The mission is to help children develop skills necessary for success in school and life by learning chess. Chess for Success is not a chess program; it is an educational program that pays school teachers to coach after-school chess clubs for students in grades K-8. The program serves 2,900 students in 70 schools in 16 school districts in Oregon and southwest Washington.

Research shows that students in the program score 17% higher in math and 10% high in reading than their peers. Chess for Success provides an equal playing field for all students: boys and girls, first through eighth graders, special education students, high-achieving students, students with physical disabilities and nonEnglish speakers.