The game of chess is to be made a mandatory subject in schools in Spain.
The resolution had so much support from all sides that it passed unanimously in the country’s parliament.
The Socialist MP who proposed it claimed the game “improves memory and strategic capacity, teaches students to make decisions under high pressure and develops concentration”.
Children who were taught to play chess did better in their maths and reading scores, according to a study by two Spanish universities.
The results from a similar study of 5,000 children in the UK are expected in 2016.
The initial recommendation to implement chess in the school programme came from the Congressional Education Committee which said it was following recommendations from the European Parliament in 2012.
Some chess observers and champions argue that the game imparts life skills, such as analysis, the use of logic and effective decision-making. Others disagree, believing that the point of the game is the obliteration of one’s opponent and “war over the board”, as Bobby Fischer said, with the objective of crushing the opponent’s mind.
But, like so much in life, perhaps it depends more on the individual’s interpretation rather than outsiders’ view of the game.
