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?
Champions
Titles
Experience
Reviews
Our Stars & Stories
Echo Heming Fang — World Youth Bronze! 🥉🌍
Echo finished 3rd (tied for 2nd) in Girls U7 at the 2026 FIDE World Youth Championship in Spain with 8.5 / 11! ♟️✨ So proud of you, Echo! 👏
🎖️ 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.
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.
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.
What parents are saying
My son has been attending Vanchess for half a year now. It has been a great learning experience and his skills improved very much. His instructor Gyan is professional, kind, encouraging and patient. ...
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...
Vancouver Chess School is a highly professional chess school. The teachers in the school are approachable and dedicated on teaching, which provides kids a great milieu of learning chess. Many students...
Son has been attending this school for about 1 year, and the development we have seen is incredible. He loves this school and is always excited for the next class and tournaments. Instructors are very...
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�...
We settled in Vancouver last year, and since our child has experienced in China for 6 years, we hope to continue his interest in Vancouver. We are grateful to VCS for their weekly chess classes and fr...
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...
We've been taking our daughter to Vancouver Chess School for the last 4 years or so. She loves chess and this school and its teachers are a large part of why. The teachers at this school take a person...
The Vancouver Chess school took my son’s interest in chess and sparked an obsession. My son used to believe most things are “easy” or he would have difficulty with failures. However, this che...
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...
The school teaches professional chess technique and encourages sportsmanship. It meets where your child's level is whether it is beginner or advanced. It is an exciting journey for a child to keep imp...
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!...
Vancouver chess school is a top quality chess school in the lower mainland. It provides systematical training to students through excellent teachers. For only two years, my kid improves a lot and beco...
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...
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....
I highly recommend this chess training school to anyone looking to improve their chess skills. The instructors are all highly knowledgeable and experienced, especially Gyan Awatramani. And their pass...
This is the best school ever...
My kids really love this school。The teacher are very professional, very Patient, very methodical. So that kids can go from not doing anything at first to now very like chess. And now with pandemic, ...
Friendly and helpful teachers. They organized many tournament for different level chess players. Helped my kid improve chess skills!...
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...
Explore our programs for every
young chess player
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
One-on-one coaching tailored to your child's strengths. Get rapid progress and personalized attention at every step.
Book a Private lesson
Tournaments
From beginners to national contenders - our rated events help kids sharpen skills and boost confidence in a fun, supportive setting.
Join a TournamentStart your chess journey
in 4 easy steps
Take the test
Find your child's level with our free online assessment.
Register
Create your student account in our secure platform.
Try a lesson
Book a free trial class to get started.
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.
Our level system
Beginner
Beginner
What chess teaches your child -
on and off the board
Find your child's level with our free online assessment.
Focus, memory & concentration
By remembering strategies and analyzing opponents, kids sharpen focus and build memory - essential for school success.
Academic performance
Studies show chess improves math, reading, logic, and critical thinking - all leading to stronger academic outcomes.
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
it's a powerful learning tool.
Top performers
Celebrating the achievements of our rising stars - students who've stood out in recent tournaments and events.
Celebrating students achievements
Alexander Stirling has been promoted to Knight level.
Elliot Stirling has been promoted to Knight level.
Echo Fang has been promoted to Rook level.
Travis Bleackley has been promoted to Pre-Rook level.
Julien Pattison has been promoted to Pre-Knight level.
Curtis Leung has been promoted to Pre-Knight level.
JACK XU has been promoted to Bishop level.
Julien Pattison has been promoted to Advanced Beginner level.
William Lima has been promoted to Advanced Beginner level.
Lucas Hsieh has been promoted to Pre-Knight level.
