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1. What makes our Chess Club different than other programs?

Our scholastic Chess Club offers successful chess education at affordable prices with the highest quality level of K-12 instruction throughout all 9-Bay Area counties: Santa Clara, San Francisco, San Mateo, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa,  Solano, Sonoma.

2. Are the Chess Teachers background checked?

Yes indeed. Our entire staff of Certified Chess Club Coaches is background checked by the US Dept of Justice, TB tested, and now clear COVID-19/Corona Virus test results.

3. Is your scholastic Chess school insured?

Absolutely! We possess liability and afterschool insurance well worth over 3.5 million dollars plus several additional coverage options. We provide workers compensation and health benefits as well.

4. What are the age range and skill level for Chess classes?

Our range is open to all interested K-12 students, for levels beginner through intermediate and even advanced.

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Our mission is to broaden the chess community here in the Bay Area by promoting chess to all. We're a proud official affiliate of the United States Chess Federation. We employ the top chess professionals available in all of Northern California, most with years upon years of successful teaching experience and professional competition. All Certified in the 1st-Move instructional program and able to transmit our award-winning curriculum to children of all ages and skill levels from absolute beginners, through intermediate and even advanced. Our chess school has helped to foster a continuing passion for chess in thousands and thousands of students since 1995.

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In addition, we make learning and progressing at chess FUN kids of all ages and capabilities. Our staff customizes each program to meet the needs of our specific student(s) from casual to the highly motivated. Our competitive Chess Club players have countless achievements, numerous top standings, and championships... Including city, state, and national titles. Our in-school, elementary & middle school teams are continually some of the highest rated in the entire state and win multiple sections year after year at the annual CA States Chess Championships

Both casual & competitive Chess is on the rise. It's mainstreaming in recent years has been in part to the many studies showing the benefits to kids, local youth has been more successful than ever in district tournaments, state rankings, national events, USCF ratings, and even the global chess-world: FIDE. We are seeing more chess on TV, film, print, movies...  And now that chess is back in an Olympic bid we are seeing this 2000+year-old game just about everywhere. More Americans are playing chess than ever before in our Nations's history.

1st Move!

First Move is an award-winning in-classroom curriculum using chess as a learning tool in K-5 grade classrooms.

The program focuses on enhancing the core curriculum while improving the student’s critical thinking and test-taking skills. Kids see chess as a game and do not realize the powerful learning that goes on while they play.

-Americas Foundation for Chess

In-school Chess Clubs, Private, & Tourneys... The AcademiCare way!

We are devoted to promoting the merits of chess amongst children by using stories, analogies, and catchy songs to make the game of chess exciting.  This unique learning experience not only teaches children to play chess but also prepares them for life by enhancing their thought process.  Children participating in the Chess Club develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills have better concentration and mental discipline, gain confidence, and have lots of FUN! 

Although we know the best teachers available and have what it takes to teach intermediate, advanced, and all the way to master level, we try to make Chess Club as fun as possible and give the kids the tools they will need to study chess on their own.  No organization can make a student chess master in just meeting once a week, we instead emphasize the fun over the competitive elements while still being a "good sport" to get our kids excited about chess and its strategies.

Scholastic Chess Clubs & Academic-Care

We coordinate Chess Clubs after school, during, before, and at lunch-time.  We teach an Academic style Chess that has proven to raise math and reading scores as well as boost social skills with the assistance of the 1st-Move program!