THE SMART MOVES SUMMIT IS RESHAPING THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION
The inaugural Smart Moves Summit — held alongside the World Schools Team Championship and devoted to chess education in schools — wrapped up on Wednesday, August 6. Though only two days long, the discussions at the conference were highly productive and filled with fresh ideas. The result is a declaration outlining the steps to make chess the second literacy of the 21st century, after reading and mathematics.
The Smart Moves Summit, organized by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) in collaboration with the International School Chess Federation (ISCF) and supported by NASDAQ-listed Freedom Holding Corp., took place in Alexandria, Washington, D.C., on August 4–5 as part of the World Schools Team Championship 2025. The Summit aimed to rethink education by using chess as a powerful educational and developmental tool.
During the Summit’s inaugural edition, scientists, researchers, educators, coaches, country and international chess project leaders, chess tech entrepreneurs, government officials, and influencers discussed how this ancient game can equip children worldwide not only with basic knowledge but also with strategy, resilience, and creativity. Additionally, they explored how chess can promote equality and inclusivity, particularly in underserved countries and communities.
Good Old New
Using chess in education isn’t a new idea. “The Soviet Union once embraced it as a tool to foster strategic thinking, and school chess championships became a long-standing tradition,” recalls FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich. Starting in 2011, Armenia made chess a mandatory subject for students aged 6–8 in all schools. In Georgia, children in the first and second grades study the game. Several states in India have introduced chess into the school curriculum. In China, chess is an elective or extracurricular activity, especially in urban regions. A pilot program in Denmark substituted one weekly math lesson for a chess class for students in grades 1–3. This led to a significant improvement in math performance, and now about 500 schools participate in the program.
The objective of the summit is to expand these initiatives on a global scale, leveraging the most effective practices and technological advancements.
Smart Moves
One key recommendation from the Summit was to find a balance between technology and human interaction. Participants concluded that chess apps, AI-powered platforms for game analysis, and VR simulations should not replace real-time games. Interacting with a teacher and with other players fosters emotional intelligence, which cannot be developed through a screen.
Improving national education policies worldwide is crucial for advancing chess education. To this end, Freedom Holding Corp. is working with FIDE on a Global Exchange Platform, a digital network for collaboration, where countries, schools, and teams can share case studies, research, mentorship, and joint initiatives.
Timur Turlov, Freedom Holding’s CEO and the President of the International School Chess Federation, said, “We are willing to develop joint educational programs and localize their content so that it aligns with national education systems. We also plan to support the creation of national recognition systems to reward schools that integrate chess. This is how we intend to build a truly global chess-in-schools movement,” he explained.
Last but certainly not least is the question of who should pay for this. Although chess is a low-cost, high-impact tool, sustainable funding is necessary to implement the game in schools. For that, the Summit participants emphasized the need for public-private partnerships, arguing that without business support, scaling these programs would be impossible.
Not Just Words!
The first-ever global conference on the role of chess in education resulted in a declaration signed by the participants. The document outlined shared principles and guidelines for integrating chess into the global educational agenda alongside STEM, financial literacy, and ethics. The document also called on governments and educational institutions to integrate chess into formal and informal learning environments and social programs.
According to FIDE, steps to be taken include providing teacher training, a curriculum framework, and evidence-based support to scale sustainable chess education programs.
“Chess is an educational ecosystem. It’s a tool that builds resilient thinking and lays the groundwork for sustainable education. It doesn’t matter if children live in a village, small town, or big city, they deserve the chance to learn through chess, just as they do through math or reading,” explained Timur Turlov. He believes that chess should become the second literacy of the 21st century. “After learning to read and write, every child should learn to think strategically.”