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Spring Road to Nationals

Get tournament-ready for Nationals this spring!
Our Spring Road to Nationals class is designed to sharpen skills, build confidence, and help students walk into Nationals feeling prepared, focused, and excited to play.

Schedule & Tuition

  • Days: Mondays
  • Time: 5:30–7:30 PM
  • Duration: 10 weeks, from February 9 through April 13
  • Cost: $449
    Includes two free Friday Night tournaments to be used between February 9 and the end of April. Tournament passes expire at the end of April.

Who Is This Class For?

These classes are designed for students who are already rated tournament players, and/or have been attending PCC classes at Knight level or above, or have completed any of our past Supergroups offered by Coach Joe or other Chess Emporium coaches.

Proven Results from Previous Road to Nationals Classes

Many of our previous students who have taken this class recently performed very well at the SuperNationals VII tournament held in Orlando, FL this past May.

From our Tempe location: Six students finished in the top 20 in the country in their respective sections and received medals for their performance, with one of them becoming National Champion in the unrated section for blitz!

From our Scottsdale location: Several more students also finished in the top 20, with one student becoming National Champion in the K–3 Under 800 section.

We are thrilled to announce the Chess Emporium’s next installment of the Road to Nationals classes for our Tempe and Scottsdale locations, and we are excited to help the next group of players chase their own Nationals success stories.

Topics to Be Covered

  • Basic Opening Introduction – solid fundamentals to reach good positions from move one
  • Tactics – pattern recognition, calculation practice, and tactical themes common at Nationals
  • Middlegame Planning – how to build a plan instead of just making “one-move” decisions
  • Basic / Intermediate Endings – king and pawn endings, simple piece endings, and key ideas
  • Nationals Preparation – what to expect at Nationals, how to handle nerves and setbacks, and how to deal with difficult situations that may arise during games
  • Celebration & Review – fun pizza party and wrap-up on the final class

Why Spring Road to Nationals?

Our goal is for every student to arrive at Nationals with a clear routine, a strong foundation in all phases of the game, and the emotional tools to handle both wins and losses. Students will practice under tournament-like conditions and learn how to turn their preparation into confident play at the board.

For questions or to enroll, please contact the Chess Emporium phone line at 602-482-4867 or you can email us at kids@chessemporium.com





Elliot and McClintock

Event Date Time Location
Spring 2026 SuperNationals
Coach Joe Lafornara USCF 1835 (Elliot and McClintock)
Mondays
February 9th - April 13th
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM Elliot and McClintock