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Open your mind to the
World Of Chess!
It’s Time to Say Checkmate!
Have your kids play and learn on the chessboard with help from Chess Mentors. We offer chess programs for kids in public, private, and charter schools across Tucson, Arizona. Whether it’s your child’s first time playing or you want to boost their performance, we’ll teach them all they need to know to win the game and in life.
Join the Leaders and Pioneers and Be Part of the Legacy of Chess Mentors.
The Following Schools Have Chess Programs for Fall 2023. Click Your School for Flier.
Join the Leaders and Pioneers and Be Part of the Legacy of Chess Mentors.
The Following Schools Have Chess Programs for Fall 2023. Click Your School for Flier.
Add your school to the list today!
Feedback from Kids and Parents
“Coach Steve’s philosophy is to not only teach them about the rules and the sport of chess, but life skills.”
- Christina G.
- Christina G.
“He is an amazing chess coach and teacher—enthusiastic, patient, encouraging—and he instills in his students positive sportsmanship.”
- Victoria Y.
- Victoria Y.
“Coach Steve is one of the most genuine people I have ever seen interact with children. His enthusiasm for chess, children learning and loving to play chess is evident in every interaction I have seen.”
- Elena M.
- Elena M.
“I was so inspired by Coach Steve’s dedication to the game and his students…I have had the pleasure of seeing the positive effect on the students.”
- Jessica S.
- Jessica S.
“Coach Steve is a special coach. He teaches his students the skills to be successful in a match and helps them learn how to recover when they stumble.”
- Chandra H.C.
- Chandra H.C.
“Coach Steve has been in our lives for a very long time. He has been able to teach all four of my boys Chess. Each boy has grown in skill, knowledge, and sportsmanship…Everyone needs a positive role models and I believe Coach Steve has been a positive influence in all of my kids’ lives.”
- Charlotte T.
- Charlotte T.
“Coach Steve is nice, teaches me things, and is a good chess player. I get to learn how to play chess. It’s fun and I can go to tournaments. I like meeting new kids in chess club.”
- Talyah C.
- Talyah C.
“He teaches me and the other team members chess in a way we can all understand. Coach Steve teaches how to do castles, checks, checkmates, captures, piece attacks, mate threats, pins, skewers, and forks!”
- Gus C.
- Gus C.
About Us
How We Began
Chess Mentors is a chess tutoring business founded by Steve Ostapuk in 2005. For more than 15 years, he has been teaching chess to kids from kindergarten to 8th grade. Steve’s passion for educating the youth about chess as an art, science, and sport comes from his experience of playing the game since the 1970s.
Biography
Steve Ostapuk is the founder and president of Chess Mentors. He has a long history of having a love of chess, playing and coaching the sport since high school. Steve’s chess team during his junior and senior years made it to the Arizona state finals.
Steve followed a family tradition of working in the education field. He is a past member of the National Education Association and the Arizona Education Association. Since 2005, he has mentored chess to over 6,000 students in public, private, and charter schools in Arizona. Some of Coach Steve’s students’ accomplishments have included winning a 2014 Kindergarten Arizona State Championship and over a hundred individual and team trophies in the past 15 years.
Twenty students have been rated in the top 100 of the USCF scholastic players’ listings. With the current school opening challenges, Steve is now taking advantage of technology to continue offering his chess programs to students.
Chess
Mentors