The Platform School, Ipaja, Lagos, has said children’s ability to play chess games helps develop their critical thinking skills.
Speaking in an interview after Platform School students won the Lagos State Chess Tourney, the Director of the School, Mr Bola Obe, maintained that the students were able to win the contest because Platform School invested in training and organising inter-class chess competitions for them regularly.
Two pupils of the school; Anjola Adekanye was the champion while Amir Obe took the second position in the tourney, which was organised by Progress Educational Consult.
Obe said, ‘‘We invested our time, we are focused. Chess competition has always been part of our curriculum, we run chess as a course in the school, right from the nursery level to the senior secondary school level, we have qualified and experienced teachers who are experts in the game and we developed a comprehensive programme around chess game. We have been going for external competition and we always organise an inter-class competition for the students after their examinations.
“All our students can play the chess game skillfully, more importantly, the chess game helps children in their critical thinking.’’
Also speaking, the champion of the Lagos State Chess Tourney, Anjola Adekanye, said, ‘‘It is a dream come true to win the Lagos State Chess Competition. My advice for young ones like me is, if you want to be a champion in the chess game, you need to stay focused and be more meticulous when making your moves.’’
Contact: theeditor[at]punchng.com
