Chiropractic Can Improve Your Chess Game

Chess has its origins in the distant past. It was called the game of kings and indeed the word checkmate which is uttered at the finish of the game by the winner comes from the Persian words Shah Mat which means literally The King is dead.

Chess is a recreational and competitive game played between two players. The game originated in India. The current form of the game emerged in Southern Europe during the second half of the 15th century, evolving from the chaturanga of Indian / Shatranj of Persian origin. Today, chess is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.

The game is played on a square chequered chessboard with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. At the start, each player (one controlling the white pieces, the other controlling the black pieces) controls sixteen pieces: one king, one queen, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, and eight pawns. The object of the game is to checkmate the opponent's king, whereby the king is under immediate attack (in "check") and there is no way to remove it from attack on the next move.

The tradition of organized competitive chess started in the 16th century and has developed extensively. Chess today is a recognized sport of the International Olympic Committee. The first official World Chess Champion, Wilhelm Steinitz, claimed his title in 1886; Viswanathan Anand is the current World Champion.

Theoreticians have developed extensive chess strategies and tactics since the game's inception. Aspects of art are found in chess composition. One of the goals of early computer scientists was to create a chess-playing machine. Today's chess is deeply influenced by the abilities of current chess programs and the ability to play against others online.

In 1997, Deep Blue became the first computer to beat the reigning World Champion in a match when it defeated Garry Kasparov. If you have ever watched two chess players sitting across the board in fierce and tense contemplation you will notice their tense faces and shoulder muscles.

Anyone who know anything at all about posture will recognize that these two players are going to suffer from acute headaches, neck pain, sore and stiff upper back muscles and possible pain or tingling in the arms. Hence the role of the chiropractor in the noble game of chess.

A chess player must regard himself or herself as a participant of a strenuous sport with all of the muscle strain that come from that sport. Sitting in the same position for literally hours will cause all of the above problems but also will cause low back pain due to muscle spasm.
 
A chiropractor is trained at University for 5 years to obtain the degree of Doctor of Chiropractic. He or she will be well able to examine and treat a chess player with
chiropractic manipulative therapy. This is a gentle treatment which will unlock the spinal joints and reduce muscle tightness and nerve pain.

The ideal situation for the serious chess player will be to visit the chiropractor before the tournament so as to prepare the body for what is going to be a hard match.
The player will then be able to say of himself "The king is alive and well".