First Move Chess

What First Move Chess does

First Move Chess is a US-based nonprofit organization that delivers a video-based chess education curriculum to children ages 6-10, primarily in elementary school classrooms and increasingly in homeschool and family settings. The organization operates as the First Move Chess Foundation, having been established in 2025 to take over management of the program originally developed by America's Foundation for Chess beginning in 2000 and launched in 2003. Since launch, First Move states that over 1.5 million children have used its curriculum nationwide.

The core product is a 20-lesson online curriculum taught by two proprietary animated characters — "The Chess Lady" and "Magnus the Dragon" — delivered through a web-based learning platform with video instruction, interactive activities, downloadable workbooks, and an automated end-of-lesson assessment. The Classroom License bundles 20 video lessons, a teacher's guide requiring no preparation, a demonstration board, 15 physical chess sets, 30 student accounts, and cross-curricular connections to math and reading, designed for one hour per week over a full school year. An Individual License variant covers the same curriculum for self-paced independent learners and homeschool families, with a sister site (TheChessLady.com) noted as forthcoming for direct consumer access.

First Move generates revenue primarily through annual classroom license subscriptions sold directly to elementary schools via a consultative sales motion (request-a-proposal and 15-minute consultation options for multi-classroom purchases). Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The organization employs 1-10 people, operates exclusively in the United States, and has no disclosed funding rounds, institutional investors, partnerships, M&A, or named leadership team in the source data. Distribution is via direct school sales and self-serve online access, with parent/grandparent word-of-mouth noted as a top-of-funnel channel.

Name

First Move Chess

Legal name

First Move Chess Foundation

Website

https://firstmovechess.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

First Move Chess Foundation is a US nonprofit that sells an annual video-based chess curriculum for children ages 6-10 to elementary schools, homeschools, and families through a 20-lesson online platform featuring proprietary animated characters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Services (61), Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Games, Toys & Children's Vehicles (No Dolls & Bicycles) (3944)

akta.pro primary industry

Game-Based CS & Computational Thinking Platforms (EDAFANAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

On-Demand 1:1 Live Tutoring Marketplaces (EDANAGAA), Children’s Activity & Practice Books (Workbooks, Puzzles, Handwriting) (EDAGAIAE)

Keywords

• Chess education
• Online learning platform
• Elementary curriculum
• Classroom instruction
• Homeschool learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Bellevue

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Classroom License: Full school year licenses sold to elementary schools for classroom use. Includes 20 video lessons, teacher's guide, 30 student accounts, physical chess sets, and access to the online platform. Sold directly to schools with consultation available for multi-classroom purchases.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

First Move Chess Foundation delivers a 20-lesson animated video-based chess curriculum for children ages 6-10, accessible through an online learning platform with automated assessments and downloadable workbooks. The platform is offered as a Classroom License to elementary schools (including 15 physical chess sets, a demonstration board, a Teacher's Guide, and 30 student accounts) and as an Individual License to homeschool families and self-paced learners. The curriculum is designed so teachers require no prior chess experience, with The Chess Lady and Magnus the Dragon characters guiding students through each lesson.

Product overview

First Move Chess offers a single unified chess education platform with two delivery variants: Classroom License (for schools with 30 student accounts, physical chess sets, and teacher guides) and Individual License (for families and homeschool use). Both variants share the same 20-lesson curriculum taught by The Chess Lady cartoon character with Magnus the Dragon providing hints. Creative activities like Knight's Corral and The Crowded Queendom transform chess pieces into problem-solving adventures. The program emphasizes critical thinking, pattern recognition, and strategic analysis skills for children ages 6-10.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Chess Lady: A cartoon character mascot who teaches chess step-by-step through engaging videos in the First Move program.
• Magnus the Dragon

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1.5 million children have learned chess through First Move since 2003
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Lichess: Free, open-source online chess platform with built-in lessons, puzzles, and study tools for all ages including children. Comparable as a directly competing online chess learning destination, but free and ad/donation-supported rather than license-based.
• ChessKid.com: Chess.com's dedicated kids platform offering chess lessons, puzzles, and play for children. Directly comparable to First Move because it serves the same age group (kids learning chess) with structured online lessons, though delivered as a consumer subscription rather than a school-licensed program.
• Chess.com: The dominant online chess platform with learning tools, lessons, and a kids' experience. Comparable because it operates in the same online chess education category and increasingly targets the same age range, but it is broader and consumer-led rather than school-licensed.

Emerging players

• Tynker: Game-based coding learning platform for kids with school and homeschool offerings. Comparable as a self-paced, gamified online learning platform targeted at K-5 with school-licensed and self-serve channels, but for coding rather than chess.

Broad incumbents

• Duolingo: Gamified, animated-character-driven learning app for kids and adults. Comparable as a gamified self-paced learning platform with animated mascots, automated assessment, and a recurring subscription model — but for languages rather than chess.
• Outschool: Online marketplace for live classes for kids including chess offerings. Comparable as a kids-targeted online learning marketplace where chess education is one category, but it is a broad multi-subject platform rather than a chess specialist.
• Khan Academy: Large free online learning platform with structured video curricula for K-12. Comparable as a free, video-driven, gamified online learning destination for kids that competes for the same teacher/administrator adoption mindshare, though it spans all subjects rather than focusing on chess.

Others

• Chess-in-the-Schools: Nonprofit delivering chess education programs to schools and students, often underserved communities. Closely comparable mission and customer (schools, kids) but program delivery relies on in-person instructors rather than a video/online platform model.
• Code.org: Nonprofit pushing free K-12 computer science curriculum into schools. Comparable as a nonprofit K-12 EdTech curriculum provider with school adoption programs, but for coding/computational thinking rather than chess.
• US Chess Federation: National governing body for chess in the US, with school chess programs and resources. Comparable as an ecosystem enabler touching the same school chess customer base, but as a membership/affiliation organization rather than a curriculum vendor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AF4C_FirstMove
• Facebookfacebook.com/firstmovechess

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about First Move Chess