New England Chess School Newton - Needham, Massachusetts

M. Elliott Neal

We had a terrible experience with New England Chess. My son was dismissed after two classes because he only showed marginal improvement in his ability to sit still and raise his hand. Jared showed no classroom control, was unwilling to work with my eager, excited, and happy child to help him adjust to the classroom. Jared also did not communicate with me directly, and I learned only after the second class that my son had been dismissed through the school's secretary. Terrible intolerance for different personalities and learning styles. Terrible communication. It is also in a terrible location, in a tiny dark building. Horrible experience.

Xiaoyun Wu

Jared is our kid's instructor and he is great at introducing chess to a 6-year-old. He has improved so much that sometimes he beats his dad in chess! Definitely a good way to start the chess journey with NECS.

Camille Gómez-Laberge

My daughter, Zoé, age 7, has been with NECS for about two years now. She attends the hour-long in-person club meetings in Needham on Saturday with instructor Jared Becker. She loves going there every week to see her clubmates (6 boys and 4 girls) and to play with them face-to-face. She participates in the monthly NECS free on-line student tournaments, also hosted by Mr. Becker, which draw NECS kids from all over Boston.

Based on my experience with Zoé, chess club can teach your child important life skills. Zoé has matured so much thanks to Mr. Becker and his club. She has learned to compete in a healthy and exciting way. She celebrates her victories and learns from her losses. She has learned to respect her opponents and her teacher. Chess can teach kids that their choices matter and will decide the outcome of the game, so it pays to focus and think analytically about the task at hand. Zoé advanced from “pawn” to “knight” level this school year and continues to grow.

Mr. Becker and the NECS team deserve 5 stars for their commitment to their students and for their availability to help parents with logistics from sick days to membership. Sign up!

heidihah

New England Chess School offers fun, interactive classes with amazing teachers. Their platform for online lessons is secure and streamlined so my son can easily navigate lessons on his own and always looks forward to them. The teachers bring history, strategy and personal attention to the small group sessions that keep my son learning and engaged. I highly recommend their programs!

Helen Rennie

We've had an amazing experience with this chess school. Our 9 year old son started attending their on-line classes during covid-19 epidemic. His game improved a lot in just one month. The teachers are great, and our always looks forward to the classes. From parent's perspective, the school has been extremely easy to work with (registration, class make-ups, etc).

Diane Paseos

My daughter loves her classes and virtual lessons have been a blessing during the Covid pandemic. Everyone is so supportive, responsive, and really get to know the students and their strengths as well as areas of strategy that need improvement. I highly recommend New England Chess School.

Berfin IŞIK

New England Chess School is excellent at many levels: structured program, superb instructors, and engaged students. Our son looks forward to his times at NECS, which is the strongest endorsement a parent can provide for an after school activity.

Roger Laham

It's been an amazing experience for Ethan our son, he's been going to NECS for a year and he's done in person and online classes with Jared, he's improved so much, his confidence in his skills and his passion for chess has grown tremendously, he's eager to practice at home and is so excited to be going to NECS to the point where he's asked for more classes with Jared, right now he'd rather do chess at NECS than any other activity,
Jared is an excellent chess teacher who challenges kids appropriately, Ethan has learned valuable lessons and strategies from him, he now appreciates losing, something he didn't do before, and learns from it and celebrates successes, and is so motivated to keep improving, advancing in levels and competing,
Thank you for providing this invaluable experience for our son where is he challenged in healthy environment, and that will also serve as a longterm and life lesson, The school and Mr Becker have been wonderful in all aspects from teaching to accommodating makeups and schedule changes,