As a subject chess was established in 1983 by the first Bulgarian grandmaster Milko Bobotsov, a graduate of the Nigher Institue of Physical Culture and Sport "G.Dimitrov" subject "Weight Lifting". Besides him, the first lecturers are: the member of the Constitutional Law-court and former Minister of Justice professor Doctor Theodor Chipev (SU"Kliment Ohridski") and Pavel Ivanov - jurist and chess historian.
The purpose of the chess education at NSA is to create erudite specialists in all possible aspects of application of such a complex and multilateral social phenomenon as chess. Fundamentals of the pedagogical mastery in chess; evolution and history of the ideas in chess; computers and chess; organization, arbitration, and knowledge of the rules - this comprises only a part of the educational purposes and it turns the chess teaching into a very serious academic discipline, with all the requirements peculiar to this statute.
The future coaches study theory, history of chess and world championships, methods of teaching chess at schools and clubs. Graduates obtain the authority to be chess arbiters as well.
While raising their sports achievements, the students are expected to acquire knowledge , skills and habits to work with youths from all qualifications; to manage all processes connected with chess or ensuing from chess; to follow, study and apply the positive innovations in the theory and practice of the educational methods and scientific research, as well as to enhance their erudition and to develop their creativity in the indicated directions.
The chess students should learn how to work in a team with other sports specialists and to find in practice the numerous interfaces between chess and other fields of expression and pursuit of physical and spiritual perfection of the human individual.
The chess students here have the opportunity to study and master chess together with some of our most talented young Bulgarian players. NSA is a serious sports institution like those in Moscow, Kiev, Novi Sad. Chess academic programme is similar to the programme at the Chess Departments in Moscow and lasts 4 years for bachelor and 1 year for master degree. The main orientation of the chess education is to promote chess as a sport as well as an educational tool and to prepare wide profiled chess experts, coaches and to master their playing skills to highest level.
The following more famous chess players have prepared themselves in this subject from its establishment until the present day: V.Topalov, V. Spassov, D.Bozhkov, P.Drenchev, M.Petrov, I.Dragijska, S.Stoichkov, O.Todorov and many more.
At present time the head of the Chess sector is ass.prof. Radislav Atanassov, and free-lance lecturer is Grandmaster Kiril Georgiev. The graduate of Sofia University and chess master Leila Dimitrova works on her doctor`s degree with thesis: "Research of the stylistic and technical mastery of elite chess players and elaboration of methods for training in chess" and as a free student, the chess master Stefan Sergiev - Vice President of the Bulgarian Chess Federation - applies for doctor`s degree with thesis:"The development of the chess in Bulgaira and the influence of the Russian chess school".
Other theses that expect their elaboration in the form of dissertations are: "History of chess in Greece" with author Andreas Athanasiadis and "The application of artificial intelligence and programming products in chess" with author Krum Berovsky - both are free students for doctor`s degree.
The Chess department contributes to the popularization of the game mainly among the students,, pulils and lecturers from the primary and secondary educational institutions. There are phases of pupils` games, students` championships, national championships for the various age groups (children and teenagers) organized for this particular pupose. Besides, there are educational and qualification courses in arbitrary and knowledge of the rules organized, as well as post-diploma qualification courses and educational-training courses. The main focus of the department`s policy
is the development of the chess game as an educational and educative tool in oder to influence society and its institutions. The high level of sports mastery is also subordinate to this priority purpose.
In order to receive credits, a student is obliged to organize (to referre) and to play one tournamnet in a semester. Without these two tournamnets the students are not allowed to the examinations. Every 15-th and 30-th seminar of the semester the students pas a running control in order to check their theoretical knowledge and practical skills and if they receive a grade lower than “Good 4”, they are not allowed to the examinations.
Only students with defended educational course thesis are allowed to an examination on the subject during the 7-th semester.
The horaria of the subject, the sports improvement, the practice of education and methodology and probationer’s practice correspond to the Educational plan for the Trainers` faculty.
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