When Griffin McConnell was just four years old, he begged his dad, Kevin, to teach him how to play chess. It soon became Griffin’s favorite game, and his younger brother, Sullivan, found that he enjoyed the game, too. The McConnell family began traveling for competitions and spending their free time practicing chess. As Griffin and his brother, Sullivan, grew up, their love for the game grew too. Now, at ages 20 and 18, the brothers have 16 championship titles between them, and they coach for PALs Chess Academy, an organization run by the McConnells that offers chess camps, clubs, and lessons for kids in Colorado.
“It was never our intent to [center] our life around chess,” says Kevin. “But they really loved it, and we were going to get behind whatever our kids were enjoying. From the time [Griffin] was eight, he said he wanted to be a chess coach.”
Chess became an escape for the McConnells, particularly while facing difficult medical emergencies and diagnoses. When Griffin was seven, he underwent two brain surgeries, and a year later had a hemispherectomy. He spent the next two years in a wheelchair and no longer had the use of his right arm. A few years later, Sullivan and the McConnells’ daughter, Moira, were both diagnosed with autism. Despite the challenges of surgeries and ongoing therapies, the McConnells maintained their love for chess and in 2023 took over PALs Chess Academy.
PALs Chess Academy was started in 2013 by Lior Lapid, a five-time Colorado State Chess Champion. The McConnells took over after Lapid moved to head up a chess non-profit in Florida. Since then, PALs has expanded its presence to 70+ schools and hosts over 1,500 kids each semester for chess instruction. Additionally, PALs hosts monthly scholastic tournaments and yearly summer camps. And this year, they launched their first-ever Rocky Mountain All-Girls Chess Camp. For the McConnells, this camp is an important part of their goal to increase women’s representation in chess.
“The older you are, the more boy-dominated [chess] is. At our K–2 programs, it’s almost 50/50 girls and boys. But as soon as you jump to third and fifth grades, it changes to about 70/30. And as soon as you go to middle school, it’s 90/10,” says Kevin. “We see 30 kids on average at each of our camps, and that’s usually 28 boys and two girls. We do everything we can as an organization to hire female chess coaches… It’s a tough nut to crack.”
The Rocky Mountain All-Girls Chess Camp has been PALs’ biggest camp so far, proving there’s a need for women-centered spaces in the sport. And as PALs continues to grow, the McConnells are excited about building a more inclusive future for the next generation of chess players, regardless of gender, disabilities, or background.
Learn more about PALs Chess Academy at palschess.com
