Chess in Schools

Chess coach teaching at school with kids i

 

Eighty-five percent of our students are designated as socioeconomically disadvantaged; without Mechanics’, they would never have access to high quality chess instruction. We’ve seen big improvements in our players’ attentiveness and in their capacity for thinking ahead. Thanks to Mechanics’ Institute on-site over the last 15 years, chess has become an integral part of our school culture. - Judy Viertel, Teacher and Librarian at Marshall Elementary School

 

 

What to expect from our after-school classes

In our classes you can expect your children to

  • Improve their chess fundamentals by practicing basic checkmate patterns, tactics like forks, pins, and skewers, and looking over games to learn from their mistakes
  • Develop social and emotional skills such as critical thinking, navigating social situations, making and following-through on plans, and emotional regulation
  • Build friendships through one of the oldest games

Class structure is flexible based on the school community, and typically

  • Lasts 1 hour long broken into a 20 minute lesson and 40 minutes of free play
  • Maintains a 12:1 student-teacher ratio
  • Held after school with professional and talented coaching staff

Why Chess?

Students learn more than just how to win at chess! The skills students learn in chess class will benefit them for their whole life.

  • Research shows that chess education improves math skills, reading comprehension, and problem-solving skills (Nicotera and Stuit 2014)
  • Students learn a universal "language" and pastime that they can play and make connections with people all over the world!
  • Young players learn how to engage with adults in fair competition and build self-confidence. This is a rare opportunity for kids and soon enough they could be beating you!