Chess in schools: What it’s all about

MARCH 1 — Chess in schools is all the rage today, but if you have not heard, then at least and for sure it is amongst all those involved in the game, whether as being pushed by the FIDE (World Chess Federation) to top political leaders or, at the opposite end of the spectrum, a teacher or parent enthusiast getting a chess club going in a school or kindergarten.

Today chess is in some ways very different from the game I played in my relative youth but in many other ways it has endured and is easily still recognisable from the 1500s when the rules as we understand it today has legally remained the same.

You might ask then, what are the differences?

Well, firstly there are many more players today and the general level is higher but that really comes down to a larger pool thanks to large population increases worldwide, more easily accessible information thanks to the Internet and of course better basic training due to easy and immediate access to computers with engines powered by ever faster processors and databases.

Then there is the way chess is organised and promoted. Chess is very attractive to kids and they rule their parents today so there are lots of competitions to service demand. From very early, FIDE has jumped on this bandwagon by not only having age group events at Continental and world level from ages seven to 20 but the days of a single national representative is long gone!

National chess federations now hold age-group events where winners qualify to represent their countries but at the same time the player who finishes last can also play in the same Continental or world event provided the parents are willing to come up with airfare, hotel and entry fee. And of course they do.

Why not? An eight-year-old can instantly become a national player. The organiser now does not worry about sponsors because he just marks up the rates at the compulsory official hotel and FIDE gets huge entry fees and another player enters the international rating system which is now published bi-monthly and is maintained by fees from either the players or the national chess federation he or she represents!

Yes, chess in schools. The version of FIDE and national chess federations-cum-international age-group organisers?

But there is at least one other version and here before I go on I have to disclose that I am an investor in the setting up of Polgar Chess Asia, a company operating in KL in association with world champion Susan Polgar that offers chess on weekend and to schools as child enrichment.

So what is the other? Well, chess is easily learnt but not generally accessible to the uninitiated. So a kid starts to like chess and what does a parent do? Schools can only do so much. He must of course find a teacher. And unfortunately it is not rocket science for an adult with some knowledge of chess, perhaps even a passionate chess player, to become that teacher.

Then the problems arise. Even if he/she is a strong player (and how many are there with time on their hands?) this does not him/her a good teacher. But as they say, in the kingdom of the blind the one-eyed man is king or should I be talking about a big fish in a small pond? So time and again this rather predictable outcome feeds the numbers into the official version of chess in schools and ensures its success.

What is the implication for us then? Malaysia Boleh? I think more of a syiok sendiri at multiple levels by all stakeholders but why not? In both versions the parent pays and hopefully their child will have a happy ending too.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication. The Malaysian Insider does not endorse the view unless specified.