Chess groups for beginner players with musculoskeletal disorders: Mastery and participation restraining factor analysis

Abstract

The article presents a study of main problems and challenges faced by the beginner chess players with musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). The study has found a number of objective and subjective reasons for the main problems and challenges in the primary chess mastering process faced by the beginners with MSD, including: limited accessibility of the necessary sport facilities, infrastructure and special transport services for the people suffering from MSD willing to play chess; and poor supply of the chess coaches trained to design and manage the chess training process tailored to the health (nosologic) limitations of the trainees. Moreover, sport science is unprepared to offer special research and methodological literature, and special recommendations still need to be developed to fully address these problems. There is a need for sound experimental substantiations for the structure of tools, equipment and methods to meet the special chess mastering needs of the players with MSD at the primary chess training stage - that is known to be critical for a high-level chess player formation process. The study shows that in order to: encourage the chess mastery process for the people with MSD being put on more efficient basis; recruit as many beginners with MSD as possible to the primary chess groups; step up the quality of the primary chess training by the people with MSD in the present social and economic situation of our society - the following need to be done: (a) clear and purposeful advocacy need to be established to promote the adaptive chess mastering agenda and its health benefits through national mass media organizations; (b) put together and improve a science-based education system to train chess coaches for and masters of this adaptive sport discipline; and (c) support the primary chess mastering process of the players with MSD by remote training tools and methods with due contribution of the relevant modern global chess mastering websites.