Should chess be compulsory in schools?

TheKeenMachine

Just came across this article while surfing the web and I was wondering what other people's opinions are on making chess compulsory for primary students in Irish schools. Not only would the standard of Irish chess improve as more children become interested in chess at an early age, but as the article highlights, it would improve young people's ability to use logic, as well as desicion making and calculation. Personally, I think it would be a good idea, but that's just an opinion.



http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/chess/8893205/Armenia-makes-chess-compulsory-for-school-children.html

Recessionbust

Its a hard one. Chess is a great game which can teach great lessons but I would be worried that making it compulsory would take the enjoyment out of it and maybe have the opposite effect that we want it to have. Doin something you want to do is always more enjoyable then doing what you have to do and its no different as a child

TheKeenMachine

Recessionbust wrote: »

Its a hard one. Chess is a great game which can teach great lessons but I would be worried that making it compulsory would take the enjoyment out of it and maybe have the opposite effect that we want it to have. Doin something you want to do is always more enjoyable then doing what you have to do and its no different as a child

Yes, that is a good point. I've always hated maths but I've wondered whether or not I would be interested in it had it not been a school subject

brilliantboy

I don't see any problem with making it compulsory.
Sure, there will be students who don't take to it but that makes it no different to any other subject.
Kids with no interest in sport have to 'suffer' through PE, so why not make the kids with no interest in games 'suffer' through chess class?

PandaX9

Personally, I find this a very interesting topic. My father is a professional Chess grandmaster and for the past few years now, he's been running chess program's for children in various schools around Dublin (north and south) for many years now. In recent times, there seems to be a greater interest in it from both parents and children alike. Many of his students have signed up for private lessons in their own homes or even group lessons along with a couple of friends, however these are more risky as there is an element of distraction involved. He frequently holds camps and tournaments, with varying degrees of success.

Having said that, I'm not sure this would be all too a popular idea. And if it was to be made optional, there's a danger of not having enough interest. I'm not yet sure of the impact that chess has made on my life yet, perhaps I could argue that subconsciously taught me to think more clearly. Then again, my father never bothered teaching me or talking about it; chess is something that's just all over our house unfortunately.

I think its a nice outlet for children to learn to develop paitence and on some level, it teaches them how to respect other people (having to wait for them to make a decision etc) and maybe, be a little more aggressive than defensive with their desires (competing with each other to win prizes and not giving into this ridiculous system of being portrayed as a "loser" to peers for achieving something, particularly in the academic sector).

TheKeenMachine

PandaX9 wrote: »

Personally, I find this a very interesting topic. My father is a professional Chess grandmaster and for the past few years now, he's been running chess program's for children in various schools around Dublin (north and south) for many years now. In recent times, there seems to be a greater interest in it from both parents and children alike. Many of his students have signed up for private lessons in their own homes or even group lessons along with a couple of friends, however these are more risky as there is an element of distraction involved. He frequently holds camps and tournaments, with varying degrees of success.

Having said that, I'm not sure this would be all too a popular idea. And if it was to be made optional, there's a danger of not having enough interest. I'm not yet sure of the impact that chess has made on my life yet, perhaps I could argue that subconsciously taught me to think more clearly. Then again, my father never bothered teaching me or talking about it; chess is something that's just all over our house unfortunately.

I think its a nice outlet for children to learn to develop paitence and on some level, it teaches them how to respect other people (having to wait for them to make a decision etc) and maybe, be a little more aggressive than defensive with their desires (competing with each other to win prizes and not giving into this ridiculous system of being portrayed as a "loser" to peers for achieving something, particularly in the academic sector).

Of course there is a possibility of there not being much interest, but surely many schools would not have it as an option at all. I think if it were an exam subject, the traditional chess schools (Gonzaga, CBC Cork, St. Benildus etc.) would probably have it as a subject, as it clearly would have enough numbers.
However in other schools, there would unlikely be the numbers to hold a class, as you have said. That is why I think if chess were to be brought in as a school subject, it would have to be compulsory.

PandaX9

TheKeenMachine wrote: »

Of course there is a possibility of there not being much interest, but surely many schools would not have it as an option at all. I think if it were an exam subject, the traditional chess schools (Gonzaga, CBC Cork, St. Benildus etc.) would probably have it as a subject, as it clearly would have enough numbers.
However in other schools, there would unlikely be the numbers to hold a class, as you have said. That is why I think if chess were to be brought in as a school subject, it would have to be compulsory.

But forcing children to play when they would really rather not has disatrous results in the chess worlds However, I agree that it would have to be an everyone-or-no one participates kind of situation.


If something like this were to be introduced in Ireland, the logical thing to do would be to establish more clubs in various communities (the amount of them at the moment is very small) and see if it garners any interest at all, then make an informed decision.


See the thing is, Armenia has always had chess in its history. As does Russia. It's something thats just embedded in the cultures; a pasttime that everyone can partake in. It's one of the only activities that new recruits in the Russian army are allowed to do. Not so much in Ireland, Ireland does not have the widespread use of chess as a past time.

byhookorbycrook

If the curriculum weren't so overcrowded,I'd say yes, certainly, but as is schools can hardly find time to do the core subjects.