The Future of Chess in Pendik Discussed: Federation Delegation Visits District Governor Yıldız

Türkiye Chess Federation President Fethi Apaydın, Pendik District Director of National Education Ertan Saygın, and the accompanying federation delegation visited Pendik District Governor Mehmet Yıldız in his office. In the meeting, held in a cordial atmosphere, the main topics included broadening chess at the grassroots level in the district, increasing school-age children’s access to the game, and launching new local-scale organizations.

The visit went beyond a simple courtesy meeting and once again brought to the fore the strong connection between chess and education. Views were exchanged on issues such as increasing chess activities in schools, strengthening the tournament culture, identifying talented athletes at an early age, and supporting club structures in the district. In this way, a shared commitment was emphasized toward creating a more systematic chess environment in Pendik in terms of both infrastructure and player development.

In recent years, chess in Turkey has increasingly stood out not only as a sport, but also as an important educational tool that develops attention, planning, patience, and analytical thinking skills. Within this framework, cooperation with local administrations, district governorships, and national education institutions is of great importance. In districts with large student populations such as Pendik, the steps to be taken could create a broad impact ranging from school tournaments to educational seminars, from teacher support programs to new chess classrooms.

This contact by the federation delegation is expected to lay important groundwork for chess tournaments, educational projects, and expansion efforts to be organized in the district in the coming period. Growing the chess ecosystem together with local stakeholders will contribute both to increasing the number of licensed players and to introducing more children to chess. Türkiye Chess Federation also thanked Pendik District Governor Mehmet Yıldız for his kind hospitality.