NSCF Florida Chess Programs

Scholastic chess has grown dramatically in the nearly 50 years since FM Sunil Weeramantry first began teaching the game — but not all growth is equal.

What many people don't realize is that the program Sunil founded at Hunter College Campus Schools in 1979 was a trailblazer. In the decades since, many wonderful programs have followed. But too many still miss what Sunil set out to do from the very beginning: teach chess in a way that builds the critical thinking skills and social-emotional learning competencies students carry with them for life.

That's what drives us here at the National Scholastic Chess Foundation. Every day, we work to follow in our founder's footsteps — replicating his methods so that every student truly succeeds, on and off the board.

So it was a deeply meaningful moment when the Hunter team took top team honors at the 2026 National Middle School (K-8) Championship — and FM Bryan Enming Lin put an exclamation point on it with a perfect 7/7 individual score.

Sunil will be the first to tell you that chess isn't about ratings and titles. It's about the skills students carry throughout their lives. But he'd have to admit — winning is pretty sweet too. 🏆

Congratulations to the Hunter team, to FM Bryan Enming Lin, and to every coach and student who embodies what this work is really about!

Photo credit: Javier Carrera, US Chess