Silver Knights Chess Academy
Brambleton Corner Clubhouse, 42255 Palladian Blue Terrace, Brambleton, VA 20148
About
Silver Knights Chess Academy offers online classes, in-person chess clubs, chess camps, tournaments, and an online chess trial class. The program also runs summer camps, school break camps, online summer camps, and online school break camps, along with ongoing coaching and classes. Its online academy program serves children of all skill levels who enjoy chess and want to improve.
• Ages: 5–17 years old
• Price: $5 trial chess class
Silver Knights Chess Academy states that its mission is “More than a game - chess builds skills kids carry for life.” Over the years, the program has taught chess to more than 100,000 children in classes and camps, and more than 50 of its students have become state or national champions. More than 120,000 kids have learned to play chess with Silver Knights, and the program includes a need-based scholarship program that gives out more than $50,000 of free and discounted classes each year.
Adam Weissbarth founded Silver Knights Chess in 2006, shortly after earning his National Master title, and he is joined in leadership by his brother Daniel, a lifelong chess player and Adam’s first student. In the 2006–2007 school year, Adam taught chess in 16 schools and community centers, and by 2008 Daniel had joined him; later that year, two of their students won national championships. Over the next few years, the program grew to serve more than 10,000 students every year at more than 300 elementary schools, and by 2025 it was running 150 week-long chess camps each year. In 2020 they added online chess classes, and from 2021–2024 they were part of Magnus Carlsen’s Play Magnus Group of Companies and later part of chess.com; the name became Magnus Chess Academy during that partnership and changed back to Silver Knights in March 2025 after ownership and operations transitioned back to Adam and Daniel in October 2024.
Silver Knights Chess Academy runs school-based chess clubs in 350 elementary schools throughout Northern Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC, and offers in-person chess programs for kids in the Baltimore–Washington Metro Area as well as an online chess academy for kids all over the world. In 2023, the program created an Elite Academy for students rated over 1400, featuring three Grandmaster coaches, and this Elite Academy has produced many scholastic state champions in states around the country. The organization describes itself as the United States’ leading chess academy program for tournament players, serving students in all 50 states and producing 11 scholastic state champions around the country in 2025.
Silver Knights Chess Academy was chosen by the United States Chess Federation as the 2025 recipient of its Scholastic Service award. Parent testimonials describe children starting as newcomers to chess and learning enough to get checkmates in their first season of classes, improving online ratings from around 1400 to almost 2000, and developing a strong interest in returning to classes and camps. Parents also report positive experiences with after-school programs, the online academy, and summer camps, and they mention regular updates from coaches and management about what children are learning and how they are progressing.
Last updated January 18, 2026.
• Ages: 5–17 years old
• Price: $5 trial chess class
Silver Knights Chess Academy states that its mission is “More than a game - chess builds skills kids carry for life.” Over the years, the program has taught chess to more than 100,000 children in classes and camps, and more than 50 of its students have become state or national champions. More than 120,000 kids have learned to play chess with Silver Knights, and the program includes a need-based scholarship program that gives out more than $50,000 of free and discounted classes each year.
Adam Weissbarth founded Silver Knights Chess in 2006, shortly after earning his National Master title, and he is joined in leadership by his brother Daniel, a lifelong chess player and Adam’s first student. In the 2006–2007 school year, Adam taught chess in 16 schools and community centers, and by 2008 Daniel had joined him; later that year, two of their students won national championships. Over the next few years, the program grew to serve more than 10,000 students every year at more than 300 elementary schools, and by 2025 it was running 150 week-long chess camps each year. In 2020 they added online chess classes, and from 2021–2024 they were part of Magnus Carlsen’s Play Magnus Group of Companies and later part of chess.com; the name became Magnus Chess Academy during that partnership and changed back to Silver Knights in March 2025 after ownership and operations transitioned back to Adam and Daniel in October 2024.
Silver Knights Chess Academy runs school-based chess clubs in 350 elementary schools throughout Northern Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC, and offers in-person chess programs for kids in the Baltimore–Washington Metro Area as well as an online chess academy for kids all over the world. In 2023, the program created an Elite Academy for students rated over 1400, featuring three Grandmaster coaches, and this Elite Academy has produced many scholastic state champions in states around the country. The organization describes itself as the United States’ leading chess academy program for tournament players, serving students in all 50 states and producing 11 scholastic state champions around the country in 2025.
Silver Knights Chess Academy was chosen by the United States Chess Federation as the 2025 recipient of its Scholastic Service award. Parent testimonials describe children starting as newcomers to chess and learning enough to get checkmates in their first season of classes, improving online ratings from around 1400 to almost 2000, and developing a strong interest in returning to classes and camps. Parents also report positive experiences with after-school programs, the online academy, and summer camps, and they mention regular updates from coaches and management about what children are learning and how they are progressing.
Last updated January 18, 2026.
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