MCF president Akhramsyah Muammar Ubaidah Sanusi said chess would be able to contribute to the government’s aim of cultivating students who are driven towards science and technology.

Akramsyah cited Maszlee’s remarks in August saying the ministry was studying the use of toys in early childhood education to train children to think creatively.

“Although the statement was related to preschool education, we want to draw your attention to the effectiveness of chess which has been globally recognised as a ‘mind-sharpener’ for children,” he said in a statement today.

He used the example of Russia, saying the board game had taught Russian children to think logically from a young age and highlighted that Moscow had made chess compulsory for Year One students since September this year.

In order to promote chess among schools, he said MCF was willing to recognise national-level chess champions as official Malaysian representatives to international competitions, adding that this can be done as early as next year.

He said they were also willing to train teachers in order to receive official qualifications as an arbiter or instructor and to expose children in rural areas to the sport.