Chess As Education - A Brief History
In Renaissance Europe chess was part of the education of the nobility and was proclaimed the “Royal Game.” In 1732 Benjamin Franklin wrote an essay, The Morals Of Chess, in which he said “The game of chess is not merely an idle amusement; several very valuable qualties of the mind useful in the course of human life are to be acquired and strengthened by it....” And then he expounded upon the educational values of playing chess. Today, chess is in the school curriculums of over thirty nations and many more foster it as an extracurricular activity. And across America record numbers of children are playing chess in tournaments as more and more schools are linking chess with other academic studies to enhance their curriculums to create a stimulating educational environment.
Numerous Studies Have Shown That Chess Improves Students In Many Developmental Areas
• Basic Social Skills: etiquette, courtesy, and patience.
• Emotional Development: promotes tolerance and learning from mistakes.
• Creativity: learning to think creatively to utilize and coordinate available resources.
• Logic: learning to use logic in sequential thinking.
The US Chess Federation has 40 documented studies confirming the benefits of playing chess in specific academic developmental areas (www.uschess.org/scholastic/sc-research.html).
About The Author And Creator Of “Chess For Teachers”
Michael Kusen is an author/illustrator and chess educator who has taught chess in NYC for over 25 years. Mr. Kusen has been praised by educators for his innovative teaching methods. He also created a 60 lesson curriculum for the Margulies-Speeth Study of the effects of chess on reading, reasoning and emotional intelligence on 5th grade students.
Why I Teach Chess
“Children will succeed or fail in life largely based on their ability to solve problems. Chess is a continuous exercise in problem solving. Each move challenges a player to analyze, evaluate and adjust their plan. No other game is as rich in imaginative problem solving. Chess teaches children to use foresight - a vital element in planning. If we can teach our children to foresee problems on the horizon, they will be empowered to deal with them.”
Michael Kusen
What educators have to say:
“I learned more from Mr. Kusen’s workshop than in any other workshop I have ever attended.” - H. Green, Dallas, TX
“I never saw the game of chess so easily and systematically explained” - Evelyn Houser, Los Angeles, CA
“Thank you, Mr. Kusen, for giving me the confidence to bring chess into my classroom.” - Abey Slocum, NC
ABOUT OUR CHESS BOOKS
Designed with classroom use features, sequential lessons build upon each other with many answers to FAQ’s built into the instructional text. Our chess books have been part of the scholastic-chess movement across the country being used by many schools and chess organizations across America.
Our chess books are exclusively distributed by Tandem Publishing.
CHESS EDUCATIONAL SERVICES
Teachers’ Workshops
Full day or half day workshops covering all you need to get started teaching chess
in your classroom or school club by our simplified method of introducing chess and conducting chess activity. Full day workshops cover more advanced topics.

Classroom Visits
A one hour introductory, interactive classroom lesson to the game of chess complete with workbooks for the students and teacher’s manual for the hosting teacher. This is
a great way to initiate your classroom chess program.
Note: All workshops and classroom visits are performed by Michael Kusen, author/chess educator. Consultant
fees are based on the individual needs of your school or organization (i.e., number of sessions, travel, etc.).
For information or to schedule a Teachers’ Workshop or Classroom Visit
Call: (718) 446-3963 Fax: (718) 446-7338 E-mail: info@chessforteachers.com