Al Ain Municipality said yesterday that it will build six chess areas in parks across the city.
The project, unique in the Emirates, is aimed at children who can participate while playing in various parks and gardens, including Al Mubazzarah, Al Foah, Al Jahili, Al Muraijab, Al Taweah and Al Wadi.
"The development of children shouldn't be imposed on schools and parents only, but the responsibility also lies on all entities of the country," the municipality said in a statement. "We are trying to achieve that to an extent."
Saadique Abu Hamzah, an Al Ain resident, was pleased to hear about the project.
"Now we would have plenty of places where our children can engage in chess along with enjoying other facilities at parks," he said.
"We love to play chess and we would teach our children too about the game."
Each chess centre will have a space of 64 square metres, and include playgrounds and walking tracks for easy movement. There will be different kinds of games on offer, and places to sit.
The centres will be distributed across the city. The Al Foah garden in the north is designated for families, with Al Muraijab designated for women and children only.
