The 2nd International Conference "Chess in Education" has begun in Astana, organized by KazChess/Kazakhstan Chess Federation with the support of the Kazakh Ministry of Education, the International Chess Federation (FIDE), and with the general partnership of Freedom Holding Corp, DKnews.kz reports.
This traditional discussion platform has brought together international experts from the USA, Europe, Asia, and CIS countries, as well as more than 200 participants from Kazakhstan's education system. The conference is taking place in the building of Nazarbayev University.
The purpose of the conference is to exchange experiences and best practices in integrating chess into education. During the two-day panel discussions, international and Kazakhstani experts will discuss the development of educational chess, which has become a global trend, the impact of this intellectual game on the development of 21st-century skills in the digitalization and AI era, and share experiences and best practices in integrating chess into schools and universities.
"This conference is a great opportunity not only to synchronize with FIDE representatives and the chess community but also to exchange advanced experiences and best practices in this field. Kazakhstan already has much to share and much to learn. We hope that this platform, which will bring together top experts in education, our Kazakhstani teachers, and chess players, will be beneficial for all participants," said Timur Turlov, President of KazChess.
The keynote speakers included: Chairman of the FIDE "Chess in Education" Commission Jerry Nash (USA), Senior Advisor of the FIDE "Chess in Education" Commission, journalist Leontxo García (Spain); Secretary of the FIDE "Chess in Education" Commission Rita Atkins (Hungary), Coordinator of the "Chess in School" project in Catalonia Marta Amigo Vilalta (Spain), Scientific Director of the Chess Research Institute (CRI) Vagan Sargsyan (Armenia), and others.
During the panel discussion "Educational Chess as a Global Trend," Jerry Nash discussed the advantages of integrating chess into schools, citing examples from countries that collaborate annually with FIDE on this issue. The expert highlighted the development of students' critical and strategic thinking skills, improved academic performance in other subjects, and the popularization of this sport among the younger population as key benefits of this process.
First Vice President of KazChess Darmen Sadvakasov shared with the participants the main achievements of the federation in integrating chess into schools and discussed Kazakhstan's experience in developing and adopting the Comprehensive Chess Development Plan for 2023-2027. "KazChess is now the main driver of the process of integrating this intellectual game into education in our country. Thanks to joint efforts with the Ministry of Education and local executive bodies, the first year of the pilot project to introduce chess as an elective component in 42 schools across seven regions of Kazakhstan, covering about 1,000 first-grade students, was successfully implemented in the last academic year. Additionally, a teaching and learning complex for first-grade students was approved," noted D. Sadvakasov.
Experts from Spain, Turkey, and Armenia, where chess has been successfully introduced and developed in education, shared their experiences and best practices during the conference. For instance, in 2021, FIDE included the Catalan program in its report as a benchmark program of best practices in educational chess. According to Marta Amigo Vilalta, coordinator of this Spanish project, the program is bearing fruit today: more and more students are engaged in chess from a young age, which boosts not only the widespread popularization of the game but also the development of chess as a sport of the highest achievements.
The experts also discussed the importance of chess skills in the era of rapid AI development and the promotion of online tools for educational chess. On the second day of the conference, Kazakhstani educators will participate in master classes on integrating chess and mathematics, chess and literacy, the comprehensive application of this game in educational processes, as well as a hands-on explanation of how to use the Chess Class learning platform and the Chess Legends training app.
In response to directives from the President of Kazakhstan, the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, is implementing a series of measures. In 2023, the "Fundamentals of Chess" curriculum for grades 1-4 was developed and approved to introduce chess in schools as an elective component. Within this curriculum, chess instruction is provided by primary school teachers.
In the 2023-2024 academic year, the first year of the pilot project (trial) was successfully implemented in 42 schools across seven regions of Kazakhstan, covering about 1,000 first-grade students. A scientific study was conducted to assess the positive impact of chess on the cognitive and logical skills of students.
In April 2024, a teaching and learning complex for first-grade students was approved. Currently, a teaching and learning complex for second-grade students has been developed and is planned to be submitted for approval following established procedures in the near future.
In preparation for the 2024-2025 academic year, in collaboration with regional education departments, a list of 767 schools has been compiled, confirming their readiness to implement chess as an elective component. This list is currently being refined at the level of education departments, considering local budget capabilities and per capita funding. In August 2024, the completion of advanced training courses for 200 primary school teachers in 8 regions of Kazakhstan, organized in collaboration with NCPC "Orleu," is expected.
The federation has prepared an advanced training course for teachers, which is currently being coordinated with the Ministry following established procedures. After approval, the training of teachers in all regions of the country is planned to be conducted in both online and offline formats. In collaboration with pedagogical universities, the implementation of a "Chess Teacher" minor program for primary school teacher training is being developed, with implementation expected from September 2025.
