https://www.quora.

com/Will-playing-chess-improve-your-creativity-If-so-how

Dan Lukehart

, studied at Santiago Canyon College

Answered February 21, 2017
In my view, studying chess helps you with a number of different areas. This includes
improving meta-cognition, logical thought, discipline, confidence, motivation/drive
and much more.

Creativity is actually a very complex subject where many people devote their lives to
this particular niche. There are many different answers for what constitutes creativity,
and this definition differs slightly in different domains. Looking up the definition of
creativity in the dictionary might yield different results than a neuroscience text book.
Most definitions that I am aware of incorporate the idea that the creative process be
novel. Some go as far as to say the novelty must be useful as well.

When you first start chess and are not very good, you generally use a lot of creativity in
my view. For example, you might learn some generate principles of the opening such
as controlling the center, developing minor pieces and safeguarding your king, you
don’t really know how to achieve this very well. You are ignorant of opening theory
and how it relates to both the middle and end game. At this stage most of the moves
require some novel thought on how to use your new knowledge of how the pieces
move along with some general principles. From your own perspective, you are being
novel and creative with almost every move, even though everything you are trying has
already been worked out to a great degree by the greatest minds in chess history.

The most creative point - and this is a contentious view - is where you have achieved
proficiency, but not mastery. You understand the game, its theory and concepts well
but fall short of grandmaster play. This leaves more “wiggle room” for novel thoughts
and strategies since you are relying on similar games played and their theories.
The least creative point is likely where world championship level play is obtained. While
there still is creativity, it takes a backseat to detailed understanding of opening theory
and memorization. If you can not stand on the backs of centuries of chess knowledge
and ideas, most of which are not your own, you simply would not be at that level of
play. You might be creative by contributing in a small way to novel theories and ideas,
pushing the knowledge of chess further. There is opportunity for creativity, but the
window is fairly small.

Some world champions have discovered at its core, that chess is a lot less creative than
people think it is.

“Interviewer: Why do you hate chess? Possibly being one of the best players ever?

Bobby Fisher: Because I know what chess is all about. Its all about memorization, its all
about prearrangement…

Interviewer: ….But what about creativity?

Bobby Fisher: Creativity is lower down on the list.

Interviewer: But you became world champion ON creativity!

Bobby Fisher: Well, first of all, this was a long time ago when I played Spassky in the
first match. And even the 2nd match was already some time ago. Chess in just the last
few years has changed dramatically with (the aid of) computers. Really, if you analyze
chess objectively, its been a lousy game even going back to the time of Morphy.

Interviewer: (disagreeing) But there IS a place for creativity. Its not ALL about
prearrangement. ALL theory.

Bobby Fisher: “No. not all. Of course. I agree. But why do you want to get involved
with something that is mainly made of prearrangement. Obviously its not ALL that, but
creativity is maybe number 3 on the list. The first is prearrangement, then the
memorization, then the creativity. “

(conversation goes to alternate forms off chess such as fisher random and others and
how they are more creative because it relies more on novel thought and creative play)

Interviewer: I asked 2 Icelandic grand masters just the other day who was the best
chess player ever, they both said Bobby Fisher. Do you agree?

Bobby Fisher: eehhh…obviously I think so, right? First of all, you have to understand
something about chess. Of course I’m better than Morphy. Why am I better than
Morphy? Now, I don’t say I have more  talent  than him, I just know more theory. If he
came back today and, lets say he couldn't open a book, he would do badly even
against masters maybe! That has nothing to do with his talent though. So when you
say im BETTER than so and so, it doesn't mean anything because of all this theory in
chess. If you were to say am I the most talented  player, thats something else.

Bobby Fisher: I have only one interest in chess. I want to expose the prearrangement.
People are living in a dream world.

Interviewer (disagreeing): Don’t you think this this is paradoxical coming from the
most talented chess player in the world? And now saying this…

Bobby Fisher: Life is like that. Its not paradoxical. Chess is a search for truth. Right?
The truth is chess is no good anymore.”

With all of that said, I have not answered your question of if it will improve your
general level creativity. The honest answer is that it depends. Your personality will
quickly manifest within your game play. In some ways, this is what Bobby Fisher
describes in that chess is a search for truth. Martial artists say that the the martial arts
are a pure expression of the self. You will find similar statements in other domains.

Translated, this means that If in your regular life you tend to challenge norms, try new
and novel combinations of things, have a high risk tolerance and other qualities that
tend to make up creative people, then you will likely be a more creative chess player.

This is the result of both genetic and environmental factors prior to your starting of
chess. If you have an aptitude for creativity, then chess will likely provide an outlet for
it. You will learn the technical side of the game and its theory to enable the creativity. T

o improve your play, you will carefully need to be aware of the metacognitive process
and be very good at self regulated learning. This is true of less creative players as well.
Learning the important relationship between creativity and a baseline of knowledge
(and the difficult process it takes to get that knowledge), will be important in
developing creativity other unrelated domains as well. Creativity does not come in a
complete knowledge vacuum.

For example, learning all of the current opening theory behind opening X with
variation Y and then expanding on that theory once competence is reached isnt all that
dissimilar between a lawyer learning all the legal theory in a particular niche and then
coming up with novel and creative defenses for their client.

If your natural aptitude for creative thinking is lower, then chess can force you to
evolve as a person to improve your chess. If you have a low risk tolerance and excel at
very closed and safer type of games, you might not be as effective when the board can
be made in a way where you are not at your strong point. You might need to improve
your risk tolerance as a person, before getting better on the board. This, in turn, can
have impacts on other domains of creativity. Improving the self through the game,
which has effects in other areas.

Bobby fisher, who is widely regarded as the most creative player in history, is an
eccentric person. He always has been. This, unfortunately, is not something that can be
separated from Bobby Fisher the chess player and Bobby Fisher the person. He never
saw life and rules as something unchanging. Everything from demanding certain
conditions for a match to be met, creating new variations of chess, seeing conspiracies
where likely none exist are all part of the things that made brilliant and creative chess
play.