10.12.2016

Vadim Tyulpanov: "Chess should become a mandatory school subject"

Chess should be made a mandatory school subject in primary school according to the head of the Federation Committee on the House Rules and Parliamentary Performance Management Vadim Tyulpanov. He sent a letter with this proposal to the Minister of Education and Science of the Russian Federation Olga Vasilyeva.

"Please, consider the possibility of including chess lessons in primary classes of secondary schools educational programme. One of the physical training lessons could be replaced with a chess lesson," the letter says.

According to Tyulpanov, chess helps to develop children's concentration, teaches strategic, logical and analytical thinking. "Studies show that learning to play chess has a positive effect on the academic performance of pupils not only in mathematics and other exact sciences but also in the humanitarian sciences," he said.
"It is important that the introduction of this subject in the school curriculum will allow pupils, exempted from physical training for medical reasons, participate in sports and get a taste of sports competition and well-deserved victory," said the parliamentarian.
In addition, the introduction of chess into the school curriculum "would give a new impetus to the development of the Russian chess school. Russia is the leader of the chess world: starting with Alexander Alekhine, the Russian chess players created and strengthened the domestic chess traditions. The success of a new generation of players - a prominent representative of which is Sergey Karjakin - continues to honour the Russian chess," stressed Tyulpanov.
He also believes that "chess could be included as a kind of exhibition sport in the 2018 Winter Olympic Games", and therefore the interest in teaching children how to play chess "will grow in the near future."
The senator reminded that chess is included in the school curricula of many countries - Armenia, Azerbaijan, Hungary, Spain, Mexico and Poland, as well as in several Russian regions. "In 2016, a similar lesson became compulsory in the first to fifth grades in Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug – Yugra. Chess is taught at the every third PT lesson there," stated Tyulpanov.
"The decision to study chess in all Russian schools would be particularly well-timed during the presidency of Russian Kirsan Ilyumzhinov - the head of the International Chess Federation - who for more than 20 years have been promoting the chess throughout the world", stressed the member of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation.
The senator hopes that his initiative will be well received and a new subject will be included in the curriculum of primary schools starting from September 1, 2017