Schools chess programme can be done online

So, let us wage a global struggle against illiteracy, poverty and terrorism and let us pick up our books and pens. They are our most powerful weapons. — Malala Yousafzai, youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner in her speech at the United Nations in 2013 on her 16th birthday.

At the beginning of 2022 is a good time to reflect seriously on the words above. Malala Yousafzai has inspired millions with her advocacy of girls’ education.

In Guyana, we have observed the rise of women’s participation in chess tournaments in juxtaposition to what previously obtained. Immersing oneself in chess is an adventure in academia. Some of us will become medical or legal professionals, teachers, successful businessmen and women, engineers or even chess professionals. Nations may have listened to Malala’s voice and understood the inner workings of her mind.

Recently, a 17-year-old defeated world chess champion Magnus Carlsen in the 2021 Rapid World Championship knockout tournament. The consequential lesson from the champion’s defeat is that we have to facilitate chess in schools.

Last year, I respectfully advocated that as a start the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) can place its antenna toward the direction of the islands of Leguan and Wakenaam. The GCF has never visited those two islands though it had visited the Essequibo Coast a few times. This programme may be unable to begin immediately owing to the continuation of the spread of Covid19, but perhaps we can examine the possibility of obtaining sponsored online chess instructors.

The bottom line is we have to obtain the involvement of schools if we are to progress in chess. We already teach chess to students in the top schools of Georgetown, but Guyana is more than a few schools in Georgetown.