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Efforts to integrate chess into the school curriculum in Barbados are moving full steam ahead.
The International Chess Federation’s Director for Development, Grandmaster Nigel Short, paid a courtesy call to the Ministry of Educational Transformation yesterday to begin the process.
The visit follows a previous meeting at the first-ever Global Conference on the Role of Chess in Education, which recently concluded in Washington, D.C. Over 50 speakers, including eminent scientists and researchers in the fields of education and cognitive studies, participated in the two-day event, which focused on the educational and cognitive benefits of chess.
Minister of Educational Transformation, Chad Blackman, said the initiative forms part of a wider plan for Barbados to become the number one education system in the world within seven years. He noted that the benefits of chess have already been realised in several countries.
Grandmaster Short, who hails from England, described it as an exciting time for education in Barbados.
The rollout of chess in schools has been earmarked for December 2026.
President of the Barbados Chess Federation, Allan Herbert, thanked the Ministry for its swift action.
