To create the biggest impact in the world we believe it starts with the next generation by empowering them with personal development. It just so happens that chess is one of many personal development tools and I have personal experience in its impact on my life.  I came into contact with the ‘Chess In Schools’ charity while setting up my chess club whom were able to provide the school with free books, chess boards and training.  I also saw how successful they had become with lobbying parliament in promoting chess in schools.  Their goal is to have chess taught as part of the primary school curriculum in every Uk school.  Currently, 320 schools have chess taught as part of the curriculum which is an amazing achievement and we at QPS are looking to contribute to this figure by not only financing the chess programme but engaging and sourcing new schools.

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Well, thankfully I am able to talk from personal experience on the huge positive effect it had throughout my life. As I said before as a child, chess taught me that my achievement ceiling could always be broken through.  Within this chess taught me about the consequences of actions, spatial awareness, ‘check the board’ mantra (always think before you make a move - I have always carried this throughout my adult life), mathematics, geometry, sportsmanship, pattern recognition, concentration, and boosting self esteem to name a few of the many benefits of playing chess. Remember it's not about being the best chess player but about recognising and integrating the chess skills into your life.

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I was approached by Tim Hodges who wanted to do something to make a difference in the area where he was brought up and works. We discussed how chess had made a real difference to his early years and helped him get to where he is today. Indeed, Tim thinks much of his success is due to learning the game of chess as a child. We resolved to recruit local schools  by making them aware of the benefits of chess and started with Falconbrook school.

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​​​​​​QPS' s funding of a CSC programme in primary schools has given children an opportunity they would otherwise not have had. Learning chess has given the children a life skill and for some of them opened up many new opportunities and enabled them to make new friends.​​​​​​

It teaches children to concentrate, to understand that actions have consequences, to think before they act and for many it's a vehicle to increase their self-esteem. It's also a great tool for illustrating some mathematical ideas and for socialising a classroom.

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If we had the resources we'd teach every child in the UK to play.