THE COLUMBUS CHESS ACADEMY
Columbus Chess Academy is offering
Summer Group Lessons!
Meet Our Coaches!
Coach Seth
Seth began playing chess in elementary school. Having a documented learning disability, he was able to experience multiple successes playing chess. He was Ohio’s 11th grade co-champion, placed 10th nationally for 12th grade, placed 7th nationally for bughouse, and was a member of state and national championship winning teams as a member of Columbus Alternative High School’s chess club.
Seth has coached chess off and on since his senior year of high school. His first job as a coach was at Avalon Elementary School of the Columbus City Schools District. After finishing coaching the students, Seth was told that they experienced success from taking in his teaching. He went on to coach in individual and group settings. Currently, Seth is the Executive Director of the Columbus Chess Academy non-profit organization and founder of Chess with Seth. Professionally, he is an Assistant Director of Alumni Groups for the Miami University Alumni Association and is President of Miami University’s Black Faculty and Staff Association.
The game of chess changed Seth’s life. He hopes to continue with his mission of impacting youth through chess.
Coach Sneha
Sneha started playing chess in Kindergarten and has loved the game ever since! She has competed in more than 100 tournaments including National, State, and World Open competitions, and has directed some tournaments herself!
She has won numerous trophies and cash prizes, and has a peak rating of 1877. She represented Ohio at the Susan Polgar Invitational, tied Runner-Up for the All Girls K-12 National Championships in 2022, and represented The Ohio State University at the 2024 Pan-American Intercollegiate National Championships.
Sneha is ranked in the top 7% of all US players, in the top 3% of all US female players, and continues to improve her game every day! She has extensive experience coaching kids in chess, including her collaborative work with Coach Bill @Deltaworks and with the Columbus Metropolitan Library's Chess Club!
Sneha believes that chess is a competitive sport, and that it helps one develop as a person too - grit, perseverance, and determination are just some of the life skills chess teaches us!
Coach Lokesh
I have been playing chess for more than 20 years and the love & curiosity for the game has always stuck with me. Even though I am not able to play full time these days due to professional obligations, the interest in sharing my wealth of knowledge in chess is always ever increasing.
I have competed in a variety of tournaments including National, State, Asian Junior and World open competitions for my home country, India, and have been playing in the US for the last 8 years. I am currently ranked #3 in Ohio based on USCF Ratings. I have been a National Master for the last 8 years with my highest Fide Rating being 2318 and USCF 2404. I have won a variety of championships including the Sub-Junior state championship, Winner of the Modern school Fide rating tournament. I was placed 5th in the National Junior chess championship, winner of the 2nd Annual Smoky Mountain chess tournament, joint winner for the Annual Potomac open tournament, and the winner of various Ohio tournaments including the Plus Score and East Market Swiss tournaments. In addition to this, I have also been coaching students regularly for the last 3 years, working with my students on different aspects of the game, such as the Middlegame and Endgame.
Currently, I am working as a Project Manager, and it is very interesting to see how the skills in chess overlap in every facet of my life. This includes driving to logical solutions, strategic decision making, meticulous planning, and the ability to take losses in life with grace and bounce back easily, to name a few.
My favorite chess player is Capablanca, as I was blown away by his ease of planning and execution. In addition to that, I am a big fan of Karpov and Rubinstein and a very big proponent of the Dragon variation.
Coach Kathy
Kathy grew up in Columbus, Ohio and started playing chess around 5 or 6 years old. Her father taught her the game and encouraged her and her sister to play in tournaments. Kathy played in various tournaments in late-elementary and middle school, befriending students from other schools along the way, including Seth.
She stopped playing in High School but picked it up again when she became a math teacher in San Antonio and started a chess club there in 2010. The students in this club changed the course of her life, and she knew chess would always play a large role in whatever she did in the future.
In 2013, Kathy and her husband returned to Columbus. She currently works as a math teacher at The Wellington School, where she runs a chess club. She also is the Vice President of the Ohio Chess Association, treasurer of the Ohio Scholastic Chess Association, and a Senior Tournament Director. She has directed tournaments (TD’ed) at national events and has taken her students to various local, state, and national tournaments.
Kathy firmly believes in the positive impact of chess on students and is dedicated to encouraging young players to explore the game.
Coach Neha
Neghavarsha has been playing chess since she was in 4th grade. She has been interested in chess since she was 6 years old! She has competed in a lot of tournaments including the States and the Nationals.
She has placed 2nd in states twice, and 13th when she was in 7th grade and 5th when she was in 8th in the Nationals. These were her biggest tournaments she has played. Neha is currently in 9th grade and still continues to play chess! Chess is a big part of her life and she wishes to play even after high school. She has won a lot of trophies and cash prizes. Her highest rating is 1663.
Neha hopes to teach chess to kids because chess is something she is passionate about. She has taught chess to little kids before around her neighborhood. Neha believes chess is a really competitive sport and it takes a lot of practice and patience but chess also helped us to improve our concentration and patience and it's really fun!!
Coach Charithra
Hi! My name is Charithra Arvind and I have played chess for almost 5 years now since 5th grade and find the game to be a fun pastime.
I've played multiple chess tournaments throughout my life so far such as National, State and International Tournaments! Recently, I represented Ohio at the Haring and Barber, where I was only 1 out of 4 girls to qualify.
I've made money at a bunch of different tournaments, such as when I came 1st in the U1700 section in the North American Open in 2023, or other tournaments throughout the years. Cumulatively, I've made almost $10,000 through playing chess! I've had a peak rating of 1820, and hope to change that and hit 2000 soon!
Chess has been a sport that I've had a love/hate relationship with, but I couldn't imagine my life without it!. It has been a life changing experience for me, and I hope others who play the game can come to appreciate it and enjoy it!
Coach Rory
Rory O’Sullivan is a philosophy student in his third year at Ohio State who can’t get enough of the chess world. He started playing chess in elementary school after his grandfather taught him, but truly took it seriously in high school at Wellington where he joined the chess club led by Kathy Lin. Since finding his passion for chess, Rory has been very involved in the Columbus chess scene. Now he’s in the chess club at OSU, helps organize local and state tournaments, and still sometimes goes back to his high school chess club, now teaching alongside Kathy. He’s loved working with and coaching kids since he started in October 2023. He’s given chess lessons not just at his former high school but also at Wedgewood Middle School and Starling K-8. Currently he coaches at Hilltonia Middle School and has since January 2024. Rory loves helping and learning with students, teachers, peers, organizers, and anyone else who shares his love for the game.
Rory is absolutely welcoming anyone to contact him about private coaching or any kind of teaching. If you have any interest or questions you can contact Rory at osullivan.75@buckeyemail.osu.edu
Coach Bhavya
Bhavya is a junior at Dublin Jerome High School and started playing chess in 2013. He was first hooked onto the game because of his competitive desire to beat his older cousin. Now this game is a big part of his identity.
His passion for chess is still growing as it regularly gives him opportunities to learn and improve. He has played various open and age group events at the local, state ,and national level and has a peak rating of 1923 USCF. He currently runs an initiative where he gives chess lessons online to help fund the education of underserved kids around the world.
Chess has given Bhavya many ways to improve beyond the 64 squares by meeting new people and creating lasting relationships. Bhavya is always looking for ways to improve his own play and coaching. His ultimate goal is to spread the benefits of chess to people of all backgrounds.
Coach Siddarth
Siddarth is a freshman at Olentangy Orange High School. When he was around 5 years old he was taught chess by his parents after receiving a chess board from his grandfather. The decision to learn and play chess has instilled him with discipline, patience and deep-thinking skills.
Siddarth has won many scholastic tournaments in Ohio and out of state ( K-6 Chicago Champion ). His current peak rating is 2016 USCF and he is on the top 100 list for boys under 15 in the entire United States. He is a 6 time Ohio state grade level champion from 4th to 9th grade and K-3 Ohio state primary elementary champion. He also won the Ohio state K-5 elementary championship and represented Ohio in the Rockefeller elementary school champions national invitational tournament which is held along with the prestigious U.S. Open Chess Championship. At the National level tournaments, he tied for top 20 in 1st grade Super Nationals and top 15 in 3rd grade.
He also participated in International tournaments representing USA in the World School Chess Championships held in Panama 2022 and Greece 2023. He achieved his official Arena FIDE Master title in 2024.
Chess had so much positive influence on his life and he wants to share his knowledge and experience by coaching kids in chess.
Siddarth is looking for many new challenges in the future and achieving an over the board title before college rolls around the corner is the next milestone.
Coach Koen
Koen is a senior at The Wellington School, where he helps teach and facilitate chess learning in lower school and high school as a president of his school’s chess club.
Koen’s passion for chess began in fourth grade, sparked by Coach Kathy’s teachings. Ever since, Koen has continued to expand his knowledge of the game and enjoy learning in local competitive tournaments. He hopes to continue his passion for chess in college, and to share his love of the game with chess players of all levels.