PALs Chess Academy

The Face of Chess

PALS Chess Academy is one of Colorado’s largest and most trusted chess enrichment programs. Founded in 2012, by 5-time Colorado State Chess Champion and National Master, Lior Lapid, PALS was purchased by the family of two of Lior’s private students, Sullivan and Griffin McConnell. Lior coached Griffin and Sullivan McConnell from being good scholastic chess players to National Masters with 15 Colorado State Chess Championships between them. Griffin and Sullivan are the driving force behind PALS as they continue to compete in chess tournaments around the country and around the world. The McConnell family has a very unique relationship with chess as they believe that it was playing chess that helped save the life of their oldest son Griffin. Griffin learned to play chess when he was 4 years old and started competing and winning scholastic chess tournaments when he was 5. This was the age he also became very sick.

Griffin was diagnosed with two rare brain diseases and had to undergo brain surgery to remove the left hemisphere of his brain at Children’s Hospital of Denver when he was 8. This surgery saved his
life but left him with permanent disabilities. Over the next 3 years, Griffin had to relearn how to walk and talk. He was confined to a wheelchair as he slowly relearned how to walk. One week after the surgery, when he was still paralyzed on his entire right side and couldn’t speak, Griffin played his first complete chess game! Only 4 months after his surgery, Griffin entered his first chess tournament. 4 years later he won his first State Scholastic Championship and 3 years later at the age of 15, he was invited to compete in a chess tournament in Ankara, Turkey where he won the best player trophy as the only competitor to win all of his games. He continued to compete and at 17 years old, he finally became a National Master.

Griffin has dreamed of becoming a chess coach since he was 7 and now coaches at 8 different schools and has a full load of private students with a healthy waitlist! His private students have already won two two Colorado State Scholastic Chess Championships. Chess.com made a documentary about his incredible journey that you can see for free on YouTube called “Griffin’s Gambit”.

Seeing how much chess has done for Griffin inspired the entire McConnell family to do a huge life U-turn and invest all their energy in helping other families discover this great game. Numerous studies have been done here in the US and all around the world showing the benefits of playing chess. These studies show increases in math score by as much as 25%. Chess increases focus and concentration and helps children develop strategic thinking patterns that will benefit them for the rest of their lives.

PALS Chess Academy utilizes a curriculum developed by Griffin and his younger brother Sullivan. Last year at the Colorado State Scholastic Chess Championships, PALS students won every single state championship title. They swept with state champions in K-1, K-3, K-5, K-8 and K-12. For the last 13 years consecutively, PALS students have won at least 2 out of the five 5 state titles. For more information about how PALS Chess Academy and chess can help your child, please call 720-504-8765 or visit our website at palschess.com