About WCCA
James Santorelli , is a nationally renowned authority of chess in education with over 30 years experience. His excellent low cost distant learning activity is aimed at improving your personal best. Jim’s passion for chess continues to help player to improve their skills and has guided his students to 13 National Scholastic Championships. The great game of chess is a fun and exciting experience that families can enjoy. No equipment is necessary.
A USCF Expert, Jim emphasizes strategy and planning in his chess and in his well-prepared, easy to understand online chess lessons.
James Santorelli was featured on the NBC Segment In Their Shoes: Chess Instructor. The game of chess is about much more than capturing pawns and closing in on the king. Chess instructor Jim Santorelli teaches kids skills they’ll use their entire lives.Apr 3, 2019
Brooklyn born Jim Santorelli is a walking talking chess game who converses with friends as though he’s analyzing a complex middlegame. At times, an arsenal of ripostes, counterarguments, and creative commentaries muscle his speech. “For every disadvantage there is an equal and opposite advantage,” he tells his students.
By Harvard Professor Robert R. Desjarlais, Counterplay: An Anthropologist at the Chessboard.
Bronxville Elementary Chess Club Gives Outstanding Performance at National Chess Championships
May 11, 2011: For the second year in a row, the Bronxville Elementary chess club sent a team to the National Elementary Chess Championships–and came home with truly impressive results.
“With chess, children can practice deductive reasoning and use it in day-to-day situations. The idea of increasing the number of curricular programs is to improve children’s critical thinking skills and analytical abilities.”
– James Santorelli, JVCL Executive Director, as quoted in Timothy Gangwer’s book, Visual Impact, Visual Thinking
“…James Santorelli, teaches math using the game of chess. His curriculum reinforces basic math skills like counting, adding and subtracting but expands to such areas as estimating movements, graphing and recording game moves. Santorelli co-wrote the course now used in two New York school districts to build critical thinking and spatial skills.”
– newstimes, October 22, 2020