The education ministry is keen to encourage students to play chess to develop their academic skills, minister Athena Michaelidou said on Monday.

“Engaging in chess is a path full of challenges, but also provides opportunities to develop critical thinking, logic and the ability to solve complex problems,” she said during an address at the closing ceremony of the 2025 Pancyprian Youth Chess Championship of the Cyprus Chess Federation (KYSO).

For this reason, the ministry is determined to support and promote the development of chess in Cyprus “by providing opportunities for all the children to develop their abilities and cultivate their intellectual skills,” she added.

Since schools started using the no phone policy, she added that “engaging in such activities is the only way forward”.