NEW CITY, NEW YORK / ACCESS Newswire / August 7, 2025 / Young chess minds competed and collaborated at the 2025 FIDE World Schools Team Championship and Smart Moves Summit in the U.S. from August 2 to 7, 2025. The event was held at the historic Episcopal High School in Alexandria, just outside Washington, D.C. The championship became the global center of youth chess and brought together school teams from 50 countries, offering a week of competition, dialogue, and shared ideas about the future of chess in education.
The chess tournament
It was held from August 3 to 6 and culminated in strong performances from all participants. The winning teams are:
1st Place – Velammal MHS School, India
2nd Place – National School of Physics and Mathematics, Kazakhstan
3rd Place – The Harker School, United State
The championship was organized by the International School Chess Federation (ISCF) under the auspices of FIDE, and sponsored by Freedom Holding Corp. and its CEO Timur Turlov, who is also the head of ISCF.
Smart Moves Summit
In parallel with the championship, the Smart Moves Summit (August 4-5) featured speakers from the worlds of education, sports, and technology, as well as grand chess masters.
On the first day, sessions explored how chess supports academic success and personal growth in school-age children. The second day focused on practical strategies for integrating chess into national curricula, with input from educators and government officials.
Timur Turlov, CEO of Freedom Holding Corp. and President of the International School Chess Federation, used the summit to advocate for systemic change:
“A chessboard is a very good test for all of us and it’s also very good training. We launched this initiative of chess at school in Kazakhstan and actually already implemented this program in more than 500 schools all around the country and expect to roll out another 700 schools next year. We believe that maybe this could be one of the solutions that can help our kids to better adapt to this fast-moving world. Because the world will continue to change, and the speed of these changes will continue to accelerate.”
Timur Turlov, the driving force behind this event and the sponsor of numerous chess championships around the world, organized several world championships. For example, last year Freedom Holding Corp. brought high-level events like the Chess and Finance Conference Wall Street Gambit at last year’s FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Championship in NYC. The championship in Alexandria became yet another step toward Turlov’s goal to integrate chess into children’s lives and connect young players from different cultures to collaborate.
Arkady Dvorkovich, president of FIDE, praised the initiative, noting:
“When I think about the events which took place over the past few days, I feel a profound sense of hope. Thanks to the initiative and generous support of Timur Turlov and Freedom Holding, we have started a new chapter for chess. This project is about more than just games – it’s about making chess a fundamental part of education for every child and young person.”
Congressman Jamie Raskin (Maryland) gave a speech on the first day of the summit, thanked Arkady Dvorkovich and Timur Turlov, and emphasized the role of chess in non-violent conflict resolution.
“I think that chess can be a major part of the solution to the problems that beset humanity right now. And I think that chess can play a critical role in making sure that we make the right choices in favor of critical thinking, in favor of strategic planning, in favor of nonviolent and diplomatic resolution,” said Mr. Raskin.
Speaker sessions
Notable speakers from around the globe gave talks on different topics of their specialization.
FIDE Deputy Chair Dana Reizniece, the President of the International School Chess Federation Timur Turlov, Dr. Bill Poucher, Steinar Sæthre, Omoboye Odu, and other professionals associated with chess gave speeches on the importance of integrating chess into the school curriculum.
Jerry Nash, Mauricio Arias Santana, Rita Atkins, and Fernando Moreno discussed how early exposure to chess fosters critical executive functioning, emotional regulation, mathematical skills, and social learning – particularly in inclusive and multilingual classroom environments.
Leontxo García, Jennifer Shahade, and Priyadharshan Kannappan addressed how chess can serve as a powerful tool for promoting equality across gender, socio-economic status, and geography. Leontxo García also moderated a session on building effective public-private partnerships, where Arpine Lpetyan, Jacob-Askham Christensen, and Steinar Sæthre discussed how well-designed learning methodologies aligned with national education goals can support impactful collaborations between chess organizations and government institutions. Jeremy Kane, Dr. Kenneth Regan, and Ella Papanek spoke on the topic of the role of educational technology in chess learning.
During the second day of the summit, there were several TED Talk-style conferences featuring Jenny Ingber, Rochelle Ballantyne, Kwadwo Acheampong, Robert Katende, and other distinguished speakers. The session highlighted how chess education is driving intellectual and social development among low-income youth, offering powerful tools for critical thinking, resilience, and opportunity.
A high-profile panel discussion followed, bringing together Viktor Bologan, Ilya Merenzon, Jon Kristian Haarr, Lidiya Perovskaya, and other contributors to the chess community focused on how strategic sponsorships and marketing initiatives can accelerate the growth of school chess programs while delivering tangible value to corporate and community partners.
In a compelling dialogue moderated by Elliott Neff, experts including Michal Kanarkiewicz, Daniel Weissbarth, Jacob Kristensen, and Priyadharshan Kannappan explored the intersection of pedagogy, strategic thinking, and entrepreneurship in scholastic chess.
More info on the summit:
https://ischoolchess.com/news/checkmate_the_world_schools_team_championship
Game results:
https://worldschoolteam2025.fide.com/teams-ranking/
2025 FIDE World Schools Team Championship & Smart Moves Summit is more than just a competition. The event served as a powerful example of how chess can open educational pathways, develop critical thinking, and foster cross-cultural understanding. Freedom Holding Corp. is very grateful for all the support from media outlets, journalists, and bloggers that helped us grow this event’s reach to a broader audience. Together, we can make chess a universal game, accessible to as many children around the world as possible.
Contact Information
Natalia Kharlashina
PR Department, Freedom Holding Corp
prglobal@ffin.kz
+77013641454
SOURCE: Freedom Holding Corp.
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire
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