Kids After School Chess Club

06/20/2025

06/20/2025

06/20/2025

One of your neighbors posted in Neighbor News. Click through to read what they have to say. (The views expressed in this post are the author’s own.)

05/09/2025

𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐚 𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐤: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐡 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐧

Before Beth Harmon captured hearts on The Queen’s Gambit, there was Vera Menchik — a true pioneer who didn’t just break barriers in chess, she shattered them.

Born in 1906 in Moscow to a Czech father and British mother, Vera moved to England after the Russian Revolution. At just 21, she became the first Women’s World Chess Champion in 1927 — a title she held uninterrupted for 17 years, defending it six times with dominant performances.

But Vera didn’t stop at women’s titles. She regularly entered open tournaments and challenged the top male players of her time — including world-class masters like Max Euwe, Salo Flohr, and Samuel Reshevsky. Many underestimated her, even jokingly forming the "Vera Menchik Club" for men who lost to her. Ironically, that club grew fast — and included some of the very same players who laughed at the idea of a woman beating them.

Her style of play was solid, strategic, and deeply positional — favoring logic and patience over flashy tactics. She was a student of Géza Maróczy, one of the best positional players of the era, and it showed.

Vera’s impact wasn’t just in wins and losses — it was in proving that women belonged at the highest levels of intellectual competition. At a time when female players were barely given a seat at the table, she sat down and owned the board.

Tragically, her career and life were cut short in 1944 during a German air raid that killed her and her family in London. But her legacy lives on — in every girl who picks up a chess piece and sees no limits.

Beth Harmon is an inspiring character.
𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝗮 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗸 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹.

She didn’t just imagine the dream.
𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹.

05/09/2025

😃 Dr. Ostfeld Chess Tournaments is Back ON May 18! NEW! ICA invites local academic schools to play! We will award team prizes to the top three schools in the competition! Each school can register an unlimited number of players, but only the top three individual scores will count toward the school's total. PLEASE SHARE!- https://mailchi.mp/icanj/this-is-a-reminder-to-spring-into-action-now-12865988

04/13/2025

Kids! Ages 6+ come to Glen Rock, Nj this week (Apr 14-18) for some real fun learning activities and recreation! IN GLEN ROCK, NJ! 9am-5pm every day. REGISTER: https://ica.jumbula.com/ICACamps2025/SpringCampGlenRock_32

02/04/2025

Moms and Dads, Plan Ahead! Spring Chess Camp for the week of, April 14-18 at ICA in either Glen Rock or Teaneck!. Book in advance and SAVE on tuition by taking advantage of Early Bird Prices. Kids 6-16, come spend the week with us! Whether full day or half days, we guarantee a 6:1 student – teacher ratio and a curriculum full of daily training, challenges, math, art, games and loads of fun and stimulation! visit https://icanj.net. ♟🫵

01/13/2025

Congratulations Magnus Carlsen

11/06/2024

ICA is thrilled to share that ICA co-founder, Women's Grandmaster (WGM) Irina Levitina has been inducted into the prestigious 2024 World Chess Hall of Fame! Following an illustrious chess career, competing at the highest levels of the game, Irina now works with our advanced students and teaches future masters and masters classes. Read all about her wonderfully inspirational journey on our blog. https://bit.ly/3ChNibJ

11/04/2024

Winter Semester starts Dec 2 at ICA. We suggest you REGISTER before Nov 17 to receive an early bird discount! Classes are LIVE, onsite in Glen Rock, Teaneck or Livingston, NJ, AND ONLINE! ICA trains students starting as young as in kindergarten! https://icanj.net