On 8 May, in an interview to the National News Service, the president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) Kirsan Ilyumzhinov said that chess lessons not only increase life expectancy but also help to ensure healthy old age.At one time, we recommended chess as the only preventative against Alzheimer's disease. We constantly hold tournaments and championships among veterans. When the World Veteran Championship was held in Liechtenstein, the oldest player was 93 years old and the head of the Liechtenstein Chess Federation was 91", Ilyumzhinov said.
According to him, it is enough to look at the leading chess grandmasters to see the influence of the intellectual game on the life expectancy.
"Recently, we held events together with 96-year-old Yury Lvovich Averbakh. He still works giving online chess lessons to children. Viktor Lvovich Kachnov, who fought for the chess crown with Anatoly Karpov, participated in many Olympics. He was heading the national team of Switzerland until the age of 90. Many chess players live long lives," Ilyumzhinov concluded.
