The McKinley Chess Club meets on Friday afternoons afterschool until 4:45 pm in the McKinley library and is open to all 4th and 5th grade students.  The club is sponsored by the McKinley PTA and is supported by parents, teachers and high school volunteers. 

We are fortunate to have students from the Yorktown and Washington-Lee High School chess clubs serve as our volunteer "Chess masters," lending their time to help the students develop their chess skills. 

In addition to our regular visiting teen chess masters, we welcome all chess-playing olders siblings, parents, grandparents and teachers to drop in and play a match during Chess Club.  No advance notice necessary, just come join us!

Another exciting component of Chess Club is the opportunity to compete in the Elementary Team League matches held at the U.S. Chess Center in Washington, DC.  Kids who are interested have the opportunity to compete against schools from around the Metropolitan Washington area. 

Most importantly, Chess Club is about having fun.  Players do not need to attend every meeting to be a part of Chess club.  So, stop by on a Friday and "Check" it out!  For more information on Chess Club, contact Katy Banks at katybanks@aol.com 

Chess Club News

 

There are already 8 McKinley Chess players signed up to participate in the U.S. Chess Center matches on Nov 8th and Dec 6th of this year.  These Elementary Team League matches, which are held on eight Saturdays throughout the year from 1:30-3:00 pm, are a wonderful experience and all students who have gone have had a great time.  Four students from each school play at each tournament and each student will play two matches.  The U.S. Chess Center is located at 15th & M Streets in downtown Washington, DC.  To learn more, or to view our standings, go to the U.S Chess Center website.

Last year, McKinley Elementary was ranked 8 out of 28 schools that compete at the U.S. Chess Center.  We are looking forward to our new standings this year and are very proud of our students as McKinley is the only public school in Arlington that competes in the league.  Our students are representing our school and community well by their excellent manners and good sportsmanship!

 

Click Here to Download our Chess Club Calendar

 

Tips from our Chessmasters (coming soon...)