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Upcoming courses
07-08 February 2026
The ECU102 Teaching Mathematics through Chess training course was originally developed by Rita Atkins and John Foley in 2019 from the Erasmus+ CHAMPS Project, where they worked together. The CHAMPS (Chess and Mathematics in Primary School) project aimed to develop a new category of “chess-maths” exercises in which mathematical games and puzzles are represented in a chess format.
The newly updated course, Exploring Maths Tasks through Chess, will be presented by John Foley and Hari Neocleous and offers rich and playful teaching tasks for primary and secondary classrooms. John keeps and presents the investigations from the past course. Hari, a primary maths specialist and intervention teacher from London, will focus on tasks for younger learners. She has planned a range of problem-solving activities that develop key skills and understanding of various concepts in maths. She believes that the chessboard offers so much more than coordinates and the point values of pieces. It is a powerful platform for educators to nurture confidence, creativity and resilience in our young mathematicians!
Who is the course for?
This interactive 2-day course is designed for anyone working in primary and/or secondary education, from chess tutors, school/maths teachers, parents, to homeschoolers. The course showcases rich maths problems that can be explored through the theme of chess. The activities can be used in maths or chess lessons, chess clubs, in group work and 1:1 tutoring sessions. You do not need to be a chess player to teach or be a student who knows how to play chess. These tasks are inclusive, challenging and a great way to spark mathematical thinking using chess.
What will you learn?
✔️ You will be able to deliver a range of maths tasks linked to the theme of chess
✔️You will be able to differentiate between fun maths and high-quality maths investigations
✔️You will develop knowledge in key maths concepts
Included resources:
✅Course book, Teaching tips and ideas with exercises and online worksheets