The Kiwanis Club Hraunborg wants to promote the chess community in Hafnarfjörður.

The Kiwanis Club Hraunborg in Hafnarfjörður will, on Wednesday, 22nd March, be hosting a chess tournament for the elite chess teams of 5th to 7th grade from nine of the town's primary schools. The motto of the Kiwanis movement in Iceland is „Children First and Foremost“, and Hraunborg has striven to uphold it in its testimony and deeds, particularly focusing on the welfare and well-being of the town's children and young people. The matches will be played on new chess sets provided by Hraunborg for the event, which will then present two sets as a gift to each of the town's primary schools.

Six chess players play in each school team

The chess players of the three chess teams with the highest win percentage, and their team captains, will be awarded medals. The winning team will also receive a magnificent Victory Cup, which will be a travelling trophy, to be kept at their school until the next primary school tournament for the aforementioned year groups in Hafnarfjörður. Helgi Ólafsson, one of Iceland's foremost and most renowned grandmasters, will run the tournament and serve as its arbiter. Rósa Guðbjartsdóttir, the Mayor of Hafnarfjörður, will play the opening move of the primary school chess tournament, inaugurating the event.

With the primary school chess tournament, the Hraunborg board aims to promote the chess community in Hafnarfjörður, particularly within the primary schools, and considers that this is a good way of following the aforementioned Kiwanis motto. Learning to play chess at a young age according to the established rules has great educational value, enhances social development, sharpens logical thinking and self-discipline, and the understanding that it is important to take responsibility for one's actions and respect time limits, which all contribute to the path towards success, usefulness and happiness.