Chess Teaches Vital Life Skills, Should Be in Schools: Player

Chess offers a valuable platform for developing essential life skills in children and should be integrated into school curricula, according to chess player Noemi Špiranec. She emphasizes that the game teaches crucial abilities like decision-making, logical and strategic thinking, and healthy ways to cope with losses, underscoring that every move has consequences. In today's digital age, chess also provides a much-needed "screen-free" activity.

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Chess should be introduced in schools because it teaches children important life skills such as decision-making, logical and strategic thinking, and also teaches them how to deal with defeats in a healthy way and that all our decisions come with consequences.

While chess is recognized as a sport by the International Olympic Committee, it is not yet an Olympic event. However, it has its own Olympiad held biennially. Špiranec, a third-year entrepreneurship student at the Faculty of Economics in Rijeka, advocates for chess's inclusion in schools, noting its growing presence as an elective subject in various countries and as an extracurricular activity in many Croatian schools.

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Chess is a sport because it has all the components like, for example, football, handball, or basketball; all chess players must invest many hours and effort in training, learning, and preparation, as well as going to tournaments like other athletes.

Špiranec, a former junior champion, explains that chess demands the same dedication as sports like football or basketball, requiring hours of training, study, and tournament participation. She refutes the notion that chess lacks physical demands, stating that prolonged games require intense concentration, which is best supported by regular physical exercise. Top players often engage in other sports to maintain peak mental and physical condition for major competitions.

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It is not true that it does not require physical fitness. Playing, especially long tournament games, requires good concentration, and the best way for the brain to concentrate for a long time is regular physical exercise and movement.

Having started chess at age 10, Špiranec quickly developed a passion for the game, moving from local competitions to national and international success. Her achievements include winning the Croatian national championship for under-17s and a gold medal with the Croatian national team at the 2019 Mitropa Cup. She has since opened a chess school, driven by a desire to share her knowledge, particularly with children, and has coached students of all ages from around the world.

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I have always wanted and believed that I would be involved in chess, I just didn't know exactly how.