols and their values into mathematical chess puzzles in my workbook entitled Mathematical Chess Puzzles for Juniors ( 3 ).

The fundamental anomaly between my mathematical chess puzzles and those traditionally published chess puzzles is that I intact chess symbols and values bag the arithmetic operations and this is the first time that children from pre - school to easy school are able to salt mines on mathematical chess puzzles at their ability level. Children not individual learn chess, but also obtain the opportunities to explore the chess puzzles making call of the very basic chess knowledge.

To me, the idea of using of chess symbols and their values directly in the mathematical chess puzzles is a breakthrough that math and chess could be altogether integrated. With the publication of my unseasoned workbook ( 4 ), the chess puzzles that students could work on are no longer limit to only traditional chess puzzles, I have created some mathematical chess puzzles that show the relationship between chess and mathematical concepts.

Purpose of this Article

The values of chess symbols I use in my workbook are the same as the ones used in the Doctrine Manual published by the Canada Union of Chess ( 5 ). Perhaps I did not have any explanations in any of my previous plain workbooks on the reasons of using chess symbols, I have received some queries on why chess symbols are used in my workbook. A few typical questions are listed as follows:

( 1 ) What fresh advantages could chess symbols obtain than using some animal figures? ( 2 ) Why not dependable directly use variables names like,?

This allegory attempts to answer the above questions by analyzing the reasons primarily using my avow observations and practical creed experiences and feedback from my students.

Chess symbols posses special meaningful values

English letters such as, are normally used to represent unidentified numeric values. These dark letters are besides called variables and they normally do not hold singly defined values. On the incommensurable hand, chess symbols each has definitely defined meaningful value and its value is related to each pieces skill in the chess game. Take a look at the following example.

Agreement x = 1, y=3 then x + y = 1 + 3 = 4

In the most particular example, x is 1 and y is 3 but x does not always retain to be 1 and y does not always retain to be always 2.

If we use chess symbols in the above example, we get

gopher + bishop = 4

The above pawn and bishop have specifically particular values 1 and 3 respectively and will not chicken feed their values rightful because the problem is different. In algebra, students would substitute x or y with different values when given values are changed. In contrary words, the values of butterfly and y could enact changed for individual problems. To compare the substitution values for chess symbols and algebraic variables, we realize that crack is a difference that is in chess
symbols substitution, the substitution is intuitive for children since the values of chess symbols are pre - defined and meaningful to them.

The chess symbols used in my workbook and integrated with math issue problems are not necessarily viewed by children as variables, these values have special meanings to children, they could tender relate enormously better between chess symbols and their relative values. To use animal figures or any other symbols such owing to in mathematical chess puzzles would exhibit less meaningful to children when compared to the use of chess symbols in math and chess integrated puzzles problems.

Chess Values Used

Each chess piece has been assigned a different value, for representation, the next are values assigned to chess symbols and are used in my workbook.

k ( mikado ) = 0 point

p ( pawn ) = 1 heel

n ( knight ) = 3 points

b ( bishop ) = 3 points

r ( rook ) = 5 points

q ( queen ) = 9 points

My experience of using chess symbols in teaching arithmetic operations is very positive.

It's really a good idea to probe a little deeper into the subject of Chess. What you learn may give you the confidence you need to venture into new areas.

Elementary students who own not tuned in variables but have worked on my worksheets using chess symbols have absorbed the concept of algebraic variables or substitution in a natural and legitimate journey. There is no need to explain the concept of variable other than mention the values of chess pieces, for example,

rook + 5 =_____

To get the answer I would unparalleled keep to remind students the value of rook. The reason why students seem to be able to be taught the concepts of substitution even in grade 1 or 2 is because students could relate the numerical value of each chess piece to its actual strength of each piece which is very meaningful to them and also right is fun to work out the problems using the knowledge of chess. The symbols of other objects entrust not be as meaningful as chess symbols.

The adjoining is another precedent how chess and math is integrated. Parents like the idea of having their successors to think in an extended step to get the assessment of t before they could get the answer. A simple one step evolvement problem is changed to 2 - step problem and involves a going more thinking to acquire the answer.

Chess values are mightily like monetary values. When chess or money figures are pragmatic by children, they both represent some pre - defined meaningful values.

Chess symbols have meaningful moves

The other reason of using chess symbols in mathematical chess puzzles is the chess symbols themselves representing movements and coincidently some of the superscription of movements resemble some arithmetic operators, for example rook can move up and down and left right and thus its trace of capable moves looks like a + sign.

Each chess symbol has a specially defined direction of move and these directions of moves are imbedded with each bobby-soxer. I have taken the advantage of chess pieces moves and defined them as follows:

Addition / Subtraction = Rook ( Could also be queen or king ) Buildup = Bishop ( Could be also be queen or king ) Division = King ( Opposition of 2 kings )

If 2 rook 3 = 5 then 2 bishop 3 is = ____

Summary

I keep found the conception of using chess symbols very helpful for accessible students accessible students do not know they are actually learning the concepts of variables by using chess symbols in arithmetic equations.

The markedly exceptional in using chess symbols is that the chess symbols themselves not only take over pre - defined values but also hold the implied meaning of movements and these two special characters own me to create some very interesting mathematical puzzles with pizzazz.

By using chess symbols, a simple one - step arithmetic count could become a multi - move problem, as this result, chess symbols and values offer children more opportunities to stress on increased aspect of questions which could simulate childrens brain cell and improve their problem - solving ability. So the benefits of working on these types of problems is double edged - improve chess erudition and also mathematical problem - solving ability.

The mathematical chess puzzles created by me are not just mechanically substituted numbers shroud chess symbols. Many mathematical chess puzzles created also prevail pattern, sequence, geometry, set theory, and logic etc. In far cry words, the integration is very diversified and also involves multi - direction visualization.

Reference

( 1 ) Teachers Guide: Research and benefits of chess compiled by Dr. Robert Ferguson. Details see beneath http://www.quadcitychess.com/benefits_of_chess.html ( 2 ) Mathematics and Chess, by Miodrag Petkovic, Dover Publications, Inc. Mineola, New York, 1997 ( 3 ) Mathematical Chess Puzzles for Juniors, Undisguised Ho and Andrew Ho, ISBN 0 - 9683967 - 0 - 4, 1997 ( 4 ) Magic Chess and Math Puzzles, ISBN 0 - 9683967 - 9 - 8, Frank Ho 2005. ( 5 ) Chess Teaching Instruction, IM Tom
O'Donnell, the Chess Federation of Canada.

About the Beget: Ho Math and Chess is the world leader in researching and teaching math and chess integrated materials, headquartered in Vancouver, BC, Canada. It offers nearest - school or lunch - hour programs and summer program to school childrens from kindergarten to calculus. For details and franchise opportunities, please see http://www.mathandchess.com.
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