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The kings of the elementary school chess world now wear backpacks from Brooklyn.
A team of six public school students from PS 130, The Parkside School in Windsor Terrace, pulled off a brainy upset for the ages this month — taking home first place at the 2026 US Chess National Elementary K-6 Championship after toppling some of the nation’s most elite schools.
The pint-sized prodigies traveled to Baltimore earlier this month and outmaneuvered roughly 2,500 students from 35 states at what organizers called one of the largest scholastic chess tournaments in recent memory.
“It was a really huge event, and the equivalent of our Super Bowl as chess players,” Alexis Paredes, the school’s program director at Impact Coaching Network, told The Post.
The six-player squad — made up of fourth- and fifth-graders between ages 10 and 11 — clinched the coveted K-5 Championship section title, the highest honor an elementary school can win at the national level.
And they didn’t just squeak by.
“PS 130 won by a full two points,” Paredes, 29, said proudly. “And one of the best parts is that we’re a public school in Brooklyn that beat some of the top private schools in the country.”
That included powerhouse competitors like Hunter College Elementary School and Speyer Legacy School here in Gotham.
The championship capped off a dream season for the Brooklyn brainiacs, who also snagged first place at the New York State Scholastic Championships in Saratoga Springs back in March.
“Winning first place in New York State and then nationally showed these kids that all their practice, discipline and dedication truly paid off,” the native New Yorker said.
The tournament itself was a marathon of mental warfare: seven grueling rounds played across three days (May 1-3) at Baltimore Convention Center.
Teams accumulated points throughout the competition, with PS 130 finishing with 19.5 points out of a possible 28 — comfortably ahead of the pack.
For Paredes, the victory was especially personal.
The Brooklyn-born chess coach learned the game himself as a first grader growing up in Greenpoint and now spends his days helping young New Yorkers sharpen their skills through after-school chess programs run by ICN across roughly 40 schools in Brooklyn and Manhattan.
“I learned chess at my own public elementary school in Brooklyn and spent my childhood competing every weekend,” he said.
“That’s why I connected so much with ICN’s mission of building strong chess communities and giving kids those same opportunities.”
At PS 130 alone, roughly 150 students participate in the school’s chess program, with about 40 kids traveling to nationals this year.
For Paredes’ company ICN, it’s not just about creating champions — it’s making sure kids of every skill level can experience the “social, academic and confidence-boosting benefits of chess,” Paredes said.
At this particular school, students train year-round for local, city, state and national tournaments, with Paredes and his coaches grouping kids by age, experience and skill level to sharpen their strategies — whether they’re learning how the knight moves or chasing national titles.
Paredes said the team’s recent triumph proves elite-level success isn’t reserved for wealthy private schools with massive resources.
“Private and elite schools usually have more funding and resources,” he acknowledged.
“But these kids proved you don’t need to come from that to compete at the highest level — success in chess comes down to consistency, a great work ethic, good sportsmanship, creative thinking, strategizing and believing in yourself.”
The coach said the kids train relentlessly — attending after-school sessions three days a week and competing in weekend tournaments across the city.
But the lessons extend far beyond pawns and queens.
“Chess teaches these kids so much about resilience and learning from your failures and mistakes,” Paredes said. “Our lessons also help them develop social skills and see the importance of teamwork.”
As a child learning chess for the first time, Paredes noted that it can be “hard to be open” to learning from your losses.
“That’s why the other coaches and I help the children feel comfortable and have a safe space to not only celebrate their wins, but also to take action and find a lesson learned within each loss.”
He believes that mentality is what helped this small but mighty squad emerge victorious.
Paredes added: “Some people think chess is just a board game, but these kids and coaches know it is so much more.”
The director has coached these six national champions since they were first graders — a four-year journey he says shaped them into not only elite players, but a tight-knit group of best friends.
“They’re the heroes of our Brooklyn community and I’m so proud of them,” he said. “I’ve watched them grow up together, push each other to improve and build incredible friendships through chess.”
Seeing them now celebrate a national championship together after years of hard work, he added, is “incredibly special.”
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