For many young chess players, competing at the National Scholastic Chess Championships represents the pinnacle of their school chess journey. It’s more than just a tournament, it’s a celebration of hard work, teamwork, and passion for the game. Students from across the country gather to test their skills, meet new friends, and represent their schools and communities on one of the biggest stages in scholastic chess.

As the new school year begins, Chess in the Schools (CIS) students and instructors are already hard at work preparing for this exciting event. Several of our partner schools have made Nationals an annual tradition, and the road to get there starts early — with lessons, practice games, and a shared commitment to growth both on and off the board.

Behind every student and every team stands a dedicated CIS Instructor, a mentor, teacher, and motivator who guides them not only through tactics and openings, but through the mental and emotional challenges of competition.

To learn more about this journey, we spoke with CIS Chess Instructor Anthony Colletti, who teaches at M.S. 582, in Brooklyn. Anthony spoke about how chess has become more than a game for his students, it’s a way to build confidence, patience, and lifelong memories, both in the classroom and at Nationals.

1. Getting Started

• How long have you been an instructor with Chess in the Schools, and how did you get started teaching chess?

Anthony: I’ve been teaching with Chess in the Schools for six years now. I actually started teaching in Arizona. Funny story — the company that taught me chess when I was a kid, Chess Emporium, sent out random letters to people from their old database. One of those letters ended up going to my mom’s house when I was about 25, many years later.

I opened it up and was like, “Chess Emporium? That sounds familiar.” So I looked them up, and at the time I didn’t really like my job. I figured, why not try something new? I went in for the interview, decided to give it a shot, and realized pretty quickly that I really liked teaching chess and working with kids. I’ve been doing it ever since — 11 years now.

• What do you enjoy most about working with your students?

Anthony: I live for the light bulb moments. When a student has been struggling with a concept or an idea, and then one day it just clicks — they get it — that’s the best feeling. You can see it in their face when it makes sense, and all that hard work suddenly pays off. Those are some of my favorite moments as a teacher.

•  How long have you been at 582K? 

Anthony: This is my fifth year now. I started with them during the Zoom year, when everything was online. I taught chess over Zoom without even seeing my students’ faces because they kept their cameras off — I only knew them by their names. Then the next year, when we finally went back in person, they were like, “Hey, Coach Anthony!” and I was like, “Who are you?” I didn’t recognize any of them! But yeah, this is one of my favorite schools. It’s a great program.

2. Preparing for Nationals

• What does preparation for Nationals look like for your team, both in the classroom and beyond?

Anthony: It’s a little tough because every year we get new students. So for the returning students, we kind of have to go back through the basics again for the first couple of months. Once the new students are caught up, we move on to more advanced stuff.

We usually break our preparation into sections. For one or two months, we’ll study nothing but endgames — specific types of endgames. Then we’ll move on to tactics, middle-game ideas, and planning. About a month before Nationals, we focus on openings and specific preparation for that.

Even though my students get about four hours of chess a week — two club sessions — I always recommend they practice at least one extra hour outside of the club. It helps them focus without distractions, because in club there’s a lot of talking and joking around sometimes. Some of the more serious students put in three or four extra hours a week, and you can really tell the difference between those who practice more and those who don’t.

• Are there requirements for students to go to Nationals?

Anthony: We do have certain standards. Students need to have at least 90% attendance in chess club and 90% attendance at tournaments. We won’t take anyone to States or Nationals if they aren’t consistently participating in local tournaments.

Every student can go as long as they meet those requirements. I honestly don’t care that much about their skill level, as long as they’re part of the team, they behave appropriately, and they care about chess. If they show commitment and they’re not just distracting others, they get to go to Nationals.

• How do you balance teaching chess fundamentals with building confidence and mental toughness?

Anthony: When I teach fundamentals, I like to explain it this way — did you walk the day you were born? No. You learned to crawl first. Then one day your brain figured out, “Hey, I have these two things I can stand on.” You fell over, got back up, fell again. It’s the same with chess. You’re going to make a ton of mistakes as a beginner. The important thing is not to quit.

I tell my students from day one: chess requires mental toughness. You’re not going to win every game, but as long as you learn from your mistakes, you’re always improving.

• What specific strategies or exercises do you use to prepare students for high-pressure games?

Anthony: Sometimes, after a lesson, we run training sessions — which are different from free play. We try to simulate a real tournament with clocks, notation sheets, and everything. I’ll have White make a move, but Black can’t move until I say so. They both have to write down the move first, then think about why their opponent made that move and what the best response might be.

The goal is to train their brains to slow down and consider their options carefully. We usually do this for the first 10 to 12 moves before letting them continue the game normally.

Before long breaks, like winter break, I also mix it up with chess variants — things like antichess, bughouse, or chess960. It keeps things fun and challenges them to think creatively. In chess960, for example, the starting position is different every game, so all that opening prep doesn’t apply. It forces them to use imagination and creativity instead of just memorizing moves.

They also love team chess, like bughouse, where they have to work with a partner. It helps them learn teamwork and cooperation — they actually have to communicate about moves and support each other

3. The Experience of Nationals

• What does it mean to your students to travel and compete on a national stage?

Anthony: I think for them it becomes one of those core childhood memories. Traveling out of state, being away from their parents for the weekend — it’s a big deal. They’re kind of on their own, but still under our supervision.

Of course, they’re kids, so they do normal kid stuff — like hiding in closets and trying to scare each other at night. But years later, I think they’ll look back and realize what a special time it was. While they’re there, they’re just having fun, but as they get older, they’ll understand how important those experiences were.

• What is the most memorable moment you’ve had with your students at Nationals — either on or off the board?

Anthony: That’s a tough one. There are a lot. We’ve gone to Nationals three times now, and this year will be our fourth.

Last year, at SuperNationals, one of our students, Jonathan, finished with no losses — five and a half points, his best tournament ever. It was also his birthday, so he got to go up on stage and receive his award. That’s something he’ll remember for the rest of his life.

Off the board, I’ve seen amazing moments of teamwork. Like our team captains taking time between their own games to analyze and help younger players review theirs. Watching that kind of leadership and support — that’s just as special as any win.

• How do you help students handle both victories and losses during the tournament?

Anthony: For victories, I let them celebrate — give them a high five, tell them great job, let them enjoy the moment. But then I remind them to refocus for the next round.

For losses, I leave it up to the student. If it’s a tough one, I’ll give them 10 or 15 minutes to cool off. But we always go over the game afterward — what their plan was, what went wrong, what they were thinking at certain points. I tell them all the time: everyone makes mistakes, every single game. There’s no such thing as a perfect one. The goal is to not make the same mistakes again. Learn from them, move on, and make new ones.

4. The Role of the Instructor

• In what ways do you see your role extending beyond teaching chess?

Anthony: Yeah, I’d say so. We mostly talk about chess, but sometimes they’ll bring up personal stuff or things going on in their lives. I don’t get into teenage drama, but if they ask for advice and it’s appropriate, I’ll give it. They trust me, and that means a lot. 

• What’s the most rewarding part of Nationals for you?

Anthony: Seeing how much they grow in just those three days. It’s a super busy weekend — it flies by for me, but for the kids it feels long. You can literally watch them grow one move at a time. They’re learning on and off the board, from social skills at restaurants to decision-making and independence. It’s their first real experience being on their own, and you can see them learning and maturing through it all

• How do you think the experience of Nationals helps shape your students — as players and as people?

Anthony: At first, it’s a bit of a shock, realizing how big the tournament really is. Thousands of kids from all over the country all competing at once. They start to see that chess isn’t just something you play at home with family; it’s a real competition with a community behind it.

It teaches them a lot, such as how to lose gracefully, how to win respectfully, and how to stay mentally tough. It’s eye-opening for them, and honestly, it still is for me every year.

• How do you celebrate with your team after Nationals?

Anthony: If someone has a great day or a standout performance, we always acknowledge it before dinner. We’ll have a quick team meeting, celebrate accomplishments, and also recognize students who might’ve struggled but fought through it. It’s about supporting everyone — win or lose.