THE NASHVILLE CHESS CENTER INSTRUCTORS

(FM) Todd Andrews

   Todd was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee and has played competitive chess since being 11 years old. At the age of 16, Todd attained the rank of National Master and was a member of the United States Olympic Youth team sent to Europe to represent America. It was during this time, Todd began his first teaching job as an after-school chess instructor for the University School of Nashville. At the age of 18, Todd attained the international title of F.I.D.E. (pronounce Fee-Day) Master and was invited to participate in the United States Junior Championship. He was ranked number one in the country for 17-18 year olds during that time. Todd has often been the Tennessee State Champion, which he has achieved 8-times. Todd also has various other state titles and has been Nashville City Champion ten times. He was also Georgia State Champion when residing there in 2004.

   Todd spends most of his time teaching chess now, not competing. Todd has worked at dozens of programs over his 13-year teaching career and currently coaches the programs at University School of Nashville, The Covenant School, Hume-Fogg Academic High School, The Ensworth School, St. Paul Christian Academy and Ross Elementary, our longest running program at the NCC. Todd has taught chess in New York, Georgia and Tennessee and currently holds the position of Director of Operations and Scholastic Chess at the Nashville Chess Center.

   Besides chess, you will find Todd camping, canoeing, hiking, going to rock-n-roll concerts and rooting on the Nashville Predators! Todd is also the proud father of Eloise Andrews.

Email Todd for all NCC information: NashvilleChess@gmail.com

Tiffany Elliott

Tiffany Elliott grew up in Nashville, Tennessee and learned chess growing up with her brother, Todd Andrews. He taught her how to play at a very young age, and the two made up their own variations of the game as well. Tiffany enjoyed attending tournaments all across the United States with her family, but never competed.

Tiffany entered into the child care field at age eighteen and began working her way through college. Along the way, she earned the Child Development Associate Credential from the Council for Professional Recognition. In 2006, she opened and began operating New Responses Family Child Care in White Bluff, Tennessee caring for up to fifteen children ages six weeks through twelve years old. The agency earned and maintained three star quality from the State of Tennessee Department of Human Services.

In 2007, she joined her brother, Todd, in instructing their first Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Chess Camp at NCC. Tiffany uses her training and experience in child development to teach and encourage children as young as three years old to play and enjoy chess using developmentally appropriate methods and strategies. These camps have grown into a big success!

Tiffany earned an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Early Childhood Education, Summa Cum Laude from Nashville State Community College in May of 2009. In May of 2010, she earned the Tennessee Early Childhood Program Administrator Credential from Tennessee State University. In April of 2011, she closed her child care program after five years of operation in order to care for her grandfather and continues to teach chess at NCC. She coaches chess programs at multiple Nashville schools and works as a tournament director. Tiffany became the NCC's first-ever Assistant Director in 2017. She also enjoys music, crafts, organizing community environmental projects, and being mom to her sons, Kyler and Kasen and wife to her husband, Eric.

To contact Tiffany about private chess instruction email: tiffany.elliott@comcast.net

Sherri and Turner Gough

Turner and Sherri Gough are a one-of-kind mother-son chess teaching team! They teach our programs at St. Paul Christian Academy and St. Bernard's. They were our coaches of the year during the 2015-16 school year taking programs that had rarely competed as a team and qualified both for state, with SPCA tying for first in the region in K-3. Both teams also placed highly at state!

Sherri is one of only a hand full of chess moms that are rated tournament players and Turner is quite possibly the most active tournament player in the state of Tennessee - traveling to events all over the country, as well as being an integral part of his nationally ranked Campbell Home School team. Turner has also traveled the world with his mom as a part of his home school studies. You will find them exploring outside each tournament Turner attends (like the picture of their dune buggy adventures in the Las Vegas desert).

Having talented, unique and caring coaches like the Goughs is a big part of what makes the NCC great!

Epiphany Peters

NCC chess instructor Epiphany Peters brings professional, female playing strength to our core of instructors that is rarely seen in American Chess. Her mother is Japanese and during her time living in Japan she won the national chess championship for female players (yes, of the entire country!).

She is currently ranked 28th in the United States for females under 21 and ranked 46th overall in the country for women of all ages in chess competition! She has been a NCC coach for 3 years now. Coach Epiphany teaches our beginner players at Julia Green Elementary, St. Paul Christian Academy and University School of Nashville. She is also a freshman studying computer science at Vanderbilt University.

Coach Epiphany is that ultra rare, female player that has elevated her game to be competitive with even the strongest male players in chess - she has beat every master in Nashville at some point. She is an inspiration to all our players in town, especially our young female players. We are honored to call her one of our coaches at the NCC!

Tony Neglia

Tony learned how to play chess as a child from his grandfather, Salvatore. He played as a child and later competed in high school. The chess set was put aside until his interest was rekindled twenty years later when his seven year old son, Salvatore, found his old chess set while they were packing to move to London. Salvatore wanted to learn the ancient game and took to it quickly. He began competing at chess tournaments throughout England. Tony and his family moved to Nashville in 2004. As Sal continued to compete locally Tony became more involved with the Nashville Chess Center, joining the Board of Directors as Treasurer in 2007. He has taught chess programs at Harding Academy, Julia Green and most recently, Battleground Academy Upper and Lower Schools.

Tony earned his B.A. in mathematics from the University of Pennsylvania in 1986 and made his living as an actuary (both in the U.S. and overseas) until 2005 when he founded Stonebridge Financial Services, Inc. He continues to manage Stonebridge, enjoys attending chess and baseball tournaments with his family and tutoring kids in mathematics.

Kevin Yang

I am a senior at Vanderbilt University majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology. I grew up in a suburb outside of Cleveland, and I started playing chess in middle school. After playing in the chess club taught by NM Carl Boor for a few months, I started playing in scholastic tournaments. Those were some of my favorite Saturdays as a kid. My crowning achievement was beating my uncle after years and years of losing. Outside of school and chess, I like playing the oboe (well) and the ukulele (poorly), composing music, going to the gym, playing Rocket League, and exploring all the restaurants, bars, and events around Nashville.

KURT OZAN

Kurt Ozan is a Nashville-based multi-instrumentalist who graduated from Berklee College of Music in 2009 with a degree in guitar performance. He is currently completing his Master’s of guitar performance at Belmont University. Since moving to Nashville he has been in high demand as a studio musician as well as touring with acts such as Luke Combs, Michael Ray, and Jana Kramer.

He started playing chess to make traveling while touring more enjoyable and has been addicted ever since. Before touring full time, he was a music instructor at McGavock High School, East Nashville Magnet, and Donelson Middle School.

Chris Prosser

Tennessee's Most Active Tournament Director and NCC Chess Camp Instructor

Peter Lahde

My interest in chess began while still a teenager in Germany. In 1950 I moved from Chicago to Nashville, Tennessee. I played in my first Tennessee Open in 1956. Shortly after that I became interested in organized chess. With this I started the Tennessee Chess News in 1959 and was its editor for the next 18 years. After I let other players take it over I continued my involvement as TCA as President and Vice-President for the next 20 years or so. But I also directed many tournaments including the Tennessee Open and organized and directed the Music City chess tournaments.

But I was also active as a player. I made good scores in several Tennessee Open and the Mid-South events that were held and still are run in Memphis. I also made contributions to the Nashville team in matches with Memphis and Knoxville playing as high as board one. But I consider having won the Nashville Championship on three occasions my greatest accomplishment. One of my best scores was in the Sportsfest held in Nashville in 1990 were I scored three wins and two draws.

In the early nineties I started teaching chess in schools. This I have continued to the present. I have enjoyed this as much as the students I was instructing not just in the basics but also in advanced tactics and strategy. Several of the schools scored well in the state individual and team competitions.

In 1989, the officers of the Tennessee Chess Association recognized my achievement as an organizer to recommend me to the US Chess Federation. This honor I received from USCF was the "Outstanding Career Achievement" award in the form of a beautiful chess set.

In 1990 the Tennessee Hall of Fame was established. Along with six others I was inducted as a charter member along with the following: Tom Finucane, Robert Scrivener, Hunter Weaks, Jerry Sullivan, Robert Coveyou and Martin Southern.

In 1996 I wrote the book entitled A History of Tennessee Chess. The book was also dedicated to the first Tennessee Champion, Robert Coveyou, who won it in 1947 and seven more times after that. He passed away in the year the book was published. In addition this also marked the 50th time the Tennessee Open was held.

My interest in writing about chess history actually started already in 1992 with a book on the games by Alekhine. In 2009 my eighth book was published about the American Grandmaster Isaac Kashdan.

Here is a quote about Peter and his career:

"Peter Lahde is known throughout the chess world as a fair-minded, honest, dignified gentleman. In a quiet and methodical manner, he has brought the gift of chess to young and old alike for more years than most of today's players can remember. He has been a role model for generations of young players, as well as a model of sportsmanship and courtesy for all who come in contact with him."

THE NASHVILLE CHESS CENTER BUILDING AND GROUND STAFF

Call Ricardo for any of your landscaping and gardening needs. He has done a great job for the NCC the past two years!

Call Caitlin at (615) 974 - 9456 or email her at caitlincraig1016@gmail.com for any of your cleaning needs. She has kept the inside of the chess center beautiful for the past two years!