Modern Chess Instruction in School: Cognitive Effects, Pedagogical Strategies, and a Model of Accredited Teacher Training

Chess instruction in contemporary educational practice increasingly integrates digital resources and interactive technologies. This paper presents an expanded and improved version of an accredited teacher training program in school chess education, with special emphasis on the digital interactive textbook Through the World of Chess with the Raccoon 1, 2, and 3, translated from Russian and hosted on the platform of the Chess Federation of Montenegro. The textbook is used in the first year of learning chess as a central digital resource for pupils. In everyday instruction, the platforms chess.com and lichess.org are used for learning, analysis, and play, with lichess being particularly emphasized due to its pedagogical advantages, including interactive studies and free engine analysis. Digital materials and chess software are projected on an interactive whiteboard, significantly enhancing visualization, collaborative analysis, and student engagement. The teacher training program further instructs participants in the use of Swiss Manager and Fritz, exclusively as professional tools for teacher preparation and tournament organization, not as instructional tools for students.