If you're a principal, a teacher, or a PTA parent in Sacramento County and you've been wondering whether chess belongs in your school's after school lineup — this post is for you. I'll walk you through exactly what a structured chess program looks like, what it takes to get one running, and why the research on chess and academic performance is hard to ignore.
I'm Coach Edward Aguas, founder of Rook Academy. Before bringing my programs to Sacramento County, I spent years embedded in the Bay Area chess education world — building and running my own school programs through King Edwards Chess Academy, and gaining instructor experience with established organizations including Chess Wizards, Bay Area Chess, and Success Chess. I've taught in real school settings across the Bay Area, working directly with elementary and middle school students in structured after school programs. That experience is what I'm now bringing to Sacramento County.
If you're an administrator or PTA coordinator reading this — I'd love to have that conversation. This isn't a new idea I'm pitching. It's a proven model I've already built and run.
WHY CHESS BELONGS IN EVERY SACRAMENTO SCHOOL
Chess isn't just a game. Decades of research — and real results from classrooms around the world — show that students who participate in chess programs show measurable improvements in the exact skills that schools are trying to build: critical thinking, focus, math reasoning, and emotional regulation.
These aren't abstract benefits. They show up in report cards, in teacher observations, and in how students carry themselves in the classroom. One parent of a Rook Academy student told me her daughter's teacher commented on how much more patient and focused she had become — before the parent had even mentioned chess lessons.
WHAT A ROOK ACADEMY AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM LOOKS LIKE
Every school is different, so every program I build is tailored to fit the school's schedule, space, and student population. But in general, here's how a typical after school chess program runs:
WHO TYPICALLY REACHES OUT
In my experience, after school chess programs in Sacramento get started through a few different paths. If any of these sound like you, I'd encourage you to reach out:
SCHOOL PROGRAM EXPERIENCE — BAY AREA TO SACRAMENTO
Before founding Rook Academy in Sacramento County, I spent years at the center of Bay Area chess education. I founded and ran King Edwards Chess Academy, which partnered directly with Bay Area schools to deliver structured after school chess programming. Alongside that, I built my classroom experience as an instructor with some of the Bay Area's most established chess organizations: Chess Wizards, Bay Area Chess, and Success Chess.
Each of those organizations operates at the school level — running programs inside elementary and middle schools, managing student rosters, working with administrators, and communicating with parents. That's the environment I've worked in. I know what it takes to run a program that a school can depend on, because I've done it across multiple organizations, multiple schools, and multiple years.
That accumulated experience is the foundation of what Rook Academy brings to Sacramento County schools. You're not getting someone learning how to run a school program for the first time. You're getting an instructor who has built them, taught in them, and refined them — and is now ready to bring that to your students.
WHICH SACRAMENTO COUNTY SCHOOLS ARE A GOOD FIT?
Almost any elementary or middle school in Sacramento County can support a chess program. The minimum requirements are simple: a room with tables and chairs, and at least 6–8 interested students. That's it. I bring everything else.
Schools in Sacramento, Elk Grove, Folsom, Rancho Cordova, Citrus Heights, and surrounding communities are all within my service area. If your school is in Sacramento County, distance is not a barrier.
Title I schools and schools with a focus on STEM education are particularly strong fits — chess reinforces exactly the kind of analytical, problem-solving mindset that STEM programs are trying to build. For Title I schools, chess can often be integrated into existing enrichment funding frameworks.
"Years of teaching across Bay Area chess programs — Chess Wizards, Bay Area Chess, Success Chess, and my own King Edwards Chess Academy — taught me one thing above everything else: every child is capable of more than they think. Chess gives them the room to prove it. I'm bringing that same belief to Sacramento County schools."
— Coach Edward Aguas · Rook Academy · King Edwards Chess Academy · Chess Wizards · Bay Area Chess · Success ChessHOW TO BRING CHESS TO YOUR SCHOOL
The simplest path is a direct conversation. Call or email me — no paperwork, no proposals, no formal process required at first. We talk, I learn about your school, and we figure out together whether this is the right fit and the right time.
If you're a parent who wants to bring this to your school but isn't sure how to start, here's the most effective path: bring it up at the next PTA meeting. Say you've found a local chess instructor who offers after school programs and ask if there's interest in exploring it. That's genuinely all it takes to start the conversation. I'll handle everything from there.
Rook Academy is a Sacramento County-based program built for this community. Every student who sits down at a board in one of my sessions gets the same attention, the same patience, and the same belief in their potential — regardless of what grade they're in or how they arrived.
TO YOUR SCHOOL.
Free consultation for schools and PTAs in Sacramento County. No commitment, no paperwork — just a conversation about what's possible.
916-842-8650