National Scholastic Chess Foundation

Scholastic chess has grown dramatically in the nearly 50 years since FM Sunil Weeramantry first began teaching the game — but not all growth is equal.

What many people don't realize is that the program Sunil founded at Hunter College Campus Schools in 1979 was a trailblazer. In the decades since, many wonderful programs have followed. But too many still miss what Sunil set out to do from the very beginning: teach chess in a way that builds the critical thinking skills and social-emotional learning competencies students carry with them for life.

That's what drives us here at the National Scholastic Chess Foundation. Every day, we work to follow in our founder's footsteps — replicating his methods so that every student truly succeeds, on and off the board.

So it was a deeply meaningful moment when the Hunter team took top team honors at the 2026 National Middle School (K-8) Championship — and FM Bryan Enming Lin put an exclamation point on it with a perfect 7/7 individual score.

Sunil will be the first to tell you that chess isn't about ratings and titles. It's about the skills students carry throughout their lives. But he'd have to admit — winning is pretty sweet too. 🏆

Congratulations to the Hunter team, to FM Bryan Enming Lin, and to every coach and student who embodies what this work is really about!

Photo credit: Javier Carrera, US Chess

To all our chess moms, Happy Mother's Day!

HIRING PART-TIME INSTRUCTORS: The NSCF is hiring chess teachers for after school.... immediate start or for the 2026-27 school year. We have a 35+ year history of success teaching children and we're looking to expand across Westchester, the Bronx and in western CT. If you or you know someone who may be interested, message me and we can figure out how to communicate directly. This job is suitable for semi-retired and for university students. Must have your own reliable transportation... public transit does not work in most situations - Thanks, Robert

ALWAYS A GREAT TOURNAMENT – We have USCF Rated sections PLUS our Unrated K-1 and 2-5 sections to introduce newer players to competitive chess. Come join the fun next SUNDAY, May 17
https://www.events4chess.com/events/?event_ID=2575

Wow what a great turnout. 126 players were signed up for our first-ever tournament at Seely Place (at least to my knowledge... we've been teaching there for a long time so maybe it happened before me). Reports from staff and parents was it all went super smooth and the kids had a great time. Be sure to join us next month in Bronxville. https://nscfchess.org/ny-ct-scholastic-chess-tournaments/

Registration is open for our tournament on Saturday at Seely Place Elementary in Scarsdale. Rated and unrated sections. Open to all K-12 students regardless of where they live or go to school. Come join the fun. https://www.events4chess.com/events/?event_ID=2574

In Good Company: Yesterday, the National Scholastic Chess Foundation, along with 11 other community service organizations, were proud recipients of the first ever THRIVE grants awarded by the City of New Rochelle, NY. We have been working with the New Rochelle Fund for Educational Excellence to provide chess enrichment to 3rd and 4th graders in the city's schools. This award allows us to expand to include 5th grade students. Thanks to Mayor Yadira Ramos-Herbert and the city council, as well as the THRIVE review committee, The City School District of New Rochelle superintendent Dr. Corey Reynolds, NRFE Executive Director Anne Todd, and the many school principals and staff who make this all possible. Here's looking forward to creating future champions on the chessboard and in life!

Airing today on WPLG TV in Miami this captures a small part of the story of our Sunrise community chess initiative. Now to get more cities to share the vision!

What Connects Us: The social side of chess — inside the Sunrise Center for Excellence in Chess A growing social scene is taking shape in Sunrise, where strategy is the sport and the chessboard is becoming a hub for connection.

Recently our founder, FM Sunil Weeramantry presented a guest lecture at the Parker Chess Club in the Denver suburb. His visit was included in a feature story about the club and the growing interest in chess in the town's newspaper. Both the club and the NSCF share the goal of making chess about more than just tournaments, but about engaging children, and indeed people of all ages, with lessons and open play. Here's the link:

The pieces of the Parker Chess Club Some might think that they need to be “brainy” or be of a certain age to learn how to play chess, but world-renowned chess coach Sunil Weeramantry said that isn’t