About the Course

Skillshop Challenge: Chess Club

In CTY’s Skillshop Challenge: Chess Club, you’ll join a community of regular players who share your passion for the game while sharpening your tactics, strategies, and confidence. Each week, you’ll explore new openings, game techniques, and decision-making skills through discussions, practice games, and challenges with your classmates. As you progress, you’ll test and improve your abilities in friendly competitions and collaborative problem-solving activities while learning how to analyze an opponent’s moves and support your peers. The experience culminates in a final capstone chess challenge where you’ll showcase your strategic growth and celebrate your accomplishments as part of the CTY chess community.

This Skillshop Challenge emphasizes exploration, collaboration, and skill development while giving you the chance to push your game to the next level.

Time commitment: 2.5-3.5 hours per week (1.5 hours of class time, 1-2 hours of independent work). The course will include 6 sessions over 6 weeks.

Course Overview

About Skillshop Challenge Courses

Skillshop Challenge courses build community among learners with shared interests by providing a space for exploration and skill development. Each challenge course culminates in an accomplishment such as a capstone project or the completion of a competitive goal.

The content in Skillshop Challenge: Chess Club overlaps with the CTY course Chess Club. Students who have already taken Chess Club may wish to consult with an enrollment advisor before selecting this course.

This course is

ungraded.

Classes

Register for an Online course by selecting an open class below. If no open classes are listed, then course enrollment is currently closed. Note: You will need to have an active CTY Account to complete registration through MyCTY

 

This course is not open for enrollment at this time. Please check back later.

Testing and Prerequisites

  Math Verbal
Required Level CTY-Level Not required
Check your eligibility using existing test scores If you do not have existing test scores:

Students must achieve qualifying scores on an advanced assessment to be eligible for CTY programs. If you don’t have qualifying scores, you have several different testing options. We’ll help you find the right option for your situation.

Sign up for Testing Learn More

Cost and Financial Aid

  • Tuition
    • Varies
  • Application fee
    • Nonrefundable Application Fee - $15 (Waived for financial aid applicants)
    • Nonrefundable International Fee - $20 (outside US only)

CTY Financial Aid Availability for Online Programs

Academic Year 2025-26 (Course start dates July 1, 2025- June 30, 2026): Financial Aid funding is currently available for all eligible students while funding lasts. If interested in applying for financial aid, please select a course with start date of July 1, 2025, or later.

Learn More

Course Materials

Please acquire all course materials by the course start date, unless noted as perishable. Items marked as “perishable” should not be acquired until the student needs them in the course. If you have questions about these materials or difficulty locating them, please contact [email protected].
 

Families will be notified by email of any required materials one week prior to the course start date. 

Technical Requirements

This course requires a computer with high-speed Internet access and an up-to-date web browser such as Chrome or Firefox. You must be able to communicate with the instructor via email. Visit the Technical Requirements and Support page for more details.

About Mathematics at CTY

Our online Mathematics courses—spanning elementary through high school curricula—cover a wide range of topics, from algebra and geometry to chess, and cryptology and are guided by expert instructors. You’ll join group sessions with classmates to ensure you stay on track with challenging course content. Whether you’re looking for pure math fun and enrichment, to move up the math ladder and advance your academic standing, or to train for mathematics competitions, there’s a CTY course that’s right for you.

Uncover the Exciting World of Cryptology

Unlock the world of secret communication! In Cryptology: Cracking Codes you and your classmates will uncover the logic, patterns, and problem-solving strategies that drive cryptographic systems. Thorugh hands-on activities like encrypting and decrypting messages and creating your own ciphers, you’ll deepen your understanding of how cryptology has developed throughout history to shape our modern encryption systems and secure our digital world.