| Brainpower games are those games which | | | | now, and even at grocery-store check-out |
| exercise your mental capacity. My personal | | | | displays. Though it's all about numbers, it |
| favorite is Chess, but there are many others, | | | | isn't really about math skills as much as it |
| some of which you probably already play or | | | | is about deductive reasoning. Like crossword |
| have played. Here is a look at a few of the | | | | puzzles, it also has the advantage of being a |
| more common ones and how they may help your | | | | one-person activity, and a small book of |
| mind. | | | | these puzzles can be carried with you |
| | | | anywhere. |
| Crossword Puzzles | | | | |
| | | | Poker |
| For many years people have noticed that older | | | | |
| folks who regularly did crosswords seemed to | | | | Whether played for money or just chips, poker |
| stay mentally sharper as they aged, compared | | | | is one of the best of the brainpower games |
| to those who didn't exercise their brains in | | | | because it requires so many different kinds |
| similar ways. Recent research has supported | | | | of mental skills. You need to understand |
| this idea. As a mental exercise, one of the | | | | probabilities and how to analyze a hand in |
| primary advantages of doing crossword puzzles | | | | relation to all the other information you |
| is that it's a brainpower game you can play | | | | have. You need to be observant to gather that |
| by yourself. | | | | information from the players around you. |
| | | | Learning to "read" other players is a big |
| Chess | | | | part of the game too. Poker is directly |
| | | | useful in training you for real life decision |
| Historically THE thinker's game, chess is not | | | | making, because it develops your intuitive |
| - contrary to what many think - just a | | | | grasp of what a "good bet" consists of. |
| left-brain analytical contest. Playing well | | | | |
| requires both hemispheres of the brain. Your | | | | Boggle |
| left-brain will be analyzing possible moves | | | | |
| and predicting responses of your opponent. | | | | While not as popular as it used to be, you |
| Your right brain will be grasping the spatial | | | | can still buy a Boggle game in many |
| relationships on the board and providing an | | | | department stores. It is a word game based on |
| intuitive grasp of good positioning. An | | | | observation and fast thinking more than |
| interesting note: many top players are also | | | | vocabulary. Attempting to quickly find words |
| musically talented, and handling music is | | | | in the letters is great for training your |
| right hemisphere function in most people. | | | | mind to look for patterns. Once you notice an |
| | | | "s" for example, you can look at every noun |
| Scrabble | | | | thereafter to see if the "s" can be connected |
| | | | to it to create another word and more points. |
| You may think that this classic word game is | | | | It is a vocabulary game in part, but decent |
| all about vocabulary, and it can really help | | | | pattern recognition skills are the best |
| you learn a lot of new words, especially if | | | | advantage you can have. |
| you play with an open-dictionary rule. But to | | | | |
| really play well, you have to learn strategy. | | | | Some Other Brainpower Games |
| You have to figure out where to place your | | | | |
| words, and how to make multiple words in one | | | | The game of dominoes can be very analytical |
| play. A good understanding of how to score | | | | if you play it well. Card games like gin |
| the most points on each turn can make you a | | | | rummy are good for developing |
| better player than an opponent with a larger | | | | pattern-recognition abilities. The classic |
| vocabulary. | | | | board game, Monopoly, or the pricier "Cash |
| | | | Flow" game by Robert Kiyosaki, are both good |
| Sudoku | | | | brainpower games, as well as being good for |
| | | | learning real estate investing principles and |
| Sudoku has recently become very popular, with | | | | habits. |
| the puzzle books appearing in most bookstores | | | | |