Our objective was to deliver an inclusive learning pathway using historic board games as a bridge to AI readiness. In line with the proposal priorities, we aimed first to advance inclusion and diversity by enabling youth with different backgrounds and starting levels to participate equally, drawing on multilingual terminology, diverse chess-piece design traditions, and the heritage of chess across regions. Second, we aimed to strengthen youth employability by building transferable competences for an AI-driven world: algorithmic thinking, structured decision-making, problem decomposition, and coding confidence, using chess-AI as an applied domain. Third, we aimed to promote STEM/STEAM excellence by linking chess logic to mathematics and computer science and using historic chess puzzles and classic AI challenges to connect modern algorithms to computing history and intellectual heritage. Technically, we went beyond introductory AI, exposing youth—age-appropriately—to methods used in chess software (search/evaluation, reinforcement-learning ideas, data-driven decisions). Operationally, we aimed to develop the curriculum (64-hour/25-lesson), train youth workers/teachers, and validate it through trainings, pilots, and dissemination.
We applied for SHATRANJ.AI because the proposal identified a clear need for youth (especially ages 13–18) to learn not only programming/computer science but also artificial intelligence, driven by the rapid adoption of AI in digital industries and growing AI-in-education initiatives. The proposal also noted a gap: while chess and other strategy games are widely used for character and academic development, youth interest often declines in middle school because it is not linked to visible, future employability pathways. Our approach was to channel that natural interest into a 1-year STEAM/AI learning pathway rooted in chess and its historical variants. Inclusion and diversity were central: the proposal frames chess as inherently inclusive and uses cultural variety—multilingual terminology, diversity of chess piece designs, and regional rule evolution across Europe and neighboring regions—to spark curiosity, reduce barriers to participation, and strengthen intercultural understanding. Finally, the proposal highlights that historic chess puzzles and positions are an ideal “test ground” for AI, allowing youth to connect classic problems to search, decision-making, and modern AI methods in a motivating, culturally grounded way.