Attractors in the environment operate much like magnets.
They attract our attention. When attention is spontaneously drawn towards something, we can say that the object (or subject of discussion) is a powerful attractor. When, for many subsequent moments, we repeatedly choose to play a game of Chess, we can say that the game is a very powerful attractor. The attractive potency of the game of Chess has been known for centuries. In my work with children I find Chess is often, in and of itself, the primary vehicle for the ‘therapeutic’ work.

The game presnts a stage for ‘acting out’ or otherwise alluding to intra-psychic conflicts,. The game presents innumerable opportunities for children to ‘willfully’ mobilize their mental processing system to focus, to quickly and efficiently retrieve data from memory, to quickly and efficiently assess of potential ‘danger,’ and to seek out opportunities to gain an advantage.

This presents a demand upon many particular clusters of neurons. Repeated use of those clusters in the highly organized manner that performance of those particular mental operations demands enhances the functionality of  budding templates for action.  The potency of Chess as an attractor results in  sustained effort (repeated deployment of the template).  We, upon observation, would characterize this as disciplined. The attractive potency of Chess typically inspires the most unruly children to sustain the mental effort the game requires.

Potential Clinical Benefit: With as few as 10 sessions parents often report children ‘diagnosed with ADD or ADHD’ are calmer, more disciplined and better able to focus. Oddly, or perhaps not, (see other posts) parents also report that their children are more respectful and courteous.The Science: Our sensory systems perceive continuously. That is to say, they perceive for consecutive moments. As we perceive, attractors in the environment, they do or do not attract our attention. Attention consists of either our spontaneous response to selected attractors in the environment, or to the willful direction of our sensory systems to a particular attractor. Chess appears to handily win battles between competing attractors in many environments.
Terms like ‘intrigued’ or fascinated’ capture the emergent quality of the pleasurable experience  many Chess players report. The holistic, emergent quality of the experience becomes powerfully associated with excercise of the specific mental operations that Chess requires. Frequent performance of mental operations with willful effort, accompanied by pleasure, can be seen to enhance the coordinated use of those functions in other contexts. 
When using chess as a therapeutic medium with children I often recommend parents view the film Knights of the South Bronx with their children. I also often suggest parents determine if the Berkeley Chess School has classes in their child’s school. The Berkeley Chess School has many instructors in East Bay and Contra Costa County Schools.

Adults who take up Chess (or Go) upon my recommendation often report enhanced performance in the work place and more frequent experience of peaceful thoughtfullness.