The FIDE Chess in Education Committee recently hosted an online seminar to honor the recipients of the second cycle of the FIDE School Awards. This award recognizes excellence in school chess programs that have a dedicated focus on chess as an educational tool, have a demonstrable impact on their local communities, and maintain a sustainable model for engaging community and promote the educational and social/emotional benefits of chess.

The awards are presented in gold, silver, and bronze categories based on a dozen assessment components. The evaluation focuses on three key aspects: chess an educational tool, the school’s impact on community and culture, and innovation.

There are several ways chess programs can make a difference, but the ultimate goal remains the same: to raise awareness about the power of educational chess in schools to transform lives.

One of the highlights of the webinar was the presentation of school programs, offering participants a glimpse into the diverse ways different schools go about integrating chess into education. These presentations also showcased the variety of methods different cultures approach the idea of chess as a means of enhancing education in many other subjects. Here is a quick overview of two of the award-winning schools that presented during the seminar:

Overseas Family School (Singapore)

The chess program at Overseas Family School (OFS) was a recipient of the FIDE Gold School award. Their program features a robust teaching component that has chess as a mandatory subject for grades K-5. They support kids learning at their own pace and developing a love for the game and incorporate innovative learning tools to assist children in learning, including chess yoga and songs. The school also engages the local and international chess community by organizing events that raise social awareness, such as their Checkmate to Racism initiative. Click HERE to learn more.

Colegio Kender (Durango, Mexico)

A recipient of the FIDE Gold School Award, Colegio Kender integrates both over-the-board and digital learning tools in a dedicated chess space on campus, to tell children about the transformative lessons chess can offer. The school organizes competitive tournaments and fun in-school events, such as Halloween Chess Night. Colegio Kender also promotes chess beyond the classroom by hosting public chess activities in community spaces. Chess is deeply embedded in the school’s culture, with students actively participating from early education through high school. Click HERE to learn more.

Benefits of the award

Beyond the prestige of recognition by FIDE, award-winning schools receive tangible benefits to further enhance their chess programs and introduce new tools including:

• ChessKid memberships – up to 500 Gold memberships (for 4 months) for their school.
• One-year Premium membership for your school on LearningChess.net
• One-year Premium LogiqBoard license for up to five teachers.
• Six months’ free Notationary.app membership for teachers.
• Discount for teachers of your school to attend an online Preparation of Teachers (PoT) Course. 20% for Bronze, 30% for Silver and 50% for Gold Award-winning schools.

Collaboration and communication is key

Of fundamental importance in keeping the momentum of the movement of educational chess is spreading the message through the collaboration of programs. FSA award winners were encouraged to connect with each other and find ways to create international partnerships and cultural exchanges to share ideas and open opportunities for kids to engage with each other. These collaborations do not have to be purely competitive, though a combination of friendly competition with cultural exchanges can be very fruitful. For example, two schools from the first cycle of awards, Hamilton K-8 School from the USA and G C School of Careers from Cyprus, played an online friendly match with. The kids from both sides had a great deal of fun and the event was celebrated in their communities.

Promoting such international collaborations helps reinforce chess’s educational, social, and cultural benefits, extending beyond critical thinking into the social and cultural realms.

Applications are open for the 3rd Cycle!

Applications for the third cycle of the FIDE School Awards are now open and will close on April 30, 2025. We encourage schools committed to use chess as a tool for uplifting and enhancing the educational journey of a child to apply. There is no single approach to intergrading chess into education-different schools and communities do it in unique ways. Competitive chess is not a requirement for eligibility, what matters is demonstrating meaningful impact through chess. FIDE EDU invites you to share your stories with us so that we can all learn and help educate our communities about the transformative power of chess. Congratulations to the winners of the second cycle!

Clink HERE for more information about the application.

Written by Abel Talamantez