2020 has been one hell of a year, and we can say with absolute certainty that everyone is happy to start over in 2021! As we look forward into the new year and reflect on the one passed, we can take a second to appreciate some of the exciting advancements and wonderful moments that ChessMatec had in 2020. So, what were the highlights of this past year? Championships, Partnerships, and new Digital Tools to accommodate for the changing world, to name a few!
Cooperation with FIDE
In August of 2020 ChessMatec received an endorsement from the International Chess Federation! In their announcement, FIDE declared the ChessMatec program as the most advanced all-in-one chess learning platform for children. The Endorsement agreement with FIDE went hand in hand with ChessMatec’s priorities of facilitating the introduction of chess at a young age, revitalizing grassroots chess, and providing schoolteachers with tools that highlight the educational benefits of chess.
ChessMatec Championships in Russia and Israel
In the beginning of February, before the craziness of COVID-19 hit the school-systems and lockdowns were put in place, ChessMatec held the third-annual nation-wide Chess Championship in Israel! The Competition’s goal was to encourage kids and students from the ages of 3 to 8 to play Chess and therefore help them develop skills that are tailored to the 21st century like mathematical thinking, spatial orientation and understanding, the ability to solve exercises and problems, creative thinking and more.
More than 400 kindergartens and 200 schools from all over the country participated in the challenges. The kids solved exercises and puzzles and gained points both individually and as a class in this state-wide Championship. At the end of the competition, ChessMatec awarded medals and certificates to the winners and distributed Olympic Chess Sets, Giant Chess Boards and even a trophy to the winning school!
ChessMatec also held a Championship in Russia which included more than 1,000 young students from 70 schools! The competition took place online on the ChessMatec website during the COVID-19 quarantine while the kids were staying home. Thanks to the assistance and partnership with the Russian Chess Federation and the Ministry of Education, ChessMatec was able to host this first and very successful experience in Russia!
Launch of New Digital Tools
This year ChessMatec launched several new digital tools to help teachers and students thrive on their Chess journey!
The ChessMatec Portal was launched in December and is the ultimate tool to help teachers and parents teach kids Chess without having any prior knowledge of the game! The Portal is free for all the ChessMatec users and players can log in with their usernames and passwords to access all the fun and educational material. The ChessMatec Portal is complete with 30 Video Lessons, basic rules and explanations, songs, downloadable worksheets and more! To see an example lesson for yourselves click here: https://www.portal.chessmatec.com/rook
Another great digital tool that ChessMatec launched this year is the Teacher’s Campus. The Campus is filled with 35 fully prepared lesson plans created for Schools and Teachers with or without a Chess background and knowledge. Each lesson is built in a similar structure which makes them easy to understand and follow along to and they can be taught both online and in the classroom. For more information about the Teacher’s Campus head over to our blog article at: https://www.chessmatec.com/post/how-to-conduct-an-online-lesson-with-chessmatec
Agreements with Municipalities
2020 showed a dramatic increase in the use of digital platforms in the education systems. ChessMatec signed contracts with multiple municipalities in Israel and provided them with different tools and platforms that will help kids and students learn chess in a fun and easy way – from home! Some of the signees included:
⭐The Rehovot Municipality with 45 schools, 60 kindergartens and a total of 5,249 students,
⭐The Ramat-Gan Municipality with 97 kindergartens and a total of 3,395 students,
⭐The Holon Municipality with 60 kindergartens and a total of 2,870 students!
⭐And finally the Rishon Lezion Municipality with 45 schools, 160 kindergartens and a total 15,000 students!
Let's hear it for our amazing year, and march forwards into an even better 2021!
Contact Us On
Website: www.chessmatec.com
Email: info@chessmatec.com
#chess #chessforschools #education #edutech #chessforkids #chessinschooiscurriculum #OnlineChessCoaching