17.10.2018

Chess teaching programme for preschool children to be launched in Moscow

A chess teaching programme for preschool children to be launched in Moscow by 2020. When creating the programme Moscow Chess Federation relies on other countries’ experience (for example, Belarus, Armenia and Israel). The Federation, being the author of the programme, plans to make it interactive, up-to-date and computerized.

At the end of July 2017, at a meeting with the President of the International Chess Federation Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, the Minister of Education and Science of Russia Olga Vasilyeva said that the study of chess in school should become mandatory as part of extracurricular activities.

The minister stressed, however, that curriculum should not be overloaded: chess should become obligatory in optional classes only. She advocated the introduction of five free circles of additional education in schools, including chess.
As we have already reported, Director of the Department of State Policy in the Sphere of Education of Children and Youth of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia Igor Mikheev joined the round table on "Chess education in schools: challenges and prospects for development" organized by the Civic Chamber of Russia in August 2017. He said that chess clubs should appear in every Russian school by the end of the new school year. Chess lessons are planned to be introduced in the future.