about us

“It’s all about the kids!” is much more than a tagline.  It’s more than a mission statement.  It’s our way of life.    It underlies our program development, our curriculum design, and our ongoing interactions with our students and their parents.  It’s the core of our twin measures of success: learning and laughter.  Excited young chess players growing as players and as people, and having fun with friends – old and new – is what we are all about.

Some of our students are extremely accomplished.  Over the years, they’ve won 104 Oregon championship titles and placed highly in the US Scholastic Nationals and a wide variety of regional events.  We’ve had the honor of training a number of chess masters and helping many more move in that direction. 

Many of our students are just getting started.  We love the process of introducing them to the lore, the logic and the colorful history of a game they can enjoy with family and friends, and ultimately share with their own kids.   We love them all and do all we can to help them grow at the board and away from it.