The core mission of the U.S. Chess Center is to teach children, especially those in the inner city, to play chess as a means of improving their academic and social skills.

Towards that goal, we have sent teachers to start programs in more than 80 schools in Washington, D.C. In 2011-2012, we are meeting with more than 600 students each week in public schools throughout the city, in addition to thousands of others we teach throughout the metropolitan area, including our headquarters downtown.

Our teachers visit Ballou High School, Bancroft Elementary, Oyster/Adams Elementary, Cleveland Elementary, Langdon Educational Campus, Maury Elementary, McKinley Tech High School, Patterson Elementary, Tyler Elementary, Raymond Educational Campus and six campuses of the Center City Public Charter Schools (Shaw, Congress Heights, Petworth, Brightwood, Trinidad and Capitol Hill) every week, often meeting with multiple classes and as many as 75 children at each school.

We also have started chess classes and clubs at Benning, Birney, Bowen, Bruce-Monroe, Burrville, HD Cooke, Draper, Emery, Gage-Eckington, Garfield, Gibbs, CW Harris, Patricia Harris, Hearst, Hyde, Kenilworth, KEY Academy, Kimball, Lafayette, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Meyer, Miner, Moten, Murch, Nalle, Orr, Plummer, Powell, Randall Highlands, Ross, Seaton, SEED Charter School, Shadd, Shaed, Shepherd, Simon, Slowe, Stanton, Stoddert, Terrell, Thomas, Thomson, Truesdell, Tubman, Van Ness, Walker-Jones, Webb, Wheatley, Whittier and JO Wilson Elementary Schools.

School principals who would like to establish a partnership with us this year or next may send us a note for details.

The U.S. Chess Center also has created or assisted chess programs at Banneker High School, Bell Multicultural High School, Cardozo High School, Coolidge High School, Deal Junior High School, Douglass Junior High School, Eastern High School, Francis Junior High School, Garnet-Patterson Middle School, Hine Junior High School, Jefferson Junior High School, Fletcher Johnson Junior High School, Lincoln Middle School, Meridian Public Charter School, Paul Middle School, Roosevelt High School, Roper (now Ronald H. Browne) Junior High School, Terrell Middle School, Wilson High School and Woodson High School.

In addition, we have sent teachers on a regular and frequent basis to many community organizations, private schools and other locations, such as the 6th District Police Boys & Girls Club, Covenant House, East Capitol Dwellings Public Housing, Edgewood Public Housing, Garfield Public Housing, Gonzaga College High School, Holy Trinity School, Kelly-Miller Public Housing, LINK Summer camp, Fort Dupont Park, Lowell School, National Presbyterian School, Sacred Heart School, St. Albans School for Boys and Beauvoir School, St. Augustine School, St. John's College High School, Takoma Recreation Center, Urban League of Washington, DC, and the Anthony Bowen YMCA.