Alanna is an accomplished chess player, among the top 100 ranked females in the US. She has 15 years of teaching experience and an extensive amount of work in the Greater NYC Area. She has taught in many schools, most notably throughout New York City and introduced over 2500 students to chess.

Alanna also spent 10 summers traveling across the United States to run competitive chess camps.

Her and her brother Ben Katz are among the strongest chess playing siblings in the US.