Daniel Vellotti studying the board during a tournament game.

Boise, Idaho · Coaching since 2004

DanielVellotti

Coach•Champion•Author

35,000+Students taughtLessons, camps & school programs
230+Titles won by studentsState, regional, national & grade
22Years coachingSince 2004
30U.S. statesStudents in every region
7CountriesOnline instruction worldwide
“I will never be the world champion,
but I can change the world of a child
through chess.”

Coach Vellotti

Daniel Vellotti teaching a blindfolded student at a wall-mounted demonstration board.
Blindfold instruction at the demonstration board

The Coach

He starts them
at three years old

Daniel Vellotti has taught chess to children for twenty-two years: in private lessons, in summer camps, and in the classrooms of some of the most selective independent schools in the country.

Most of his students arrive having never touched a piece. Together they have won more than two hundred championship titles.

The school has grown almost entirely by word of mouth. Parents tell other parents.

He teaches under one rule, trademarked and printed on the shirts his students wear: We Make Chess Fun!

Where he teaches

Thirteen schools

Classes, training sessions and honors camps at independent schools across the United States.

  • St. Mark’s School of TexasDallas, TX
  • Francis W. Parker SchoolChicago, IL
  • The Episcopal School of DallasDallas, TX
  • The Kinkaid SchoolHouston, TX
  • Fort Worth Country DayFort Worth, TX
  • St. Andrew’s Episcopal SchoolAustin, TX
  • UCLA Lab SchoolLos Angeles, CA
  • San Francisco Friends SchoolSan Francisco, CA
  • Miami Country Day SchoolMiami, FL
  • Sun Valley Community SchoolSun Valley, ID
  • Riverstone International SchoolBoise, ID
  • Foothills School of Arts and SciencesBoise, ID
  • The Ambrose SchoolMeridian, ID
The two dials of a Jerger Olympia mechanical chess clock.
Jerger Olympia
A digital chess clock reading 2:37 behind pieces on a board.
2:37 remaining
A clock and a dense middlegame position in a tournament hall.
Tournament hall

The record

230+

State, regional, national
& grade championship titles

Won by his students since 2004 — the number the rest of this page is really about.

Daniel Vellotti making a move during an outdoor game.

His own board

  • 1998World Scholar-Athlete GamesFirst place overall
  • 1998All-America Cup Chess Champion
  • 1999Idaho State Scholastic ChampionFirst place overall
  • 2000Idaho State Scholastic ChampionFirst place overall — second consecutive year

Certified Chess Professional and Tournament Director, United States Chess Federation.

A note on one student

One of them grew up
in his own house.

Luke Vellotti in a suit, reaching to move a piece during a tournament game.
Luke Vellotti, tournament play · 2014
Daniel Vellotti with his sons Luke and Carl in the KTLA 5 studio, a chess board set up in front of them.
KTLA 5, Los Angeles · October 2013
Luke’s arrival at UCLA, with Daniel and his older son Carl

International
Master

Daniel’s son, coached at home from the start.

Accepted at 13

Enrolled at fourteen as the youngest student ever to attend UCLA.

Mathematics
& Computer Science

Graduated with a double major.

▶14-year-old chess and math prodigy enrolls at UCLA UCLA · September 2013

The author

Seven books

Illustrated chess instruction for young readers. Self-published and available on Amazon.

  • Master Disaster!Amazon
  • Island Adventure!Amazon
  • Spooky Checkmates!Amazon
  • Tricks & Traps!Amazon
  • Crafty Clues!Amazon
  • Cupcake Escape!Amazon
  • Holiday Checkmates!Amazon

In development

Enchanted Chess

Releasing Spring 2027

Ventures

Ten registered
trademarks

  • Vellotti’s Chess School®

    The teaching practice. Online lessons and camps.

  • Enchanted Chess®

    Chess learning app for young children.

  • Future Grandmaster®

    Advanced training track for serious students.

  • Little Chess Masters®

    Preschool program for children aged three and up.

  • Young Chess Masters®

    Program for elementary school students.

  • Princess Chess®

    Program built to bring more girls to the board.

  • Got Chess?®

    Apparel line designed for students and campers.

  • We Make Chess Fun!®

    The teaching principle behind all of it.

Beyond chess

  • Brick Adventures®

    Block-building camps, books and video for children.

  • Dragons and Legends®

    Fantasy role-playing world for young readers.

Children playing chess at an outdoor table during a Vellotti summer camp.
Summer camp session

Camps

Mountain towns
and coastal cities

Four-day summer chess camps for children, Monday through Thursday, held in person each year.

  • Sun ValleyIdaho
  • Jackson HoleWyoming
  • San FranciscoCalifornia
  • Los AngelesCalifornia
  • New York CityNew · Summer 2027New York

Nickelodeon Parents’ Pick Winner Voted #1 Best Camp

Inquiries

Lessons, camps
& appearances

Telephone208.713.2486
Emailwemakechessfun@gmail.com