We are redefining what a chess club looks like.
Backyard Chess Club is where competition builds character and community builds confidence. Through chess, we equip our kids with life skills that extend beyond the board. It’s not some library club. This is where players sharpen each other and rise together.
Our team aims to break chess out of the quiet corner and putting it where it belongs, at the center of the action.
Our emblem symbolizes intelligence, adaptability and community. We move together and elevate the game beyond tradition.

Kiani Walker | Owner

Why Backyard Chess Club?

Because we build more than skill—we build confidence, competition and community. Backyard Chess Club was founded on a simple belief: players of all ages learn best through engaging and friendly competition.

I didn’t grow up playing chess. I discovered the game in 2017, prompted by some playful trash talk from a friend’s dad who kept beating me. Determined to improve, I joined the UCF Chess Club, but was met with an unwelcoming atmosphere. However, a member invited me to coach at a local school. Though new to the game, my love for working with kids, shaped by years of community service, shone through.

That first opportunity led to many more. I was quickly noticed by Stephen Crookston, owner of Board One Chess Academy, who invited me to assist at multiple schools. Within a year, I was leading programs at five schools and mentoring private students. My love for teaching chess deepened and as I poured into my students, my own game began to sharpen—I was falling in love with the game as a coach and a player.

In 2019, I returned to UCF Chess Club and discovered a new chess community—welcoming, competitive and growth-oriented. Joined by new club friends, I competed in my first rated tournament, the 2019 U.S. Open, placing 2nd and earning an 1100 USCF rating.

Then came the pandemic. With in-person chess on hold, I adapted to virtual lessons—teaching several lessons a day. As schools reopened, I knew I needed a better way to reach students. Remembering a backyard chess club Stephen hosted in Tampa, I reimagined it with intention.

This spark was the foundation for my next move.

In 2022, my vision for Backyard Chess Club became a reality, with 12 students at Pooja Trivedi’s home, the first parent to open her backyard to us. The idea took root and blossomed in new neighborhoods.

Today, Backyard Chess Club serves over 100 students—including top players from Audubon Park School, Baldwin Park Elementary and Lake Highland Prep. A vision drives it all: to offer kids the same gift that reignited my love for the game. Chess club that is welcoming, competitive and growth-oriented. My USCF rating has crossed 1700, but the real excitement? My students are right behind me and gaining fast!

Chess is more than a game. It’s how we help the next generation think ahead, believe in themselves and find their next move. Empowering our kids to be capable learners and uncage the game.