Armenia is to make chess a compulsory subject in primary schools in an attempt to turn itself into a global force in the game, the education ministry said on April 15.
“Teaching chess in schools will create a solid basis for the country to become a chess superpower,” an official at the ministry, Arman Aivazian, told AFP.
The authorities led by President Serzh Sarkisian, an enthusiastic supporter of the game, have committed around US$1.5 million (NT$43.3 million) to the scheme — a large sum in the impoverished but chess-mad country.
Photo: AFP
照片：法新社
Children from the age of six will learn chess as a separate subject on the curriculum for two hours a week.
Aivazian said the lessons, which start later this year, would “foster schoolchildren’s intellectual development” and teach them to “think flexibly and wisely.”
The game is hugely popular in Armenia, where grandmasters are stars and important match results make headline news.
The country of 3.2 million people has already established itself as a serious competitor in global tournaments.
The national team won gold at the biennial International Chess Olympiad in both 2006 and 2008, and the country’s top player Levon Aronian is currently ranked number three in the world, according to the World Chess Federation.
(AFP)
亞美尼亞教育部四月十五日表示，西洋棋將被納入小學必修科目，以期讓亞美尼亞在西洋棋賽中引領全球。
教育部官員阿爾曼‧艾瓦西安告訴法新社說，「在校內教授西洋棋將能打好國家穩健的基礎，成為西洋棋大國。」
亞美尼亞總統薩爾基‧薩奇席恩的政府當局，在這項計劃中砸下大約一百五十萬美元（約新台幣四千三百三十萬元），對瘋棋藝的赤貧國家來說，這是筆不少的金額。薩奇席恩就是一位西洋棋賽的熱衷支持者。
兒童從六歲起，在學校課程中，每週將有兩小時上西洋棋課。
艾瓦西安說，課程將在今年下半年實施，並認為這將「增進學童的智力發展」並教導他們「融會貫通且具智慧地思考」。
這個遊戲在亞美尼亞廣為流行，棋藝大師個個是明星，且重要的比賽結果也登上新聞頭版頭條。
有三百二十萬人口的亞美尼亞，已在全球的比賽中確立了此國強而有力的競爭者形象。
根據國際西洋棋總會，亞美尼亞國家代表隊分別在二零零六年與二零零八年雙年舉辦一次的國際西洋棋賽中，奪得金牌，而這個國家最好的棋手李凡‧阿羅尼揚目前排名世界第三。
（法新社／翻譯：林亞蒂）
Every February, the US observes Black History Month, a time dedicated to recognizing the contributions, experiences, and achievements of African Americans. The tradition began in 1926, when historian Carter G. Woodson proposed a national week to promote the teaching of Black history in schools. He deliberately chose the second week of February to honor the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, two figures held in high esteem by the Black community for their roles in ending slavery. In 1976, the initiative expanded into a month-long observance, with then US president Gerald Ford urging Americans to acknowledge the accomplishments of
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