Chess Educator of the Year
Since 2004, the UT Dallas Chess Program has presented the Chess Educator of the Year award to an individual who has made a difference in promoting and teaching chess to young people. The awardees, who are from all over the world, are honored as part of the Chess Program’s annual Chess Fest events.
Previous Honorees
2024: Ben Johnson
USCF Master Ben Johnson, author and host of the popular Perpetual Chess Podcast, is the 2024 University of Texas at Dallas Chess Educator of the Year.
2023: Melik Khachiyan
Grandmaster Melik Khachiyan, a chess educator, writer, lecturer and coach based out of Los Angeles.
View the presentation slides.
2022: Karel van Delft
Karel van Delft, a chess educator, writer, lecturer and coach from the Netherlands.
- Watch the 2022 presentation: “Chess and Special Needs”
2021: Jerald Times
Jerald Times, director of chess at the Success Academy in New York.
- Watch the 2021 presentation: “Closing the Gap in Scholastic Chess”
2020: Ken Kiewra
Ken Kiewra, author, educator and international speaker in Nebraska.
- Watch the 2020 presentation: “The Nurturing of Chess Talent: The Strong and Loving Moves Parents Play”
- ChessFest News 2020 (pdf)
2019: Elizabeth Spiegel
Elizabeth Spiegel, teacher at I.S. 381 in New York, featured in the documentary “Brooklyn Castle.”
2018: Dr. Jeff Bulington
Dr. Jeff Bulington, a chess teacher who established an award-winning, nationally recognized chess program in rural Mississippi.
- Watch the 2018 presentation: “Chaos and Order: Towards a Philosophy of Early Chess Education”
- ChessFest News 2018 (pdf)
2017: Andy Soltis
Andy Soltis, International Grandmaster, author and award-winning journalist from New York.
- Watch the 2017 presentation: “Why We Study Chess All Wrong”
- ChessFest News 2017 (pdf)
2016: Jim Eade
Jim Eade, American chess master, chess tournament organizer and author from California.
- Watch the 2016 presentation: “The Making of a Chess Reference”
- ChessFest News 2016 (pdf)
2015: Jerry Nash
Jerry Nash, of Tennessee, national education consultant to the United States Chess Federation.
- Watch the 2015 presentation: “Introducing Chess to the Education Community”
- ChessFest News 2015 (pdf)
2014: Elizabeth Tejada
Elizabeth Tejada, commissioner of the Florida Scholastic Chess League.
- Watch the 2014 presentation: “Using Title I Funds and Chess to Boost Academic Excellence”
2013: Katie Dellamaggiore
Katie Dellamaggiore, documentary producer and director who created the award-winning film “Brooklyn Castle.”
- Watch the 2013 presentation: “The Making of a Chess Documentary”
2012: Bruce Pandolfini
Bruce Pandolfini, cofounder of the Chess-In-The-Schools program in New York and the creator of the Fireside Chess Library.
2011: Elizabeth Shaughnessy
Elizabeth Shaughnessy, renowned Irish chess educator and founder of the Berkeley Chess School in California.
- Watch the 2011 presentation: “The Importance of Chess in the American Community Today”
- ChessFest News 2011 (pdf)
2010: Jonathan Rowson
Jonathan Rowson, author, Scottish Grandmaster and former British chess champion.
- Watch the 2010 presentation: “What Can Chess Teach Us About Learning”
2009: Dr. Stephen Lipschultz
Dr. Stephen Lipschultz, president of Food for Thought Software Inc. and creator of the Think Like A King software system.
2008: Beatriz Marinello
Beatriz Marinello, first woman president of the U.S. Chess Federation.
2007: David MacEnulty
David MacEnulty, director of program development at Chess-in-the-Schools and Dalton Chess Academy at the Dalton School in New York.
2006: Erik Anderson
Erik Anderson, chief executive and founder of America’s Foundation for Chess.
2005: Sunil Weeramantry
Sunil Weeramantry, educator, former New York chess champion and executive director of the National Scholastic Chess Foundation.
2004: Susan Polgar
Susan Polgar, best-selling chess author and three-time Olympic champion.