The San Diego Chess Academy is a non-profit 501(c) (3)
dedicated to enhancing young minds with the game of chess!

How do you make kids smarter? With chess! Chess teaches kids how to analyze strategic situations. By getting kids to focus, concentrate, anticipate, and evaluate, the San Diego Chess Academy can help your children to develop abstract thinking skills. Chess also teaches your children to plan, organize and multi-task their thinking. Along with the program’s success in enhancing academic skills, chess instruction offers further student development in language arts literacy.



We have developed an exciting after school enrichment program that is seven to ten weeks in length. Each class is 60 minutes starting right when the children are dismissed from school. After role is taken we jump right into our daily lesson.  The after school chess instruction is given in a lively verbal style while using visuals and manipulatives, each student gains experience in listening and speaking. Instructors assess student understanding by asking questions and listening for correct responses. The 25 – 30 minute lessons are designed to keep all children interested and excited about chess. After the instruction we have the children pair off with a chess set to demonstrate the daily lesson, play chess or take part in a tournament. There will also be one-on-one instruction given during this time to students who require additional assistance. Each participant will receive and be encouraged to complete our Pawn Book. We pass out prizes and certificates for various accomplishments. We make sure each child gets at least one prize and one certificate each session.



By the end of the seven to ten week session the average 2nd grade student will know each of the chess pieces names, a brief history or story about the piece and the way it moves. They will know the rules of check, checkmate and stalemate. In preparation for internet chess or tournaments they will be taught special moves in chess such as castling and en passant. The students will also be taught to look for hanging pieces as long as there is no checkmate in one move.



We are currently providing our services at over forty schools in the southern California area teaching over 400 children per week. Our professionally trained U.S. Chess Federation certified instructors are fingerprinted and cleared by the Dept. of Justice. They are also TB tested. All our instructors are employees of the San Diego Chess Academy and all are covered under our workers compensation policy.