Mastermind Chess

A place for kids to strengthen their minds in a creative, interactive, and supportive environment

Knight’s Quest

Chess + D&D Summer Camp

CBE Program
in Park Slope

After School
Programs

  • "We have taken chess classes over the past year and loved it and chess camp was phenomenal and only wish that next year there were more weeks added because we would happily attend all of them! My son came home every day so happy and by the end of week two was also showing real signs of growth with respect to his chess skills. He is also now obsessed with D&D!"

    -Yedida Hiller

  • "The tremendous strategic growth and maturity to play chess our son has accomplished under Hana's instruction is simply amazing! Hana is constantly monitoring my child’s development, developing creative ways to push his skills forward to the next level, anticipating new goals and milestones, and always communicating with him and his group of players. Our son’s ability to feel confident in any chess game setting is really setting him apart for confidence in his game abilities as well as life skills. Hana works to provide important feedback and ensure consistency for a growth mindset. We are thrilled to witness his commitment and agency to build upon growing strategies as well as his awareness to evolve with each game and session - winning or losing. Chess with Hana is a win - win for all!"

    –Ashley Itenberg

  • "Hana is a masterful chess teacher. She worked with our sons and nephews and was able to engage them on their different skill levels and personality types to make each session fun and educational. We were really blown away by her skills as a teacher and practitioner. Our kids loved every moment."

    –Noah Greenfield

  • "The experience was great! Kids had chess, math, and D&D lessons and games each day, along with a chance to run around and play. My son really loved it, and we felt we were in caring and capable hands with the terrific staff"

  • "Hana has been our son Asher’s teacher for over 2 years. He is 6 years old and loves chess because of her. Hana is patient, smart and fun. As a result the hour lessons breeze by. Every week he awaits them eagerly. And I believe that he is not only is learning a game from her, but also to be calm, thoughtful and to think before he acts."

    –Jeremiah Zagar

  • "I can’t recommend Hana enough. She started to teach my boys chess when they were 4 and 6 and because of her, they loved the game right away and have kept at it for years. Two energetic, active boys! And they love chess! Hana keeps it fun while also leaning in with a guiding hand. She has taught them privately and in groups for four consecutive years—remotely through the early months of the pandemic. She’s gotten them to go to tournaments so they could find the joy in competitive chess. Hana is the best!"

    –Sruthi Pinnamaneni

  • "Hana was my son, Jonah’s, chess tutor for 4 years. She was always a consummate professional, always on time, a good communicator and dependable. When she started working with my son he was quite young and she found a way to make chess fun and exciting. As she got to know Jonah’s strengths and weaknesses as a chess player, Hana was able to tailor her instruction in a way that really improved his game. Hana’s expert instruction and calm demeanor was also invaluable to Jonah during tournaments. With patience and a good sense of humor, Hana taught my son many valuable chess and life skills that will not be soon forgotten. I cannot recommend her more highly!"

    –Anita Bergman

  • "I have taken weekly chess lessons with Hana for five years. I started with enjoying the game but Hana empowered me with the right tools and instilled a love for chess in me. Hana has always supported me from the time I wasn't doing great and after years when I got a lot better. Before COVID, she came to many of the tournaments I attended and made sure I learned from every experience playing chess. I love the lessons with Hana (in person and virtual) and I'm thankful that she's my coach!"

    – Zoe Fedorov (student)

  • "Hana Itkis is a gem — dedicated, highly experienced, and a brilliant player and teacher. She is full of energy and ideas and is able to really connect with the kids. Both of our boys learned so much from her, from barely knowing the basic rules to quite sophisticated strategy in a very short time. Anyone who gets to work with her is lucky!"

    –Azadeh Ahavan

  • "Both my boys (grade 2 and 5) have been taking Hana’s chess class for several years and they love it. Hana also arranges tournaments for practice apart from regular classes and she closely follows the games and gives insightful feedback to the kids. They have been enjoying learning different strategies and creative approaches to play chess and have made a lot of progress and definitely beat their Dad…My oldest even continued online during the middle of the pandemic, which says a lot about how much he likes the class, as he was otherwise tired of being in front of a screen…We believe our kids are getting all the benefits of learning chess, like increased focus, critical thinking, creativity, etc. but more importantly they enjoy how Hana makes it fun in a unique and challenging kind of way".

    –Geraldine Chang

  • "Hana brought the joy (and sometimes heartache) of chess to our family and we looked forward to her weekly classes. She is a wonderful, devoted teacher with incredible skills to impart. We cannot recommend her highly enough."

    –Alana Serota

  • "My son really enjoyed the camp. The mix of math/logic puzzles, chess and learning how to play D&D was perfect for him"

    - Jacklyn L.