Chess Grandmasters Use Different Parts of Brain

Whether they're thinking about castling or attempting a four-pawns attack, grandmaster chess players and amateurs use different parts of their brain, reports the journal Nature.

In the study, scientists at the University of Konstanz in Germany imaged the brains of 20 experienced chess players while they played against a computer. For 10 amateurs, playing chess activated brain regions involved in processing new memories--as if the amateurs were intensely analyzing unusual new moves.

The 10 grandmaster brains, however, were more active in regions storing older memories. The scientists conclude that grandmasters have memorized many more moves and positions and can recognize key elements in problem situations far more quickly.

Compiled by Rosie Mestel and Usha Lee McFarling