The Game of Chess as a Life Transfer – Evaluation of the New Academic Course

Nowadays, chess is being used as an important element in education, as there are many indications that the game of chess develops mathematical and cognitive skills. In many European countries, including Poland, educational chess projects have been operating in primary schools for several years. A new academic course “Education through Chess” at the Institute of Education of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków aims to prepare participants for the implementation of chess classes in pre-school and early school education. Students learn about the history of chess, the theory of openings, the rules of the middle and end game. More importantly, the game of chess is regarded as a tool of self-knowledge. It is about transferring chess experiences into everyday life, which can thus be better/deeper understood. Self-reflection plays a key role in this process. For this reason, the main method used in the study is the analysis of students’ auto-ethnographies created during and after the course. The results indicate a significant potential for the transfer of chess experience into the area of everyday life, formulating the idea of life transfer.