Parents in Nghe An province teach their children about pawns and rooks.

• January 8, 2026

While keeping a child still for 15 minutes without touching an iPad or TV is a headache for many families, in Nghe An, many parents are finding a solution in chess. They are providing their children with a healthy form of entertainment while simultaneously teaching them life lessons: perseverance like a pawn, integrity like a rook, and calmness.calmFacing the "games" of victory and defeat in life.

A necessary moment of silence.and the philosophy of the Pawn and Rook.

One weekend afternoon, the streets were bustling with traffic, noisy and lively in the atmosphere of preparations for the approaching Tet holiday. But stepping through the doors of the Nghe Chess Club, those sounds were left behind, giving way to absolute silence.

Over 100 chess players, ranging in age from five-year-old kindergarten children to middle and high school students, sat facing each other. Complete silence. No cheering, no running or jumping. The dominant sounds were the clicking of the chess pieces against the board and the rhythmic ticking of the game clock after each move.

Although it was an internal year-end tournament, the operating procedures were no different from a professional competition: drawing lots, playing according to the Swiss format on computers, athletes signing the match reports themselves, referees seriously performing their assigned professional duties…

In recent years, amateur chess in Nghe An province has seen relatively solid and stable development. More and more parents are choosing this intellectual sport for their children to learn from preschool age. Ms. Nguyen Thi Ha Trang, residing in Vinh Phu ward, Nghe An province, decided to introduce her 4-year-old son, Nguyen Sy Thang, to chess, and he has been learning for the past 2-3 months.

“My goal in enrolling my child in chess lessons is to improve their concentration, self-discipline, and discipline in the classroom. We don't require them to be chess masters, but first, to learn how to arrange the pieces correctly and understand the basic rules. My child really enjoys and is eager to attend chess class twice a week,” Ms. Trang shared, excitedly revealing that chess offers a “double benefit”: it reduces screen time and strengthens family bonds as parents and children gather around the chessboard after dinner.

This simple joy is actually very practical in the context of many young families today, where children, and even parents, are engrossed in short videos on social media, reducing their ability to concentrate deeply. Chess becomes a balancing "remedy." It forces players to slow down and think carefully before moving a piece.

Agreeing with this viewpoint, Ms. Nguyen Thi Mai - Head of the Nghe Chess Club, an educator with over 30 years of experience working with primary school students, said that parents in Nghe An no longer have the mindset of letting their children "learn chess for fun" during summer vacation. Instead, they recognize it as a subject that complements academic learning, and at a higher level, helps children cultivate their character.

Ms. Mai used the image of chess pieces to explain: "Chess teaches children to live like the Pawn and the Rook." The Pawn is often considered the weakest piece, but it has an unchangeable principle: only advance, never retreat. It's a lesson in perseverance, taking small steps to reach a goal. The Rook represents integrity, moving clearly both vertically and horizontally…

"On the chessboard, no one can make a move for you. If you make a mistake, you must take responsibility yourself; you can't blame the circumstances. Don't be arrogant in victory, and don't be discouraged in defeat. That kind of resilience is what will stay with you in life, and it's far more important than winning or losing, or even medals," the club's leader emphasized.

Let's work together to make these "seeds" sprout.

Returning to the philosophy centered around the black and white chess pieces, the pawn teaches perseverance and instills in children the importance of persistent effort to "get promoted." The story of Nguyen Viet Duc (9A1 class, Hanh Thiet Secondary School, Quy Chau commune) is the most vivid example of this.

At the recent Nghe An Provincial Excellent Student Selection Exam for the 2025-2026 school year, Nguyen Viet Duc made a big impact by winning the title.Top scorer in both Mathematics and Computer Science.He also won second prize in Physics. Behind her son's resounding success, Ms. Thai Thu Hien - Duc's mother - believes that chess provided the impetus.

She recounted that her family lived in a mountainous area, and Duc unfortunately suffered from congenital hypertrophy of his left arm. His physical appearance, different from those around him, made him feel somewhat insecure and withdrawn. Knowing her son's passion for chess, she encouraged him and registered him for competitions in Vinh City (formerly), hoping to boost his confidence and assertiveness. A fortunate opportunity arose when Ms. Nguyen Thi Mai, the head of the Nghe Chess Club, learned of Duc's story, waived the competition fee, gave him gifts to encourage him, and enrolled him in a completely free online chess class.

Ms. Hien further shared: “In Quy Chau, finding a formal chess class is a luxury. But geographical barriers cannot stop passion. Through the club's online classes, the computer has become a tool to help Duc hone his intellect. Logical thinking in chess has greatly assisted him in his academic studies.”

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Duc's achievement is the most convincing answer to the question: Does playing chess affect learning? In reality, intellectual sportsmanship is a springboard for knowledge. More broadly, for "seeds" like Viet Duc to sprout, or for a well-organized tournament to be maintained, creating a beneficial playground for children, requires the combined responsibility of three pillars: administrators, schools/clubs, and social resources.

Thanks to this approach, along with systematic thinking and an emphasis on character education, the school chess movement in Nghe An is currently a bright spot in North Central Vietnam's sports scene.

One can highlight some professionally organized chess tournaments that have recently gained significant recognition, such as the annual Phoenix Trung Do Spring Chess Tournament.The first Nghệ An Province Open Youth and Children's Chess Tournament - 2025…with the professional participation and organizational support of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Nghe An Provincial Youth Union, and various organizations and businesses… Each tournament attracts hundreds of athletes from all over the province and even from neighboring provinces such as Thanh Hoa, Ha Tinh, and Quang Tri… registering to compete, taking place like a true festival and leaving a positive impression on many students and parents.

For example, at the Nghe Chess Club's Open Chess Tournament, scheduled for January 18th, the Nghe An Eye Hospital is also participating by sponsoring free eye exams and refractive error checks for medal-winning athletes.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Chi, the communications officer at Nghe An Eye Hospital, shared: “We have previously implemented provincial blindness prevention programs and provided free eye examinations for students at schools, but this will be the first time we are partnering with a sports event. Chess is a sport that requires both brainpower and eyesight. Academic pressure is causing an increase in the rate of myopia. We want the children to have 'Bright Eyes - Pure Hearts' and to work together to raise awareness among parents and the community that investing in children's intellectual and physical development is the most practical way to prepare them for the future.”

Each game of chess is like a strategic battle on 64 black and white squares. When victory and defeat are decided, there will be confident, radiant smiles of triumph, but also tears of sadness and regret. However, immediately afterward, the young chess players quickly regain their spirits, rearrange the pieces themselves, and begin a new game.

Today's tears will forge a strong character for tomorrow. That is the greatest victory you can achieve, more than any medal. And that is also what parents hope their children will achieve: to know how to remain calm in today's constantly changing world.