Elite chess players live longer, similar to olympic medallists
"Elite chess players live longer than the general population and have a similar survival advantage to elite competitors in physical sports", says new australian research by An Tran-Duy, David C. Smerdon & Philip M. Clarke, published by PLOS One, "aimed to examine the overall [...] survival of International Chess Grandmasters with a reference to the general population, and compare [their] relative survival with that of Olympic medallists".
Information on 1,208 chess grandmasters and 15,157 olympic medallists from 28 countries was analyzed and compared. Results show the life expectancy of chess grandmasters was 83.6 years, compared to 75.9 years for the average population. This is a significant survival advantage and statistically similar to that of olympic medallists.
The study concludes: "Elite chess players live longer than the general population and have a similar survival advantage to elite competitors in physical sports."
The following is a graph from the paper, for visualizing how chess players (blue) and olimpic medallists (red) have an advantage for survival as time goes by:
This study finds a connecton between logetivity and a "mind sport", when most other research focuses only on its connection with physical activity. This work becomes very relevant when we consider how important "mind sports" have become. The study reads: "The positive effects of chess sport on longevity are particularly interesting in an era in which the so-called ‘mind sports’ (chess, Go, Shogi), poker and eSports (competitive video games) have become highly professionalized."
The work clarifies that, despite its results, no correlation was found between being good at chess and logevity. These benefits may come from one's ability to win at chess, or from other sources entirely. Also, while other studies have found correlations between inteligence and longevity, no conclusive study has found a relationship between IQ and chess proficiency.
As with any profound statistical study, there are a lot of things one must consider before reaching any conclusion, but there is little doubt of the benefits can have for everyone. Thankfully, chessboards have been put on the Colegios Bosques middle school area for all of the students to play. You should ckeck them out, ask a friend to play with you, get smarter and live longer.
Check out the study:
Tran-Duy A, Smerdon DC, Clarke PM (2018) Longevity of outstanding sporting achievers: Mind versus muscle. PLoS ONE 13(5): e0196938. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0196938
