For some Bronx students, chess is more than a board game — it teaches them how to strategize.
For 6-year-old Yianna Parra, a student at the Rosalyn Yalow Charter School, it’s competitive.
What You Need To Know
Rosalyn Yalow Charter School students are preparing to compete at the 2026 U.S. Chess National Elementary Championship this weekend in Baltimore
Chess is part of the curriculum at the charter school
Many students also frequently compete in local competitions, and the school holds extra practices on Saturdays
“What I like about competitions is you can challenge your brain and you can have fun,” she told NY1.
She is preparing to compete at the 2026 U.S. Chess National Elementary Championship this weekend in Baltimore. Parra is in first grade at Rosalyn Yalow Charter School in the South Bronx, where all students have chess classes as part of their curriculum.
Many students also frequently compete in local competitions, and the school holds extra practices on Saturdays. Alec Diacous, the executive director and founder of the Rosalyn Yalow Charter School, describes chess as a “universal language” that teaches students how to “think in three dimensions.”
Diacous said 96% of families in his school are economically disadvantaged and 22% are homeless — and that chess can help students face adversity.
“We are constantly reinforcing that there is strategy involved. But this strategy carries over to life. And it teaches kids how to maintain self-control under adversity. These are life lessons,” Diacous said.
Thirty-three students will compete in Baltimore from Rosalyn Yalow Charter School, including two kindergarteners. Students learn how to play from chess grandmaster Irina Krush.
“I just find this working very satisfying because I see how chess is positively impacting the kids. I have no doubt that they will go through life much better after having spent their formative years with chess. They’re going to be better decision-makers. They’re going to be more resilient people. They’re going to be more respectful people. They’re going to have an improved work ethic. Because all these kids, they practice a lot,” she told NY1.
Krush is one of 44 female chess grandmasters in the world, which accounts for approximately 2% of the total grandmasters worldwide.
Fifth-grader Brielle Smith, who is competing in Baltimore this weekend, said she’s lucky to learn from a Grandmaster.
“It’s pretty exciting because not all people have a chess teacher this good,” she said.
Students hope these lessons in strategy help them win both in life and in the competition this weekend.