Youngsters from P.S.10 went head-to-head with college students from the borough's St.John's University campus on Thursday.
The kids call themselves the Staten Island Gladiators and they have battled several colleges before throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn.
So how do these youthful chess wizards compete against people who are twice their age?
"I use the ten golden moves, also known as, the bullshead," said Kawan Tucker.
"I like declare and sacrifice. Like, well, you just give away a free piece just to make that piece come out of the way," said Theo Onderko
"We taught our boys how to move/think what the next player is going to do. Think of his next three moves," said coach John Mazzella.
The Staten Island Gladiators are scheduled to play in a tournament against Hunter College in the coming weeks.