The launch of the Infinite Chess project took place on March, on Zero Discrimination Day, in Matosinhos, Portugal.
It was attended by the project students with their parents, the Chess2All project team, mentors, family, friends and the local community (ALADI – Associação Lavrense de Apoio ao Diminuído Intelectual, CRPF Lavra – Centro de Recreio Popular da Freguesia de Lavra) .
It was very special to have WIM Jussara Chaves sharing her chess way to golden medal with the children and inspiring them.
Many messages were received from friends of the international chess community congratulating Portugal on joining FIDE Infinite Chess project: Dana Reizniece-Ozola (Supervisor of the Infinite Chess project and Deputy Chair of the FIDE Management Board), Anastasia Sorokina (Leader of the Infinite Chess project and Chair of the FIDE Commission on Women’s Chess), Frank Droin (Infinite Chess France) and Luciano Gomes (Infinite Chess Brazil).
In a friendly atmosphere, Chess2All presented the benefits of Chess for Autism. The project will start in 2 cities in Portugal: Matosinhos and Penafiel.
The scope of this project is to implement the methodology in which chess is used as a social and therapeutic tool in the context of autistic children and also to train and advise other associations, clubs, schools, teachers, parents and caregivers.
“We are deeply grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the Infinite Chess family. We want to increase knowledge and awareness about the game of chess for autistic children. It is crucial! We work to provide and generate a positive impact through Chess,” says the Infinite Chess project coordinator in Portugal, Tânia Chéu (Vice-President of Chess2All, project coordinator in Portugal).
The Infinite Chess FIDE project began in 2019 as a small pilot and currently has 18 participating countries.
“Engaging chess for diversity and inclusion can be a powerful catalyst for all people! Making a positive impact for social innovation by fostering a welcoming community where individuals from diverse backgrounds come together to learn, change, strategize, and build bridges through the universal language of the game, its a very important mindset at Chess2All! We expect amazing results in our country in order to make Portugal a better place,” – says Susana Gonçalves, Member of the FIDE Commission on Women’s Chess and the President of Chess2All.