2023-04-23 09:16:27
From the new school year, kindergarten and primary school children will be able to learn chess, not as a side activity outside the curriculum, but as an extra lesson, through the Skills Workshops.
Through the special educational programs prepared by the Hellenic Chess Federation (ESO), and recently approved by the Institute of Educational Policy, teachers will be able to further embellish their lesson, teaching young students the basic movements and the basic principles of chess.
Although for more than 20 years there has been the possibility of taking lessons at school, alongside their lessons, either in the afternoons or on Saturdays, through individual initiatives of school directors or guardians’ associations, it is now institutionally possible to join the timetable. For ESO, this is a very important step. “It is the first institutional and essential step for chess to enter the regular program,” said the president of the Federation, Stathis Efstathopoulos, speaking to APE-MPE.
Chess is considered a spiritual sport, as it exercises the mind. The world literature consists of many titles dealing with the strategy of moves during a game. As Mr. Efstathopoulos noted, the inclusion in the timetabled program of primary education does not aim at thorough learning or intensive training, but at learning the basic movements and, above all, as he pointed out, at getting in touch with the basic principles.
“Through playing chess, children develop their patience, they learn that one does not need to rush to make decisions, and that in order to make decisions one should study the facts well. Facts, in fact, that in chess everything is on the carpet. Also, chess teaches children that everyone is responsible for their own decisions: if you lose, it’s because of the decisions you made. In addition, it teaches them that to win you have to work, train. Your success is based on your work and you. That’s why we started at a young age”, explained Mr. Efstathopoulos to APE-MPE.
Patience, persistence and responsibility are the basic principles with which the Federation aims to bring kindergarten and primary school children into contact, through chess games.
“We don’t want all children to become world champions”, clarified Mr. Efstathopoulos, “but the more children come into contact with chess, the more children will be fascinated, continue and, why not, become champions.”
More specifically, the two educational programs prepared by ESO for school chess are as follows:
One is aimed at kindergarten and 1st and 2nd grade primary school students and is titled “Chess and Imagination” and the other is aimed at 4th, 5th and 6th grade primary school students, with the title “Chess , a game of strategy and Maths, a game for everyone!”.
As for the practical part, the teachers are the ones who will undertake the preparation of the educational programs. In fact, from next September teachers and kindergarten teachers will be able to choose these programs to include in the teaching of the Skills Workshops. “The role of the Federation, the local unions and associations – approximately 200 in number – is to help the schools and teachers either with seminars or with educational material, to support the activities”, said Mr. Efstathopoulos.
The programs will be “tested” in practice from the coming school year and on behalf of the Federation there is optimism that there will be a great response. In fact, the Federation is planning to develop a similar educational program for high schools as well. “It is known from many scientific studies that learning and playing chess has many advantages for children. It is no coincidence that the vast majority of our champions at a young age are also excellent students at school. The benefit that is expected to arise for the new generation from the introduction of chess in schools is enormous”, concluded Mr. Efstathopoulos.
Source: RES-MPE
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