Meet Our Coaches!
BIJAL ♟ ♞ ♝![]() Bijal has been teaching Math and Social Studies to school kids for more than 10 years, and has been playing chess since she was a kid. Teaching her daughter how to play chess inspired her to teach other kids as well and led her to join Silver Knights. She makes learning chess a fun experience and is very passionate about her job. When she's not playing chess, she also enjoys art and surrounding herself with nature.
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Bob ♟ ♞ ♝
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ALEXANDER ♞ ♝ ♜![]()
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GLORIA ♞ ♝ ♜
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CHRISTIAN ♞ ♝![]() Coach Christian is 30 years of age, living in the state of Georgia. He first learned Chess when he was playing "speed checkers" competitively in his hometown Wheaton, Maryland. He's been playing the game of Chess and teaching it for 5 years now. Fun Fact: Him and his wife were boxing coaches! What he loves about the game of Chess is the endless possibilities, the unique strategy it requires, and how gameplay can relate to real life! |
JAMES ♞ ♝ ♜![]() James (USCF 1533) learned chess at age 6 has been playing ever since. He loves that chess is a strategy game of perfect information, and that any that any two people can meet and play on even terms. James has been teaching with Silver Knights since 2017. When he's not playing or teaching chess he likes snowboarding, playing the piano and studying Japanese. |
GINA ♝ ♜Gina Quintiliani (USCF 1400) has been an avid chess player ever since she taught herself how to play chess as a child. She has more than a decade of experience teaching chess on both the West and East coasts. She has degrees in biology, literature, and theology. |
JOHN ♜![]() John first started learning chess in third grade and soon became an avid chess fan. It is a rare occasion to find John doing something other than playing chess, except when studying music. He collects chess books and spends a lot of time reading them and playing out the moves page by page. His favorite opening is the Scandinavian with black and the King's Gambit with White. He has taught hundreds of students across the DMV and some of his students have even placed first in chess tournaments. John has been playing for over 20 years, and has taught with Silver Knights for two years. He moved to Rockville Maryland with his wife Jamie from Massachusetts in 2010. |
DAVID ♛![]() David (USCF 1810) has been teaching chess, math, and computer science for more than fifteen years. This includes some individual and school state champions in Maryland! David has a peak USCF rating of 2088, and once played blitz chess with world champion Mikhail Tal! David loves sharing his enthusiasm for chess with students of all skill levels, from new beginners to strong tournament playes. David is a graduate of the University of Illinois - Champaign.
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Laila ♛![]() Laila Faerman (Aka Lily Faerman) is a National Expert with a peak USCF rating of 2050. She has been teaching chess for 19 years now and began her tournament playing in Moscow Russia where she was born. Laila has taught kids of all ages and adults as well. As a child she was the 2nd highest rated girl in her age group (Under 14 years old) in the US and represented USA at the Youth World Championship in Paris, France in 1996. Laila also was a high school champion of the New York State in 1996 and competed in Hawaii at the Denker Tournament where there were winners of all 50 states. In 1998 Laila finished 3rd in the NYS woman’s championship. She loves working with kids, helping them to develop and manifest their talents. She is also a singer and an ultra runner. |
ADARSH ♛ ♚![]() Adarsh (FIDE 2178) has been playing chess since the age of 7. Adarsh is a commerce student and has won multiple International/National/State achievements which include a Commonwealth Silver Medal in U12 (2017). Adarsh is currently actively pursuing his ambition of getting an IM title while simultaneously fulfilling his passion for nurturing and training young talents in chess by working with SKE. |
UTHRA ♛ ♚![]() Uthra started playing chess at a summer chess camp at the age of 6. She fell in love with the game, and went on to earn the WFM title and won a gold medal at the Asian U-17 games. She has a peak FIDE rating of 2114 has been coaching kids for more than 3 years. She holds a BA in Engineering, an MBA. Uthra lives with her husband and two children in Charlotte, NC. |
SID ♛ ♚
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JUSTIN ♚![]() Justin (USCF 2400) is a FIDE Master who learned chess from his mom in kindergarten. He joined the chess club which grew his love for the creativity, tactical patterns, and strategy of the game. He was a student at many Silver Knights summer chess camps, where he returned in 2021 as a coach. He loves seeing the student’s improvement over time! He made the US Chess All America Team in 2014 and 2017 and represented VA at the Denker tournament of High School Champions in 2019. He is currently pursuing a BSE in Computer Science at the University of Michigan. In his free time, he plays tennis and the trumpet.
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