Vancouver Chess School
Chess background

In-Person & Online Chess Classes and Tournaments,
Trusted by World Champions!

Vancouver Chess School has guided over 5,000 juniors to success — including 3 World Champions, FIDE Masters, and countless national & provincial champions — through our proven 12-level program, expert coaching, and exciting tournaments. Starting at $100 CAD/month.

What are our superpowers?

3
World
Champions
Titles
3
FIDE masters
16+
Years of
Experience
5K+
Students
9K+
Tournaments
16K+
Lessons
170+
Five-star
Reviews

Our Stars & Stories

🎖️ Levy Rozman Receives the VCS Signature Medal of Honour

Levy Rozman, known as GothamChess, sends his best wishes to all Vancouver Chess School students and shares his hope to visit Vancouver one day.

Karson Lu 👑 Crowned U7 FIDE Rapid World School Champion 2024!

Huge congratulations to Karson Lu on his incredible victory at the U7 FIDE Rapid World School Championship 2024 in Callao, Lima, Peru! 🏆 A remarkable achievement that brings pride to Vancouver Chess School and inspiration to all our juniors.

Hikaru Nakamura’s Legendary Visit to VCS! ✨

During a special training session, Hikaru Nakamura surprised our Team BC and Sunday Chess Club students! He played blitz, signed autographs, posed for selfies, and was awarded the very first VCS Signature Gold Medal — now officially named the Hikaru Nakamura Medal 🥇. A truly unforgettable day for all our young players!

Elliot McCallum Wins Gold at the FIDE World School Championships 2023! 🥇

Huge congratulations to our Grade 1 Provincial Champion, Elliot McCallum, on his sensational victory in the U7 category at the FIDE World School Championships 2023 in Rhodes, Greece (April 13–23). A proud moment for Elliot, VCS, and the entire Canadian chess community!

Elliot McCallum Presents VCS Signature Medal to Super GM Wesley So 🌟

At the 2025 FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Team Championship, 9-year-old Elliot McCallum proudly awarded the VCS Signature Medal to Super GM Wesley So, celebrating his brilliance, sportsmanship, and inspiration to young players worldwide. A powerful symbol of respect across generations — from a rising talent to a living legend. 🙌♟️

Zhu Chen, 9th Women's World Chess Champion, Supports VCS.

We are proud to have the long-time support of Zhu Chen, the 9th Women's World Chess Champion. Over the years, we've exchanged ideas, class materials, and curriculum with her, strengthening our mission to provide world-class chess education. In this video Zhu Chen wishes all the best to the students and parents of Vancouver Chess School in their chess journey. 

Our 3 pillars of excellence

Proven 12-Level Curriculum

Our structured program ensures that every student - beginner to advanced - follows a clear path to mastery. Each level builds on the last, developing logic, tactics and strategic thinking.

Curriculum illustration

World-Class student success

We've taught over 5,000 students, with multiple National & Regional Champions - and 3 World Champions and 3 FIDE Masters trained at our school. Your child joins a winning tradition.

Student success illustration

Innovative Chess platform & Games

Our Chess heroes platform offers interactive lessons, challenges and rewards, on a state of the art custom-built platform, designed to engage and motivate young learners.

Chess platform illustration

What parents are saying

Helen Chai
May 11, 2021
Google 5 stars

Teachers at VCS are professional, caring and inspiring. It is a wonderful place to learn, compete and grow. Online classes & tournaments are very well organized during this trying time. My kid ...

R J
Feb 22, 2024
Google 5 stars

My son Zac really likes VCS programs. It helped him from zero knowledge to a bit obsessed to chess now. I also like the VCS operation system that helps kids to focus on there target and motivate them ...

Ellenw121
Aug 7, 2024
Google 5 stars

Vancouver chess school offers the chess expertise and flexible class schedule both online and in person classes. My son enjoys her chess mates time very much and recommend to whom you may just start u...

Jenny Li
Apr 12, 2016
Google 5 stars

My son has been learning chess in VCS for three years, and he enjoyed classes/plays very well. The school has not only taught kids chess in classes, but also given them many opportunities to apply wha...

Carol Cao
Feb 28, 2023
Google 5 stars

This is a fun place to start learning chess. The teacher is patient and experienced. Group classes gather same level players together and are interactive and engaging. There are regular tournaments th...

Si Chen
Jun 18, 2020
Google 5 stars

My son has been learning chess in VSC for more than two years. He gained a lot of chess strategies and practice opportunities there. The most important thing is that my son is inspired all the time t...

Ling Li Wu
Feb 22, 2022
Google 5 stars

My son has been taking chess lessons with VCS for almost five years. He loves it and has been making big progress here. I would like to recommend VCS....

Yongqiang Xu
May 1, 2024
Google 5 stars

The coaches are very nice and responsible, my son has been in this school for one year, he really like it....

Ken Janpon
Nov 9, 2021
Google 5 stars

Vancouver Chess School is a very well run and well organized endeavour, and kudos to the dedicated people running it. We'd been looking for chess classes for our son for a while but what made the diff...

Kim Nguyen
Apr 4, 2023
Google 5 stars

Chess classes and tournaments at Vancouver Chess School has significantly transformed our kid's chess study journey. He started barely understanding anything about 6 months ago, and is now able to com...

Maitrayee Shah
Sep 15, 2021
Google 5 stars

We joined Vancouver Chess School after watching the movie.. "Finding Bobby Fischer". Our son, who was then learning chess online with a chess instructor based outside of Canada, was ready fo...

Radin SP
Apr 2, 2023
Google 5 stars

The best place that you can play chess in Vancouver....

Linda Shen
Jul 1, 2023
Google 5 stars

My son joined Van Chess three years ago and now he is in grade 3. He has learned so much here and has grown from a beginner player to Bishop level already. He loved all his lessons and also playing ch...

Praveen Lazer
Nov 10, 2021
Google 5 stars

Vanchess has been really helping my son to stay focused and helping him to build confidence. So far I am really happy with my son's progress and looking forward to participating in their future camps ...

Antonia b
Oct 25, 2021
Google 5 stars

I have been a student at this academy for many years now and has guided me to many achievements. The academy helped me with my university applications as I can put the awards I received and competitio...

Cal
Sep 3, 2024
Google 5 stars

My son just completed a chess camp at VCS and had a great experience. He was really pleased with the way the camp was run and noted how enthusiastic Gyan and the other instructors were in maximizing t...

Mandy Cordingley
Feb 24, 2024
Google 5 stars

All the teachers are very talented and patient with kids. My kid excels at this school very fast. There are online and in person classes and tournaments that can accommodate everyone. I highly recomme...

Andrea Bell
Jul 30, 2023
Google 5 stars

What a school! Coach Gyan showed my son and his three best friends an incredible week of chess. It was the first camp we tried for our sports crazy kids, and all of them could not stop talking about i...

Crystal
Jun 3, 2020
Google 5 stars

In Vancouver Chess School, there has a complete and systematic chess education system, rich and interesting practice resources, and tournaments for all levels players weekly and monthly. Most importan...

Nolan Males
Mar 30, 2023
Google 5 stars

It was very fun. I just had my first lesson there, and it was super fun. I am in level one chess, and I really enjoyed it. I would totally do the rest of the levels there. It was super fun and you sho...

All reviews

5 stars

1 / 1

Explore our programs for every
young chess player

Group Lessons

Group Lessons

Small groups led by experienced coaches. Kids progress through our 12-Level curriculum with games, fun homework, and teamwork.

Join a Group lesson
Private Lessons

Private Lessons

One-on-one coaching tailored to your child's strengths. Get rapid progress and personalized attention at every step.

Book a Private lesson
Tournaments

Tournaments

From beginners to national contenders - our rated events help kids sharpen skills and boost confidence in a fun, supportive setting.

Join a Tournament

Start your chess journey
in 4 easy steps

Test icon

Take the test

Find your child's level with our free online assessment.

Register icon

Register

Create your student account in our secure platform.

Lesson icon

Try a lesson

Book a free trial class to get started.

Enjoy icon

Enjoy!

Watch your child grow in confidence
and skill.

Our Unique Chess Learning Methodology:
A Pathway to Mastery

At Chess Heroes Academy, we believe every child learns best when they're challenged and inspired. That's why we built a 12-level system tailored to their unique pace - whether they're just starting or already making brilliant moves.

Assessment

Not sure which program
is right for you?

Take our quick free online test

Take the test

Our level system

Absolute
Beginner
Beginner
Advanced
Beginner
Pre-Knigt
Knight
Pre-Bishop
Bishop
Pre-Rook
Rook
Pre-Queen
Queen
King
Chess teaches

What chess teaches your child -
on and off the board

Test icon

Take the test

Find your child's level with our free online assessment.

Test icon

Focus, memory & concentration

By remembering strategies and analyzing opponents, kids sharpen focus and build memory - essential for school success.

Test icon

Academic performance

Studies show chess improves math, reading, logic, and critical thinking - all leading to stronger academic outcomes.

Test icon

Confident decision - making

In chess, kids learn to assess risks and make choices under pressure - building judgment they'll use far beyond the board.

Where Play Builds Real Skills

Chess Heroes is more than a game —
it's a powerful learning tool.
Through fun challenges, quests, and battles, students sharpen their critical thinking, problem-solving, and strategic planning skills — all while staying engaged and motivated.
With unlimited practice in tactics, positional play, and endgames, every move helps them grow — both as chess players and thinkers.
A smart, safe, and enriching way for kids to build real skills while having fun.
Your Strength, Your Journey –
Make It Legendary

Top performers

Celebrating the achievements of our rising stars - students who've stood out in recent tournaments and events.

King of the Hill

Alvon Huang

King of the Hill

Queen of the Hill

Beatrice Dong

Queen of the Hill

Fire Streak King

Stephanie Wu

Fire Streak King

Fire Streak Queen

Melody Song

Fire Streak Queen

Celebrating students achievements

Jacob Shi

Jacob Shi has been promoted to Pre-Knight level.

Shenyou Yang

Shenyou Yang has been promoted to Knight level.

Niko Chen

Niko Chen has been promoted to Bishop level.

Youssef Mahmoud

Youssef Mahmoud has been promoted to Pre-Knight level.

Sophie Zhu

Sophie Zhu has been promoted to Beginners with some knowledge level.

Jianwen Hua

Jianwen Hua has been promoted to Advanced Beginner level.

Charlie Tang

Charlie Tang has been promoted to Pre-Rook level.

Aiden Jin

Aiden Jin has been promoted to Beginners with some knowledge level.

Ryan Li

Ryan Li has been promoted to Bishop level.

Ares Jin

Ares Jin has been promoted to Pre-Knight level.

Our events

Launch Your Week with Smart Moves!

26Jan
Build Confidence Weekly!

27Jan
Play. Improve. Repeat.

29Jan
Prime Time Battle

29Jan
⭐ Daily Puzzles