About Us

Ted Winick

Ted Winick has taught chess for the past 11 years in Toronto. He cofounded the Chess Institute of Canada with David Cohen.

Peter Boross-Harmer

Peter Boross-Harmer participated in the Ontario Junior Closed Chess Championships and represented the University of Toronto at the Pan-American Championships. He was President of the Greater Toronto Chess League; organizer of former Toronto Board championships, from 1994 to amalgamation; and Director of the Harbourfront spring-break Chess camp since 1995.

Peter is Principal of Ledbury Park E. and M. S. Toronto District School Board (TDSB). His special focus is providing guidance to educators in how to improve the quality and delivery of mathematics education. As an active basketball/volleyball referee (TDESSA) and player, Peter has represented the Toronto Raptors as one of their ambassadors.

Brett Campbell

Brett Campbell is a F.I.D.E. chess master and won the World Amateur Chess Championship in 1988.

Brett’s first paid teaching assignment as a chess instructor was in 1988. Since 1994 he has been a teacher of chess and games of strategy such as Clue, Risk, Scrabble, or Backgammon, each of which have their own particular merit in terms of developing logical thought.

“I have taught gifted children who love chess because of the limitless challenges it offers them in testing their abilities. Learning disabled children love the game because it offers them a chance to socially interact with their peers while learning through play without worrying about being “marked? I have taught children whose first language was not English, and who often had difficulty in school at tests they couldn’t read properly, but who experienced a tremendous sense of success when able to express their abilities through chess play.”

“Every child is unique and demonstrates different talents, learning speeds, social skills, vocabulary abilities, etc., and I have discovered methods of drawing out these gifts. Whether through lots of friendly play, organized tournaments or ladders, working one-on-one, emphasizing puzzle solving, watching, listening, or even getting some older or gifted children to assist their younger peers, I have developed ideas on how to encourage children to collaborate together and have fun while enjoying the game of chess.”

Felix Barrios

Chess master Felix Barrios Bergen was a chess instructor for 10 years in the Atlantic Chess League and has trained a World Under-17 Chess Champion. He tied for first and second in the Florida State Championship in 2003 and won the runner-up brilliancy prize in the Toronto Open 2009.

Dallas Bergen

Dallas Bergen is the Music Director of the Fist Unitarian Congregation of Toronto.

Erik Malmsten

Erik Malmsten was the director of junior tournaments at the Toronto Chess Club in the 1970s. He edits chess publications, researches Toronto's chess history, and takes photos at chess tournaments.

Jonathan Samuel Diamond

Jonathan Diamond is working on his M.Sc. in Exercise Sciences at the University of Toronto.

David Cohen

Chess Institute of Canada co-founder David Cohen is a graduate of Yale University School of Management.

David has taught chess for over 20 years. He was on the Board of Directors of the Chess Federation of Canada and the Ontario Chess Association for many years, and served as President of the Greater Toronto Chess League in 2002-3. His experience as a tournament organizer and director includes the 1984 Canadian Open Championship, 1984 Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Championship, 1986 and '87 Canadian Cadet (Under 16) Championships, and 2001 Canadian Women's Championship. David has written extensively about the game, producing three volumes of chess teaching materials, dozens of published articles, and a web site on the history of Canadian chess.

Natalia Khoudgarian

Natalia Khoudgarian is a full-time chess teacher who teaches at our National Chess Camp. She is a Woman International Master and the top-ranked Canadian women's chessplayer for 11 years and the Canadian Women's Champion in 2006 and '07.

Goran Milicevic

Goran Milicevic is a full-time chess teacher who teaches at our National Chess Camp. He is a F.I.D.E. chess master who has won the Toronto Championship and coaches many of Canada's top young chess champions. He finished third and won the brilliancy prize at the Toronto Open 2009.

Other Chess Masters

We were fortunate to have International Master Sophia Polgar at our first National Chess Camp.

Liam Henry, the 2004 Canadian 18-year-old and under Chess Champion, was a teacher in our school program.

Paul Simon teaches in the north end and Burlington.

Hans Jung from Kitchener has given simultaneous events.

Youth Volunteers

Chess Institute of Canada has been fortunate to have High Schools students help out in schools and run our weekend chess chess clubs. The Supervisors are:

• Andriy Kharchyn, Wellesley C. R. C. (Community and Recreation Centre):
  Entering grade 12 at Jarvis C.I. He also assisted at Rose Ave. P.S. with the after school chess program and initiated the noon-hour chess club and team at Church St. P.S. for which he was honored by the school.
• Elisa Tran, Regent Park South C. R. C.:
  Entering Waterloo University this fall, Elisa was awarded the P.E.A.C.E. scholarship recently by 51 Division Toronto Police Dept (value $10,000, four years at $2500/yr ), in large part for her work with inner city children in our Regent Park Saturday morning program.
• Senh Ban, Regent Park South C. R. C.:
  Grade 12 Jarvis C.I. Initiated the Sunday afternoon chess program in Regent Park, prior to which she assisted with the Sunday afternoon chess program at Loblaws Forest Hill.
• Frank Grek, Parkdale CRC and Masaryk/Cowan C. R. C. (both located in Parkdale):
  Helping at both of these centres for the summer, Frank is entering his second year at Queen's University.