Modalités d’accompagnement par le jeu d’échecs – du ludique au thérapeutique

Recent years have seen the emergence of the concepts of edutainment, edutainment and serious games. The health crisis, and more specifically the successive confinements, have had the effect of bringing games and playtime back into the family, on the one hand, and modifying their play practices, on the other. Today, play can be serious and aimed at adults. It has acquired its letters of nobility, and has found its audience. In this interview with Jean-Pierre Bouchard, Olivier Sorel and Marie Sebag discuss the special status of chess in a toy library. Secondly, they describe both the conditions required to be a good player, and the benefits of trying to become one, in terms of cognitive and emotional skills. Finally, they question the place of play in psychotherapy, describe the motivations for using it with a patient, and list the possible precautions to be taken by the therapist to avoid stepping outside his or her framework.