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About Rule the Board, an Atlanta chess scholarship

We spent a summer teaching chess to Odyssey scholars and were blown away by how fast they picked it up. Our only regret was that the class ended. Rule the Board is what we built so the students who wanted to keep playing could actually keep playing, with real coaching and real tournaments behind them.

Read about the scholarship and Checkmate Your Summer

Grades K-12 Eligible

Open to students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

Need-Based Eligibility

For students from underserved communities. Title I schools, free or reduced lunch, and families receiving public assistance all qualify.

Checkmate Your Summer students playing chess together in the Odyssey classroom.
2025-26Our First Year

Our Team

Our nine-person team of directors and coaches runs every part of Rule the Board, from curriculum to tournaments to outreach.

Seven members of the Rule the Board team standing together on a black and white checkered floor.

  • Leonardo Castro-Balbi

    Executive Director

  • Nathan Ye

    Operations Director

  • Arjun Garg

    Education Director & Head Coach

  • Raymond Boamah

    Technology Director

  • Abbie Yuan

    Communications Director

  • Evelyn Wood

    Creative Director

  • Armaan Dhawan

    Director of Development

  • Sammy Drucker

    Programs Director & Lead Coach

  • David Katz

    Lead Coach

Rule the Board's three founders, Nathan Ye, Leonardo Castro-Balbi, and Arjun Garg, sitting together outdoors.

Rule the Board was founded by Nathan Ye, Leonardo Castro-Balbi, and Arjun Garg, who built the Rule the Board Scholarship and Checkmate Your Summer programs from the ground up.

Our Values

The King is Rule the Board itself. The five pieces around it are what we hold ourselves to: excellence, resilience, integrity, passion, and service.

  • King

    Rule the Board

    The name and the mission. Everything else on this board builds on it.

  • Queen

    Excellence

    The standard we hold ourselves to in every classroom, tournament, and decision.

  • Knight

    Resilience

    Losing a game, setting the pieces back up, and sitting down for the next one.

  • Rook

    Integrity

    Our scholars learn to compete honestly, on the board and off it.

  • Bishop

    Passion

    Scholars chasing their next rating, and coaches who keep showing up for them.

  • Pawn

    Service

    Coaches, board members, and volunteers who give their time so a scholar never has to sit out.

2025-2026 Impact Report