{"id":94981,"date":"2021-09-15T00:30:13","date_gmt":"2021-09-15T05:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.thefoxmagazine.com\/?p=94981"},"modified":"2021-09-15T05:48:39","modified_gmt":"2021-09-15T10:48:39","slug":"how-online-resources-can-transform-you-into-a-mind-sports-ninja","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thefoxmagazine.com\/dreaming-bigger\/how-online-resources-can-transform-you-into-a-mind-sports-ninja\/","title":{"rendered":"How Online Resources Can Transform You Into A Mind Sports Ninja"},"content":{"rendered":"

Games requiring strong mental acuity like chess are mind sports.<\/h1>\n

Picture an elite athlete. You\u2019re probably imagining things like a muscular physique, blinding speed, and the ability to perform spectacular physical feats. You\u2019re not wrong. These traits are in successful players of sports like soccer, basketball, football, and tennis. But even in aggressive physical sports, playing well involves sharp mental performance. On the field or court, athletes analyze situations and make decisions in the blink of an eye.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Think of it this way: An athlete is a bit like a car. The body is the wheels that move the car along, but the brain is the engine that makes the motion possible.<\/h2>\n

Enter Mind Sports<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Unlike physical sports, mind sports exclusively engage a player\u2019s brainpower in a competitive context. Instead of lifting weights and sprinting for training, mind sports athletes may solve puzzles or math equations. You get the idea. In mind sports, the brain <\/span>is<\/span><\/i> the performance muscle. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Examples of Mind Sports<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The list of mind sports is broad and constantly growing. Chess, bridge, draughts, go, xiangqi, and mahjong are mind sports overseen by the International Mind Sports Association (IMSA). <\/span><\/p>\n

So is poker<\/a><\/strong> and it’s variants like Texas hold \u2018em and Omaha Hi-Lo. Poker has even sparked debate with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in recent years about its inclusion in <\/span>future Olympic Games.<\/p>\n

The mind sports umbrella stretches even wider to cover esports, competitive text messaging, and computer programming. <\/span><\/p>\n

Using Online Resources to Learn and Play Mind Sports<\/b><\/h2>\n

Learning or becoming involved with mind sports may seem like a daunting task for beginners, as there are a dizzying number of organizations, study guides, and competitive opportunities dotting the mind sports landscape. However, not all sources are equal. <\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s separate the signal from the static by exploring some excellent websites such as Beasts 0f Poker<\/a><\/strong><\/span> that will help you master and compete in a few of the more popular mind sports.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chess<\/b><\/h2>\n

Perhaps the most universally recognized of all mind sports, chess involves two players each strategically moving 16 <\/span>nobly-named pieces<\/a><\/strong> around a 64-square board arranged in an 8 x 8 grid. The game traces its roots back to 7<\/span>th<\/span>-century India and its migration to Europe during the following 200 years.<\/span><\/p>\n