Rompetrol, partner of the International Chess School Championship

More than 700 children, aged between 6 and 12, coming from four continents - Europe, North America, Asia, and Africa, have the opportunity to demonstrate their strategic skills in an international chess event. The competition consists of 90 teams, each composed of 2 girls and 2 boys, competing for the grand trophy.

Additionally, the Festival also hosts an outdoor chess contest, with the participation of another 400 children from Romania.

"Prahova is an important community for Rompetrol, where we invest in the operational area - Vega Refinery and fuel distribution network, as well as in community projects - in Blejoi, Ploieşti, and beyond. Children are beneficiaries of many of our education initiatives in the county, through partnerships with schools, authorities, and NGOs. The event in Ploieşti promotes chess and education through chess, providing children recognition and encouraging their performance." - Felix Crudu, CEO of Rompetrol Rafinare."

Children's participation is free, and the "Chess in Schools" team has prepared numerous prizes: diplomas, medals, cups, T-shirts, chess manuals and much more.

"The International Chess School Championship in Ploieşti is a natural step of the entire Chess in School campaign! Rompetrol supports education, and the support for children who wish to practice chess is highly important. Ploieşti, Constanţa, Timişoara, Sighişoara, Galaţi, Drobeta Turnu Severin, Satu Mare, Tg Mureş, Iaşi are just a few places where chess has been highly successful, while the 50,000 children who have learned this noble sport in the past 3 years and the 41,000 free textbooks distributed show the scale of this already significant movement! The event in Ploieşti will be a success, and Prahova will become a hub for chess in schools and education!" - Vlad Ungureanu, event organizer and coordinator of the Chess in Schools project at the national level.

Although chess is not yet included in the school curriculum in Romania, the benefits of this sport are evident, helping children develop logical thinking and apply these skills in their daily lives.

The "Chess in Schools" project, launched with the support of Rompetrol three years ago, has already achieved notable results nationwide, with over 2,000 participating teachers or trained chess instructors, over 50,000 children from rural and urban areas participating in training sessions, along with another 23,000 children involved in events and dedicated competitions. In the past year, over 40,000 hours of chess have been supported, and over 41,000 textbooks and 8,000 chess sets have been distributed for free to students.