New FIDE President to visit Armenia for school chess tournament in Tsaghkadzor

Newly elected FIDE President Timur Turlov will make his first official visit in the role to Armenia. On September 29, he will speak at the opening ceremony of the European stage of the World Schools Team Championship in Tsaghkadzor. Turlov is also President of the International School Chess Federation (ISCF).

The competition will take place from September 29 to October 2. School teams from across Europe will compete for places in the World Championship Grand Final. The tournament will feature eight rounds under the Swiss system. Each team has four main players and one reserve, with both a boy and a girl represented in the squad.

Armenia will be represented by three teams that qualified through the Armenian School Chess Olympiad: Yerevan Basic School No. 77, the Mkhitar Sebastatsi Educational Complex and Ayntap Secondary School No. 1. The event is organized by FIDE and ISCF together with the Chess Federation of Armenia and the European Chess Union, with support from Freedom Holding Corp.

On the opening day, Turlov will meet staff at the Chess Research Institute of the Armenian State Pedagogical University. They plan to discuss chess education and international cooperation.

The week’s programme also includes events beyond the tournament. On September 30, ISCF representatives will attend an investment and financial forum in Yerevan. On October 1–2, Tsaghkadzor will host the international conference Theory and Practice of Chess Education. Discussions will cover chess teaching in schools, educational methods and research into how chess affects children’s development.