School chess and general wellbeing

With the backing of the Vissing Foundation 20 schools in North Jutland and 2,000 students can ‘play their brains strong’ on School Chess Day – an exercise day for their brains. It all happens on Friday 10 February 2023 in Northern Jutland. In addition, a local PLAYMASTER course will be run, at which 20 young people will be trained as PLAYMASTERS. They will be the passionate young souls of the future, who can help to run School Chess Day, the exercise day for brains, and organise breaktime chess at their own schools.

School Chess Day – the exercise day for brains – was started in 2011 as a thoughtful counterpart to the better known physical School Exercise Day. The chess day is not just about chess moves, but about the way young people develop academically, socially and mentally, so more of them find they can succeed at school.

“School chess is game-based learning, which interests and motivates young people independently of age, gender and culture. School chess is now on the timetable at 500 schools, either as compulsory lessons or on a voluntary basis, because it motivates pupils to practice calm, concentration and the ability to think ahead. Those who find school difficult and those who need more challenges benefit especially from systematic school chess,” says Mads Jacobsen, who is the general secretary of the Danish Scholastic Chess Federation.

He continues: At the Danish Scholastic Chess Federation we are very pleased that the Vissing Foundation is providing support for more young people to exercise their brains through school chess in North Jutland. It is needed more than ever before.”