(Informational Report)

Chess enters Russian schools with great steps. Not by chance the recent order of Ministry of Education of Russia � 2211, 18.05.2004, "About the Development of Chess Education in the System of Education of Russian Federation" is entirely dedicated to the ancient game. According to the order there was established the Coordinating Council of the Development of Chess Education in the System of Education of Russian Federation, headed by repeated champion of the world A.E. Karpov, and accepted the Program of Measures for the Development of Chess Education in The System of Education of Russian Federation for 2004-2006 years.

It is to notice that among the first to argue inclusion of chess in a school curriculum at the very beginning of the XX century was outstanding German grand master Z.Tarrasch. But it was only at the end of the XX century when almost at the same time in Russia, Spain, Sweden, Italy and other countries chess gradually began to take a due place in the system of education.

The methods of teaching chess are one of the aspects, in which Russia is the world leader. The first Russian specialist who made a lot for the advancement of chess in school was member of the Committee of FIDE "Chess in Schools", President of ISCU A.N. Kostyev. In 1977 Kostyev succeeded in including chess in the collection "Programs for Out-of-School Institutions: Sports Circles" and became author of a chess program for a school circle. Later A.N. Kostyev worked out methodical material for instructors of chess circles and sections in schools providing general education and published it in the books "A Chess Circle at School and at a Young Pioneer Camp" (1980), "Chess Lessons" (1984), "For a Teacher about Chess" (1986).

Only thereafter a question was raised about inclusion of chess as a subject in a school curriculum. At first Ministry of Education of Russian Federation rejected it, referring to the overload of pupils. Only in the period of the school reform of 1993, when there appeared optional textbooks in all basic subjects and there arose the need for working out new study courses, Ministry of Education got interested itself in chess as a subject. As a result one offered the author of these lines to work out an optional chess course for primary school. To that time I was author of the books "Adventures in Chessland" (1991), "La bolsita magica del ajedrez. El ajedrez para los mas pequenos" (1992), diapositive film strips and many articles in chess magazines. The new theme interested me, and I took upon myself its elaboration.

There arose at once a lot of questions. What should become the base for the elaboration of the course? Which major circumstances should be taken into account by its creation? etc.

For the elaboration of the chess course in 1993 I had to put forward the main postulate. What many periodicals write about? About the fact that chess facilitates to raise the progress in all subjects without any exception. Why does this happen? Not in the last turn because a pupil gradually acquires the ability to act in his/her mind. But this process happens, as Doctor of Psychological Sciences N.G.Alekseev notices, spontaneously. That's why it was necessary to choose out of the whole diversity of chess material the one that could facilitate to form the necessary ability step by step.

What material should be given in the first year of teaching? At first an elemental base should be created, and at the same time a "before-checkmate" period of teaching can be rather long. Playing moves of six chess-men give striking possibilities for forming an internal plan of actions, and it is to be used. Using specially developed didactical tasks and mini-games it appeared possible to reach at the same time the solution of several problems:

1. entertaining character of educational material facilitates to inculcate the interest in chess in children;
2. solution of a great number of didactical tasks helps form the ability to act in one's mind;
3. a pupil who decides to continue education in sports schools will get a good elemental base, the basis for further development.

The base for creation of the educational course became the theory of Doctor of Psychological Sciences P.Y. Galperin about the step-by-step forming of mental actions, and also the research of Doctor of Psychological Sciences Y.A. Ponomaryov about the psychology of creative work and stages of development of an internal plan of actions.

Very helpful were ideas stated by N.G. Alekseev, who wrote: "It is hard to avoid one mistake - for a teacher the simplest rules of the game of chess (moves of chess-men, elementary chess manoeuvres, geometry of the chess-board, etc.) have been atomised, they appear so naturally that he/she doesn't see any problems in their learning, aims to consolidate them by pupils as quickly as possible and to go on rather to the show of technical methods of the game of chess. At the same time the logic that stands behind this simplicity is being ignored (a teacher who can himself play chess rather good doesn't make a proper analysis), there appears hurry and omissions in it, what can have its bad consequences later. That's where the general rule "better less, but better" should be used".

The reality of our days is that mostly the same people work both trainers and teachers. At this point a global problem arises, which hasn't been entirely solved yet. It was best of all set out by N.G. Alekseev: "A chess trainer and a teacher of chess, although these positions can be combined in the same person, - are two different figures; their objectives can and even must differ, although they can teach the same and in much by a similar way� A teacher must know and be able to develop practically intellectual faculties of children with the use of chess and therefore must possess appropriate methods - not of chess perfection but of development of thinking with the use of the game of chess".

A particular difficulty presented the fact that I had to write for the first time in the world not a manual for beginners but a special teaching and methodical complete set, oriented at the objectives of primary school.

The course "Chess for School" was written in a brief space of time; it is notable that ideas of outstanding Russian psychologists were realized from the first lessons. Three kinds of exercises were worked out for each chess-man:

1. only a white chess-man moves and captures, and the black are immovable; here a child learns to create and realize his/her own threats without any counteraction of the opponent;
2. only a white chess-man moves but it can't occupy squares attacked by hostile chess-men; here one should already keep an eye on the squares attacked by chess forces of the partner;
3. players make moves in turn, as is customary in the game of chess; here a pupil considers the best moves of the opponent and overcomes adversary's resistance.

The other studied themes are worked out approximately by the same way.

There have been already published Programs for Three Years of Teaching (1994-1998), the textbook for the first form of primary school "Chess, First Year, or Where Squares are Full of Mystery and Wonder" (1998), the manual for a teacher "Chess, First Year, or Teach and Study" (1999), the textbook for the second form "Chess, Second Year, or We Play and Win" (2003), the manual for a teacher: "Chess, Second Year, or Teach and Study" (2004) and other books. Each of the books has got the signature stamp "Recommended by Ministry of Education of Russia".

Since 1994 there have been officially allotted school hours for optional subjects at primary forms. One of them became the course "Chess for School". Practically this course is a course by choice, as it is taught not after lessons but set in a time-table of lessons.

Speaking about chess for children of younger age I mean not so much the very game but the well thought-out and well made-up process of teaching chess basics in the form comprehensive for each age group. Teaching the game of chess is not an end in itself. Just the use of chess as a means of teaching will facilitate to use most full the developing material of the ancient game.

The mankind hasn't yet worked out a unified approach to the question about the form from which one should begin to give chess lessons. Z.Tarrash considered that the game of chess must be introduced as a compulsory subject in senior forms of institutions of general education. And in 1995 the Senate of Spain took a resolution that allowed teaching chess as a subject by choice at secondary schools, i.e. from 12 years old. In the Russian Federation one usually begins teaching chess from the first or second form.

I hold a categorical opinion in this question - it is much more important to begin from the first form! In the psychology there is such a notion - "sensitiveness", i.e. sensitivity to influences of a different kind. So a "sensible" age of teaching children chess basics is 5-6 years, children just of this age are entirely open for chess information and are very quick at its learning. That's one of the reasons why one can't omit this period of the development of children. The second reason: achievements of the world psychology (N.G. Alekseev, L.�. Venger, L.S. Vigotskij, P.Y. Galperin, A.N. Leontiev, Y.A. Ponomarjov, J.Piaget, S.L. Rubinstein and others) are evidence of the fact that one of the most valuable abilities, which should be formed in children as early as possible, is the ability to act in one's mind, or, as Y.A. Ponomarjov writes, an internal plan of actions. When should one begin its forming? Of course in the "sensitive" period! Only at that period a child can master without difficulty the material, which will take much more time and efforts in any other age. So, it is advisable to begin regular teaching chess at school from the first form not to omit the period most favourable for the development of a child, and also to ensure the continuity in teaching children working according to the scheme "kindergarten - school".

A.E.Karpov said: "My superidea consists in returning the former popularity to chess, so in achieving inclusion of chess in a school curriculum. If our dream comes true and chess becomes a compulsory subject in every school, it will be not a lesser achievement than a chess crown". One of the most difficult questions in achieving this aim remains the question of preparing specialists. But it is also being gradually solved thanks to the established chair of "Pedagogics and organization of chess work" attached to the Russian State Social University, and also to the fruitful work of chess chairs of other institutes of higher education.

In conclusion I should remark that in my opinion one of the obligations of an author to the society is to possess his/her own site in the Internet and publish his/her works there. That's why in the June of 2001 I made my site "Entertaining and Methodical Materials from the Books of Igor Suhin" (http://suhin.narod.ru), on which I set programs of three years of teaching, articles and extracts from books. In 2003 I registered also a special chess methodical site "Chess for Children Who Are 0 to 14 Years Old", Parents and Teachers: Study Excellently" (http://chess555.narod.ru). Information about some of my books can be found on the web-site http://chess555.narod.ru/for2.htm.

2. "LA BOLSITA MAGICA. EL AJEDREZ PARA LOS MAS PEQUENOS", Espana, Academia Internacional de Ajedrez Kasparov, Asociacion de Centros de Ensenanza Internacional Marcote, 1992 (in Spanish).

3. "MAGIC PIECES, OR CHESS FOR CHILDREN WHO ARE 2 TO 5 YEARS OLD", Moscow, Novaya Shkola Publishers, 1994 (in Russian).

4. "CHESS, FIRST YEAR, OR WHERE SQUARES ARE FULL OF MYSTERY AND WONDER: A Textbook for the First Form of a Three-Year or Four-Year Primary School ", Obninsk, Dukhovnoye Vosrozhdeniye Publishers, 1998 (in Russian).

5. "CHESS, FIRST YEAR, OR TEACH AND STUDY: A Manual for a Teacher", Obninsk, Dukhovnoye Vosrozhdeniye Publishers, 1999 (in Russian).

6. "CHESS FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN: A Book-Fairy-Tale for Joint Reading of Parents and Children", Moscow, Astrel, AST Publishers, 2000, 2001 (in Russian).

7. "1000 MOST FAMOUS CHESS COMBINATIONS". - Moscow, Astrel, AST Publishers, 2001, 2002, 2004 (in Russian).

8. "WONDERFUL ADVENTURES IN CHESSLAND: An Entertaining Manual for Parents and Children", Moscow, Pomatur Publishers, 2000 (in Russian).

9. "CHESS, SECOND YEAR, OR WE PLAY AND WIN: A Textbook for the Second Form of a Three-Year or Four-Year Primary School", Obninsk, Dukhovnoye Vosrozhdeniye Publishers, 2003 (in Russian).

10. "CHESS, SECOND YEAR, OR TEACH AND STUDY: A Manual for a Teacher", Obninsk, Dukhovnoye Vosrozhdeniye Publishers, 2004 (in Russian).

11. "A BOOK FOR BOYS �19: CHESS. CHECKMATE IN ONE MOVE", Moscow, AST, Astrel Publishers, 2004 (in Russian).

16-10-2004: The First International Chess in Schools Congress is going on during the Calvia Olympiad

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� 2005-2006 Suhin I.G.