“Chess education is one of the important achievements of the Pedagogical University; we have considerable success in that field and can be presentable to the world. Our aim is to discuss cooperation opportunities with the “Chess” Research Institute and several Faculties for further development possibilities”, mentioned the ASPU Acting Rector Professor Srbouhi Gevorgyan during the work meeting at the University today.

Likewise, Srbouhi Gevorgyan spoke about the weak connection between research-education and outlined the importance of combining the academic and research, scientific and practical, scientific-research, and methodological components of the Research Institute and the Faculties.

Till now, the ASPU Chess Scientific Research Institute is the only one of its kind and type of activities in the world that actually conducts research activities of psychological, educational, and sociological issues in teaching chess.

The Institute aims at raising the academic value of Chess by studying Chess teaching practices at secondary public schools, looking at possibilities of children’s cognitive capacity development through chess, and the impact of chess on the most important competences of learners of the 21st century.

“Success is mostly based on teamwork, this works for Chess, as well. There is great interest towards the chess all around the world, it is not just a type of sport anymore, it has been a part of educational system for already quite a while. The Scientific Research Institute operating at the Pedagogical University has a lot on its plate to make the university more popular and to register new success in that filed”, mentioned the ASPU Head of the Chair of Chess and Sports, the Founding Member of the RA Chess Academy, Grandmaster, Director of the Chess Research Institute Smbat Lputyan.

He observed that serious research about educational chess is currently conducted in the world. He considered it as a significant achievement that the concept paper on teaching the subject of Chess, developed by their Institute, had already been translated into a number of languages.

Smbat Lputyan also noticed that in near future, by the initiative of the International Chess Federation, a research journal was going to be issued and highlighted the professional activities and publications of the corresponding ASPU specialists in this regard.

Further on, the Scientific Head of the Research Institute Vahan Sargsyan spoke about their cooperation with the ASPU Faculty of Primary, Special and Inclusive Education and the Faculty of Education Psychology and Sociology. He spoke about training of teachers in the spheres of psychology, sociology and inclusive education, the use of resources as a laboratory, approval of topics for course-works, graduation and MA final papers, organising practicums at the Chess teaching classes and the Research Institute, cooperation with the media laboratory, etc.

In addition, an active discussion took place at the meeting, with the emphasis on publications both in the ASPU journal and in various international journals, as well as active participation in different available grant awarding projects, use of technical tools of the Institute with the involvement of special psychologists, and other matters.

In response to the question whether today chess is a type of sport, education, or science, Grandmaster Smbat Lputyan replies that the world is moving fast, so is the Chess. Moreover, he is sure that with the transition of chess from sports to science and education it will move further to arts in some 40-50 years time, and even after to the sphere of psychology; this is a pending transition. But before then, the world needs chess education.