Including:

- Congress on establishing common European measures for the promotion of Chess at schools and the dissemination of standardised and easily obtainable methods and instruments.

- European Festival Chess at School

The game of chess is valued and respected throughout the world. At relatively low cost people can challenge their brains as well as those of their competitors. Next to that, chess has proven its social and educational benefits. It brings together people from different nationalities, and gives them, whether rich or poor, a level playing field to compete, to meet and to understand each other. Furthermore science and practice demonstrate the way chess enhances cognitive, psychological and interpersonal skills. For instance, research in the United States showed significant improvement in school results and social competitiveness of children attending chess in the school projects. This project was carried out in underprivileged areas in and around New York.

Although scientific research isn’t carried out regularly the past decades research shows the high standard educational value of the game of chess. In some states these insights even stimulated governments to add the teaching of chess to the curriculum of schools. Under the presumption that ‘chess makes you a better and more complete human being’.

Most countries, i.e. governments and national chess unions, recognise the importance of bringing the game of chess closer to young people. Not in the least by teaching chess at schools. However on average there are relatively little countries that supply in chess at schools on a structural basis. Off course each country has its own best practices, suitable to it’s own organisation of chess and education, but in most cases school chess projects receive more respect then succession. Given the broadly accepted importance of teaching chess to our youngsters these initiatives deserve however more attention and widespread implementation. This observation accounts for the complete European continent. In the new EU-member states and EU partner countries, being all members of the European Chess Union, chess plays a key role socially as well as culturally. However schools are in lack of sufficient means to take full advantage of this situation, or they are financially under pressure to uphold a good level of chess instruction. Providing easily accessible instruments and methods for students and teachers, for instance through the internet, could serve these eastern European schools well. In western European countries, on the other hand, there is a strong need to re-popularise the game of chess in the individualised consumer society. Offering chess at schools, and lowering the thresholds for children to learn the game, could counter this threatening trend.

Currently the European Union brings the year 2004 in the spotlights as the year of education through sports. In the winter of 2004 this fact inspired delegates from the British, German, French and Dutch Chess Federations to gather together on the topic of chess at schools.

Conference goals

The Royal Dutch Chess Federation (KNSB) was honoured to make a bidbook for these events. After analysing the worldwide experiences on chess at schools, the KNSB concluded that chess at schools needs to be drawn out of the sphere of incidental best practices towards broad acceptance of its educational benefits and, as a consequence, general implementation of chess teaching at European Schools. Therefore it needs and deserves a more structural approach from an administrative or policy point of view, as well as it requires a durable international platform for the dissemination of knowledge, experiences, teaching methods and (technological) instruments. Accordingly, it is time to not only subscribe the importance of chess at schools but also to actively promote it. This can be done by the development of common European measures for the promotion of Chess at schools and the dissemination of standardised and/or easily accessible methods and instruments. This conference can serve as a starting point for setting up an action program in this field and as a forum to introduce some first pragmatic opening moves for this process. Furthermore, to make more room for discussion and formulating concrete steps toward the future during the congress itself, in the months prior to the congress a platform is created were experts, practitioners, chess teachers and board members can exchange their experiences and express their ideas and opinions on the subject. The contents of this platform shall be structured by specialised moderators that serve as chairmen and ‘rapporteur’ of the workshops during the congress itself.

Contents and aims of the congress

As a sport or simply a pleasant pastime, chess claims a divergent but always meaningful position in society. It doesn’t matter whether you play chess in India, Russia, Iran, France or America, everywhere the game fancies it’s spectators. In the former socialist countries chessplayers’ achievements were heavily respected by a wide public. There it still has something of the glamour of those days. And of course chess keeps being a part of life.

In western countries it’s mostly the game itself that attracts. Chess as a mysterious, ancient game that incorporates great cognitive values. A game played in families, with dear friends or simply on the market square.

It’s eminent that these threats are recognised and analysed by chess society, simply to cope with it more easily. Therefore this theme must have a significant role in the congress.

But next to that there are enough indications that chess at schools necessarily can bring the game back to the public. In this regard it is referred to the practice in a Turkish region. There, within a decade, chess was introduced by school students into the families. And the amount of chess playing children grew from 300 to 3000. Examples like these, and during the preparations of the congress a lot more of these best practices will come to the forefront, demonstrate the importance of chess teaching at schools for the maintenance of chess as a societal cornerstone.

Playing chess at school has other big societal pros. These are, for instance, hidden in the educational values of the game. A subject that will be intensively discussed in workshop 2. But it also turned out that offering to learn chess in a school curriculum, or in an organised after school environment, is of great social importance. This is clearly shown in the New York experience. The neighbourhoods were chess is taught are all very poor economically and a lot of kids live in very chaotic environments and have little control over their lives. However, for some kids, chess in the schools formed the difference between staying in school and leaving it. Therefore the societal importance of chess in the schools will be expressed and researched thoroughly in workshop one. Can it, as is claimed in the New York-project, indeed produce a level playing for children of all kinds, whether rich or poor, living in multicultural backward urban settings? Can it give them a feeling of self esteem, Can it be the accessible gateway to other worlds, other European countries people and open minds? And if so? How can it contribute to that and what should ‘we chess players’ and ‘our school directors’ do to realise that wonderful miracle?

Workshop 1 Societal importance of promoting chess at schools

Moderator:

Participants ECU-representatives (4), National Federations (30), Practitioners (20), others (10): Counts 64

Topics

• Societal changes and challenges for the game of chess in east- and western Europe
• Societal changes and challenges for chess at schools in east- and western Europe
• The societal significance of chess at schools, specifically for underprivileged areas and multicultural urban societies
• (Non-)cognitive effects of learning chess at schools
• Formulate contents for a joint declaration on the societal importance of promoting chess at schools

Must haves: Goran Antunac, ECU Youth Leader, David Mehler, founder and director of the US Chess Center. Arthur Levin, president of Columbia University Teachers College: Marley Kaplan president of Chess-in-the-Schools Gary Kasparow (Who eventually can be asked to act as an ambassador of the project) More EUROPEAN representatives of best practises in underprivileged areas/multicultural urban areas.

As mentioned above, there is another characteristic of chess in the schools that adds to its importance: namely its educational value. This an attractive terrain for scientists analysing subjects that come close to anybodies imagination. For instance: Is chess really the fruitfly of cognitive psychology? In ‘Chess and Education’ the Memphis University researchers Dianne Horgan and David Morgan examined chess as a game that helps reveal the development of expertise in the human mind. Especially they asked themselves whether exceptional chess ability is inherited or learned. It proved it can be learned.

The congress aims to bring together scientists that do research on cognitive and non-cognitive chess-effects. But it’s not only that. Most and for all, the purpose is to create a forum where providers of chess methods, teachers and schools can meet, and hopefully find ways to combine forces. To give an example: the Dutch professor Han van der Maas and dr. Eric-Jan Wagenmakers found out in a chess capability test that being a good chess player is not only a matter of having a good memory. Memory has no independent role in the prediction of chess capabilities. Other than chess psychology states, playing better is also a matter of good knowledge and computing power. Based on that assumption they developed the so called Amsterdam Chess Test. A tool that might add to the functionality of chess teaching instruments.

Next to that chess-at-school-practitioners can provide an enormous research environment for scientists. As was done in 1990 in New York. Three thousand school children in public schools participated. The results were striking: higher grades in English and math studies, increased cognitive skills, a better sense of self-confidence and self-worth, and chess helps children make friends more easily because it provides an easy, safe forum for gathering and discussion, and so forth. These are observations that add to the notions of De Groot, but also underline the societal importance of teaching chess at schools.

Workshop 2 Scientific state of affairs on the interaction between learning in general and learning to play chess

Moderator: Eric-Jan Wagenmakers/ Han van der Maas

Participants ECU-representatives (4), National Federations (30), Practitioners (20), others (10): counts 64

Topics

• Scientific state of affairs of research on the topic of chess
• Cognitive effects of learning chess (at schools) and empirical data
• Non- cognitive effects of learning chess (at schools) and empirical data
• Applicability of scientific results and methods for teaching and learning chess at schools
• A search for a durable cooperation (or the creation of a platform) between researchers, practitioners, teachers and chess federations)
• Formulating input for a congress declaration on non-cognitive effects of chess at schools

Chess is part of school curricula in more than 30 countries. In Venezuela, Iceland and Russia chess is even a subject in all public schools. And estimates in America count for about one million children playing chess in the schools.

To illustrate the results of chess at schools the Istanbul experience forms a good example. Some 330 kids followed chess in school-courses. There was an inter-school chess team and through the development of competitions schools started to pay a great attention to chess. Next to that, chess was introduced to families. As a consequence in the school year 2001-2002, some 3000 students participated. The practices are maintained with the coordination of the university students and volunteer chess players. Now the Turkish Education Volunteers Association published a handbook and the community decided to continue the chess courses, practiced in 72 Turkish regions. The Rotary Foundation in Turkey supports the practices by establishing chess education centres and organising chess tournaments. The national educational ministry even decided that students have the chance to take chess lectures just like maths, music or painting. As a result the ministry organises formal education meetings were teachers learn how to teach chess.

This case is just one out of many. Comparing them on a European scale one can see a great variety in organisational forms, governmental support, financial possibilities, efforts of volunteers, et cetera. Consequently they all have their (more or less unique) strengths and weaknesses, and are confronted with various opportunities and threats. In the Netherlands for instance the problem of the lack of teachers in schools is recognised as a threat. However the availability of an internet program for school chess, that allows six or seven hundred schools to compete on line, is seen as a great opportunity for the promotion of chess at schools.

Workshop 3 therefore focuses at demonstrating and discussing Europe’s best practises In addition the workshop aims to reveal what practitioners and national federations can learn from one another, and how they can support each other. Finally it is discussed which measures are appropriate on a (supra-) national level. As Goran Antunac (ECU-youth leader) states: It is evident that we have to fight for government support in order to carry through our efforts in spreading chess in schools, underlining the effect of chess on development op personalities of pupils.”

Workshop 3 Chess at schools: global experiences and national differences

Participants ECU-representatives (4), National federations (30), Practitioners (20), others (10): counts 64

Topics

• Strengths, Weaknesses, opportunities and threats on local and national level
• Discussing the role of ECU and national federations in this respect
• Formulating ideas and proposals for future ECU policy measures

Must haves: Representatives of the Turkish experience. Chess at school delegates of national federations. A broad delegation of practitioners from different ECU member countries. ECU delegates. Delegates from the European Union or national governments in the area of sports and education.

Throughout the world there are various ways to teach children how to play chess. In most cases they are enthusiastic volunteers that teach in a traditional way: simply by the book. However during the past decades a vast amount of chess teaching methods and instruments have been developed. Methods and instruments that often meet high qualitative and educational standards. In Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands the Brunia-Van Wijgerden method is widely introduced and accepted. Furthermore the KNSB just recently introduced the Chess Academy to the public. This is an internet-application where children can learn to play the game on a low-cost, high standard but easily obtainable way.

The chess at school congress aims to create room to present these methods to a broad public. But it also wants to debate on the applicability of these methods and instruments for teaching chess at schools. For some learning methods professional chess teachers are required. Most schools however are in lack of these professionals, even if they have ways to provide in their honoraria. If, however, there are methods and instruments available that take account of the fact that most chess teachers are good willing volunteers, these problems can be avoided.

Other problems lay in the way that divergent chess methods and instruments connect to the different chess capabilities of the children, and the costs of obtaining them (for instance the problem of licensing and translation).

Workshop 4 focuses on the availability of methods and instruments to promote chess at schools. Best practices like the Dutch inter school internet tournament can be presented and discussed whether suitable for organising internet tournaments under ECU auspices.

This workshop also aims at finding methods and instruments that meet the needs of effective teaching, manageability and low cost. Eventually it can propose or find ways, to stimulate the adaptation of these methods and instruments to school environments, and look for methods to stimulate an easy dissemination of them in ECU-member-countries. Next tot that, if suitable, it can discuss the need to introduce something like a ECU-standard.

Workshop 4 Methods and instruments for enhancing chess at schools

Moderator:

Participants ECU-representatives (2), national federations (30), practitioners (20), others (10): Counts 62

Topics

• Presentation of methods and instruments for learning and teaching chess
• Applicability for teaching and playing chess at schools
• Discussing the need for the introduction of standardisation of chess teaching methods and instruments
• How to stimulate the dissemination of these methods and instruments
• Formulate recommendations for future ECU-measures

Must haves: Representatives of product suppliers, ECU-representatives, Trainers, teachers.

The Chess in Schools Committee and the Trainers Committee of Fide agreed to produce special FIDE Diplomas for school chess teachers. At the same meeting in the year 2003 it was agreed some teaching material for players and organisers should be offered by CACDEC for translation in every language. These initiatives serve as good examples for new measures at global or European level that can support the promotion of chess at schools.

With the outcomes of the preceding workshops the last workshop tries to formulate new policy measures. Thereby finding a good balance between common ECU- policy and national actions. The recommendations of the attendants of this workshop can serve as input for a joint congress statement in the plenary closing session, also made public in a press conference.

Anticipating on the outcome congress’ workshops issues like the following could be discussed: - The desirability of a durable ECU-funded internet platform on chess at schools were researchers, practitioners and, suppliers of teaching methods and instruments can meet, and share or supply information et cetera.

- Installing a European chess at schools website, (for example like www.chessintheschools.org

- Organising national and pan-European competitions for school chess-teams (software is currently available at Chessbase)

- Formulating a European action plan on the promotion of chess at schools.

- Offering, enhancing or stimulating the dissemination of accessible, low-cost but educationally high standard chess teaching methods and instruments over the continent.

Workshop 5 Balancing a common European policy and national actions

Moderator:

Participants ECU-representatives (4), national federations (30), practitioners (20), others (10): Counts 64

Topics

Anticipating on the outcome congress’ workshops issues like the following could be discussed:

- The desirability of a durable ECU-funded internet platform on chess at schools were researchers, practitioners and, suppliers of teaching methods and instruments can meet, and share or supply information et cetera.

- Installing a European chess at schools website, (for example like www.chessintheschools.org

- Organising national and pan-European competitions for school chess-teams (software is currently available at Chessbase)

- The need for formulating a European action plan on the promotion of chess at schools.

- Offering, enhancing or stimulating the dissemination of accessible, low-cost but educationally high standard chess teaching methods and instruments over the continent.

Must haves: ECU representatives, Representatives of national federations, All workshop moderators.

Congress program

Day 1 Arrivals and transfer to the hotel 18.00 – 19.30 Dinner 19.30 – 21.00 Plenary Welcome by the mayor of Enschede. Welcome from the chairman of the KNSB. A stimulating word from the grandmaster who is eager to bring chess to youngsters: Garry Kasparow (evt videoconference). Introduction by the congress leader. Introduction in chess at schools by the chairman of ECU

Day 2 Breakfast 9.30 – 12.00 (coffee break 10.30-10.45) Fist sessions Workshops 1 and 4 12.30 -13.00 (lunch program). New in Chess (Find an attractive, international actual topic to be presented at this lunch program. Eventually the New in Chess items, can be sponsored). TOURNAMENT rounds 1 and 2 18.00 – 19.00 Dinner 19.00 – 21.30 (Coffeebreak 19.30-19.45) First sessions Workshops 2 and 3

Day 3 Breakfast Excursion 9.00 A trip to Amsterdam: ‘challenge the grandmasters’ at the ‘Max Euwe Square’. TOURNAMENT rounds 3 and 4 Dinner at location

Day 4 Breakfast 9.30 – 12.00 (coffeebreak 10.30-10.45) Second session of Workshop 1 and 4 12.30 -13.00 (lunch program) New in Chess. The Chess Academy. TOURNAMENT rounds 5 and 6. 18.00-19.00 Dinner 19.00 – 21.30 (Coffeebreak 19.30-19.45) Second session of workshops 2 and 3.

Day 5 Breakfast 9.30 – 12.00 (coffeebreak 10.30-10.45). Workshop 5 12.30 – 13.00 (lunch program) New in Chess Women’s chess (lecture by Petra Schuurman). TOURNAMENT rounds 7 and 8.

Day 6 Breakfast 9.30 – 11.00. Plenary Promoting Chess at schools Summary of the workshop outcomes by the moderators Conclusions by the chairman of the congress. Coffeebreak 11.00 – 11.30 Press conference (Lunch at location) 12.00 – 12.15 Speech by the ECU-chairman. Signing the congress statement. 12.15 – 13.30 Closing program. Honouring the tournament winners. Departures. Still to add: Communications paragraph. Organisation. Financial paragraph.

suhin_i@mail.ru

http://chess555.narod.ru/dutch2.htm

2005-2006 Suhin I.G.