What role would you hope to play on the Board?
I hope to serve as a focused leader for our youth and educational programs, helping to guide their growth while working closely with our Marshall Chess Club team and board members.
Having served on the Tournament, Ethics, and Educational Committees-and being a regular player in our weekly Thursday Action tournaments-I understand the club from both an administrative perspective and a player's perspective. I want to use my background in chess education to help the Board expand our scholastic offerings and ensure the Marshall Chess Academy remains a permanent, stable part of what makes our club so special.
What experiences qualify you to serve as a Board member?
My qualifications come from a mix of long-term experience in chess education, tournament participation, and three years of active service on the club's committees:
Deep Background in Chess Education: I bring nearly two decades of experience teaching chess and organizing programs. This helps me understand what students and parents look for, what makes a curriculum successful, and how to run great camps.
Active Club Member & Competitor: I am a regular face around the club on Thursday nights, playing consistently in the Thursday Action tournaments. Being an active player keeps me directly connected to the membership, the playing conditions, and the tournament experience at the Marshall.
Teamwork and Program Launching: Working alongside the Educational Committee, we started the Marshall Chess Academy nearly two years ago. This has been a true team effort, running successfully thanks to close collaboration with our amazing manager, Kevin, and the dedicated staff-including Carlos, Oscar, Tamar, and Miguel-whose daily hard work keeps everything running beautifully.
Bringing in Top Talent: I've been glad to use my network to bring exceptional players to our youth programs. Alongside our great head coach, GM Djurabek Khamrakulov, we helped bring in an incredible group of Grandmasters last year-including Andrew Tang, Andrey Maksimenko, Mark Paragua, Oliver Barbosa, Alexander Shabalov, Carissa Yip, and Mykola Bortnyk-and even arranged two special guest lectures by former World Champion Viswanathan Anand.
Club Operations: Serving on the Tournament and Ethics committees in addition to Education has given me a well-rounded understanding of how the club operates and how to handle issues fairly.
What would you hope to achieve as a Board member?
If elected to the Board, I hope to focus on practical goals that support our community, players, and staff:
Strengthen the Marshall Chess Academy: I want to help ensure the Academy has the steady support, resources, and structure it needs to thrive as a long-term centerpiece of the club.
Support Our Staff: I hope to build even closer teamwork between the Board and our hard-working club staff ensuring they have the tools they need to manage our growing programs.
Trackable Student Progress: Our winter, spring, and summer camps are already showing incredible results. Many of our attendees have significantly improved their chess skills, and one of our young students even achieved the title of Chess Master recently. I want to build on this success and keep providing top-tier training for our scholastic members.
Anything else you would like to say?
It has been a privilege to serve on these committees over the last three years with such supportive fellow board members and dedicated club members. Whether I am discussing program ideas in a committee meeting or fighting for a win on a Thursday night in the tournament hall, my passion for the Marshall Chess Club is at the center of everything I do. We have achieved so much together and I would be deeply honored to bring my experience, my perspective as a regular player, and my collaborative spirit to the Board.
