What happens when chess becomes a reason for people of different generations to meet, talk and spend time together? This question was at the heart of our recent ECU Education Discussion Group meeting, where Mădălina-Maria Lejean-Anușca presented Chess without Age, an Erasmus+ project exploring how chess can bring younger and older people together.
I’m pleased that Mădălina is sharing this project in English, allowing people beyond Romania to hear about their work and take inspiration from it. Through a collaboration between the Romanian Chess Federation and Club Ajedrez 64 Villalba (Spain), led by Luis Blasco de la Cruz, Madrid Chess Academy, she is bringing ideas and experiences back to Romania and reaching out to clubs and communities interested in putting them into practice.
Having worked extensively in Chess in Education, she is now exploring another setting in which chess can serve a wider social purpose. The people and their needs may differ, but many of the principles are familiar: accessible activities, opportunities to discover and play and time to learn from one another.
A shared game, a reason to connect
During the discussion, we reflected on what makes an intergenerational chess project valuable. Grandparents and grandchildren might enjoy doing something together, while people who rarely meet other generations could find a welcoming space to start a conversation.
Chess provides a shared focus. A game or a playful activity gives people something to explore together, allowing conversation and relationships to develop. This connects closely with the approach we teach in the ECU training courses. Activities can be adapted to different ages, abilities and interests, with enjoyment and participation at their centre. There is no need for everyone to aspire to competitive chess. Spending meaningful time together is a worthwhile purpose in itself.
Start with your community
For anyone inspired to try something similar, you can start small. Look around your own community: where could people benefit from spending time together and who might help you bring them together? At its heart, this is a social initiative, with chess providing a shared activity through which people can connect. A local school, library, community centre or care home could be a starting point. You don’t need to begin with a large Erasmus+ project. You can begin with a few people, a welcoming space and the wish to do something worthwhile for your community.
Funding was one of the practical questions raised during the meeting. It helps to distinguish between activities for older people and those specifically bringing older and younger generations together. Each approach may involve different partners and sources of support.
Before looking for funding, however, we need to make the idea clear:
- Who do we want to bring together, and why?
- Where could they meet?
- What could they do together?
- What would we like them to experience and learn from one another?
The answers can help identify potential partners: a school, library, community centre, care home or organisation working to reduce loneliness.
A project can begin with a few people, a welcoming space and some local support. Voluntary involvement or modest fundraising may help establish the first activities, while the experience gained can support future development.
European collaboration offers another possibility. Organisations interested in Erasmus+ can explore suitable partnerships and the eligibility requirements of relevant funding calls. But a meaningful local initiative can begin well before a larger project takes shape.
One word: connection
We ended the meeting by asking participants: “What is one word you associate with chess across generations?” The most frequent answer was connection. Other responses included community, inclusion, joy, kindness and legacy.
My own word would be friendship. That is what stayed with me after the meeting: the possibility that a shared game can become the beginning of a relationship.
Thank you, Madalina and Luis, for sharing your work, and to everyone who contributed to the discussion. If you would like to learn more or explore a similar initiative, you are welcome to get in touch with us at ECU Education Commission info.edu@europechess.org so we can help connect you.
See the presentation slides below: