[Pharmboy]

This is a common misconception of the Neanderthals...yes indeed they had bigger brains and cranial capacities, BUT, this was due to the larger parts of the brain needed to manage their larger muscle mass. Their cerebellum was significantly bigger, giving rise to their "occipital bun."

In no way were they nearly as smart as we...their frontal lobes were much smaller.

[freebilly]

My response was to a poster who said that we could beat Neanderthals at chess. Actually, Neanderthal brains were larger in the occipital and parietal areas, those areas directly involved with spatial orientation. Larger frontal lobes have little bearing on winning at chess.

http://www.chesscircle.net/forums/showthread.php?410-article-chess-and-the-brain