Chess4Life Chess Coaches

---

Alan Bishop

has been playing chess for over thirty years. He has been captivated by the "Greatest Game" since the age of 10, when he learned the game from friends and soon discovered chess books at the local library. Now a Candidate Master (Expert), his main chess-playing goal is to finally achieve the Master title, which he was very close to years ago! Alan began teaching chess in his early twenties, and has tutored math and other subjects as well. After working for years in the Information Technology industry in California, he moved to Washington to be closer to his parents (who had migrated north to Oregon and eventually to Kent, WA) and to begin coaching chess again with Chess4Life. Alan enjoys sharing the wonders of chess with others, especially kids, and seeing them progress and attain new skills. He is available for private lessons at either the Chess4Life center or the student's home, whichever is more convenient.

Chess Career Highlights:

Had a winning game (as Black) against IM Igor Ivanov in San Jose (CA) 1990, only to lose it!

Modesto, CA Club Champion 1991

First place (tie) in the Expert section, National Open (Las Vegas) 1997

Class A winner (6-0, defeating a player named Knight in the last round!), Western States Open (Reno) 2001

Beat GM Larry Christiansen in a simul at the same Reno tournament 2001!

Defeated IM Melikset Khachian (now GM), Ventura County (CA) Open 2002

Class A winner, American Open (Los Angeles) 2005

Many-time club champion and tournaments winner, Ventura County (CA) Chess Club

USCF over-the-board rating peak: 2178 (Expert - 22 points shy of Master)

Never-ending pursuit of excellence, as well as the National Master title

Teaching experience:

Long-time math tutor (through calculus)

Teaching and coaching chess for many years

Experienced with both private and group lessons

Currently coaching several private students

Enjoys giving chess simuls (playing several opponents simultaneously)

Besides chess, Alan pursues many other interests to stay well-rounded, including tennis, baseball, jogging, music, reading and crossword puzzles. His second favorite game is Scrabble, but he rarely gets to play it these days!

To contact Coach Alan, please e-mail him at alan.b@chess4life.com, or leave a voice message at 805-280-8485. Coach Alan's special rate is currently $40 per hour lesson, $50 if he must travel outside of his local area (Bellevue or the Chess4Life center). -------------------------------------------------------------------

---

More Chess4Life Chess Coaches

Chess4Life Coaches Only - Forms and PDF files