✨ One thing educational chess provides is preparing students with the 21st century skills needed in today’s rapidly changing environment, such as creativity and adaptability. At Addis Ababa No. 2 Government School in Addis Ababa, 🇪🇹 Ethiopia, Coach Daniel Tufa Kebede transforms the classroom into a learning center suitable for both academics and chess.
♟ This story was told through a photo submitted for the 2026 FIDE EDU Classroom Contest, which earned them 2nd place. The photo shows wooden chess tables, students playing and learning, and academics on the chalkboard in the background.
🔸 “The mathematics lab classroom is used by students to practice math problems during their free time. The chess table serves a dual purpose: it is used for academic activities and for playing chess. It is a wooden table with black squares drawn on it to create a chessboard, due to the shortage of proper chess boards — though we do have the chess pieces. On the chalkboard are various mathematical problems, Sudoku puzzles, and chess principles. A total of around 80 students participate ranging from Grade 3 to Grade 8. I began training chess students 10 years ago at Tigle Lenetsanet Primary School with the aim of improving their mathematics performance. The Addis Ababa chess federation later supported me by providing chessboards and first- and second-level coaching.”
👏 One of the beautiful things about chess in a school setting is that it can be done anywhere, and you can have a significant impact on kids and in a community with very little resources. Addis Ababa No. 2 Government School and Coach Kebede are an example of the kind of energy, engagement, and transformational impact educational chess can make in a school. Chess can be for everyone, anywhere in the world.