MEET OUR COACHES
Blaine Webb
Blaine is a USCF Certified Chess Coach, a tournament director and a Class A Rated Player.
He started playing chess at 8 years old after being invited to his elementary school's club. After that he was hooked. He brought many friends to the club and played in numerous tournaments. By the time he reached high school he was part of his school team which won the Texas State Championship.
Blaine’s goals are to use his passion for chess to educate students in its scholarly and life skills. He also hopes his enthusiasm for chess will transfer to students and they will start to play competitively.
Jonathon Singler
Jonathon believes chess is an opportunity to discover our behaviors, value, and meaning. He has spent more than a decade exploring his life through education from a chessboard perspective. Certified as a United States Chess Federation (USCF) Advanced Chess Coach and Local Tournament Director, Jonathon serves various communities and projects with passion. His current work involves being the US Chess Alaska State Delegate for Last Frontier Chess Foundation; Managing Partner at Chess Schooling; Executive Secretary for the nonprofit Alaska Chess; Board Member of the USCF College Chess Committee; and former collegiate chess coach of Alaska Pacific Chess at Alaska Pacific University.
"The game of chess should not be left at the chessboard."
Alex Zmijewski
In December of 1786, Benjamin Franklin published an essay entitled The Morals of Chess. In it, he said “Chess is not merely an idle amusement. Several very valuable qualities of the mind, useful in the course of human life, are to be acquired or strengthened by it.” Learning to play the game of chess strengthens a person’s resolve, helps with critical thinking and pattern recognition, and shows the importance of forethought and caution in our actions. Ultimately though, chess is a fun pastime in which two people are in a competition which can only be won through skill and thought. My goal is to share my passion for chess by teaching people not just how to play chess, but also to enjoy the beauty of the game.