Play More Chess Academy, Neighbor

Play More Chess Academy was created by Rod Groff to promote the game of chess in Hamden and New Haven, CT.

Rod Groff teaches chess to all ages in Hamden, CT and surrounding areas and has over 30 years of experience playing chess, both casually and competitively. He is a Certified Chess Coach and Certified Club Tournament Director with the United States Chess Federation.

Since 2011 he has taught after-school enrichment chess programs at several elementary schools (Bear Path and Spring Glen Schools in Hamden; Ridge Road School, in North Haven). He offers weekly studio chess classes in Hamden for beginning and intermediate level students. Individual lessons are offered each week for students of all ages. Scholastic round-robin tournaments are frequently offered during the school year and attended by many students in Hamden and surrounding towns.

Students as young as four and as old as 86 have signed up for private, individual lessons. Beginning in 2017 with our first student in Beijing, lessons have been offered online to students around the world. Over 1000 children and adults have participated in classes, private lessons and chess events organized by Rod through the Play More Chess Academy website.

Rod finds teaching chess to be highly rewarding. It is amazing to watch students develop their playing abilities by planning their moves, implementing new strategies and tactics, and learning from their mistakes. Chess can foster the development of skills such as critical thinking, concentration, planning, patience, resilience and good sportsmanship that are beneficial to students in many areas of life. It is an activity that you can enjoy and that will challenge your brain throughout your lifetime!