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For schools · After-school programming

After-School Chess Club Program

BeyondChess fits naturally into after-school programming. Each week has a 30–45 minute teaching block built around a single concept, a printable worksheet for take-home practice, and an online practice session students can do on their own time.

A weekly rhythm that runs itself

After-school staff often rotate, so the program is built to be picked up cold. Every week includes a one-page coach-script, a printable student worksheet, and an online practice link. If a session gets pre-empted by a school event, the worksheet covers the same content as the in-person block.

  • Mini-tournaments built into Phases 5, 9, and 10
  • Mixed-grade-friendly: same theme, different depth on Level Up vs CHIMERA tracks
  • Online practice arena with three difficulty bands
  • Mate puzzles, theme drills, and tactics streak modes for quick warm-ups
  • Parent-friendly take-home worksheets

How the program is delivered

BeyondChess gives teachers a self-contained classroom kit: a 50-week scope-and-sequence, printable student worksheets, a play-vs-computer practice arena, tactics and mate puzzles for warm-ups, and student progress tracking. No tournament background required — the lesson plans are written for classroom teachers, not chess coaches.

  • 50-week curriculum across ten developmental phases
  • Two parallel tracks: Level Up (chess principles) and CHIMERA (body-metaphor SEL pairing)
  • ~102 printable worksheets covering openings, middlegame, endgame, and tactics
  • Online practice arena with scaffolded difficulty and AI game review
  • CS Bridge worksheets that map chess concepts to coding fundamentals

Equity and access

A real chess program should not require expensive private coaches or branded tournament travel to be valuable. BeyondChess was built for Title I schools and community-based after-school programs. Pricing is per-school, not per-seat, so cost does not scale with student enrollment.

Run a chess club without writing the curriculum yourself

Drop us a note about your after-school setup and we will send back a starter pack.

Response within 24 hours