Kasparov Chess Foundation Europe launched
Today, at a press conference in Brussels, Garry Kasparov announced the European branch of the Kasparov Chess Foundation. Operational from September 19, 2011 the foundation attempts to have the European Union include the game of chess in its education system. "It is our ambition to further realize the dream of bringing chess into classrooms far and wide so that everyone may enjoy the benefits the game offers," Kasparov said.Together with Option CEO Jan Callewaert and supported by the European Chess Union (ECU), Garry Kasparov today announced the creation of the Kasparov Chess Foundation Europe. From its headquarters in Brussels, the association has the mission to bring the many educational benefits of chess to children and young people – aged between 6 and 18 - throughout schools in Europe, both public and private, by providing a complete chess curriculum and enrichment programs. The foundation will also promote the study of chess as a cognitive learning tool and organize tournaments and competitions for children and young people.
ECU President Silvio Danailov, Garry Kasparov and Jan Callewaert at the photo shoot today in Brussels
"I want as many students as possible to discover the game of chess, so they can enjoy the many benefits that the game has to offer. Chess encourages critical thinking, requires intense concentration and discipline, stimulates creativity, helps to solve problems and generally creates a positive competitive spirit. The chess player also learns to take responsibility for his own decisions," Kasparov said at the press conference this morning in Brussels. "With the creation of the Kasparov Chess Foundation Europe it is my ambition to further realize the dream of bringing chess into classrooms far and wide so that everyone may enjoy the many benefits the game offers. I’m looking forward to setting up a close collaboration with European institutions to bring chess into schools in the 27 current member states of the European Union." Your Next Move Jan Callewaert, co-founder and member of the board of the foundation, commented: “I’m excited to be part of this new European wide chess initiative. We have come to know Garry very well these past years via the Belgian chess event Your Next Move. When he raised the idea of creating the Kasparov Chess Foundation Europe it was a no- brainer to get involved in this project. As chess can bring so many benefits to a great number of people I fully support the foundation’s mission and its activities.” The 13th World Champion and Callewaert already successfully tested their proposal in February with two Commissioners. On September 20th the big test follows, as then the two will defend their views before the European Parliament. "It's an ambitious plan, but by joining forces and the political ties of Jan Callewaert, we will succeed. Chess should not be sport course. It is a valuable tool for bringing education to a higher level," said Kasparov, who is the chairman of the foundation.
Garry Kasparov: ambitious plans for getting chess into European schools
'Teach the Teacher' Specifically, the Kasparov Chess Foundation Europe will initially focus on teaching teachers how they can teach chess to youngsters between 6 and 18 years old. In the classroom they can use educational material, supplied by the foundation, which is built around cartoons and fairy tales. The program is rolled out into the school year 2012-2013 in limited numbers. The full launch in the 27 EU countries will follow in 2013. The Kasparov Chess Foundation Europe will be based in the Belgian capital, where a core team has started the preparations for the operational roll-out of the foundation scheduled for mid September 2011. The foundation will live on donations from individuals, businesses and governments. The first 100,000 euros come from Callewaert and five other parties that will be announced the coming weeks. United States The project isn't completely new for Kasparov. In June of 2002, Kasparov Chess Foundation, Inc. was founded in the United States. For the last nine years he has been successfully promoting chess at authorities. 3,500 schools in all 50 states have already subscribed to Kasparov's Teaching Chess Step by Step. Schools and chess teachers that are interested in the activities of the foundation can go to the official website and sign up to receive news updates as the activities of the foundation get under way. 
