Chess in Schools: Findings from a FIDE Survey Across 100 Countries

Chess in Schools Around the World: What a Survey of 100 Countries Reveals

In a chess lesson, a child faces a task that is easy to understand but difficult to master: make a choice and accept its consequences. Rush a move, and a piece is lost. Spot a threat, and the position can be saved. These situations help explain why educators are interested in the game. But how can individual lessons become a lasting educational programme—and how can schools assess the benefits?

On October 15, 2026, FIDE published an overview of a global survey of school chess programmes. Its central question goes beyond the familiar debate about the benefits of the game: what does it take to make chess a valuable part of school life?

Nearly 30 Million Children: Estimating the Reach

The survey gathered responses from 239 respondents across 100 countries, representing schools, federations and organisations involved in developing school chess. Responses were collected between October 2025 and June 2026.

According to the estimates provided, chess activities reach nearly 30 million children, around half of them in India. More than 145,000 schoolteachers and approximately 22,500 external chess instructors are involved in teaching.

These figures are estimates rather than a census. Participation was voluntary, and respondents largely supplied their own estimates of participation numbers. The findings therefore describe the programmes represented in the survey, rather than all schools worldwide.

Digital Tools Are Ahead of Curriculum Development

The full report reveals a notable gap: 64.7% of surveyed programmes use software, 42.9% have a written curriculum, and 53.6% have qualification requirements for instructors.

For schools, this difference has practical implications. Access to a platform can help teachers organise exercises, but it does not, by itself, answer the educational questions: what should children learn, in what order, and how should their understanding be assessed?

For example, the ability to deliver checkmate in one move can be checked with a puzzle. A claim that chess develops independent thinking requires teachers to define beforehand which changes they intend to observe. Without a clear objective, even an engaging lesson is difficult to evaluate.

From a Teacher’s Initiative to an Established System

The authors identify four stages of development: initial activities led by enthusiasts; teacher training and access to equipment; expansion supported by established programmes and coordination; and integration into education policy.

This model helps schools ask a practical question: what is preventing the next step? One school may need chess sets and someone able to deliver the first lessons. Another may need a coherent course for different age groups. A third may need arrangements that allow lessons to continue after the person who started them leaves.

Continuity is especially important for children. If teaching starts from scratch every year, it becomes difficult to build a steady progression from learning the rules to playing with purpose.

What Do We Know About Effectiveness?

Improved academic performance was cited as a benefit by 88.4% of respondents. However, this reflects participants’ views rather than an established causal effect. Meanwhile, 48.2% of programmes have no system for evaluating outcomes.

A survey covering 100 countries does not mean that the effectiveness of chess has been proven in 100 countries. It describes how programmes operate and what their organisers expect them to achieve.

Assessing the impact on learning requires more than noticing that children attending a chess club receive good grades. Their starting abilities, motivation and other activities must also be considered, with results compared under similar conditions.

Evaluation can still be useful without a large-scale experiment. Schools can track attendance, learning progress and pupils’ interest. The key is to keep different measures distinct: success in chess puzzles does not, on its own, demonstrate an improvement in mathematics.

What Is Holding Programmes Back?

The main obstacles identified by respondents were a lack of funding (79%), curricula (67%) and trained teachers (66.5%).

These challenges are connected. Teachers need time and materials to prepare, while schools need a clear understanding of the outcomes they are allocating resources to achieve. Developing school chess therefore requires educators, programme organisers and researchers to work together.

The approach to teaching matters, too. Children who are just getting to know the pieces need accessible explanations and room to make mistakes. Tasks that are too difficult can undermine their interest before they experience the satisfaction of finding a solution themselves.

What Should the Next Move Be?

One of the strengths of school chess is its ability to draw children into thinking: suggest a move, discuss a mistake and try again. Preserving that curiosity while building a coherent learning experience around it is a worthwhile task for schools.

The international survey helps identify where this work needs stronger support. The next steps are clear objectives, well-prepared teachers and honest evaluation. With those foundations in place, discussions about the benefits of chess can become more precise—and lessons more valuable for children.