Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Rupetta Academy, Katmaan Senlong, has urged Nigerian schools to integrate chess into learning, saying it is a powerful tool for boosting academic performance and building life skills.

Speaking at the school’s 2025 World Chess Day celebration in Abuja, Senlong said chess develops critical thinking, focus, problem-solving, and creativity, making children sharper and more confident learners.

To drive home the message, the Academy staged a one-of-a-kind chess event that saw pupils play the game in a swimming pool, using waterproof boards, creating a unique aquatic chess experience that perfectly embodies this year’s theme: “Every Move Counts
The event, held at the academy’s facilities in Abuja, saw young chess enthusiasts from the academy Chess club take the ancient game to extraordinary new depths quite literally.

Using specially designed waterproof chess boards and pieces, the children demonstrated that chess truly knows no boundaries.

Speaking at the event, Senlong, reiterated that Chess is the game of geniuses, saying that “today our young geniuses have shown that every move counts even when you’re in the swimming pool”.

“We wanted to create something truly memorable for World Chess Day 2025, and what better way to show that chess is for everyone, everywhere, than by playing in water?, he said.

Senlong noted that chess builds confident learners and thoughtful decision makers, no matter the environment.
He said the vent aligns perfectly with FIDE’s 2025 Year of Social Chess initiative, which promotes chess as a tool for inclusion, education, empowerment, and mental well being.

Senlong stressed that this year’s theme,” reminds us that every decision on the board and in life shapes our journey.

Following the success of The Pointer School’s chess match atop London’s O2 Arena where children played 52 metres above the city, Rupetta Academy’s event continues the tradition of taking chess to unexpected places to highlight its educational benefits.

Senlong said the school believed in giving every child a chance to discover their interests and thrive intellectually, socially, and emotionally.

He said: “Chess brings numerous cognitive benefits that translate into improved performance in other areas be it concentration, problem solving, or creativity as well as valuable life skills like critical thinking, planning, and logical reasoning.

-The swimming pool chess event featured multiple simultaneous games, with children aged 6 to 12 participating in both casual games and mini tournaments.
“Professional underwater cameras captured the matches, and the footage will be shared with FIDE as part of their Creative Chess initiative, which encourages enthusiasts to play in the most imaginative locations possible.

He said the approach reflected Nigeria’s growing chess culture, following in the footsteps of national icons like Tunde Onakoya, who broke the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon in New York’s Times Square, and the recent successes of Nigerian teams in international chess competitions.

Speaking, nine-year-old Sarah Makama, one of the participants, while sharing her excitement, said playing chess in the pool was amazing, adding that “I had to think even more carefully about my moves because I didn’t want to splash the board. It made me focus better, and I still won my game!”

Also on her part, five-year-old David Ibe added: “This was the coolest chess game ever! The water made it feel like we were chess champions from another planet. I can’t wait to tell my friends about this.”