The “Theory and Practice of Chess Education” international conference, organized by the Armenian State Pedagogical University (ASPU), “Chess” Scientific Research Institute and the International School Chess Federation, was summed up.

Among the participants were Armenian and international specialists who conduct studies in chess education, chess pedagogy and chess psychology, as well as in the areas of cognitive development and critical thinking.

Among the attendees were President of the European Chess Union Zurab Azmaiparashvili and former FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich.

The keynote speakers of the second day of the conference were Roberto Trinchero, Professor of Experimental Pedagogy at the University of Turin, and FIDE master, senior coach and chess education specialist Kevin O’Connell.

The conference was held through panel sessions. Various approaches to and experiences related to the application of chess in the context of inclusive education were presented during the panel session entitled “Chess and Inclusive Education”.

There was also a master class (“Shaping inclusive chess teaching environments for learners with autism: From methodology to classroom practice”) conducted by President of Olimpia Chess Academy of Spain, psychologist and chess education specialist Pep Suarez.

The discussions during the “Chess Teachers Training” were related to chess teachers’ professional development, training and the pedagogical approaches required for organizing chess education effectively.

The “Chess and Digital Literacy” session was devoted to the opportunities that technological tools have to offer.

The sessions were recapped with a panel discussion on “Using Technologies without Sacrificing Thinking”.

Summing up the conference, Program Director of the “Chess” Scientific Research Institute Vahan Sargsyan noted that the event stood out with its content, coverage, international participants and the modernity of the topics that were discussed.

“Today’s conference is unprecedented in terms of its content, coverage, internationality and modernity. The topic of chess education, which is studied quite well in Armenia and is a component of the country’s educational system, can serve as an interesting practice for different countries to explore and integrate that practice,” Vahan Sargsyan noted.

Touching upon digital literacy and the use of technologies, he noted that the successes that Armenia has made in chess and information technologies, can be an interesting experience for professional discussions abroad.

“Today, it is important to understand how we can use chess in the information era and how we can apply digital technologies without losing the human component. This is an important matter on a global scale,” he noted.

Vahan Sargsyan also touched upon the interconnectedness between research and the educational process. According to him, it is important to not only make new discoveries based on research, but also create mechanisms to introduce those discoveries in the educational process, assess their impact and improve the educational practice on a continual basis.

“Our exclusive practice is that we have not only introduced chess in the education sector, but have also established a research institution that tracks the application of discoveries in the educational process, explores the changes that are taking place, and how research and education can work in tandem,” he emphasized.

At the end of the “Theory and Practice of Chess Education” international conference, the participants received certificates.