Cycling has helped my chess and chess definitely helped my mathematical ability and my ability to problem solve. I have taught math, played chess, and biked for most of my life. I believe these are all connected and finally I can explain how.  Let's begin by discussing one of my best chess games. I was on my way to the last round of the 2012 Bahamas National Chess Championship. I was in first place and I was paired against the second seed. I was a half point up, hence a draw would win me the championship. I'm cycling tot he tournament hall and I get a flat on my bike. I tried to ride it out, but it was too flat. I was far from the tournament hall, and FIDE had a disqualification rule for anyone showing up 15 minutes late. So I ran as fast as I could, a disqualification would mean I finish 2nd. Eventually I show up at the tournament hall after a long run carrying a bike. I was all sweaty, and a mess.

Once I started playing everything changed. I saw everything so clearly, it was like magic. I blew my opponent off the board in about 20 moves. Later I realized that running expanded my lungs, which allowed me to meditate deeper during the game. This meditation provided an intuition of good and bad moves that felt as though it came from above. Work on your cardio to get deeper meditations, which will allow you to think better. Try it out!