Chairman’s visit to India
By EDU Chairman Jerry Nash
After a Presentation to University Teachers and Administrators
Jerry Nash, Chairman of FIDE’s Chess in Education Commission, recently completed a tour of six cities in India to promote chess as an educational tool. Organized by the All India Chess Federation (AICF), the 10-day visit included the cities of Delhi, Bikaner, Ahmedabad, Indore, Nagpur, and Bhubaneshwar. The schedule was a combination of presentations to educators and chess trainers as well as meetings that included participation from the highest levels of government, sport, and education in each state.
The visit revealed the deep interest in both competitive and educational chess that currently exists. The Indian culture has inherent ties to the origins of chess and now chess as a means of teaching academic and 21st century skills is a logical next step in the future of the game in the country.
Leaders from government, education, and sport all expressed their support and commitment to impact Indian society by helping students acquire the skills needed for them to be successful in life and to be a positive force in society. Given the current level of interest, the potential for a large-scale chess in education initiative is significant.
The realization of this potential will be determined both by finding creative solutions to training teachers and chess trainers as well as identifying the human and financial resources needed for a project of this scope. Discussions are already underway to determine the next steps for project development.
Mr. Nash stated, “My heartfelt congratulations go to Ajeet Verma, GM Abhijit Kunte, the other leaders of the AICF, and the state chess federation leaders for their arrangement of the recent tour to promote Chess in Education. The scope of the visit was clearly a result of significant planning and hard work. The chess federation leaders at every level are to be commended for their success in raising the visibility of educational chess in India.”
