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A cautious yes is the verdict of a systematic review of studies on the effects of school chess that will be presented at the second London Chess and Education Conference on 6 and 7 December. Anna Nicotera from the Basis Policy Research institute has analyzed all the research she could trace on a grant from the St. Louis Chess Club and Scholastic Center. Her review doesn´t yet include several brandnew studies from Italy, Denmark and Sweden and ongoing studies in the UK and Spain, all of which are going to be discussed in London.
The conference was launched in 2013 and has been an immediate success. Nearly 100 school chess experts from all continents gathered at last year's London Chess Classic. This year the conference focuses on Chess and Mathematics. Improving maths education has currently high priority in the United Kingdom. Chess in Schools and Communities, the charity that runs the conference and the London Chess Classic festival, is alerting decision-makers about the benefits of chess with regard to the aquisition of maths, logic and reasoning.
Even more important than the latest reseach is the exchange of ideas and best practices. Instilling cooperation across borders is another important goal of the meeting, for which delegates from 25 countries on all five continents have registered. Registration is still open and free for contributors and those who travel from outside Europe. The conference also features an exhibition of printed and digital chess teaching and teacher training materials with Chessbase among the exhibitors.
There is a growing consensus that chess instruction benefits from a diverse arsenal of games, actitivies and puzzles. To encourage new contributions a competition has been added to the conference: The best new educational game using the chess board and pieces and suitable for use in primary school will be voted by an international jury and be awarded a first prize of 500 pounds.
You can view the full programme of the conference here.
The main conference room
Malcolm Pein and Stefan Loeffler open the conference
The panel with Leontxo Garcia, Leo Battisti, John Foley, Garry Kasparov and Carl Fredrik Johansson
Garry Kasparov and Carl Fredrik Johansson take part in the discussions
Sarah Kett giving a presentation
Professor Aram Hajian, American University of Armenia
Professor Fernand Gobet, University of Liverpool
Workshop on Sunday
Refreshment break
