Chess is likely to be introduced into Russian Schools Curriculum!

On 20 July 2007 at a press-conference in Moscow, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Science and Education of the Russian Federation Duma Valentina Ivanova (Edinaia Rossia) has informed the AG Regnum that soon, in Russia, primary schools will have obligatory lessons of chess.

Ivanova said, that "school has to become a quintessence of social life. The Ministry of Education and Science of Russia supports the introduction of chess into the state education standard". According to the Duma Deputy, psychologists think that it is necessary to start chess education in a primary school. "There is a proposal to have 2 hours of chess a week in the 1st class, 2 hours in the 2nd and 3 hours in the 3rd", Ivanova said. She also reminded that there is a draft legislation on the introduction of the Federal State Education Standard in the Russian Duma.

World Champion Anatoly Karpov said, "I am not in favour of children having to study chess during the whole period of the school education. It is difficult to be forced to study this game. But the first year of teaching chess allows to master a skill of defending one's point of view as well as an ability of taking decisions". At the same time, Karpov noted that the introduction of comprehensive chess education will be facing the problem of teachers. He said, "we are in absolute need of chess instructors. The main sports higher institution of the country produces 7 chess trainers per year". In her turn, Mrs. Ivanova said that "a Chess instructor" is not included into the list of teaching specialities and there is a lot to do in order for such a speciality to come into existence.

Mrs. Ivanova also said that in the Cheliabinsk region an experiment had been launched and the 2nd class schoolchildren learn the basics of chess. Such children have better academic performance. She also reminded that the initiative to introduce a new comprehensive subject - chess - belongs to the All Russia Public Organisation "Russian Pedagogical Congress", which was made in June.

According to Mr. Karpov, "chess is present in schools in all the continents, and many have an intention to join the world school chess education system".

The Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov drew the attention to the fact that in Kalmykia, its schools have lessons of chess for more than 10 years and according to the information he has, it promotes improving of the results in a whole range of subjects. Mr. Gryzlov said, "Average increase of the children's academic performance is 40%. I think that such experience can be widely used in other regions". He also noted that it is necessary to increase public and state support to the mass interest to this sport.

In his reply to a question, whether parents will support such an initiative, bearing in mind that the school curriculum is already very stressful, Mr. Karpov said, "if parents want their children to become more intelligent, they will support this proposal. Chess develops memory, allows the children to understand other schools disciplines better".
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