In May 2021, a report was published based on a survey conducted by FIDE and the European Chess Union (ECU) to understand the global state of chess in schools.

The FIDE Report on the Global State of Chess in Schools

Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE) and European Chess Union conducted a 17-question survey, supplemented by several follow-up interviews, with support from the Armenian Institute , to assess the state of chess in schools.

As we know, FIDE was founded on July 20, 1924. That date would later be designated as World Chess Day on December 12, 2019.

FIDE is the governing body of chess, regulating international competitions and recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as an International Sports Organization in 1999.

The ECU, an independent association founded in 1985, aims to defend the interests of European chess. Among its member federations are Azerbaijan and Armenia, while Bulgaria was expelled in 2016, and Belarus and Russia were suspended in 2022. In total, the ECU has 52 full members.

It is worth mentioning that FIDE has its own Chess in Schools (CIS) initiative, and their manifesto is available online.

In the terminology on this topic, you might encounter “chess in education” (CIE) instead of “chess in schools” (CIS). Both refer to the same concept: using chess as an educational tool or advocating for its inclusion in formal educational settings to enhance cognitive, social, and emotional development among students.

This definition is shared by both FIDE and the ECU, though some countries have different objectives, such as improving chess skills or producing competition talent. Consequently, FIDE and the ECU understand CIS or CIE broadly: as chess in a school environment without restricting it to a specific goal.

Both FIDE and the ECU have their commissions, FIDE EDU and the EDU Commission respectively, to promote the inclusion of chess in education.

The survey aimed to gather information on the global state of chess in schools to propose an economic, work, and marketing plan for FIDE covering the period 2021-2025 for the development of chess in schools.

Along these lines, the Chess in Schools (CIS) manifesto aims to reach 1,000,000,000 players worldwide.

A sustained increase in the number of players, the manifesto states, would enable local federations to perceive greater income compared to the money they pay to FIDE.

The manifesto also explains that finding sponsors for tournaments and initiatives has been challenging due to the lack of a deeply rooted chess culture worldwide, unlike in Russia, which benefitted from the golden years of Soviet chess.

We have not been able to find the economic, work, and marketing plan; however, on the CIE Coalition page, you can find the strategies and objectives for chess in education (CIE) covering the period 2023-2026.

It is worth mentioning that the development of the chess in education initiative is one of the key strategies of Russian Arkady Dvorkovich, the current president of FIDE—Vishy Anand is the deputy president—to deliver positive results following his re-election in 2022. The survey is part of a comprehensive global and personal project in this second term of Dvorkovich, who is also an economist and politician.

Findings from the Survey

A total of 135 out of 190 federations responded to the survey, along with 39 CIS organizations (entities involved in promoting chess in schools) and 22 private schools.

The report does not specify which CIS organizations responded, but it is plausible to assume they include England’s Chess in Schools and Communities, the United States’ Chess in Schools, the Annenberg Foundation, or Germany’s Deutsche Schulschachstiftung.

In total, 150 entities are represented in the survey. However, this does not necessarily mean that their federations responded; take, for instance, England and the United States, where nonprofit organizations often promote chess in schools. Due to the decentralization of education and local federation organization, it is their private schools or local districts that often take up this responsibility.

The data from the survey should be considered rough estimates, as most information received (53.5%) was based on estimates from the respondents, and only 18.5% utilized official data.

Among the most significant findings are:

• Approximately 25,600,000 children participate in chess activities in a school environment. The majority are in India (15,000,000) and China (5,000,000).

• In 78 countries, there is some form of accreditation for instructors or teachers, though the accreditation processes are not institutionalized, resulting in limited control over educational chess in public schools. Additionally, those serving as instructors often lack knowledge of chess pedagogy.

• There are 92,550 teachers and 145,690 coaches teaching chess worldwide.

• In 88 countries, software is used as part of chess instruction. The most commonly used software includes ChessBase, Lichess, Fritz, and Chess.com. Only one case reported using YouTube, and another Skype. In Tajikistan, a program developed by the Minister of Education is used.
  
  In total, 34 different software programs were reported, including Tactics Trainer, Learning Chess, Chessmaster, Houdini, Chesster, and Rybka.

• There are 37 countries where over 10,000 children participate in some form of school-based chess activity.

Models of Chess Education

One of the most intriguing aspects of the survey emerged from evaluating interviews conducted with selected countries.

According to each country’s particular context, they were categorized into three models of chess education, describing common traits among those countries. These models can be useful for anyone interested in following the development of chess in a specific country. What is missing, however, is a broader list, as only the 14 countries contacted for interviews are included.

The three models are as follows:

• Institutionalized Model: Chess education in these countries generally features government support and centralized direction, the use of public funds, compulsory chess instruction during school hours, inclusion of chess in the national curriculum, a base of educational resources for teaching chess, an organized tournament structure, and an emphasis on developing chess skills.
  
  Countries or regions within this model include Armenia, Uruguay, Santa Fe (Argentina), Catalonia (Spain), and Andalusia (Spain).

• Diversity Model: In this model, there is less connection between teachers and chess coaches, sometimes resulting in less emphasis on chess development but more on intellectual and social development.
  
  Teacher training is less centralized; funds are insufficient; there is inadequate recognition from the educational community towards chess in the school environment; and difficulties exist in acquiring comprehensive information. There is diversity in how chess is used in schools and in who provides chess instruction.
  
  Countries or regions in this model include Andorra, India, China, Singapore, Iceland, Buenos Aires (Argentina), and San Luis (Argentina).

• Less Institutionalized Model: This model generally features insufficient government participation; no developed curriculum for chess instruction; no standards for training practices; no training for instructors and teachers; and limited involvement from the local chess federation.
  
  Countries in this category include Finland, France, England, the United States, and Zambia.

If the governments of the U.S., France, or Finland do not participate in promoting chess, how does chess develop in each of these countries?

As mentioned earlier, in the U.S., chess club activities are funded with private resources. Private schools and individual state districts may offer chess as part of their curriculum, but due to the decentralized education system, chess is not generally included in school curricula.

In France, school-based chess is managed by companies working in schools, individual entrepreneurs, and associations implementing cultural and recreational programs.

Little is said about Finland; it is noted that tournaments are organized at various levels, and there is general acceptance that chess education aims to develop academic skills and 21st-century skills.

Although the information is limited, it is worth reviewing the survey and interview sections.

Notably, the experiences of Armenia and Uruguay stand out, two places where the chess-in-education experiment is quite advanced.

In Uruguay, chess is included in schools and also has programs outside the classroom for children with special needs, the elderly, and people with disabilities, even for those in prison. Chess education in Uruguay is considered a universal right and receives financial support from various government branches.

In Armenia, the entire system of chess instruction is linked with educational competencies. The Chess Scientific Research Institute (CSRI) and the Chess Academy develop the educational program and teaching materials.

Armenia is also developing specific pedagogical methods and teaching materials. Annual certification and chess pedagogy training processes are conducted. According to interview respondents, the main advantages of chess education in schools are its systematization, high level of control, and continuous feedback from stakeholders such as teachers, students, experts, parents, and principals.

The survey falls short in some areas but serves as a good starting point for understanding the global state of chess education in schools, local objectives, experiments, and progress. Therefore, we invite you to read the survey conducted by FIDE and ECU .

And we also invite you to read our article on the recent state of the discussion on the benefits of chess in schools.