02/11/2026
✨ The recently concluded Saint Louis Chess Conference brought together many chess educators, some of whom shared their stories and ideas about making chess more inclusive for underrepresented students in competitive tournaments. One such educator was Dr. Qiana Spellman, who presented on her school, Brooklyn Preparatory High School in Brooklyn, New York.
♟️ "Why not my students?"
That one question led Dr. Qiana Spellman to build, from the ground up, a program that now serves over 140 students who want in.
The Brooklyn Preparatory High School chess program sits inside a Title I public school in Brooklyn, New York, serving about 600 students, primarily Black and Latino, many of them first-generation college-bound and from lower-income families.
🔹 Two years ago, Dr. Qiana Spellman, a school counselor and proud chess mom, was traveling to tournaments across New York City and the country with her son. Along the way, she noted which students were often in these chess spaces, and which students were not. So she decided to build the room herself.
And so the work began, resulting in a credit-bearing elective class option embedded into the school’s curriculum. Students can choose chess as one of their electives, which meets four times a week, and learn from a National Master chess coach. Creating buy-in from both administrators and students, Dr. Spellman built the structure, pushed students into local tournament play, and empowered her strongest players to teach alongside the coach.
The growth of the program says everything. The first semester started with just 20 students. Today, there are over 140 requests for the class—a beginner’s class and an advanced class—and students compete regularly at local tournaments. Three advanced students now serve as paid Curriculum Leaders, assisting the coach, creating lesson plans, and mentoring beginner competitors.
Their dedication is the proof that our students do not just belong in these spaces. They thrive in them.
Dr. Spellman's work rests on a simple premise: access and opportunity are essential to a student's growth and sense of belonging. Through structured curriculum, peer leadership, tournament play, and consistent support, this program is building a community and a new narrative - one that centers what our students can do and confirms, move after move, that they belong in the room.
👏 Kudos to Dr. Spellman and her dedication to her students. Through building and promoting a growth mindset and addressing the intersection of opportunity, culture, and the barriers between them, we can find ways to reduce obstacles so that all kids can thrive in pursuit of their goals.
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