Courses

Promoting life skills through teaching chess.

Chess is a game which can combine fun and functionality, as well as encourage competition and learning. Quality chess instruction fosters traits such as critical thinking, planning, analytical thought, and creativity. Studying chess is studying the art of planning ahead- one of the most important skills a person can have.

Our curriculum seeks to use chess as a tool to cultivate these traits in our students, allowing them to become both better chess players and better thinkers as a whole.

From teaching new students how to set up the chess board to exploring advanced concepts with a chess Grandmaster, our standard classes and private lessons make the game fun and accessible to all levels of players. Our instructors are as passionate about teaching as they are about chess, and have shared their knowledge and love of the game with students locally and across the world.

Students may ONLY begin at intermediate level with instructor permission. Otherwise satisfactory completion of the beginner level is required.

Usual age range: 7-12

Required chess experience: Understanding of chess’s basic strategic and tactical concepts.

Goal: To be able to analyze moves and accurately consider consequences within the game. Students should understand the flow of the game well enough to weigh options and generate plans during their games. If their parents/guardians aren’t chess players, they may start winning games against them.

Summary: This class guides students through more difficult concepts. Some will be entirely new ideas, while others will be more nuanced explanations of old strategies. Here the focus shifts from “looking at the board,” to “thinking about the board.”