Kindergarten and first-grade students from Success Academy in Melrose won first place for the first time in the National Chess Championship.

Chess is an integral part of the school's curriculum since the school was founded in 2006.

The program's director tells News 12 that teaching children chess at such a young age aids in strategic thinking, sharpens their analytical instincts and teaches impulse control.

"We believe that if you teach children something really difficult, that they can rise to the occasion. And this is proof of that," says chess specialist Greg Keenerstates.