Rolling enrollment open. Courses prorated.
Explore now.Ever wondered how playing chess can naturally boost essential executive functioning skills in your child? It is more than just a game. Chess encourages planning ahead, impulse control, and flexible thinking as students strategize, weigh their options, and adapt to their opponent's moves. In this course, your child sharpens real strategy while building the habits of mind that carry over to homework, friendships, and every decision off the board. Best for students who already know the basics: the pieces, how they move, and the layout of the board.
Ever wondered how playing chess can naturally boost essential executive functioning skills in your child? It is more than just a game. Chess encourages planning ahead, impulse control, and flexible thinking as students strategize, weigh their options, and adapt to their opponent's moves. Unlock your child's potential with a dynamic chess program that fosters these crucial skills through engaging gameplay.
This course is perfect for students who already know the basics of chess, including the names of the pieces, their movements, and the layout of the board. From that foundation, your child moves beyond simply making legal moves and into real strategy: reading the board, thinking several moves ahead, and learning why strong players make the choices they do.
Every game is a workout for the same skills your child uses at school and at home. Planning ahead becomes second nature, impulse control grows as they pause to consider consequences before moving, and flexible thinking develops as they adapt to an opponent who never plays the same way twice. These are the habits of mind that transfer directly to homework, projects, and everyday decisions.
Each week kicks off with a mini-lesson tailored to the play patterns and mistakes Mr. Malikai has observed, weaving together chess strategy and executive functioning skills. Then students play live on digital boards in real time while Mr. Malikai provides instant feedback, coaching, and praise. It is a fun, learner-driven experience where kids improve by actually playing, not by sitting through lectures.
Guided by a twice-exceptional mentor, this inclusive environment is designed to support neurodivergent students, ensuring every child feels welcome and engaged. Cameras are always optional, the group stays small, and kids find peers who share their intensity and love of the game.
Your child will develop a strategic mindset by planning and foreseeing consequences, enhance impulse control through thoughtful decision-making, cultivate flexible thinking by adapting to ever-changing game scenarios, and build confidence in a supportive, inclusive atmosphere built for neurodivergent students.
Prepare to be amazed as your child not only sharpens their chess but also hones essential skills for success in life. Fair warning: your student may become passionate about chess, eagerly anticipate each session, and start approaching challenges both on and off the board like a strategist.
The strategic thinking your child develops here is the same skill set that powers success in academics, careers, and everyday decision-making. Parents notice their kids planning further ahead, weighing options more carefully, and approaching challenges with patience instead of frustration.
Chess rewards the pause before the move. This course builds impulse control and focus through genuine engagement, not forced discipline. Parents tell us they see the difference at home: their child stops to think before reacting, and frustration tolerance goes up.
Develop a strategic mindset by planning moves ahead and foreseeing consequences, a skill that transfers to academics and everyday decisions 
Enhance impulse control through thoughtful, deliberate decision-making instead of reacting on instinct 
Cultivate flexible thinking by adapting to ever-changing game scenarios against a real, unpredictable opponent 
Build confidence and friendships in a supportive, inclusive atmosphere designed for neurodivergent learners 
Malikai Bass is a twice exceptional (profoundly gifted/ autistic adhder with dyspraxia/dysgrpahia) life-long learner who has been teaching twice-exceptional students virtually for the past four years working with over a thousand students in classrooms that center, celebrate, and affirm neurodiversity. I love helping students succeed and find the ways their brain works to thrive in all subjects and highlight the ways we can use gaming to practice and expand our executive functioning, life, and real social skills.
WHAT PARENTS ARE SAYING
Parents don't just see happier kids. They see sharper thinking, stronger friendships, and a child who actually wants to log on.
★★★★★
"Mr. Malikai starts every session with a real strategy, then has the kids play it out live. My son has gone from making random moves to actually thinking three moves ahead. It is remarkable to watch."
Priya D.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"The biggest change is impulse control. My daughter used to move the second she saw something. Now she pauses and asks herself what happens next, and I see her doing the same thing with homework."
Desmond A.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Mr. Malikai starts every session with a real strategy, then has the kids play it out live. My son has gone from making random moves to actually thinking three moves ahead. It is remarkable to watch."
Priya D.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"The biggest change is impulse control. My daughter used to move the second she saw something. Now she pauses and asks herself what happens next, and I see her doing the same thing with homework."
Desmond A.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son is twice-exceptional and had never found his thing. Chess with Mr. Malikai is it. He finally has a space where his brain is an advantage, and he counts down the days until the next session."
Noelle V.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"What I appreciate most is how Mr. Malikai understands neurodivergent kids. He is calm, positive, and encouraging, and he emphasizes fun over pressure. My child feels genuinely safe to make mistakes and learn."
Grant M.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son is twice-exceptional and had never found his thing. Chess with Mr. Malikai is it. He finally has a space where his brain is an advantage, and he counts down the days until the next session."
Noelle V.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"What I appreciate most is how Mr. Malikai understands neurodivergent kids. He is calm, positive, and encouraging, and he emphasizes fun over pressure. My child feels genuinely safe to make mistakes and learn."
Grant M.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"For the first time, my daughter has friends who share her love of chess. The group is small enough that they actually know each other, and she has made real connections over the board."
Yara T.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son was shy and unsure of himself. A few months of Mr. Malikai celebrating his good moves, and he now walks around the house explaining openings to anyone who will listen. The confidence is real."
Bennett R.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"For the first time, my daughter has friends who share her love of chess. The group is small enough that they actually know each other, and she has made real connections over the board."
Yara T.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son was shy and unsure of himself. A few months of Mr. Malikai celebrating his good moves, and he now walks around the house explaining openings to anyone who will listen. The confidence is real."
Bennett R.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Mr. Malikai starts every session with a real strategy, then has the kids play it out live. My son has gone from making random moves to actually thinking three moves ahead. It is remarkable to watch."
Priya D.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"The biggest change is impulse control. My daughter used to move the second she saw something. Now she pauses and asks herself what happens next, and I see her doing the same thing with homework."
Desmond A.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son is twice-exceptional and had never found his thing. Chess with Mr. Malikai is it. He finally has a space where his brain is an advantage, and he counts down the days until the next session."
Noelle V.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"What I appreciate most is how Mr. Malikai understands neurodivergent kids. He is calm, positive, and encouraging, and he emphasizes fun over pressure. My child feels genuinely safe to make mistakes and learn."
Grant M.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"For the first time, my daughter has friends who share her love of chess. The group is small enough that they actually know each other, and she has made real connections over the board."
Yara T.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son was shy and unsure of himself. A few months of Mr. Malikai celebrating his good moves, and he now walks around the house explaining openings to anyone who will listen. The confidence is real."
Bennett R.
YSA parent
If you’re not 100% in love with the course, you have options depending on how you enrolled:
You can switch to another course of equal or lesser value that’s a better fit or get a credit to use toward a future course.
You can either get credit toward a future course, switch to another course of equal or lesser value that’s a better fit, or stop all future payments after a 30-day processing period.
No risk. No stress. Just the learning and belonging you have been looking for.
We can offer this because we know what we do works for thousands of other families. Kids become more self-confident. They find their people. And families tell us this is the place where their student finally feels welcome. We know it will work for your family, too.
All-Access Passes have separate terms and conditions. Please see the All-Access Pass pages.
It goes without saying, but we’ll say it anyway... to qualify for the satisfaction guarantee policy, you have to actually attend the classes. This is not a cancellation policy. It’s a satisfaction guarantee. You can’t be satisfied or dissatisfied if you don’t attend.
Young Scholars Academy is a virtual village that offers one-of-a-kind, engaging enrichment courses and community for 5-18-year-old bright, quirky kids to empower them to develop their strengths, make like-minded friends, cultivate life skills, build confidence, and feel great about themselves under the loving care of expert mentors. description2: >- Picture a place where your child fits in, is celebrated, mentored, and loves learning the unique content their beautiful brain craves. That happens every day at YSA for over 1,200+ families, and it can happen for your family, too.
WASC Accredited · 1,200+ Families · 93% Re-Enroll · 47+ States, 17 Countries, 6 Continents
Learn more about YSAQUESTIONS ABOUT THIS COURSE
Everything you need to know before enrolling your child.
This course is designed for students who already know the basics: the names of the pieces, how they move, and the layout of the board. From there, Mr. Malikai builds real strategy and executive functioning skills. If your child is a complete beginner, reach out and we can help find the right starting point.
Chess Masterclass meets once per week for 50 minutes, every week from August through December. Your child joins the same tight-knit group of up to 8 students and the same mentor all semester long. Each session opens with a mini-lesson tailored to what Mr. Malikai has observed in their play, then students play live on digital boards while he provides real-time coaching, feedback, and praise.
Yes. YSA families join from 47+ states and 17 countries across 6 continents. All you need is an internet connection. We schedule sections across multiple time zones so families worldwide can find a time that works.
Our gifted and 2e students experience such asynchronous development that hard age limits rarely tell the full story. If your student should be aged up or aged down, contact us at support@youngscholarsacademy.org or click the chat in the bottom right corner of the screen. We do this all the time.
Please don't confuse reactive distance learning with what happens at YSA. When a kid is playing live chess against a peer who shares their exact interest, coached by a mentor who is twice-exceptional himself, the screen disappears. They're not on a screen. They're with their people. Parents tell us their children fight to log on to YSA.
If your child isn't loving a course by the end of the first week, swap into a different course. Same semester. No questions. Not the right fit within the first month? We'll stop payments, switch courses, or issue credit toward any future course. The credit never expires. And you keep every bonus you've received. Over 93% of YSA families don't just stay. They add more courses.
No. Cameras are always optional. Always. Many of our students start with cameras off and turn them on when they're comfortable. Our mentors engage every student equally, cameras on or off.
No. If you're here, you're in the right place. We don't require paperwork, evaluations, or labels. Whether your child has been formally identified as gifted or twice-exceptional, whether you suspect it but haven't pursued testing, or whether you just know your kid's brain works differently and nothing else has fit, they're welcome here.
Yes. YSA is an approved vendor with 10+ state ESA programs including Arizona ESA, Utah Fits All, ClassWallet, My Tech High, Florida Step Up, and others. Enroll directly to secure your child's spot, submit the invoice to your ESA, and your payment method is refunded when funds transfer. Many families pay zero out of pocket.
Click "Show Me Available Times" on this page, pick the section that fits your schedule, and your child's spot is secured immediately. No phone call. No placement test. No prerequisite.
Right now, a kid who thinks like your kid is in a course they chose, with a mentor who was once just like them, surrounded by friends who don't think they're weird... they think they're interesting.
Your child is one click from finding out what that feels like.
A chess set, or a free chess.com or Lichess account