Indeed. When I was in "prépa" (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classe_pr%C3%A9paratoire_aux_grandes_%C3%A9coles https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classe_pr%C3%A9

Indeed. When I was in "prépa" (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classe_pr%C3%A9paratoire_aux_grandes_%C3%A9coles https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classe_pr%C3%A9paratoire_aux_g... ) my English teacher, an American told us that the way he saw the system was to train us at math, just as a way to discriminate us between those who'll get to pick the best school and those who will take what's left. And he said, they might as well train you to do chess for 2 years and let the strongest one pick his school. He also told me that back in the US where he came from, with his local chess club he went to a prison play with the inmates. They got destroyed, because the inmates played chess all day long so they were all very good.