Chess and intellect

Not so black-and-white

From M, fall 2003

Okay, so your IQ is right in the middle of the pack and you may not be developing the latest breakthrough in stem cell research any time soon, but you still have the potential to be a heckuva chess player.

Researchers at the University, scanning the brains of novice chess players, found a jolt of activity in the parietal and occipital lobes--areas of the brain concerned with spatial processing and sight. The left lateral frontal lobe--the region normally associated with intelligence and reasoning--was relatively quiet.

In other words, it may be the case that high-level problem-solving skills are not necessarily connected to high intellect.

So even if you don't know your parietal from your occipital, there's still some hope for becoming the next Kasparov. It may be just a matter of practice.