Currently attending the University of Toronto Schools (UTS) in the class of 2026, April was introduced to chess in Grade 4 and soon started to play competitively. She was Champion of the North American Youth Chess Blitz Championship and Top Female of the Canadian Open Chess Championship in 2023; Champion of the Ontario Junior and Youth Chess Championships in 2020 and 2019 respectively; and has achieved the Woman Candidate Master (WCM) title awarded by the International Chess Federation. April has represented Canada in many international tournaments, and enjoys meeting people from all around the world. She hopes to spread the game and the benefits it has given her to those in her community and beyond. Besides playing chess, April enjoys figure skating, skiing, volleyball, track, music, and traveling.
Ryan is a Grade 7 student at the Zion Heights Public School, he has been playing chess for six years and enjoys all forms of chess. He was Champion of the Pan-American School Chess Championship; Bronze medalist at the Canadian Youth Chess Championship; Silver medalist at the National School Team Chess Championship; and has achieved the National Candidate Master title awarded by the Chess Federation of Canada; and currently holds FIDE Master (FM). Ryan has represented Canada in many international tournaments. Besides playing chess, Ryan enjoys volleyball, frisbee, and reading.
Currently working in the tech sector, Mike began playing chess at the age of 8 and quickly moved into competitive play. In Grade 10, he achieved third place at the Ontario Chess Challenge and ranked among the top 10 U16 players in Canada. Today, Mike is currently a dedicated teacher and organizer, leading the Ottawa Cavaliers Chess Academy, the largest youth chess organization in Ottawa. He oversees a team of 15 high school volunteers, 10 adults, and 5 partner organizations, facilitating camps, programs, free clubs, and tournaments across three parts of the city. The organization aims to give every child the opportunity to learn and enjoy chess. Beyond chess, Mike has played soccer at the provincial level and enjoys tennis, skiing, technology, and finance in his spare time.
A passionate chess player, Daniel is currently a 10th grade student at Merivale High School. He began his chess journey 10 years ago, and recently has achieved the title of FIDE Master (FM) awarded by the International Chess Federation. He is a two-time champion of the Canadian Youth Chess Championship, in both 2019 and 2021, and has also represented Canada 4 times at the World Youth/Cadet Chess Championships. He has devoted a significant amount of time into Chess, and now hopes to find value from his past dedication. Outside of Chess, his interests include math, cubing, and playing sports with friends.
Nathan is a high school student in 9th grade, Nathan has been playing chess for nearly 10 years at this point, and achieved a peak CFC rating of 1988, and a FIDE rating of 1764, with tons of over-the-board competitive chess tournament experience. Nathan's hobbies include chess, watching anime, and spending time with others.
Andy is currently a grade 9 student in Richmond Hill. He has been playing chess for 8 years since he was 6 years old. He achieved peak ratings of 1991 CFC and 1835 FIDE. He is a long-time chess enthusiast with plenty of competitive tournament experience, winning the Saint John Open Chess Championship in 2019 and the PEI Open Chess Championship U1800 section in 2021. He has also won many provincial Scholastic Chess Championships in grades 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7 in Nova Scotia, and has represented the province to compete in the Canadian Chess Challenges in respective years. Outside of chess, Andy enjoys competitive badminton, speed skating, skiing, and many board games.
Ankita Jain is the founder of Kanata Chess Academy, a non-profit organization that has been running for two years in Ottawa. Currently in grade 11 at Merivale High School, Ankita has been playing chess for eight years. She has competed in many international chess competitions, notably the 2022 World Youth Chess Championship in Romania. Ankita has taught over 100 students, some of whom rank among Canada’s top youth players and provincial top seeds. Additionally, she serves as Ottawa’s Chess ‘N Math organizer for youth tournaments in the city. Other than chess, Ankita loves to play table tennis, soccer, sing, and spending time with her friends.
Liyang is a boarding student at Upper Canada College (UCC), an outgoing individual, and loves meeting new people. He has been playing chess casually and competitively for over a decade, obtaining a peak blitz rating of 2200 on chess.com. After entering high school, other commitments consumed the majority of his energy, leaving little time for chess. Retired from FIDE and CFC competitive play, he currently enjoys representing UCC at tournaments. He now hopes to help grow the game, reaching new players and providing an opportunity for others to play. Outside of school, he is involved in a plethora of activities, including athletics, competitions, and passion projects. He plays U16 Hockey, JV Football, JV Rugby, and swims for UCC’s Varsity Swimming Team. He hopes to make high school memorable, and looks forward to meeting everyone.
Heidi is a chess instructor with the Chess Institute of Canada and is currently working towards her FIDE Arbiter title. She most recently was on the Local Organizing Committee for the FIDE Candidates in Toronto. Heidi is also a ski and scuba instructor and has previously volunteered for Track3, an organization promoting skiing for people with disabilities. She looks forward to building meaningful experiences with Chess for Connection.
Lucy is in grade 9 currently attending William Lyon Mackenzie CI, and has been playing chess for six years. Outside of chess, Lucy enjoys frisbee, soccer, music, and spending time with friends.
Zoe is currently attending AY Jackson SS and has been playing chess since she was 7. She plays mostly casually and sometimes competitively, and loves making friends at tournaments and events. Outside of chess, she spends her free time reading novels. painting, and playing games.
James is currently studying at University of Toronto Schools (UTS). With over ten years of experience playing chess, James remains passionate about the game. Although he participates less frequently in competitive chess tournaments, he still represents UTS in various chess tournaments and league matches, enjoying the opportunity to meet new players and introduce others to chess. Beyond the chessboard, James likes playing badminton and spending time with friends.
Andrew is Currently in 10th grade at the University of Toronto Schools (UTS), he has been playing chess for over a decade and enjoys all aspects of the game. Though he is currently inactive in competitive chess tournaments, he still enjoys representing UTS at chess tournaments. Outside of chess, Andrew enjoys math, coding, hockey, swimming, and spending time with friends.
Bryson Lanthier is a grade 10 student at Longfields Davidson Heights SS. He has been playing chess casually and as part of school clubs since he was 6. Bryson is a card and board game enthusiast who enjoys sharing his passion for games with others. When he isn’t playing games, he enjoys reading, math and playing hockey and baseball.
Jaiven Manak is a grade 9 student at the University of Toronto Schools. He has been playing chess since grade 4 and helps to organize chess tournaments at his school. Jaiven loves meeting new people and hopes to promote the game of chess in his community. Jaiven also enjoys track, skiing, hockey, swimming and reading.
Benjamin Deng is a sophomore in the quantitative program at UofT, Benjamin has been playing chess since grade 8 and developed a strong interest in chess. During grade8-grade11, he often participates in and organizes chess-related clubs in school. He is willing to help others and actively communicate with others. Besides playing chess, Benjamin enjoys baseball, tennis, and soccer.
Korean chess player, currently a Grade 10 student at Urban International School, Haneul has been playing chess for 7 years and this year became a Women Candidate Master (WCM). She is a two-time runner-up in the Korean Chess Championship, four-time champion of the Korean Youth Chess Championship, Asian school blitz chess champion and won the Canadian Chess Festival U1800. Haneul played as part of the Korean national team in the Chess Olympiad 2022. Her other hobbies include reading, traveling, running, and music.
Larry is a chess player and chess teacher from AY Jackson SS. He has been playing chess competitively for over 6 years. He is a chess teacher at Hillmount Public School for Seneca Hill Chess, the Head of Training for the AY Jackson Chess Team, and is a private chess teacher. Larry has a peak CFC rating of 2212, and 2 National Master norms. Besides chess, Larry enjoys fishing, cycling, and playing bass guitar.
Tony is a 9th grade high school student attending St.Robert CHS. Having achieved a peak CFC rating of 2171, Tony has much tournament experience, including clashes with numerous masters. He hopes to use his experiences to help spread his love of the game. His other pastimes include reading, playing basketball, and doing math.
Heye (Carl) Gao started playing chess when he was six years old, and will be entering the University of Toronto Schools (UTS) in the 2024-2025 school year. Heye secured 4th place and tied for 3rd out of 106 players at the XII Pan American School Chess Championship, and obtained the Arena FIDE Master (AFM) title. His peak cfc rating is 2127, and his FIDE has gotten to 1900. Heye has also participated in many competitive tournaments and enjoys the chess journey. Apart from chess, Heye enjoys reading, most sports and math.
Henry is a grade 10 student at RSGC (Royal St. George's College) who learned the game about 5 years ago and started playing competitively two years ago. He has a peak CFC rating of 1916 and FIDE of 1842. Outside of chess, Henry enjoys karate, playing/listening to music, hockey, reading, and spending time with friends.
Aaron is a grade 9 student at Merivale High School who is enrolled in the IB program. He started playing chess when he was 8 years old and still plays casually. When he isn't playing chess, he's either playing video games, running, playing basketball, cycling or hanging out with a few friends.
Daniel is a student of Sacred Heart High School. Credentials: 3rd place Ottawa Youth Tournament, 2nd place at the Grand Prix 1 Ottawa Chess Tournament. CFC rating 1260. His other interests are canoeing, basket ball, playing guitar and wood burning. He is always willing to learn new skills and meet new friends.
Marie has been playing chess since when 6 years old. As a proud member of Team Canada, she has represented Canada in numerous international chess tournaments. Her achievements includes third place in the Canadian Youth Chess Championship in both 2021 and 2019, as well as Bronze Medalist in the North American Youth Chess Championship in 2019. Marie's passion for chess extends beyond competition. She actively organizes chess tournaments within her school and community, delighting in the opportunity to share her love for the game with others. Besides chess, Marie loves music, enjoys outdoor activities, and savors the pleasures of a good book.
Ivan is a 9th-grade student in the BSS IB program. He has been playing chess for seven years and has achieved excellent results in many competitions. Recently, he has also served as a referee in several major tournaments. Ivan is a patient and kind-hearted child who is always willing to help others. In his spare time, he enjoys playing badminton and volleyball.
Justin is 12 years old this year and started learning chess at the age of 6. He has won numerous awards in various competitions, most recently securing first place in the OYCC 2024 U14 category. Justin is a competitive chess player who enjoys challenges and has great focus. In his free time, he enjoys playing badminton and golf.
Anais is attending secondaire 2 (Quebec school system) at Mont-Bleu. She started playing chess when she was 10 years old. She is now 13 and still enjoying chess as much as when she first started. She won first place in the Quebec Open -2000 in 2023. She also recently finished with a silver medal in the PANAM 2024 and got the WCM title in the Women Zonal 2024. Outside of Chess, Anais likes reading, cinema and learning all kinds of new things.
Dylan Tian is a grade 8 student in Markham who enjoys playing chess. He started playing in OTB tournaments 2 years ago and currently has a CFC rating of 1715 and an online rating of 2209. Dylan has passed the National Arbiter seminar, with 90% on the exam. He also won money in some Hart House tournaments. Dylan enjoys snowboarding, reading, and getting high grades outside of chess.
Brody is a Grade 2 student at the Sunnybrook School in Toronto who loves playing chess. While he has only been playing since 2023, Brody is already at the intermediate level. He recently started his own YouTube channel (@BrodyChess), where he teaches his global audience about chess rules and strategies and gives tips to beginners on how to improve their game. Brody will soon be entering his first junior tournament, and he's very excited to challenge himself. Aside from chess, Brody is passionate about baseball, basketball, swimming and math. He especially enjoys spending time with his dog, Hallie.
Jasper Jia, born in 2015, currently is 9 years old. He has been playing chess since kindergarten. On May 7, 2023, Jasper won the first place at the Canadian Ontario Chess Challenge (Grade 2 section) and was invited to join Team Ontario. This opportunity allowed him to represent Ontario at the 34th Annual Canadian Chess Challenge in Montreal from May 21 to 22, 2023.
In addition to his provincial championship in 2023, Jasper achieved notable success in national and world competitions. Firstly, at the national level, he clinched the 4th place in the 2023 Canadian Youth Chess Championship (U8 section). Secondly, on the world stage, he served as an official player for Team Canada after his school team secured the 1st place at the Canadian School Team Championship. This achievement granted him the opportunity to represent Canada at the FIDE World School Team Championship 2023 in Kazakhstan from August 3 to 8, 2023, where they ultimately attained the 13th place globally.
Listed below are his major accomplishments in chess:
o 2024 Richmond Hill Sport Awards – Chess Individual and Chess Team
o 2024 Canadian Junior Chess Scholarship Championship III U10, 1st place
o 2024 Ontario School Team Chess Championship K-G3, 1st place.
o 2023 FIDE World School Team Championship, in Kazakhstan, 13th place globally
o 2023 Canadian School Team Championship U12 Section, 1st place.
o 2023 Canadian Ontario Chess Challenge Grade 2, 1st Place.
o 2023 Ontario School Team Chess Championship K-G3, 2nd place.
o 2023 Canadian Youth Chess Championship Section U8, 4th place.
o 2023 Canadian School Team Championship Section U12, 1st place.
o 2023 Canadian Chess Challenge Grade 2, 5th Place.
o 2022 Canadian Ontario Chess Challenge Grade 1, 2nd Place.
o 2022 Hamilton City Chess Club U1000 2nd Place
o 2021 Canadian Ontario Chess Challenge Kindergarten, 1st Place.
Become a Youth Leader
Explore Opportunities to Join our Team as Director of Program Operations or Assistant Director
Through Chess for Connection, you can channel your passion for chess to community services and make a meaningful impact. As a youth leader, you will be responsible for operating a chess program at a senior home.
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