SKCA's Biggest Wins of 2024-25

School's back in session, and another great year of scholastic chess at Silver Knights is about to begin! The 2024-2025 school year was big for us, and for our students.

We were especially excited to win the Scholastic Service Award from US Chess in August, in recognition of our nearly twenty years teaching chess to kids.

From 16,000 in-person players taught to 11 state championship wins by SKCA students across the country, here are some of the accomplishments we're proudest of:

Local Successes

Since August of 2024, we’ve taught more than 16,000 students in our in-person clubs and camps across Maryland, Virginia, and Washington D.C.

We also held 20 tournaments in the region, which saw more than 4,000 students show up to compete! This year’s Maryland State Championship had 540 entrants, making it the largest tournament we’ve ever run!

To ensure accessibility for as many kids as possible in the area, we awarded $85,000 in need-based scholarships to students over the course of the year, which granted hundreds of interested children a chance to study the game and fall in love with chess.

State Chess Championship Wins and Supernationals

A total of 11 SKCA students won state tournaments across the US:

• Gustav won the Rhode Island Middle School Championship
• Shlok won the Maryland State Championship for K-3, and then was interviewed alongside Adam and Daniel on NBC4–video below!
• Amelia won the Virginia State Championship, K-3 section
• Kelton won the Iowa Elementary Championship
• DC
• Georgia
• Vermont
• South Carolina
• Pennsylvania
• Wisconsin (times two)
  

To close out the year, we accompanied nearly 80 students to Supernationals in Orlando, Florida. It was a great weekend full of fun, friendship, and fierce competition. Check out our founder and CEO Adam Weissbarth’s recent appearance on the Perpetual Chess podcast to hear more about the trip. 

Online Growth

This year, we saw our Academy program expand to every corner of the country and beyond. We’ve now taught students from all 50 states, dozens of countries, and six continents. One of our students even shows up to our virtual classes all the way from Brisbane, Australia, which is more than 9,400 miles away from our home office in Northern Virginia–pretty amazing!

In addition to state championship wins, we also had three Academy students earn Master titles, which is a tremendous achievement! Our Elite Academy, designed for advanced students with USCF ratings of 1400+, has grown so much that we recently added a third grandmaster to our roster of exceptional coaches to keep up with demand. 

Throughout the year, students of all ages and skill levels, including total beginners, have taken advantage of our convenient online classes and the flexibility and fun they provide. If you think your child might enjoy an online class, try a $5 trial class to see what it’s all about.

What's Next

As kids across the region head back to the classroom, we're gearing up for a busy season of in-person chess clubs at 350 schools and community centers across Northern Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. To find a club near you, select your county from the drop down list on the "In-Person Clubs" section of our menu. We hope to see you there!