Meet the Instructors
Choose a coach below whose style and background fit your aspirations, or let us take the guesswork out of it. If you aren't sure, International Master Keaton Kiewra will personally match you with the perfect instructor.
Founder / Instructor / Coach
KEATON KIEWRA
International Master
Keaton Kiewra is an international chess master with 20+ years of professional coaching experience. Keaton has coached several of the nation’s top young players and played an indispensable role in helping many of his colleagues achieve the GM, IM, and Master level titles. He was the founder and manager of the San Diego Surfers PRO Chess League Team and has also started and overseen the development of numerous chess programs in schools. Keaton is the founder of this online chess school and has used his vast experience to develop and teach its unique curriculum.
Instructor/Coach
EAMON MONTGOMERY
National Master
Tom has been the long-time coach and mentor of our founder IM Keaton Kiewra. Tom is a long-time business professor who peaked close to 2100 USCF. Tom's vast experience along with his fun-loving, easy-going personality make him an outstanding coach for anyone, especially kids.
Instructor/Coach
DR. TOM O'CONNOR
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Tom has been the long-time coach and mentor of our founder IM Keaton Kiewra. Tom is a long-time business professor who peaked close to 2100 USCF. Tom's vast experience along with his fun-loving, easy-going personality make him an outstanding coach for anyone, especially kids.
Instructor/Coach
STELLA XINQI SU
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Stella is a Stanford graduate and current grad student studying Computer Science. She has played chess for 4.5 years and achieved a 2000 rating on chess.com. Stella is also Keaton's go-to guest instructor for his in-person after-school chess classes and always does a fantastic job.
Instructor/Coach
MELVIN "TAI" TAN
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Melvin, or "Tai" has his Twitch viewers call him, is a fan-favorite Australian chess streamer. Tai's Aussie accent and kind hearted personality make him a joy to connect and talk chess with. Despite rarely playing over the board, Tai is an extremely strong player with an online rating over 2200 blitz and 2400 bullet! Tai also specializes in some unique and dangerous opening repertoires including his patented and deadly "Tai Caro" variation of the Caro Kann. Check out his channel here: https://www.twitch.tv/taimelll
Instructor/Coach
KYLAN JIN
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Hi! My name is Kylan, and I'm currently a second-year PhD student at Colorado School of Mines studying Environmental Engineering. My chess resume includes multiple scholastic, online, and state tournament wins including the U1500 and U1900 sections at the Colorado Open. My goal through teaching lessons with my good friend and mentor International Master Keaton Kiewra is to share my love for chess and help kids reap the same benefits that I did from it. Outside of chess, I compete in pickleball and participate in other sports, including skiing, basketball, and lifting. I also enjoy watching anime and am a huge foodie. As a student with a solid chess and academic background, I believe I can bring another layer of experience to the lessons that I will work hard to teach with quality.
Instructor/Coach
VIVIAN MILLER
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I started playing chess in May 2020. I instantly fell in love with the game and have been playing ever since. My first over-the-board chess tournament was the 2021 Colorado Chess Championship and to my surprise, I won! I've always enjoyed teaching and have a passion for helping students overcome obstacles with which they've been struggling. Besides chess I've studied philosophy, mathematics, and the Japanese language, and then went on for a Masters in counseling. I currently work as a professional in the mental health world.