Latvian Schools Chess Olympiad

From 1 September this year until 15 May 2021, the fourth Latvian Schools Chess Olympiad, organised by the Latvian Chess Federation, is taking place  – an inspiring video has been published for the occasion, inviting every Latvian school student to register for the competition.

 As the Latvian Chess Federation emphasises, the aim and objective of this competition is not only to determine the best players, but also to popularise chess among schoolchildren and improve the skills of young chess players, as well as to promote chess as an engaging way to develop the mind and spend one’s free time.

 The video published by the Latvian Chess Federation features children and young people—chess players of various ages and nationalities—who deliver an inspiring message in front of the camera: chess is suitable for everyone, regardless of age, gender or physical abilities. In this way, it emphasises that chess is a mind-developing sport and that intellectual abilities are more important than our outward characteristics.

 The first stage of the Olympiad takes place from 1 September 2020 to 10 March 2021, and any student of a Latvian school who knows how to make chess moves may participate.  It should be emphasised that the Olympiad takes place online. For students who wish to learn how to make chess moves, the Latvian Chess Federation, in cooperation with the association “Chess in Every Step”, is organising five free online training sessions led by coach Viesturs Kapče.