It is absolutely necessary to introduce chess education into school curriculum. This issue is long overdue; it arises periodically for the last 30-40 years. And I'm glad that finally, there was a political will to turn this idea into reality.
- What was the result of the experiment on teaching chess in Kalmyk schools, initiated by Kirsan Ilyumzhinov?
Unfortunately, local officials let this project go away. Everyone was upset when Kirsan Nikolaevich left the post of president and engaged himself in the world chess as FIDE President. City Chess is empty today, and it looks like film footage about what awaits us after the nuclear strike.
But the effect of "general development" is still present. Minister of Education have recently cited data that in 40 regions of Russia, where chess was introduced in schools in an experimental order, students’ performance in other subjects has also increased.
- Why chess is needed in schools curriculum? Is it beneficial for general development or is it planned to grow new champions?
This is a multi-track task. The strategic state goal, of course, is to raise the general intellectual level of the younger generation and to develop a sense of responsibility of young citizens for their actions. By the way, I never saw a single addict among chess players in my 26 years of teaching. It might sound pretentions, but the main goal of chess is to improve human race.