International School Chess Federation

The journey continues - and the next move takes us to Armenia🇦🇲

At Smart Moves Americas, ISCF formalized partnerships with governments across the region through official memorandums.

🇨🇷COSTA RICA

Signed by Donald Rojas Fernández (ICODER National Director), Timur Turlov (ISCF President), and José Antonio Carrillo Pujol (FIDE Americas President). Marlon Andrés Navarro Álvarez (Vice Minister of National Planning) served as Honorary Witness.

Official partnership between national institutions and the international chess community.

🇸🇻EL SALVADOR

Dalila Beatriz Beltrán de Menjívar (National Director of School Coexistence, MINEDUCYT) positioned chess as a tool for respect, empathy, and peaceful conflict resolution. A different approach. A broader purpose.

🏫BEACONS OF CHESS (REGIONAL)

Signed by Timur Turlov (ISCF President) and José Antonio Carrillo Pujol (FIDE Americas President).

A shared certification program for schools that implement chess in education. Joint framework for coordination, information exchange, teacher development, and best practice sharing across participating countries.

This is how initiatives become systems.

Merch logistics.
Venue negotiations.
Backup plans for backup plans.
The team that said yes to every problem and fixed it by morning.

This is how we built WSTC 2026🧵

Three schools that embedded chess into their educational systems.

«Chess in Education» School Awards recognize institutions leading this work. 🏆

GSD INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
La Guácima, Alajuela

Chess integrated into their leadership development strategy. International curriculum, institutional commitment.

ESCUELA LEPANTO
Peninsular Regional Education Directorate

Regional access. Not elite. Not exclusive. Chess in education for all students.

ESCUELA LAS LAGUNAS
Pérez Zeledón

Community-centered implementation. Chess as part of broader educational mission.

Luis Eduardo Quiros Rojas (Costa Rican Chess Federation President) and Timur Turlov (ISCF President) presented the awards at Smart Moves Americas. ♟

These schools demonstrate what systemic integration looks like.

Three panels. Three angles on how governments and schools build chess programs.

At Smart Moves Americas in Costa Rica, we explored what it takes to move from vision to action.

PANEL 1: FROM VISION TO NATIONAL ACTION 🎯

Ministers, ambassadors, and federation leaders gathered to answer one question: how do you turn a commitment into a real national program?

Timur Turlov (ISCF President), José Antonio Carrillo Pujol (FIDE Americas President), and representatives from Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Costa Rica discussed the coordination needed between ministries, education authorities, and international organizations.

Key takeaway: systemic change requires institutional alignment.

PANEL 2: PLAYING THE LONG GAME ♟

How do you sustain a chess in education program beyond one administration?

Robert McLellan, Andrea Harris-Marshall, Milagros Ibañez, and Dilda Nauryzbayeva (ISCF Educational Projects Director) shared insights on long-term structures, partnerships, and the institutional commitment required.

It’s not about one-off initiatives. It’s about architecture.

PANEL 3: ONE BOARD. MILLIONS OF CLASSROOMS 🌍

Expanding access to quality chess education while maintaining standards—that was the focus.

Natalia Lobo, Marta Amigo Vilalta, and Ceballos Rodriguez shared practical approaches from programs in Catalonia, Argentina, and beyond.

Three challenges. Three working answers.