CHESS PALS Chess Academy Griffin and Sullivan McConnell The Faces of PHOTO CREDIT: LA DOLCE VIDA PHOTOGRAPHY
P ALS Chess Academy is one of Colorado’s largest and most trusted chess enrichment pro- grams. Founded in 2012, by 5-time Colo- rado State Chess Champion and National Master, Lior Lapid, PALS was purchased by the family of two of Lior’s private students, Sullivan and Griffin McCon- nell. Lior coached Griffin and Sullivan McConnell from being good scholastic chess players to National Masters with 15 Colorado State Chess Championships between them. Griffin and Sullivan are the driving force behind PALS as they continue to compete in chess tournaments around the country and around the world. The McConnell family has a very unique relationship with chess as they believe that it was playing chess that helped save the life of their oldest son Griffin. Griffin learned to play chess when he was four years old and started competing and winning scholastic chess tournaments when he was five. This was the age he also became very sick. Griffin was diagnosed with two rare brain diseases and had to undergo brain surgery to remove the left hemisphere of his brain at Children’s Hospital of Denver when he was eight. This surgery
saved his life but left him with perma- nent disabilities. Over the next three years, Griffin had to relearn how to walk and talk. He was confined to a wheel- chair as he slowly relearned how to walk. One week after the surgery, when he was still paralyzed on his entire right side and couldn’t speak, Griffin played his first complete chess game! Only four months after his surgery, Griffin entered his first chess tourna- ment. Four years later he won his first State Scholastic Championship and three years later at the age of 15, he was invit- ed to compete in a chess tournament in Ankara, Turkey where he won the best player trophy as the only competitor to win all of his games. He continued to compete and at 17 years old, he finally became a National Master. Griffin has dreamed of becoming a chess coach since he was seven and now coaches at eight different schools and has a full load of private students with a healthy waitlist! His private students have already won two Colorado State Scholastic Chess Championships. Chess. com made a documentary about his in- credible journey that you can see for free on Youtube, it’s called “Griffin’s Gambit.”
Seeing how much chess has done for Grifiin inspired the entire McConnell family to do a huge life u-turn and invest all ther energy in helping other families discover this great game. Numerous studies have been done here in the US and all around the world show- ing the benefits of playing chess. These studies show increases in math score by as much as 25%. Chess increases focus and concentration and helps children develop strategic thinking patterns that will benefit them for the rest of their lives. PALS Chess Academy utilizes a cur- riculum developed by Griffin and his younger brother Sullivan. Last year at the Colorado State Scholastic Chess Championships, PALS students won ev- ery single state championship title. They swept with state champions in K-1, K-3, K-5, K-8 and K-12. For the last 13 years consecutively, PALS students have won at least 2 out of the five 5 state titles. For more information about how PALS Chess Academy and chess can help your child, please call (303) 501-0974 or visit our website at www.palschess.com.
20 Faces & Places ® | Winter 2026
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