PALS Chess Academy

PALS Chess Academy is Colorado's premier chess enrichment provider! We offer before and after school chess clubs at public, private and charter schools. We sponsor scholastic chess tournaments every month for up to 200 players. For the serious chess player, we offer a weekly evening chess club and tournament called MasterMind Chess Club.  We also offer one-on-one and small online group lessons! Finally, we offer 5 super-fun chess camps each summer and the brand-new Rocky Mountain All-Girls Chess Camp in July 2025!

Before and After School Chess Clubs:
We have over 40 chess coaches working with 1500 children each semester. Our chess curriculum was developed by National Masters and 15-time Colorado State Chess Champions, Griffin and Sullivan McConnell. For the past 11 years, PALS students have competed at the Colorado State Scholastic Chess Championships and have won state championships in multiple categories every year! In 2024, PALS' students swept the state chess championships winning K-1, K-3, K-5, Middle School and High School titles! 

Scholastic Chess Tournaments: 
PALS Chess Academy hosts monthly scholastic chess tournaments where children can spend an entire Saturday playing and competing against other children in their age divisions. We see anywhere from 100 to 150 participants at these tournaments, making them the largest scholastic chess tournaments in the state! 

Weekly Evening Chess Tournament and Masterclass:
For the serious chess student, PALS Chess Academy offers our MasterMind Chess Club! This club meets Monday evenings from 5:30 to 7:30 pm and features a 1hour chess tournament followed by master-level analysis from Griffin and Sullivan McConnell. After the games are done and the analysis is over, we end with a 25-minute lesson taught by Griffin and Sullivan McConnell. These lessons are drawn straight from their recent games played against other National Masters, International Masters and Grand Masters! 

Private Lessons and Small Group Lessons: 
PALS Chess Academy provides one-on-one private chess lesson opportunities and small online group lessons for students looking to take their chess game to the next level!

Summer Chess Camps:
PALS summer chess camps set the gold-standard in interactive learning and fun. Children don't "just" sit and play chess. There are all kinds of new and innovative games and activities that they will be able to participate in like: “Chess Coach Target Practice" a game where they will shoot nerf guns at chess pieces attached to special protective "chess" suits worn by their coaches. “Blind-Fold Chess” where they will actually play an entire game of chess blind-folded using an actual 3D chess board for the blind “Analysis Paralysis” a team competition where they analyze a chess position and try and determine which side is winning, if they get the answer right, they move on to the next puzzle, if they get the answer wrong, they have to freeze in place for 30 seconds And so much more! 

ALL-Girls Chess Camps: 
PALS Chess Academy is proud to announce the VERY FIRST Rocky Mountain All-Girls Chess Camp! This exciting camp is being held at The Hilton Garden Inn Denver Tech Center and will feature an all-female coaching staff led by Head Coach, Woman Grand Master and 2017 US Women’s National Chess Champion, Sabina Foiser! 

REGISTER TODAY! 
Receive 10% off summer camps with code JV6ZRX5F
Early Bird Discount Deadline is March 15th! Last Chance Deadline is May 1st!

GENERAL CAMP DETAILS

• Registration has already begun and will continue until the camp dates.
• Early Bird Discount deadline is March 15th!
• Last Chance deadline is May 1st
• Macaroni KID subscribers receive 10% off  summer camps with code JV6ZRX5F
• Open to K-12th grade
• We welcome beginner, intermediate and advanced chess players!

50% off and full-ride scholarships available to the camps based on the numbers of "paid" registrations.

SUMMER CAMPS

PALS Summer Chess Camp
Central Christian Church -  3690 Cherry Creek South Drive, Denver, CO 80209

• June 16- 20, 2025
• June 23-27, 2025
• July 7-11, 2025
• July 21-25, 2025

PALS STEM Highlands Ranch Summer Chess Camp
STEM School Highlands Ranch - 8773 S Ridgeline Blvd, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129

• June 23-25, 2025

PALS Rocky Mountain All Girls Chess Camp
Hilton Garden Inn Denver Tech Center, 7675 E Union Ave, Denver, CO 80237

• July 21-25, 2025

REGISTER TODAY! 
Receive 10% off summer camps with code JV6ZRX5F
Early Bird Discount Deadline is March 15th! Last Chance Deadline is May 1st!

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