Location
ICEA Chess @ PV

The ICEA Chess @ PV is brought to you in partnership with Bilingual Brains, aimed at bringing the ICEA Chess learning experience to the Palos Verdes area.

Location:

700 Silver Spur Road, Unit 101 & 102, Rolling Hills Estates, CA, 90274

Date/Time

Saturdays from 8/17/2024 – 10/26/2024 @4:30pm – 5:30pm

(more details in below class schedule)

Price:

• Early Bird: $249 / Student (by June 15)
• Regular: $299 / Student (from June 16)

Group Lesson Goals

1. Develop critical thinking skills: Chess is a game of strategy and requires players to think several moves ahead. Through our lessons, we aim to help children develop critical thinking skills that they can apply to other areas of their lives.
2. Improve decision-making abilities: Chess requires players to make decisions based on limited information, a skill that can be challenging but essential for success. We aim to help children improve their decision-making abilities through our lessons.
3. Build a strong foundation in chess fundamentals: To become a successful chess player, it’s essential to have a strong foundation in the game’s basic principles, such as opening theory, tactics, and endgame strategies. Our lessons will focus on building this foundation for children, and provide in-person practice opportunities including uscf-rated tournaments to measure their progress.
4. Foster a love for the game: Chess can be a challenging game, but it can also be a lot of fun! We want to help children develop a love for the game by making our lessons engaging and enjoyable, the 2-hour in-person class will bring more chess fun for the kids and help them make friends each other.
5. Encourage sportsmanship and fair play: Chess is a game that requires players to demonstrate good sportsmanship and fair play, even when they lose. We will practice them in our internal training matches.
6. Help children set and achieve goals: Chess is a game that rewards persistence and hard work. Through our lessons, we aim to help children set achievable goals and work towards achieving them.
7. Provide opportunities for competition: We aim to provide children with opportunities to participate in competitions and gain confidence in their abilities.
8. Develop problem-solving skills: Chess requires players to solve complex problems and make difficult decisions. Through our lessons, we aim to help children develop problem-solving skills that they can apply to other areas of their lives.
9. Improve concentration and focus: Chess is a game that requires players to focus and concentrate for extended periods. Our lessons will focus on helping children improve their concentration and focus skills.
10. Teach life skills: Chess can teach children valuable life skills such as patience, perseverance, and the ability to handle defeat gracefully.

Group Lesson Format

1. The classes are conducted in-person.
2. Students will be divided into groups based on their skill levels.
3. Chess Set will be provided for all classes.

Beginner Level

(recommended rating: 0 – 300)

The Beginner Class is designed to teach students basic principles, the history of chess, how to solve tactics, learn about the opening, basic middle and endgame ideas. Simple plans and strategies will be shown along with famous games to further understand concepts.

Intermediate Level

(recommended rating: 300 – 700)

The Intermediate class is designed to teach students key concepts in the opening and middlegame, as well as improve their tactical awareness and understanding of sacrifices and initiative. Famous games that highlight each concept will be taught and explained to further deepen students’ understanding.

Advanced Level

(recommended rating: 700+)

The advanced class is designed to keep building upon your existing knowledge of chess and help you develop more advanced strategies and tactics to elevate your game. We’ll cover topics such as opening theory, middle game planning, endgame technique, and positional play. You will be guided through interactive lessons, practice games, and analysis to help you improve your skills and confidence on the board. Whether you’re preparing for a tournament or just looking to take your game to the next level, this advanced group lesson is the perfect opportunity to sharpen your skills and have fun playing chess!

Note:

• If you miss any class, we will provide up to two make-up sessions with a 1-on-1 online class.
• All students will be evaluated in the first class and divided into groups based on their skill levels.
• Students who are ready for a tournament will receive one free entry to a USCF-rated monthly chess tournament, allowing them to apply and showcase the skills they learned during the lessons.
• All registrations are non-refundable.

Class Schedule:

Click to Learn More About ICEA Chess Club

Coach Team

Coach Esther (National Master):

Esther Jou is an 11th grader at Acaciawood Prep in Anaheim and a National Master with a peak rating of 2208. A competitive chess player with numerous accomplishments, she recently won the championship in the U2300 Section at the 2024 National Open. Esther was co-captain of the ICEA Chess Team for the 2024 SoCal SuperStates Championship, leading the team to win the K-12 Team Championship. She also won the top female award in the K-12 Championship of the 2023 SuperStates Championship and was nominated to represent Southern California in the 2023 WIM Ruth Haring National Tournament of Girls State Champions. In her spare time, she enjoys helping her friends with chess, as well as playing volleyball and the guitar.

Coach Felix (USChess Expert):

Felix Guo is a rising 8th grader at Windward School. He is the founder and president of ICEA Chess and has been teaching chess classes since 2020. A USChess Expert with a peak rating of 2085, Felix led the ICEA Chess Team to victory in the K-8 Team Championship at the 2024 SoCal SuperStates Championship. His personal achievements include being the co-champion of the 2023 North American Youth Championship in the U12 section, the U12 Blitz Champion at the 2023 Pan-American Youth Chess Festival, and the Champion of the 2023 World Open Blitz Championship (U2000 Section).

Coach Pearson (Candidate Master):

Pearson Hong a 10th grader at Pacific Academy. He is an U.S. Candidate Master. Pearson wears multiple hats as the president of the Chess, Math, Computer Science, and Wellness clubs, alongside serving as the secretary of Model United Nations. His passion for aiding others shines through his initiatives. He transformed the math club from an enthusiast group to providing comprehensive tutoring for students across all math levels and SAT preparation. He established the computer science club, offering avenues for students to delve into Python programming or gear up for the AP Computer Science A exam. Pearson and a friend co-founded the Wellness Club to create a supportive environment aimed at improving students’ physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. Pearson’s hobbies outside of chess include playing basketball and golf.

Coach Elena (Woman Candidate Master):

Elena Zhang is an 9th grader at Cope Middle School and a FIDE Woman Candidate Master (WCM) with a peak rating of 2009. She has been playing chess for seven years and was a medalist of Team USA in the 2018 North American Youth Chess Championship (U10 Female). Elena was also the co-champion of the 2018 International Youth Championship (9-Under) in Las Vegas and invited to compete in the Susan Polgar Foundation Girls’ Invitational in Saint Louis in 2019. In her spare time, she loves cooking (the more graceful way to say eating), writing, watching comedy, and spoiling her two birds.

Coach Angela (Woman FIDE Master):

Angela Liu is 14 years old, a Woman FIDE Master and U.S. Candidate Master. She started to play chess at 10 years old and improved her USCF rating by ~1000 to 2124 in the past two years. Angela is a competitive chess player (#3 for Top Girls Age 14, and #24 for Top Girls Under 21 in the U.S.). Recently, Angela won a bronze medal at the 2023 Pan-American Chess Championship (Under 16 Girls) and was awarded the WCM title. Angela is passionate about introducing chess to more kids and growing the chess community. Angela has many other hobbies such as playing tennis and drawing.

Coach Ryan

Ryan Sweezey is 16 years old. He is 11th grader at Valencia High School in Placentia. His peak rating is 1763 and has won a few tournaments, such as the Pacific Southwest U1800 section in 2023 and the Lina Grumette Memorial U1600 Section in 2022. He is passionate about helping children grow their chess skills.

Coach Assistant Austin

Austin Huang joined ICEA Chess Club since 2020.  He is a 6th grader and his current USCF rating is 800+. Austin has a passion for both playing and teaching chess for younger kids, and he is also one of the admins of ICEA Kids Chess Club on chess.com.

Bookings