32. The Chess Program

Dalton hosts one of the pre-eminent scholastic Chess Programs in the country. Alumni and parents praise the program for combining chess strategy with life lessons.

Inaugurated in 1983 under the direction of Svetozar Jovanovic and currently under David MacEnulty, Dalton hosts one of the pre-eminent Scholastic Chess programs in the country, both in terms of the number of Championships and participants at National events. Alumni and parents praise the program for qualities beyond the wins.

“Much of who I am today was shaped by my early years on the Dalton Chess Team under Mr. Jovanovic, a genius strategist who valued hard work.” 

—Spencer Rascoff ’93

“David MacEnulty has expanded the Program into classrooms and brought it to new levels”

—Nick Silvers ’94, P ’25, ’27, ’30

“The distinguishing factor of Dalton chess is how David MacEnulty teaches the game- equal parts chess strategy and character-building life lessons.”

—Gina Sohn [Lee], P ’19, ’21, ’24 

“It’s really about the chess community and the camaraderie amongst the children and friendships with the other chess families.”
—Peggy Yih ’89, P ’21

“Chess has taught our son the skills of time management, strategic thinking, spatial logic, and mental computation, as well the life skills of winning with grace, losing with character, learning from mistakes, and taking calculated risks. We are a diverse family of students, parents, teachers, and coaches. It has fostered a culture of encouragement, support, inclusiveness, and true sportsmanship, enriching our collective experience.”
—Michael Schuman ’89, P ’24, ’30

The queen is the most powerful piece on the chessboard and references Dalton’s domination in the sport as well as the Dalton logo — the matriarch spreading her arms to let her children Go Forth Unafraid. The Dalton girls have gone forth unafraid: as National Girls Champions for three years in a row.
—David MacEnulty, Director of the Chess Academy