ABOUT CHESS INVITATIONAL
The Chess Invitational is a national chess competition for Deaf and Hard of Hearing high school students. The tournament is a 5-player team formatted tournament. Each player works to win points for their school as they go head-to-head in friendly competition. The competition occurs on a weekend and allows students to socialize and participate in the tournament.
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Teams must register associated with a scholastic program. Please review the Rules and Regulations for details or contact the Commissioner Nick Catalano - deafchessinvitational@gmail.com
ADVERSITY LEADS TO OPPORTUNITY
In the Spring of 2019, the Chess Club at the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf explored an idea of collaborating with other Deaf and Hard of Hearing chess players. That idea began to blossom as more programs began to join the unifying concept of this Invitational.
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The purpose of the Chess Invitational is to establish a friendly competition for high school Deaf and Hard of Hearing students across the United States. The success of this Invitational is based on your support in this belief.
Thank you!
MEET THE COMMISSIONER
For the past eleven years, Nick Catalano has been a Teacher of the Deaf specializing in High School Math. In 2016, he joined the chess team as a fellow coach at the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf. His experience working in the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Chess League has been an important steppingstone in establishing the Chess Invitational. Nick grew up playing chess often with his friends and family. He enjoys how tournaments like these can bring out the competitiveness, camaraderie, and joy of playing such an inclusive game.
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​Nick is currently working with several other coaches from Deaf and Hard of Hearing programs around the country. Their efforts are aimed to expand this Invitational and provide opportunities for growing the game of chess.