The Year of Social Chess launched with its first event – an online conference shedding light on innovative ways chess is driving social inclusion and empowering communities
How can a simple board game transform lives, unite communities, and inspire change? On the morning of January 19, the FIDE Social Chess Commission launched its first event to celebrate 2025 as the Year of Social Chess. The World Social Chess Initiatives Marathon gathered coaches, scientists and NGO representatives who use chess in social inclusion projects to discuss their work and challenges. Spanning multiple countries and case examples, the participants of the conference shared their experiences, highlighting different perspectives on the role chess can play in social inclusion.
The conference opened with a question to the participants – What does social chess mean to you? In a list of words proposed as answers to this question, two stood out as the most selected among participants: inclusivity and impact.
This sentiment was also highlighted in the opening remarks by FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, who highlighted the importance his team has given to promoting social initiatives that bring people together.
“Chess is more than a sport – it is a powerful social and educational tool. That is why FIDE takes it as its responsibility not only to promote chess competitions but to also make the game more available and accessible to everyone, everywhere. With this in mind, we proudly declare 2025 as The Year of Social Chess during which FIDE will organize projects and launch initiatives aimed at connecting individuals, organizations and institutions across the globe to use the power of chess for community building and personal growth,” Dvorkovich said.
Deputy Chair of the FIDE Management Board, Dana Reizniece, who has actively participated in social inclusion chess events in previous years, highlighted some of the biggest success stories of the projects so far: from the case of Héctor Guifarro, whose life was changed thanks to learning chess while serving a seven-year prison sentence, to the 3,000 refugee children trained by FIDE though the Chess for Freedom project.
Reizniece also announced a new ambitious plan “to increase the number of kids engaged with chess in education from 25 to 50 million, and we will work hard to deliver that,” setting it as one of the key goals for the initiatives launched in the Year of Social Chess, which will continue in the years to come.
“Be it yours or ours – every move counts,” said Reizniece, emphasizing the importance of every single effort made when it comes to social inclusion.
FIDE Social Commission Chair Andre Vögtlin outlined that this Marathon is “the opportunity to start a process that will go beyond 2025”.
“It is a start [of a process] to reunite all of us and bring all the social chess projects together and line the foundation for a social chess journey which will last for years to come”.
Vögtlin noted that the goal for 2025 is to establish a global network of social chess enthusiasts, educators and players and create initiatives which will have an impact beyond 2025, engaging national federations, sponsors and local communities.
The Social Commission also aims to conduct studies that showcase the impact of chess in different social communities, creating a valuable database for an evidence-based approach to using the game to empower different groups.
These sentiments were echoed by Dr M. R. Das – the Indian Oil Corporation Executive Director and ambassador of Social Chess for India – who said that the low cost associated with playing chess, makes the game easily accessible everywhere in the world. He also noted India’s role in the social chess projects, including in schools and prisons.
Key presentations from the first session of the Social Chess Marathon conference:
Chess and the parallels of everyday life
Ákos Vizsolyi, a mental health professional and chess coach, shared his experiences on the role chess can play in everyday life, including on the company level, helping executives and employees make decisions and better coordinate their work.
Noting the complex dynamics which exist in multi-level organizations, whether formal or informal, Vizsolyi explained that chess can play a role in the development and strengthening of competencies, the practice of self-reflection, decision-making processes and strategic vision.
Taking responsibility for the consequences of the moves in chess, the reality on the chess board reflects the reality of decisions in work and everyday life, thus providing a useful paradigm to test and experience potential scenarios.
“The activities of chess players and decision makers are very similar in a long list of aspects – objectives and goal setting, conceiving of strategy, planning, visibility level and control level,” said Vizsolyi highlighting the multi-level connections chess has with everyday life.
Chess against failure
Frédéric Zaborski, a retired French teacher, founded the NGO "Échecs contre échec" ("Chess against failure") in 2016, running in France, Cambodia, Laos, Brazil and Mexico. The focus of the organization is to use chess as an educational tool to combat failure and promote personal development, primarily among students and marginalized communities. The organization aims to provide schools with chess equipment, sending club members or local players to educational institutions to introduce students to chess.
Drawing on his experiences in chess education, Zaborski emphasized the need for a clear agreed commitment and action plan with the schools on introducing chess to children, in order for the projects to thrive.
“As a former teacher, each student has their own way of understanding things. A teacher therefore must use different modes of approach,” Zaborski said.
"The main mistake is that the presentation/discovery of the chess board is often made too quickly, discouraging many students. Before being introduced to the rules, the student must understand the board – the geometry, space. That is not easy for all. Chess teachers must spend more time on this initial step,” he noted.
OLIMPIA Chess Academia (Spain) and Chess2all (Portugal)
Jose Francisco Suarez Roa a psychologist and chess player from Spain spoke about the initiatives OLIMPIA Chess Academia has been organizing on the Iberian Peninsula.
According to Suarez, in all the activities they have organized – be they for patients with cancer, the elderly or people in need of emotional and social support – it was shown that chess can act as a strong therapeutic tool.
Suarez also highlighted the role chess can play in combating social isolation – supporting people with different disabilities.
Experiences with chess projects in correctional facilities have shown that the game “has helped rehabilitate, educate and provide social reintegration, with emotional regulation and building social skills,” Suarez said.
Susana Alexandra Gonçalves, who heads the “Chess 2 All” project in Portugal, noted the activities of her organization in making chess accessible to a wider demographic and chess playing a role in preventive care.
One particular project Gonçalves highlighted was focused on helping children with cancer manage their struggle through playing chess.
“Chess is offering them not just a distraction but a meaningful way to spend their time and increase their resilience, helping them alleviate stress and forge connections. The project aims to provide children and families a source of hope, helping them navigate the challenges and the treatment process”.
View full presentations:
Chess2all:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1jpORx0r2JdwJVACnIL34Tk3M0epYsha9/edit#slide=id.p1
Susan Goncalves - Chess2All (PDF)
OLIMPIA Chess Academia:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1fK6QhPyDKO0JHIwtHREgORQ81m-4FPnK/edit#slide=id.p1
Pep Suarez - Chess as a Therapeutic Tool and Social Inclusion Strategy (PDF)
The role of chess in preventing cognitive decline
Another noteworthy initiative from Spain presented at the conference was the “Premove Chesslife”, headed by International Master and a neurosurgeon from Córdoba, Cristóbal Blanco Acevedo, which looks at how chess can help maintain mental health.
Dr. Blanco's research also included an analysis on how playing chess modifies the different structures of the brain, leading to improvement.
Research has shown that regular chess practice enhances brain function and may delay the onset of neurological diseases.
“Chess is a tool for cognitive connectivity, improvement and social inclusion and this needs to be investigated further,” Dr. Blanco noted.
View full presentation:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ejKs09Cbe7ucRH7dsPIiMZ4BCoON6bUh/edit#slide=id.p1
Cristóbal Blanco - The Role of Chess in Preventing Cognitive Decline.pdf
Ek Prayaas – chess as a tool for engaging deprived communities in India
Ranu Gupta and Lokesh Natoo from India presented their grassroots campaign Ek Prayaas, which uses chess for social empowerment of marginalized groups and deprived communities in rural India.
As a low cost tool with high engagement potential, chess has helped in making positive changes in rural village communities where it was introduced.
However, the organizers noted the logistical and financial challenges in delivering such a project in large and densely populated communities.
View full presentation:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1vz6dA8Es6XyYXM3kA0jFZVUUK4qLdNDT/edit#slide=id.p1
Interview with Kanthi Devi Sarjoo, a speech and language therapist at Brown's School (South Africa)
At Brown’s School in South Africa, children on the autism spectrum have found a surprising companion—chess. Kanthi Devi Sarjoo, a speech and language therapist at the school, shared her experiences on how the centuries-old game is used as a tool for transforming the lives of her students.
Following Sarjoo’s involvement in the Infinite Chess Project in 2019, she began teaching chess to children with speech and language impediments at her school. The program has been so successful that in a school where children struggle to speak, “the nosiest classroom is the chess classroom. For a speech therapist, this is like a party.”
The benefits extend well beyond the board. Sarjoo noted her first-hand experience of seeing children in her school initiate conversations, a skill that’s often challenging for those with speech impairments. Parents, too, have noticed. “They see chess as a tool to enhance social interaction,” she explained.
Introducing chess as a formal lesson wasn’t without its hurdles. Convincing the school’s leadership to replace traditional speech therapy sessions with chess required determination and a clear explanation of its benefits. “We had to put in the effort to make this happen, but the support from FIDE and the Infinite Chess team has been invaluable,” she said.
Funding remains a challenge, particularly in South Africa, but Sarjoo remains optimistic. “We’re resourceful, though there’s definitely room for improvement,” she admitted.
For Sarjoo, the rewards are undeniable. She spoke about a once nonverbal child who pointed to the chess lesson on a timetable—a significant breakthrough. Another student, shy and almost silent, stood up during a class to solve a chess puzzle on the board – the first time she showed initiative. “She was engaged, following along all the time, and it was incredible to see her step forward like that.”
Sarjoo emphasized the importance of creating awareness, and her school does this through social media. But the ultimate goal is larger still: research. “We need evidence-based research to spread these projects and bring chess into every home with a child on the spectrum,” she said, urging the global chess community to support this endeavor.
Benchmarking change: How to measure the effects of social projects – a view from UNHCR
The morning session of the conference ended with the presentation from Colette Armitage from the UNHCR’s Sport Coordination Team, a key partner for FIDE in the Chess for Protection chess initiative in the refugee camp in Kenya. Armitage, an associate external relations officer for UNHCR, shared insights on the challenges and opportunities in using sport, including chess, to support displaced communities.
Armitage opened with a shocking fact: currently there are over 122.6 million people worldwide who have been forcibly displaced, most of them in the global south. Sport offers them a glimmer of hope, not just to survive but to thrive, Armitage said, adding that UNHCR puts a lot of emphasis on partnerships in this area.
Through its "More than a Game" framework, UNHCR connects global partners to refugees via its operations in over 130 locations. Chess, as part of the broader Sport for Protection initiative, has a strong potential for successful outcomes such as better psychosocial health, strengthened community ties, and enhanced life skills for participants.
However, Armitage highlighted the challenges in assessing such projects. “Monitoring the success of sport initiatives is complex”. Limited technical capacity, inconsistent monitoring, and gaps between donor expectations and realities on the ground are ongoing hurdles.
To address this the UNHCR created a structured measuring framework. Projects are designed with clear intentions, focusing on outputs, outcomes, and long-term impacts. Central to this – when it comes to chess - is the need to address two critical questions: How can chess engage communities and create an enabling environment? What barriers prevent access to chess?
With projects typically spanning over two or three years, a focus on regular participation and measurable changes is key to tracking the success of the outputs. “It’s a learning process,” Armitage acknowledged, adding that flexibility and creativity are essential in monitoring and evaluation.
View full presentation:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1QQXphqhJyHkTkuERYGlpYZIIG3Mu6RdG/edit#slide=id.p1
How to Measure the Effects of Social Projects – A View from UNHCR.pdf
The morning session of the conference concluded with a call for greater cooperation and research in chess and inclusivity. This conference is the first step in a series of FIDE events marking 2025 as The Year of Social Chess.
The full recording of the morning session of the World Social Chess Initiatives Marathon will be available soon on FIDE YouTube channel.
