The President of the Solomon Islands Chess Federation (SICF), Mr. Simon Chottu, was invited by Ms. Xu, Secretary General of the Chinese Chess Association and newly elected Vice President for FIDE – International Chess Federation, for a friendly introductory lunch and discussion in Beijing, People’s Republic of China.
The discussion provided an excellent opportunity to establish connections, exchange ideas and explore potential cooperation between the two national chess federations.
During the discussion, Mr. Chottu shared the progress and vision of chess development in Solomon Islands, including the national team’s participation in the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Uzbekistan, ongoing school chess programmes and efforts to promote chess among young people and communities.
Discussions also focused on potential areas of cooperation, including chess coaching, technical training for arbiters, junior player development, tournament participation and knowledge-sharing between the two federations, and exchange development programs.
Mr. Chottu also had the opportunity to visit the Chinese Chess Academy in Beijing, headquarter for mind sports in China, gaining valuable insights into the country’s approach to chess development and the organisation of mind sports.
“Solomon Islands may be a small chess nation, but we have great ambitions for our young players. China has achieved remarkable success in international chess, and we see tremendous opportunities to learn from its experience and build meaningful partnerships,” Mr. Chottu said.
He further emphasised that chess is more than a competitive sport; it is a powerful platform for education, discipline, friendship and international cooperation.
The introductory meeting marks a positive first step towards building stronger relationships between SICF and the Chinese Chess Association, with hopes of exploring future exchange programmes and collaborative chess development initiatives.
SICF sincerely acknowledges Ms. Xu and the Chinese Chess Association for their warm hospitality and the opportunity to connect.
Source: SICF
