EVERY LESSON COUNTS

Viswanathan "Vishy" Anand is the Interim President of FIDE, the International Chess Federation, and one of the most respected figures in the modern game. Born in Chennai in 1969, he became India's first grandmaster in 1988 and went on to win the World Chess Championship five times, holding the undisputed title from 2007 to 2013 and reaching World No. 1 in 2007. Elected FIDE Deputy President in August 2022, he assumed the interim presidency in July 2026. Beyond the board, he mentors the next generation of Indian players and is a longstanding advocate for chess in education.

Dana Reizniece is the Acting Chair of the FIDE Management Board and a passionate advocate for expanding educational opportunities through chess. A former Minister of Finance and Minister of Economics of Latvia, she combines extensive leadership experience in public service with a lifelong dedication to chess as a player, organizer, and administrator. At FIDE, Dana oversees a broad range of strategic and operational initiatives, with a particular focus on education, development, and strengthening the global chess community. She believes that chess is far more than a game—it is a powerful educational tool that helps young people develop critical thinking, creativity and confidence.

Rahul Bose is a celebrated actor, director, philanthropist, and former international rugby player, whose career spans cinema, sports, and non - profit. He began in advertising becoming Creative Director at Rediffusion before transitioning to films. A committed changemaker, he founded The Foundation to support underprivileged children and launched HEAL to combat child sexual abuse. A former India rugby international, Rahul is presently the President of the Indian Rugby Football Union and launched the world’s first Rugby 7s Premier League this year. Recognized for his work in climate advocacy, social justice, and sports activism, Rahul has spoken at leading institutions including Harvard, Yale, MIT, Oxford, and Cambridge.

Timur Turlov is an entrepreneur and public figure with more than 15 years of experience leading organizations in international business, sport and the non-profit sector. He is President of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation and the International School Chess Federation (ISCF); founder and CEO of Freedom Holding Corp. Since 2023 he has been running one of the world's largest programs for introducing chess into school education: more than 1,500 schools and around 60,000 children in Kazakhstan. He also heads the Turkic Chess Association, which brings together Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Türkiye and Uzbekistan.

Prof. (Dr.) Achyuta Samanta is a globally celebrated educationist, humanitarian, and former Member of the Indian Parliament, best known as the founder of KIIT, KISS, and KIMS in Bhubaneswar — institutions touching over 8 million lives. Orphaned at four and raised in poverty, he built these from scratch in 1992 with just Rs. 5,000. His work has earned him 75 honorary doctorates, 50+ international awards, and the UNESCO International Literacy Prize, proving that compassion and vision can transform millions of destinies.

Arpine Lputyan is a leading figure in chess pedagogy and program management for Armenia's national chess-in-schools initiative. Associated with the Chess Academy of Armenia, she has played a vital role in developing teacher training, curricula, and instructional frameworks. She serves as a global ambassador for the Chess in Schools program, sharing Armenia's pioneering educational model at international conferences and education summits worldwide.

Darmen Sadvakassov is the first Vice President of Kazakhstan Chess Federation. Vice President of Asian Chess Federation (ACF) for the North Asia region. Grandmaster, World U20 Champion (1998), five-time Champion of Kazakhstan (2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007). Winner of matches against Anatoly Karpov and Viktor Korchnoi. Member of the Kazakhstan national team at four Chess Olympiads (1998–2004). Silver medalist of the World Team Blitz Championship (2025). Winner and prizewinner of international tournaments.

Ramon Chalmeta Ugas is the President of the Catalan Chess Federation, bringing over a decade of leadership to the development and promotion of chess across Catalonia. The “Escacs i Escola” (Chess in Schools) program, established by the Federation in 2012, has introduced chess to hundreds of schools and trained thousands of educators to use chess as an educational tool. Under his presidency and as part of the Federation’s centenary celebrations, Catalonia hosted an International Chess in Education Congress. Demonstrating his hands-on commitment, Ramon has also directly trained schoolteachers in his hometown of Sant Boi de Llobregat.

International Master and Chairman of the CCA Education Commission. A distinguished strategist with over two decades of experience, he leads the continental initiative to integrate chess into school systems. A former national champion and FIDE Senior Lead Instructor, he is the architect of the new teacher-training framework and of pedagogical innovation in the Americas.

Mads Jacobsen is the Secretary General of the Danish Scholastic Chess Federation (DSCF), responsible for funding, strategy, and policy. He contributes to the development of DSCF's learning programs and advises on embedding scholastic chess within municipalities and larger institutions. He has served as project owner for all of DSCF’s major initiatives, overseeing finances, organization, and dialogue with key partners. Mads is the developer and driving force behind House of Chess – the Brain Gym – a new 750 m² cultural institution opening in the heart of Copenhagen toward the end of 2026.

Ton That Nhu Tung (Vietnam) is an International Master (IM), International Arbiter (IA), FIDE Trainer (FT), and the FIDE Chess in Education National Coordinator for Vietnam. Since 2010, he has been dedicated to chess coaching and education, leading the development of Chess in Education initiatives and teacher training across Vietnam.

Dilda Nauryzbayeva is the Director of Educational Projects at the International School Chess Federation (ISCF). Her work focuses on building sustainable Chess in Education systems by connecting international best practices with local educational contexts. She leads educational and research initiatives that help countries move from individual projects to long-term models that support teachers, strengthen schools and create lasting value for children through chess.

Katerina T. Frantzi is a Professor of Informatics, specializing in Corpus Linguistics, at the University of the Aegean, Department of Mediterranean Studies. She is Academic and Scientific Director of the Program Chess in Primary and Secondary Education, run with the European Chess Union. She created the C-value/NC-value method for automatic term recognition, cited over 2,600 times internationally, and received INFOTERM's Certificate of Outstanding Achievement for her doctoral dissertation. She served as Head of the Department of Mediterranean Studies (2018–2022) and Director of the postgraduate program in Language Analysis and Teaching (2022–2025) and was Scientific Coordinator for the University of the Aegean. She has been a Mensa International member since 1988.

Leontxo Garcia is the Senior Adviser of the FIDE EDU Commission. Expert on chess as an educational tool, lecturer, journalist, writer, presenter and commentator since 1983, he has trained more than 30.000 teachers in 32 countries. He works for El Pais, the newspaper in the world with more chess content, since 1985. Among many other awards, he has been honoured with the Medal of Merit by the Spanish Government, by the Judit Polgar Foundation as “Ambassador of Chess”, and the European Chess Union as “the best chess journalist”, and included in the FIDE’s Golden Book “in appreciation of his excellent contributions to develop of chess in the world”.

Nadzeya Krauchuk is Director of International Relations at the International School Chess Federation (ISCF), where she facilitates partnerships and coordinates programs in educational chess. She has experience organising school and youth chess tournaments, including serving as Tournament Director for the FIDE World School Team Championship 2025 & 2026, and previously working with Chess.com, the FIDE Social Commission, and other major events.
Her insight highlights how tournaments can enhance educational chess and international collaboration, though this is not her main role at ISCF.

Magnus Wolfe Murray, Founder and Executive Director of Movement in Refuge (MiR), has 35+ years of humanitarian experience across 30+ countries with the UK Government, UN agencies, and NGOs. MiR uses sport, chess, and yoga to empower conflict-affected and refugee communities, fostering mental wellbeing, social cohesion, and hope. Aligned with FIDE's Chess for Protection, MiR is partnering with the Bangladeshi Government and UNHCR to introduce chess education to Rohingya refugees along the Myanmar border.

Rita Atkins is Secretary of the FIDE Chess in Education Commission and Lead Developer of its training programs, on a mission to bring chess to every school in the world. She leads the development of FIDE's Preparation of Teachers courses, and has trained teachers and education leaders across the globe; from Catalonia to Tamil Nadu, where FIDE's programs are reaching tens of thousands of children.

A Woman International Master and former mathematics and physics teacher, Rita co-created LogiqBoard, the online classroom chessboard. A frequent conference speaker, Rita's signature talk explores teaching mathematics through chess, turning an anxiety-inducing subject into a delightful, imaginative pursuit.

Anzel Laubscher is a South African High Court advocate, current South African Ladies Chess Champion, and Woman International Master, specialising in Human Rights and Sports Law. She combines legal expertise with three decades of international experience in competitive chess, development, and education.

A Senior Lead Instructor with the FIDE Education Commission, she has trained teachers, coaches, and education leaders worldwide, championing chess as a game-based learning tool for academic and life skills. She has represented South Africa at ten Chess Olympiads — seven as player, three as captain — and is a sought-after speaker on safeguarding, education, and chess's transformative impact on communities.

Abel Talamantez strongly believes in the power of chess to transform lives and uplift communities. A chess coach for over a decade, he has organized in-school programs and directed scholastic tournaments throughout his career. He is currently the Chess Program Director for RISE Scholars, Inc. at Hamilton K-8 School in Novato, California — a recipient of the Gold School Award, and previously served as Chess Room Director at the historic Mechanics' Institute in San Francisco.

An International Arbiter (IA), Lead School Instructor (LSI), and FIDE Trainer (FT), Abel was honored with the FIDE 100 Best Educator Award. He looks forward to helping the EDU Commission advance the School Awards Program and the Preparation of Teachers and Lecturers programs.

Dr. George Chitiyo is Professor of Educational Research and Evaluation at Tennessee Technological University, with expertise in quantitative research methods, statistical analysis, and evaluation methodology. He has led several educational chess research initiatives, including the evaluation of a five-year Chess in Schools program implemented from 2015 across several school districts in Alabama. His research on chess has been published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at international conferences. He also led the 2026 Survey on Global Chess in Education, an international initiative examining the organization, implementation, and development of educational chess worldwide.