Keystone Chess Academy

08/23/2026

Back-to-school season is here, and I’m really excited for fall chess clubs to begin.

This fall, Keystone Chess Academy will be in 30 local schools across Chester and Delaware counties. Our focus is simple: safety, character, and chess. In that order.

Ten clubs are already more than half full.

Find your school at keystonechess.com.

08/16/2026

Four more Fall Chess Clubs added!

Keystone Chess Academy continues to grow, with four new after-school clubs joining our Fall 2026 lineup:

✅ Chadds Ford Elementary
✅ East Ward Elementary (Downingtown)
✅ Springton Manor Elementary (Downingtown)
✅ St. Maximilian Kolbe School (West Chester)

And registrations are moving quickly. Many of our fall clubs have already reached the enrollment needed to officially run, and several are now nearing capacity.

If you've been thinking about registering, now is a great time to secure your child's spot.

👉 Find your school and register:
https://www.keystonechess.com/school-clubs

Fall clubs begin in September. ♟️

08/11/2026

We are thrilled to welcome Coach Vanshika to the Keystone Chess Academy team!

Coach Vanshika brings thirteen years of university teaching to our students. She holds a PhD in Business Administration from the University of Mumbai and spent her career teaching undergraduate and master's students, mentoring more than 500 through their research projects.

We are excited to add someone who loves teaching students so much to our coaching staff. Our students are going to learn a ton from Coach Vanshika this fall.

Please join me in welcoming her to the Keystone Chess Academy Team!

08/08/2026

We are hiring an Afternoon Program Coordinator.

Keystone Chess Academy runs after-school chess clubs at nearly 30 schools across southeastern Pennsylvania, and we are looking for one person to keep those afternoons running. You would be the calm voice on the phone when a coach needs something or a parent has a question.

Weekday afternoons, 2:00 to 5:00PM. Fully remote. $23 an hour. Administrative work with no contact with students, and chess knowledge is not required.

If you are interested, or know someone who would be, the details and application can be found here: keystonechess.com/jobs

08/06/2026

So excited to be back at Valotta Studios in the fall for Saturday chess club!

find us lost in the school supply aisle, dare I say, bring on the fall?! ✏️ our group & ensemble classes have been released & there truly is something for everyone this upcoming season 🍂 Kindermusik® International with Aimee , adult art adventures with Amy Stephen & Amy Stephen , chess club with Keystone Chess Academy , middle school jam band with mr. john, children’s choir & a musical theater master class with ms. madeline & everything in between! 🎶🎭♟️

08/05/2026

Fall chess club registration is open!
Reserve your child’s spot before these clubs sell out.

Keystonechess.com/school-clubs

07/18/2026

What a wonderful week of chess camp! We’re not sure who had more fun - the students or the coaches.

Looking forward to another week of camp at Valotta Studios next week! Thank you for being such wonderful hosts!

Valotta Studios

07/05/2026

We’ve received so many kind Google reviews from parents lately, and this one says it all. A child who’d never touched a chessboard, now in love with the game.

Thank you to every family who’s trusted us with your children.

06/29/2026

We are thrilled to welcome Coach Wei to the Keystone Chess Academy team! 🎉♟️

Coach Wei brings an extraordinary combination of academic excellence and chess expertise to our students. A lecturer at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a PhD in Statistics, he is also the proud father and coach of two US top-10 junior chess players — bringing world-class chess knowledge directly into our classrooms.

At Keystone Chess Academy, we believe chess builds critical thinking, focus, and character — and Coach Wei embodies exactly that. We can't wait for our students to learn from him this fall!
Welcome to the team, Coach Wei! 🏆

06/25/2026

What if the greatest thing your child learns from chess isn’t chess?

As a parent and chess coach, I’ve watched children develop far more than tactical skills.

Chess teaches kids to:

• Think several moves ahead
• Lose graciously and come back stronger
• Sustain deep focus
• Make independent decisions under pressure
• Respect the person across the table

Those lessons last long after the final move.

I recently wrote about why I believe chess is one of the best activities for developing character—and why those lessons have shaped my own life as well.

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

📖 Read here:
https://www.keystonechess.com/post/chess-making-great-character

What activity had the biggest impact on your character growing up?