Bulgaria's Slivnitsa 1st in EU to Introduce Chess as School Subject

The western Bulgarian municipality of Slivnitsa is the first in the EU to introduce chess as a school subject.

The initiative is part of the Chess at School program run by the President of the European Chess Union and the Bulgarian Chess Federation Silvio Danailov, according to reports of dnevnik.bg.

A total of 80 out of the 240 students at the "St. Cyril and Methodius" secondary school in Slivnitsa opted for chess as school subject in 2012.

The school received Staunton professional chess sets from the Bulgarian Chess Federation.

Danailov, manager and coach of Bulgaria's top chess player and former World Champion Veselin Topalov, wished a Slivnitsa-born successor of Topalov.

Danailov explained that his aim was to have chess introduced into the school curriculum in Bulgaria and other EU countries.