More Than a Game: When Chess Becomes a Tool for Inclusion

While millions of people around the world have been following the Football World Cup with great interest, another board has recently demonstrated that sport can also change lives in San Sebastián, in the Basque Country of Spain.

The setting was Atotxa Square, the very place where Real Sociedad’s historic football stadium stood for nearly eight decades. Yet this time there was no grass pitch, no goals and no final score that truly mattered. Instead, the focus was on a chessboard and on the people gathered around it.

In this location, rich in sporting symbolism, Gautena and the Hondarribia Marlaxka Chess Club joined forces to organise an introductory chess workshop for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), highlighting the remarkable educational and social potential of the game.

For many people in Gipuzkoa, Gautena is a well-known institution. Beyond the province, however, its work is less widely recognised. For more than four decades, this non-profit organisation has supported people with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families throughout every stage of life. Through specialised services and programmes tailored to individual needs, Gautena promotes autonomy, well-being and full participation in society. Its commitment and expertise have made it one of the leading organisations in the field of autism support in Gipuzkoa.

The workshop took place at Gautena’s facilities in Atotxa Square. It began with seven participants and, thanks to growing interest, concluded with twelve attendees in its final session. Over three sessions held on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, participants were introduced to the basic principles of chess in a calm, welcoming environment adapted to each individual’s pace of learning. However, the initiative aimed to achieve much more than teaching how the pieces move or explaining the concept of checkmate.

Each activity was designed to encourage skills such as attention, observation, planning, memory, concentration and decision-making. Equally important were the opportunities to practise turn-taking, social interaction and self-confidence when facing new challenges. The sessions were led by Goio Uriarte Prieto, coordinator of the Hondarribia Marlaxka Chess School, in collaboration with Gautena therapist Haizea Olivero Sánchez.

A particularly meaningful contribution came from Jon Irigaray Ferreira, a Gautena participant and long-time member of the chess club, who assisted with activity planning, preparation of educational materials and participant support throughout the programme.

For the Hondarribia Marlaxka Chess Club, this initiative was not an isolated activity but rather a natural continuation of the values that have guided the club since its foundation more than 46 years ago. Throughout these years, the club has trained and supported generations of chess players from Hondarribia and the wider Bidasoa region, becoming one of the most active chess organisations in Gipuzkoa.

Alongside its sporting and educational activities, the club has consistently maintained a strong social commitment, convinced that chess can be a powerful tool for transmitting values, promoting inclusion and creating learning opportunities for everyone.

The collaboration between Gautena and the Hondarribia Marlaxka Chess Club is based on a shared belief: inclusion is not simply about opening doors. It is about creating opportunities and adapting activities so that everyone can participate, learn and enjoy them on equal terms.

The positive response to the workshop has encouraged both organisations to continue working together to bring chess to new communities and demonstrate its value as a tool for learning, social interaction and inclusion. Because, in the end, many differences disappear across a chessboard of sixty-four squares.

For a few moments, labels, diagnoses and classifications lose their importance. What remains are two people, a chessboard and a shared desire to learn.

Perhaps that is chess’s greatest victory.