Silver Knights Enrichment

What Silver Knights Enrichment does

Silver Knights Chess Academy, doing business as Silver Knights Enrichment, is a private chess education company founded in 2004 by Adam Weissbarth that delivers structured chess instruction to K-12 children and their families. The company operates a dual-channel model: in-person chess clubs embedded in 350 elementary schools and 150 week-long summer and school-break camps across Northern Virginia, Maryland, and Washington DC; and an Online Chess Academy serving students in all 50 U.S. states and internationally. Since founding, the company reports serving more than 120,000 children, with 50+ students having become state or national champions — including 11 scholastic state champions produced in 2025.

The product portfolio is organized as a progression pathway for students. Entry is via a $5 trial lesson, which feeds into The Academy (standard membership) or The Elite Academy (premium tier featuring grandmaster lessons) for ongoing instruction. Complementary revenue streams include online and in-person camps and workshops, tournaments for all skill levels, and chess sets and books sold as merchandise. Revenue mixes subscription/recurring (Academy memberships), one-time purchases (trial lessons, camps, merchandise), and transaction fees (tournament registration).

The business model is community-led: school partnerships generate grassroots enrollment and word-of-mouth referrals, supported by content marketing via the Knight's Corner blog, email newsletter, Facebook and Instagram, and parent testimonials. Online programs extend the brand globally through the company's e-commerce platform at chessacademy.com. The company is founder-led, privately held, and mission-aligned in part through a $50,000+ annual need-based scholarship program. No external funding, M&A activity, AI/ML capabilities, or proprietary technology stack are disclosed in the available data.

Name

Silver Knights Enrichment

Legal name

Silver Knights Chess Academy

Website

https://skchess.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Silver Knights Chess Academy, founded in 2004, delivers in-person chess clubs across 350 elementary schools and online chess instruction nationwide. The company serves K-12 children and families through memberships, camps, tournaments, and trial lessons in the Baltimore-Washington Metro Area and globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Chess Education

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Math Games, Puzzles & Recreational Math Programs (EDAMAEAM)

Keywords

• Youth chess education
• Chess instruction
• After school enrichment
• Chess tournaments
• Chess camps

Headquarters

HQ city

Fairfax

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Academy Memberships: Recurring subscription-based memberships for the Online Chess Academy providing structured classes, tournament access, and ongoing instruction for students.
2. Trial Lessons: One-time trial lessons offered at low price point ($5) to convert new customers into full academy members.
3. Chess Camps and Workshops: One-time purchases for summer camps and school break camps, both in-person and online formats.
4. Tournament Fees: Registration fees for tournaments serving players of all skill levels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Silver Knights Chess Academy delivers structured chess instruction to school-age children through in-person school-based chess clubs in 350 elementary schools across the Baltimore-Washington Metro Area, an Online Chess Academy serving all 50 states and worldwide, week-long in-person and online chess camps, and competitive tournaments. Programs range from beginner-friendly trial lessons priced at $5 to premium Elite Academy membership with grandmaster-level instruction.

Product overview

Silver Knights Chess Academy operates as a multi-format chess education company offering both online and in-person programs. The portfolio consists of the Online Academy (serving students nationwide in all 50 states), Trial Lessons ($5 introductory sessions), The Academy (standard membership), and The Elite Academy with Grandmaster Lessons (premium tier). In-person offerings include school-based chess clubs in 350 elementary schools across the DMV region, 150 week-long chess camps annually, and tournaments for all skill levels. The company also sells chess sets and books as merchandise. The overall structure is a unified education platform with online and physical delivery channels serving children in the Baltimore-Washington Metro Area and globally through online programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Silver Knights Online Academy

Quantifiable outcome

• 50+ students have become state or national champions
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Lichess: Major free online chess platform offering play and study tools globally; competes for online engagement with Silver Knights' subscription-based digital academy and limits monetization of casual learners.
• Chess.com: Largest online chess platform with lessons, play, and tournaments; a broad incumbent whose online academy competes directly with Silver Knights' Online Chess Academy for student attention and subscription spend.

Direct peers

• Chess-in-the-Schools: Nonprofit that delivers in-school chess instruction and enrichment programs to K-12 students, closely mirroring Silver Knights' school-based club and after-school model in a different metro.
• The Knight School: Runs chess enrichment programs including after-school clubs, camps, and tournaments for kids, directly competing with Silver Knights' multi-format enrichment model.
• Chess Wizards: Operates in-school and after-school chess programs and camps for children, directly comparable to Silver Knights' club and camp offerings and customer base.
• Premier Chess: Offers chess classes, camps, and tournaments for youth online and in-person, overlapping with Silver Knights' online academy, camps, and tournament revenue streams.
• Chess4Life: Provides chess coaching, classes, and tournaments for youth, with a similar curriculum-and-competition focus to Silver Knights' Academy membership and tournament business.

Others

• US Chess Federation: National governing body for chess in the U.S. that organizes scholastic championships and ratings; an ecosystem enabler that Silver Knights' tournament and championship pipeline interacts with but does not directly compete against.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/silverknightschess
• Instagraminstagram.com/silver_knights_chess

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Silver Knights Enrichment