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
17+
Years of
Experience
5K+
Students
9K+
Tournaments
17K+
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

An Xia
Sep 10, 2021
Google 5 stars

My son really like this school, the coaches there are patient and professional, he's made a huge improvement during these two years....

Vania Cheng
May 16, 2021
Google 5 stars

Vancouver Chess School is a really well run chess school, with kind and dedicated coaches. It teaches students from complete beginners to much higher levels. VCS has made a seamless transition to teac...

Hugh Jo
Oct 31, 2024
Google 5 stars

Vancouver Chess school is one of the best with great education, teachers are all kind and patient with big smile....

Guiqing Yin
May 9, 2024
Google 5 stars

My boys take 2 programs in Vancouver Chess School. They joined the NPP program around one and half years ago. The course is a little bit hard for them which I believe is a good thing. If you want your...

Christy Xie
Feb 27, 2024
Google 5 stars

VCS is great place to learn chess. My son really loves their programs. They have both online and office classes which are thoughtfully designed, blending theorectical knowledge and practical play. The...

Ting Sun
Jul 21, 2023
Google 5 stars

Wonderful place for chess. My son luckily found this amazing school when he fell in love with chess, and had much fun during learning. There are nice and professional coaches, passionate classmates, s...

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....

Eric Chan
Feb 26, 2023
Google 5 stars

Vancouver Chess School is fantastic! VCS is very well organized, structured, and provides learners of all levels with opportunities and support to improve their skills.. or to just have fun playing c...

Serena Wang
Mar 20, 2023
Google 5 stars

我们强烈推介温哥华象棋学校,孩子在这个机构学习了一年多,进步非常大。 老师尽职尽责,不断激励孩子们坚持每天练习,完成习题,而且在这里...

Kelly Meng
Mar 19, 2021
Google 5 stars

My son enjoys learning chess from this school and has been in this school more than 3 years. The teachers are very kind, respectful and professional. My son loves to attend the classes there. All the...

Pengcheng Fang
Oct 20, 2022
Google 5 stars

I love vanchess! It taught my brother endgame techniques that he never knew about and tactics. I appreciate vanchess for its effective teachings. It is very good!...

Wendy Yuan
Apr 20, 2023
Google 5 stars

Our son has spent his last two years in VCS. It is first time we’ve seen our son become so dedicated and passionate about something. We can tell he loves chess and he is improving himself on all asp...

Cat Queen
Feb 17, 2022
Google 5 stars

My daughter has been taking chess lessons with VCS for two years now. After trying out different activities, chess is the only one that she's enjoyed and kept going. The coaches are amazing and patien...

Kalyani Labade
Jun 6, 2022
Google 5 stars

Vancouver Chess school is best chess academy in Vancouver. They have very talented staff. The events are well organized. They have excellent virtual chess platform. I am glad that we enrolled our chi...

Cissy HUANG
Jul 20, 2024
Google 5 stars

My son attend this chess place in 2 weeks, and he has already achieved ore knight level. He cannot wait to go back there everyday....

T Y
Oct 8, 2022
Google 5 stars

My son joined Vancouver Chess School this year and he loves it! I regretted not sending him earlier. The classes are well-structured, the programs are well-organized, and the teachers are all very nic...

Holly
Sep 17, 2023
Google 5 stars

I can't express enough how much I appreciate Vancouver Chess School (VCS) for their incredible contributions to my son's chess journey. VCS stands out as the finest and most prestigious chess school i...

Jennifer Russel
Jan 10, 2021
Google 5 stars

At the Vancouver Chess School, students learn much more than Chess!! It is a fun, inclusive and welcoming school, where students have the opportunity to compete at a high level, but more importantly ...

Dragon Draconian
Sep 12, 2021
Google 5 stars

We are very happy to have found VCS. My Daughter (8 yr old) loves her classes and really looks forward to them, as well as spending time having fun and learning with the other kids that have an the sa...

Ruchika Bhatia
May 19, 2022
Google 5 stars

Vancouver Chess School has been an amazing learning experience for our child. He has learned while having fun at the same time. The school has immensely experienced and understanding teachers who ensu...

All reviews

5 stars

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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.

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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

Charles Zhang

King of the Hill

Queen of the Hill

Melody Song

Queen of the Hill

Fire Streak King

Charles Zhang

Fire Streak King

Fire Streak Queen

Melody Song

Fire Streak Queen

Celebrating students achievements

JACK XU

JACK XU has been promoted to Pre-Bishop level.

Karl Aguirre

Karl Aguirre has been promoted to Rook level.

Charlie Tang

Charlie Tang has been promoted to Rook level.

Echo Fang

Echo Fang has been promoted to Bishop level.

Tamen Abbaspour

Tamen Abbaspour has been promoted to Pre-Knight level.

Yaroslav Nyshpor

Yaroslav Nyshpor has been promoted to Pre-Rook level.

Shenyou Yang

Shenyou Yang has been promoted to Pre-Bishop level.

Timur Uygun

Timur Uygun has been promoted to Pre-Knight level.

Kevin Lian

Kevin Lian has been promoted to Pre-Knight level.

Carlyle Shu

Carlyle Shu has been promoted to Pre-Knight level.

Our events

Best starting tournament!

16May
Learn. Play. Make New Friends.

18May
Build Confidence Weekly!

19May
Play. Improve. Repeat.

21May
Prime Time Battle

21May
⭐ Daily Puzzles