Will my child like chess? The Knight School is designed by blue-ribbon educators from the ground up to be alluring and irresistible to kids so that the hook of critical thinking can take hold. Everything about class is fast-paced, fun-centered, music driven, movie-oriented, and silly. Virtually no child ever drops chess once they come and experience one class. The curricular cleverness and child-centered nature of this innovative and ground-breaking approach is truly becoming a national phenomenon. See the "Our Secret" Page.
Why take chess? Teachers of the kids in The Knight School have reported remarkable increases in classroom confidence as well as marked improvements in behavior, sportsmanship, and character. Moreover, clinical studies have long-established that chess increases math and science scores and consequently boosts ACT scores as well. The main reason to take chess, however, is that very frequently chess results in a personal epiphany in which students are stricken with a sudden certainty that any goal can be achieved once it is clearly defined. Chess is pure magic; it allows kids to conjure any future they conceive, build a pathway to it, learn to anticipate and foresee trouble and lock themselves into the habit of eliminating obstacles before they materialize. From this chess foundation The Knight School "Chess Nuts" work steadily toward controlling every classroom, interstate, and interpersonal environment they ever encounter. To see how much fun learning chess can be, try the Chess Puzzler Ballon Hunt!
Is the class done professionally? The Knight School takes great pride in our 100% guarantee of a deeply rewarding classroom experience, effortless billing, and world-class customer service. Since all classes are standardized and presented in identical format each week all over the United States, the classroom experience is predictable and delightful to the chess students enrolled. All classes are a combination of seven hilarious videos presenting the weekly tactic, which work hand-in-hand with the official chess coach assigned to your school who interacts with the weekly videos presented by Dr. Brooks. The product of this synthesis is a ground-breaking approach that make for a very effective, professional class and a very entertained and educated chess student who climbs into your car at chess carpool. See the Party Page for smaples of our lessons.
Do we have other activities other than the weekly 3:00-4:15 chess class right after school? Yes we do. We have huge triple tournaments at the end of each semester where every chess team gets together in a free-for-all of fun, friends, trophies, and a junkfood mountain; we call these semi-annual, semester-ending December and May bashes our Tournaparties! We also have 12 unbelievably fun Chess Camps every summer. Additionally, we go every year to the State Chess Championship which last year we won on both the K-3 and the 4-6 level. Finally, enrolling in The Knight School Unlimited allows kids to attend several Advanced Chess Classes from 4:45-6:00 each week, complete with TactixBeads Tourneys! They rock!
Can my school join The Knight School network? We add schools all the time and we would love to bring our program to you. Just email Coach Brooks to initiate the process of joining the awesome Knight School Network of interconnected chess teams.
How much does it cost? Their are several options, but the standard Knight School tuition is $80 per month, and all students pay an annual supply fee of $70 which covers each student’s personal USCF chess bag, pieces and vinyl board as well as the official The Knight School Chess Shirt and all the silicone Tactixbands a student can earn. Also included in the supply fee are free replacement pieces and chess boards for life. This feature is a significant and luxurious benefit for kids who often misplace a chess piece or two! All Knight School families pay tuition by automatic, recurring draft. Automatic drafting frees us both from the old days of lost checks, worry, and late fees and leaves us free to enjoy a pure chess experience! There are no contracts ever in The Knight School; while a one-year commitment generates the best chance for a fully successful and satisfying chess experience for your student, automatic drafting can be cancelled at any point in the year just by e-mailing Dr. Brooks. A second option is The Knight School Unlimited, which offers not the one awesome class taught once per week in your school, but 35 classes, both the 3:00-4:15 TactixClasses and the 4:45-6:00 MasterClasses as well. The Knight School Unlimited tuition is $120 per month. Email us with any questions. You may also opt out of the recurring draft right now by paying by the semester or school year via this PayPal button.
Can my child attend more than one class per week? The Knight School $80 tuition includes one class per week at your home school. Sign up for The Knight School Unlimited, which costs $120 per month, and your student can participate in all 40 classes each week, including 35 3:00-4:15 TactixClasses and several 4:45-6:00 Advanced MasterClasses, which always include a TactixBeads Tourney, a powerful favorite of the kids. See the Locations Page.
How often do classes meet? The Knight School meets once per week, right after school, in your school library or another room designated by your principal. We always meet once per week from August 15th through May 15th unless your school is dismissed on the designated chess day. See the annual Calendar.
What is a typical class like? The Knight School chess classes are delightful, highly-scripted, rigidly-organized chess lessons and tournaments. To see a typical day and samples of all the crazy things we do each week, go to the Party Page!
What age do you take? The Knight School “Little Geniuses” is a division of the Knight School that provides developmentally-appropriate chess classes to 3K and 4K classes during the school day in many local, excellent child development centers. The Knight School “Chess Nuts,” which is the division that targets kids ages 5K-6th grade, has a large percentage of its kids in 5K, first and second grade. Third through sixth also sign up in droves and the mix of all these ages really works in The Knight School. See the Options Page.
Can beginners join? Absolutely! Many, many beginners join each week and we have a set procedure to assure that the new kids are folded into the larger class seamlessly. Established kids scramble to earn Good Sportsmanship "Pink Belts" by showing the new kids the ropes.
What are the qualifications of the teachers? Dr. Brooks interacts with all Knight School Chess Nuts through a series of videos each week. Dr. Brooks has 20 years of teaching experienced in a Blue-Ribbon School and has earned five college degrees. The local coaches are selected based on their professionalism, dependability, and responsibility with the chess students in their classes. They are highly paid and highly trained in classroom management as well as chess tactics, but their primary responsibility is to ensure that all the chess nuts have a delightful and safe day in chess. See the Qualifications Page.
How many locations are there? Right now there are 40. For the most current locations, see the Locations Page.
Can I try a sample class and see if the fit is good before I commit? Absolutely. Just email us and let us know to expect your student.
Is there a sibling discount? Yes and a huge one. The first student is regular tuition, the second half, and the third is free! See the Family Plan Page.
How much do I save if I refer a friend? Both the referred and the referring receive one free month of The Knight School Unlimited tuition when an enrolled students invites a friend and they enroll. See the Referral Page.
Does my child actually learn chess? Yes, The Knight School can guarantee that in one year all students who want to get good at chess actually do. Our curriculum is powerful and drives students forward with them sometimes not even being aware of how devastaing their chess game is becoming until they cream the entire neighborhood!. See Curriculum Page.
What is the commitment? Like ballet or soccer or karate, mastery does not come in a day or a month. One sustained year of chess tactics instruction is a good time to gauge how effective the training is. We recommend a one-year commitment, but kids may drop at any point.
Can my child take chess in addition to other sports? The Knight School is also known as “Overschedulers Anonymous;” all our Chess Nuts are involved in many, many sports because we attract the most well-rounded, academically, athletically and socially active, and ambitious kids in every school. The availability of numerous locations in your area that might work as your home school literally makes scheduling conflicts obsolete! You can take chess any day of the week. See the Locations Page.
How good is The Knight School? We are currently 48-0 in head-to-head matches against our rivals and competitors. Last year kids who first joined The Knight School as beginners won ten state championships. Mainly, though, our kids have fun and develop a life-long love of both chess attacking and learning in general. See Record Page.
What will I be missing if I don’t take chess? The Knight School Chess Nuts report feeling confident in their School classes and soon develop a self-perception as a very smart kid. Chess tactics mastery develops self-esteem, analytical ability, test scores, good sportsmanship, and a lifetime awareness that any obstacle in life can be spun and managed if sufficient thought is applied to finding the solution.
I'm sold! It's worth a try to see if the fit is right! What do I do next? Just sign up at the Enroll Page!
