Board of Directors

Ian Nicholson

President

Ian Nicholson is a rising 12th grader at Hunter College High School in New York City. At the age of 6, he discovered his love for the game of chess and has remained an active member of the community ever since. As his fascination with classical games and tactics grew, he began to realize the potential of chess to unite people and provide unique opportunities. In 2022 he attained the title of US Chess Expert and is currently striving to achieve National Master status. He has played a pivotal role in several championship-winning teams at the national, state, and local level including finishing 4th place in the 2023 New York State Scholastic High School Championship, helping to lead his school to a state championship. Beyond the board, Ian enjoys soccer, basketball, baseball, and is a member of his school’s math team. He is eager to mentor students and share his passion for chess while also contributing to the growth of NYCCC.

NM Kyle Lancman

Vice President

Kyle Lancman is a recent graduate of Stuyvesant High School and will be attending the The University of Chicago in the fall. Since 2022, he has been a US Chess National Master. For many years, he has been playing tournaments all around the country and world. He started playing tournaments ever since he can remember in elementary school. He not only loves playing chess but also loves to teach it and spread his chess knowledge.

CM Krish Bhandari

Events Director

Krish Bhandari is a graduated senior from Stuyvesant High School in New York and will be attending the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University this upcoming fall. His accomplishments include winning 3rd place at the 2023 Pan-American U16 section as well as the blitz, and attaining a rating of 2100 USCF. He is very interested in chess, in which he has been a FIDE Candidate Master since August 2023 and the vice president of the chess club at his school.

Maxwell Messiah

Co-Editor-In-Chief of the Writing Team

Maxwell is a recently graduated 12th grader at The Dalton School who has been playing chess since Kindergarten. He is currently trying to reach a rating of 2000 USCF while also playing basketball, lacrosse, and percussion. He will be attending Harvard University in the fall.

Jenny Zhu

Director of Marketing and Social Media

Jenny Zhu is a recent graduate of the Brearley School in New York and will be attending Harvard University this fall. She is ranked number 4 nationally for female chess players aged 16. Some notable chess achievements include 4th place in World School Individual in 2021 and a peak rating of 2106. She has extensive experience in teaching young kids and is excited to share her knowledge.

NM Toshinori Underwood

Co-Editor-In-Chief of the Writing Team

Toshi is a USCF National Master who recently graduated and finished his senior year at Brooklyn Technical High School. He has been playing chess for 10 years. He likes to play basketball, chess, and traveling to new places and meeting new people. He is attending Colby College in the fall.

Timothy Ng

Director of Outreach

Hello! I'm Tim, a recent graduate of Hunter College High School and a rising freshman at University of California, Berkeley. My peak rating is 2048 and I'm currently top 100 in the country for my age. My other chess achievements include numerous top 3 team finishes and top-20 individual finishes at national events. Away from the chess scene, I love fencing and have taken up surfing recently.

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