Chess might become part of school curriculum

A new school subject - Chess - might appear in Kazakhstan schools. Kazakhstan chess champion Zhansya Abdumalik approached Nursultan Nazarbayev with this idea, Tengrinews.kz reports from the Nazarbayev University. “What about the idea to introduce chess into the school curriculum?” Zhansaya asked the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev straight after the interactive lecture he gave to the students of the University. “I support this idea and we have already made a decision to construct a chess center in Astana. It will be called the Academy of Chess and will be built in the form of a chess castle or some other chess figure,” Nazarbayev answered and also shared his opinion that chess could do good for children. “Recently I have met World Chess Association officials and we discussed the countries where playing chess is very popular among children. When children start playing chess their school results improve, especially their mathematics skills. Chess developing their thinking and teach them to calculate several moves ahead. Any person who rules a country should play chess as well. I play chess, too, but not as good as you do, Zhansaya. Should be play, I will surely loose to you.” The President said. Earlier Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, World Chess Federation president, announced plans to construct the International Chess Palace in Astana.