A program that scales with your students
Beginner students start at the same place as elementary, but pace through Phases 1–4 in the first quarter. Returning students go straight into the tactics and middlegame phases. The curriculum supports a single mixed-level classroom by giving teachers two parallel tracks — Level Up and CHIMERA — that pair to the same week, so students at different levels are studying the same theme at different depths.
- Quarterly checkpoint worksheets that double as formative assessment
- CS Bridge worksheets — search algorithms, IF/THEN/ELSE logic, edge-case handling
- Tactics streak and rated puzzle modes for warm-ups
- Student-vs-AI practice with game review by an AI coach
- Optional Studies authoring — students build their own interactive lessons
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
Why middle school is the right entry point
Middle schoolers can hold a multi-step plan in working memory long enough for chess to actually pay off cognitively. They also benefit most from SEL anchored to a concrete activity — the CHIMERA body-metaphor track gives students language for emotional regulation that they can apply outside chess.