Students in Co-op City honored their longtime chess teacher on Sunday with a surprise plaque they purchased themselves.

Romeo Davis, who runs the Young Kings and Queens mentoring and chess program, has been teaching the game — and life skills — for 25 years. His club has been operating out of the Baychester Library for the past month, where Davis meets regularly with students to play, study and mentor.

Students said they saved the money Davis would give them for snacks and pooled it together over several months to thank him for his guidance.

“I used to be very cocky whenever I played chess,” said student Michael Nibo. “After Mr. Romeo taught me, I learned to be humble.”

Davis said his work is about far more than chess.

“Building up life skills — chess is a reflection of people’s lives,” he said. “Whatever they do on the board — if they’re aggressive, if they’re patient — I can see it. If they’re trying to trade a pawn for a rook, that tells me they don’t know the values in life.”

The surprise came during the group’s final session of the year. The library’s branch manager said the location will continue operating on Sundays, offering a range of services for the community.