From Board to Life.

Chess was a key component of my youth. When I was young I clearly recall one day my older brother requiring me to stay in his room until I could name all the pieces and how they move. Naturally, at the time, I didn’t have appreciation for what he was doing, but it ended up being the start of something incredibly special for me.

Fast forward to early teenage years and I found myself surrounded by peers that loved playing chess. My childhood best friend, who I am still close with to this day, was a strong player to me (at the time!). I found myself, like a lot of teenagers, to be a bit on the impatient side! I decided to start playing chess with friends and peers in hopes to become a slightly more patient person. Little did I know it would end up snowballing into one of the biggest passions of my life.

Before I knew it, starting in middle school and moving into high school, I was studying hours each night, completely focused on learning the game. As time went on, I started consistently defeating people my age. 

I came to know of a local chess club at UAB in my hometown of Birmingham, Alabama. For years my father would take me there each week, and I was meeting other lovers of the game and becoming deeply immersed in the community. I became a member of the USCF (United States Chess Federation), and was a rated competitive player playing in anything from rated local tournaments to multiple state championships. My parents were incredibly supportive, and eventually they hired a coach for me, who was the coach of the 1989 US national co-champion, International Master Stuart Rachels. I even had the honor of playing him once, and needless to say it did not go very well for me! 

During my competitive days in my youth, I decided to start teaching children chess and had a chess coaching business in high school. It was one of the personal highlights of my youth and a memory I hold dear.

I have recently started to revive that business and am teaching again, and it makes me thrilled to say that! It is my belief that chess is one of the healthiest things for a person, and most certainly one of if not the single most healthy thing for the human mind. I look forward to understanding how I can help your child!