Premier Chess
Premier Chess is a New York City-based chess instruction company founded in 2017 that delivers in-person corporate classes, school programs, summer camps, private lessons, tournaments, and workshops. It serves schools, corporate clients (including UBS), youth students, and seniors through a team led by National Master Evan Rabin and Grandmaster Mark Paragua.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Premier Chess does
Premier Chess is a privately held chess instruction company founded in 2017 and headquartered in New York City, operating in the education and corporate-training verticals. The company delivers in-person chess classes, school programs, summer and break camps, private lessons, workshops (including lectures and simultaneous exhibitions), and a recurring tournament series (the Premier Chess Grand Prix). Its roster is anchored by CEO Evan Rabin, a US Chess National Master, and includes FIDE Grandmaster Mark Paragua and other titled instructors. The company curates events at partner venues including Grace Church School (46 Cooper Square, NYC), Brooklyn Friends School, JCC Great Neck, and select corporate sites, with periodic outreach events in Tucson, Arizona.
Premier Chess generates revenue through fee-for-service instruction and tournament entry fees rather than software or licensing. Named offerings include Corporate Chess Classes, School Programs, Summer Camps (including chess and table tennis), Private Lessons, Tournaments, Workshops, Group Classes, plus content distribution via the Premier Chess Podcast and a Twitch live-stream channel. Tournament pricing is publicly disclosed at $40 (early bird, ≥1 month prior), $50 (standard, ≥1 week prior), and $60 (onsite/day-of) per entry. Corporate program pricing is not publicly disclosed. Distribution is entirely direct and field-led — there is no SaaS platform, no mobile app, no public API, and no disclosed digital product.
The customer base spans four segments: schools (curriculum and after-school programs), corporate clients (team-building and strategic-thinking workshops, with UBS cited as a customer), youth students (private lessons and camps), and seniors (community-center programming). The company is founder-owned, with no disclosed institutional investors, acquisitions, or parent-company affiliations, and has been actively operating as evidenced by ongoing blog content and program calendars through 2025.
Premier Chess firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Premier Chess
- Legal name
- Premier Chess
- Website
- https://premierchess.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Premier Chess is a New York City-based chess instruction company founded in 2017 that delivers in-person corporate classes, school programs, summer camps, private lessons, tournaments, and workshops. It serves schools, corporate clients (including UBS), youth students, and seniors through a team led by National Master Evan Rabin and Grandmaster Mark Paragua.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Premier Chess industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Chess Instruction Services
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Research & Science Fair Competitions (Science Fairs, Research Symposiums) (EDAMAGAL)
Keywords
Where Premier Chess is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Premier Chess business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Chess Classes and Instruction: Revenue from group classes, private lessons, and curriculum-based instruction delivered at schools and corporate locations
- Tournament Entry Fees: Revenue from organized tournament series including Grand Prix events, with tiered pricing based on registration timing ($40-$60 per tournament)
- Summer Camps: Revenue from chess and table tennis camp programs offered during school breaks
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Early Bird Tournament Entry |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard Tournament Entry |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Onsite Tournament Entry |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Premier Chess product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Premier Chess provides in-person chess instruction and educational programming for schools, corporations, and individual students. Offerings include corporate classes, school curriculum programs, private lessons, summer camps, tournaments (Grand Prix series), workshops, and group classes, delivered by a team of titled instructors led by US Chess National Master Evan Rabin. The company also produces chess-related content through a podcast and Twitch stream.
Product overview
Premier Chess is a chess education and training company offering a comprehensive suite of in-person services. The company operates as a single unified service brand providing corporate chess classes, school programs, summer camps, private lessons, tournaments, workshops, and group classes. The company also produces content through a podcast and Twitch streaming channel. The core offering centers on instruction delivered by a team of professional chess players, led by CEO and National Master Evan Rabin and including Grandmaster Mark Paragua. No digital product, platform, or SaaS offering was identified in the source materials.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Corporate Chess Classes In-person chess instruction and team-building workshops delivered at corporate client locations, framing chess as a metaphor for business strategy, leadership, and decision-making. Targeted at professionals and enterprise teams.
- School Programs Chess curriculum and instruction integrated into school settings, serving students of all ages and levels during school hours or as after-school programs.
- Private Lessons One-on-one personalized chess instruction for individual students at all skill levels, delivered by titled instructors.
- Summer Camps Seasonal chess programs including combined chess and table tennis camps held during school breaks for youth students.
- Grand Prix Tournament Series Organized competitive chess tournament series hosted at partner school venues, with tiered entry fees ($40-$60 per tournament based on registration timing). Includes blitz tournaments and quads series.
- Workshops & Simultaneous Exhibitions Specialized chess sessions including lectures and simultaneous exhibitions (simuls) with titled players, delivered to community and corporate audiences.
- Community Group Classes Collective chess instruction offered at community locations such as JCC Great Neck and NYC Fun Zone for youth and senior participants.
Companies that use Premier Chess
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Premier Chess technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Premier Chess partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Make a Difference NowcoreNonprofit partnership for international chess outreach, including trips to Tanzania to teach chess to students
- Metro World ChildcoreNonprofit partnership for international chess outreach and community programs
- American Chess EquipmentminorPartner that provides chess equipment for tournaments and programs. Mentioned as providing gift certificates to tournament participants.
- Grace Church SchoolcoreHost venue for Grand Prix Series tournaments, one of two primary school partners for the tournament series
- Brooklyn Friends SchoolcoreHost venue for Grand Prix Series tournaments, one of two primary school partners for the tournament series
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Premier Chess competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Chess Wizards: Chicago-based chess instruction company providing in-school chess programs, after-school classes, and summer camps. Highly comparable service offerings and customer segments to Premier Chess, with geographic diversification across the Midwest.
- Chess4Life: Chess education franchise offering instruction, camps, tournaments, and school programs across multiple US locations. Operates a comparable multi-vertical model with schools, private lessons, and community events - making it one of the closest direct comparables to Premier Chess.
- Silver Knights Chess: Chess instruction company serving schools and students nationwide with in-school programs, tournaments, and camps. Closely comparable B2B school-channel model and service mix to Premier Chess's school programs business.
Regional players
- Chess At Three: NYC-based chess instruction company focused on storytelling-based chess curriculum for young children. Operates in the same geography and partially overlapping youth segment as Premier Chess, with a differentiated curriculum approach.
Others
- Chess in the Schools: NYC-based nonprofit providing chess instruction to public schools. Operates in Premier Chess's exact geography and customer segment (NYC schools), representing both a competitor for school contracts and a potential ecosystem partner.
- US Chess Federation: National governing body for chess in the United States, administering ratings, tournaments, and scholastic programs. Indirectly comparable as the umbrella organization whose certifications (e.g., National Master title) underpin Premier Chess's instructor credentials.
Broad incumbents
- Chess.com: Largest online chess platform offering lessons, puzzles, tournaments, and play at global scale. Broad incumbent in chess education, though its delivery model is digital rather than in-person, making it a complementary rather than directly overlapping competitor.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Premier Chess social profiles
Digital presencePremier Chess financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Premier Chess leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Premier Chess funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Premier Chess M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Premier Chess
What does Premier Chess do?
Premier Chess provides in-person chess instruction and educational programming for schools, corporations, and individual students. Offerings include corporate classes, school curriculum programs, private lessons, summer camps, tournaments (Grand Prix series), workshops, and group classes, delivered by a team of titled instructors led by US Chess National Master Evan Rabin. The company also produces chess-related content through a podcast and Twitch stream.
Is Premier Chess a public or private company?
Premier Chess is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Premier Chess founded?
Premier Chess was founded in 2017. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Premier Chess based?
Premier Chess is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Premier Chess make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Chess Classes and Instruction is the primary driver. The others are tournament Entry Fees and summer Camps.
Who are Premier Chess's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Chess Wizards, Chess4Life and Silver Knights Chess. Chess At Three is listed as a regional player. Others are Chess in the Schools and US Chess Federation. Chess.com is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Premier Chess have an API?
No public API is recorded for Premier Chess.
What industry is Premier Chess in?
Premier Chess's product category is Chess Instruction Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMAGAL, Research & Science Fair Competitions (Science Fairs, Research Symposiums). Its SIC code is 8200.