Aspen Chess Club is an all-volunteer organization for Los Alamos elementary school children. We are strong believers that playing and learning chess has a strong positive effect on children, and our goal is to get as many kids exposed to chess as possible. The benefits of chess are substantial, and they are also very diverse; there have been several controlled studies that have shown statistically significant improvements in math, creative thinking, problem solving and even reading.

Chess also encourages and rewards focus, which is a skill lacking in some of today's kids. It is amazing to see 100s of kids at a chess tournament sitting quietly for an extended period. Another benefit is that chess helps kids learn that failure is a normal part of life, and better yet that you can learn from your failures. Chess is a perfect sport in this regard, plus it offers no room for excuses; the outcome is a direct consequence of your actions. We've found that some parents tend to be overprotective in this regard, whereas most kids are very resilient -- we even had one boy lose all 10 of his games in his first two tournaments, but he continued to learn and became one of the best players in the club.

Chess Benefits An overview of past research concerning the benefits of chess on kids.

Aspen Chess Club is open to any elementary (K-6) student. Students in the club do not need to participate in tournaments. Our club meetings are a mixture of “fun” games, ladder games, and chess lessons.

You may email us to ask questions about the club, the tournaments, and the meetings.