The Rwanda Chess Federation has embarked on a talent identification campaign across the country that will also act as an awareness drive. The Federation acting president Kevin Ganza revealed that they also want to ensure that children benefit from playing chess at a young age given that chess contributes to good academic performance. Ganza who visited Cyinzuzi youth centre in Rulindo district last week told Times Sports that the chess federation is aiming at sensitising heads of primary schools and youth centers to embrace the game. “Implementing this programme picked up just recently but we are not yet where we want to be because we lack enough logistics but we are working on it by soliciting support,” explained Ganza. A 1998 study titled, The Effects of Chess Instruction on the Mathematics Achievement of Southern, Rural, Black Secondary, conducted by James Smith and Robert Cage, showed that chess is also crucial in the improvement of a child’s mathematical skills. Chess, a two-player strategy board game, was invented more than 1,500 years ago in India.
