Citizenship Programme Initiative: Teaching Chess to the Students of Neighbourhood MCD School

On Wednesday, 12 April 2023, Advay Sethi, Taanish Diwan, Manan Virmani, and Karman Singh of class IX visited the Sadiq Nagar MCD Primary School to conduct a first lesson in chess to students of class 5 under the aegis of the school Citizenship Programme.

They started by discussing the importance of chess and how it benefits brain development, how the chess board is made and the chronology of the game, with white starting the game and black responding. The children were taught about the functions of the pieces and how they move around the board with relevant and humourous examples!

While most of the children at the MCD school, initially seemed disinterested in the game, with persuasion and friendly charm, our students broke the ice and succeeded in teaching the basics. As Advay walked around the class and made sure each student understood the concepts, his friends Karman, Taanish, and Manan were busy drawing on the board and teaching in the written mode.

The students there were delighted with this first chess experience and said they looked forward to the next chance.