Adolf Anderssen (19th century) was a math teacher as well.
But that does not mean that I belive in a causal relationship between
being good in math and good in chess or vice versa. I think it is more
a positive correlation, through intelligence, ambition, intuition, hard
work, etc..
All you have done is to point out a high correlation between people who are good at math and
science, and people who play chess. You have failed to demonstrate a causal relationship between
the two. Instead of dottering oafs being turned into brilliant scientists by playing chess, it may be
the case that people who are good at math/science might simply be more predisposed to play
chess in the first place.
I couldn't agree more. I struggled with maths (but never sciences or
music) at school, and I now know it was becasue I wasn't taught some
of the basic principles... ever tried to build a tower with the bottom
floor missing.
Same goes from languages too. I remeber sitting through lessons
feeling stupid because I didn't understand verb tables. It only occured
to me when I was an adult that I couldn't know what the pluperfect
tense was because noone had never told me what it was.
If a child doesn't know something that he/she is expected to know
they feel like it's because they are stupid, and therefore can't and
never will be able to do it. So they stop trying.