The first World Schools Chess Championship kicks off today in the Armenian resort town of Tzaghkadzor.

100 young people from 7 countries - Armenia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Georgia, India, Russian Federation and Ukraine – will participate, according to Armenia’s Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports.

The organizers of the competitions are the International School Sport Federation and the Armenian Students' Sports Federation.

The one-week championship seeks to promote the development of chess among schoolchildren, the creation of youth teams for girls and boys in schools, and to prepare schoolchildren for international competitions.