On October 15, Armenian State Pedagogical University (ASPU) hosted André Vögtlin, President of the Swiss Chess Federation and Chairman of the FIDE Social Commission.

During the working meeting, ASPU Rector Srbuhi Gevorgyan said that the University emphasizes the role of chess in education and its existence in the curricula.

She said it is no accident that the subject is included in the curricula of the Faculty of Primary Education: the long-term and continuous research of the University's "Chess" Research Institute have served as basis for that. In particular, the Institute has tried to find the answers to the questions: does chess affect the quality of education? If yes, how does chess affect the quality? What qualitative changes do children involved in chess education experience? What impact does the combination of subjects have on these children?

Srbuhi Gevorgyan then focused on the extensive research conducted by the Institute, stressing that psychologists, sociologists, and educators, including special educators are involved in the process. She then emphasized that the goal of the research is to find out if chess influences a child's cognitive abilities.

During the meeting, the Doctor of Psychological Sciences also said that chess education can enhance children's cognitive and social development, result in qualitative changes, solve various behavioral problems, boost effective communication, and open opportunities for teamwork. She added that they also underscore the importance of forming the soft skills of a 21st-century teacher. "There was ambiguity in chess education approaches. Research data was needed to clarify our possibilities for building children’s educational program on the basis chess education," she stressed.

Srbuhi Gevorgyan also spoke about the necessity of having corresponding textbooks and professional interaction, which solved the problem of training specialists in the field by preparing and training relevant specialists. The ASPU rector noted that they are ready to get acquainted with FIDE's experience and include their best practices in the local educational process.

The president of the Swiss Chess Federation and Chairman of the FIDE Social Commission presented their experience in the field and asked some questions.

Smbat Lputyan, Head of the Chess and Sports Chair at ASPU and Director of the Chess Research Institute, highly appreciated the work and efforts aimed at popularizing chess education in Armenia, emphasizing that today, in the person of Srbuhi Gevorgyan, an attempt is being made to spread and emphasize the role of chess.

André Vögtlin also visited the Chess Institute, where he was introduced to the studies of the employees, research results, and methodology.