FIDE hails KRI’s chess education initiative

Shafaq News- Erbil

The International Chess Federation (FIDE) commended the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) for introducing chess into its school curriculum as “an important milestone for chess education.”

Developed by Khanzad Chess Club in cooperation with the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Ministry of Education and the Iraqi Chess Federation, the program covers students in grades seven, eight, and nine.

FIDE highlighted the game’s role in developing critical thinking, concentration, creativity, discipline, patience, and problem-solving skills.

Khanzad Chess Club, headed by Dr. Dlzar Hamasalih Qadir, prepared the curriculum and a 15-page section incorporated into the official Physical Education Teacher’s Guide. The club also trained 150 physical education teachers from Erbil during a week-long course organized with the Education Ministry.

Schools across the KRI have begun implementing the program, which FIDE said is a model of cooperation between educational and chess institutions and is a step toward expanding chess education in Iraq.