Every Move Counts — Chess as a Global Tool for Social Change

What if one of the world's oldest games were to become one of the most powerful social tools of our time? That is exactly what is happening right now—worldwide, on an astonishing scale, and with a growing body of scientific evidence.

FIDE, the International Chess Federation, has officially declared 2025 the “Year of Social Chess.” A global study shows that behind this title lies a vibrant, surprisingly diverse movement.

Six Areas Where Chess Makes a Difference

Social chess projects around the world can be divided into six categories:

01 Protection & Escape:

At the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, more than 2,300 children and teenagers are learning to play chess today—as part of a program established by FIDE in collaboration with UNHCR and the Lutheran World Federation. The program is expanding into the Americas.

02 Correctional System:

Chess for Freedom is no longer just a niche project. The 2024 Intercontinental Online Tournament for Inmates featured 115 teams from 51 countries. Demonstrable improvements in behavior were observed after six months of participation.

03 Education:

Chess in Slums Africa distributes chess sets in more than 30 African countries and aims to reach one million children in marginalized communities. 132,000 sets have already been distributed. The FIDE Year of Chess Education will follow in 2026, featuring school programs on four continents.

04 Cognitive Health:

Chess in nursing homes has been shown to reduce the risk of dementia by 9% (JAMA study). Nineteen countries have specific programs for children with autism spectrum disorder. And in Portugal, chess helps women cope during cancer treatment.

05 Women & Girls:

From the Girls Club in Kakuma to the global Queens Festival: Chess is being specifically used as a tool for empowerment—with women grandmasters serving as role models and coaches.

06 Storytelling:

In 2025, FIDE launched an international short film challenge (“Every Move Counts”) to highlight the human stories behind these projects.

The World Map

Today, social chess projects exist on every continent—with different areas of focus: Africa as a growth market with an emphasis on access to education; North America, with a focus on rehabilitation and border communities; Europe, with health and elder care programs; and Asia, which is receiving a strong boost from the FIDE Global Conference in India in early 2026.

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What all these projects have in common is that they harness chess’s unique ability to bring people together across borders on an equal footing—regardless of language, background, or status.

What does this mean for Switzerland?

Switzerland has strong international connections, and its location, institutions, and tradition of humanitarian work provide the ideal conditions for building local bridges:

Pilot projects in retirement homes or integration programs that are scientifically monitored and documented.

Corporate partnerships in which companies invest their CSR budgets specifically in proven Schach Impact programs.

Evidence-based evaluation that provides global projects with the measurement tools that many still lack.

«Chess is not just a game — it is a powerful tool for social change.», FIDE, Budapest 2024

Outlook

Following the Year of Social Chess in 2025, FIDE has dedicated 2026 to the theme of education. The movement is maturing: moving away from individual flagship projects toward scalable, measurable impact frameworks. This is the moment when local actors are needed—to translate global initiatives into concrete results.

If you'd like to learn more about social chess projects or are interested in collaborating: www.voegtlin-partner.ch