Chess in the schools in Laos

Laos Ministries of Education and Sports Introduce Chess in Schools
Sunday, 28 February 2010 15:04

Following the visit this week by FIDE General Secretary Ignatius Leong and Asian Chess Federation Deputy President Casto Abundo to Vientiane, the Lao Ministry of Education and Ministry of Sports have agreed to establish a chess in schools program in Laos.

Asian Chess Federation president Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifah Al Nahyan had requested the FIDE General Secretary to assist in activating chess in Laos and Cambodia and tasked the ACF Deputy President to revitalize their dormant chess federations.

In his capacity ten years ago as Southeast Asian Zone President, Leong had visited Laos and Cambodia to establish their national chess federations.

During the recent 3-day visit from 24 to 26 February 2010, they met with officials of the Lao Ministry of Education, Lao National Committee of Sport and Physical Culture, and Lao National Olympic Committee and visited a model school in Vientiane. In the discussions, it was emphasized that children who learn chess perform better in school than those who do not.

Here is the full article.