Chess in Education Discussion Group

Wednesday, 28th January 2026
18:00 - 19:30 London Time (BST)
19:00 - 20:30 Central European Time (CET)

Registration closes 15 minutes before the start of the event.

Chess in Education

Join the Global Conversation!

Every last Wednesday of the month, the ECU Education Commission holds a Discussion Group Meeting for chess educators to share knowledge and discuss ideas on various topics related to Chess in Education.

Discussion Group Meetings allow participants to learn from one another and gain new insights through diverse perspectives.

This month's topic:
With Chess to the Final Exam

An Austrian High School Pathway from Learning Chess to Teaching It

This presentation introduces an innovative Austrian high-school initiative that embeds chess education directly into the formal curriculum. In Austria, students aged 16–18 (Grades 10–12) can choose optional subjects (“Wahlpflichtfächer”) as part of their upper-secondary studies, including subjects that may count towards the oral part of the final school-leaving examination.

Within this framework, the Schach WPG (Chess as an optional subject) was originally developed by Hans Stummer in Bad Ischl and later adapted and launched in its current form in 2019 by Hans-Jürgen Koller. The course runs over approximately 160 hours and is open to all students, including complete beginners with no prior knowledge of chess.

What makes this project exceptional is its dual focus: pupils not only learn to play chess, but also learn how to teach it. Over the course of the programme, students progressively acquire pedagogical, organisational and psychological competencies alongside chess knowledge. As part of the subject, pupils can work towards recognised qualifications, including the C-Trainer (entry-level) title within the Austrian Chess Teacher qualification framework and the Regional Arbiter title, all embedded within the school subject.

Speaker
Hans-Jürgen Koller (Austria)

I am a mathematics and physics teacher and have over ten years’ experience in teaching chess in educational settings. Having learned chess at school myself, I have directly experienced its educational benefits. I began teaching children at my local chess club and later expanded my work into elementary schools. I am a member of the organising team of the Österreichischer Schulschachkongress (Austrian School Chess Congress) and am actively involved in delivering teacher training. I am also a co-founder of the Jugendschachverein (Youth Chess Club) Linz, which currently has around 40 members.

Register and join the Discussion Group Meeting to learn more!

Wednesday, 28th January 2026
Don`t forget to check your time zone here!

The event is managed by ChessPlus.