Is playing chess actually beneficial apart from improving your ability to play chess?

Likely not. Chess has a lot to do with memorization (of openings, theories, patterns) and memory is a limited resource.

Visualization, analytical thinking, strategical thinking, tactical thinking, planning.

Nice meme, worthy of the GET.

Shogi definitely, Go is pretty on par with chess but it's apples and oranges really.

>Cheked

Any studies showing that these skills are transferable from chess to real life and that they are gained by playing chess rather than only being skills necessary to have in order to be great at chess?

Asking for citations about someones opinions on Veeky Forums
>>>/kys/

No but there are studies showing that the brain has plasticity and those are things that chess requires therefore by playing chess you're exercising those skills.

Jokes on you I'm already autistic

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it improves pattern memorization and problem-solving, like a lot of other games. that's it.

I agree with this, with repeated playing it should strengthen the neural pathways responsible for analytical thinking, strategic thinking, planning etc. The strengthened pathways wouldn't be exclusive only to the context of a chess game.