Our Team
Founded by chess coach and arbiter Shir Bar Tal, the academy provides remote coaching to a wide range of players of all standards and ages. Our team of experienced coaches, including chess masters and grandmasters, provides personalized instruction for players of all levels and ages.
Our goal is to make chess enjoyable and educational, improving skills like problem-solving, strategy, and decision-making.
Shir Bar Tal
Founder and CEO of London Chess Academy
Shir is the Founder and CEO of the London Chess Academy. With over 15 years of coaching experience, Shir has a unique ability to work with people from all walks of life, from young children to CEOs and founders.
Vitali
Professional Consultant, Grandmaster
As a chess grandmaster, Vitali Golod provides valuable professional advice and training to our students. With numerous championships and a peak rating of 2,606, Vitali brings a wealth of experience to our team.
Gabriela
Woman Grandmaster
Gabriela, a Woman Grandmaster with a peak FIDE rating of 2335 and originally from Bulgaria, now lives in the US as part of Saint Louis University's renowned chess team. Her achievements include 5 medals at European youth championships, a world youth championship bronze, multiple national youth titles, and membership in Bulgaria's women's national team. As a coach, Gabriela is patient and dedicated, tailoring her lessons to each student's needs.
Nikola
Grandmaster
Nikola, a Chess Grandmaster with a peak FIDE rating of 2517, has dedicated over 20 years to playing and teaching chess, blending his love for the game with a passion for teaching. Known for innovative opening strategies, he tailors his coaching to suit each student, ranging from beginners to Grandmasters. Among his achievements, he won second place at the 2019 Serbia Championship. Nikola graduated from the University of Belgrade's Faculty of Teacher Education.
Flavia
Woman FIDE Master
With a FIDE Master title earned at age 15 and an International Master norm, Flavia brings her passion for teaching and ten years of experience to the Academy. Her well-planned lessons and empathetic approach ensure each student gets the most out of each session. In addition to her chess qualifications, Flavia holds a B.A. in Foreign Languages and Master's degrees in Human Resources and People Management, and Digital Marketing and Communication.
Krisztian
Grandmaster
Krisztian achieved the Grandmaster title in 2010. He has trained alongside chess greats like Judit Polgar and mentored talents globally, notably Aryan Chopra, a GM at 14. Krisztian’s teaching approach is amiable, focusing on serious players while ensuring joy in each lesson, making him ideal for those aiming for professional chess.
Ana
Woman FIDE Master
Woman Fide Master Ana boasts a rich chess career with 18 years of playing and 8 years of coaching experience. Her strategic mastery, particularly in endgames, is well-regarded. Among her notable achievements are winning the girls' World School Championship under 15 and being the World Champion under 14 in solving chess compositions. Ana's academic accomplishments, including bachelor's degrees in History and Psychology and a Master's in Education Science, complement her distinguished presence in the chess world.
Akin
FIDE Master
Akin, a FIDE Master with a rating of 2302, brings his passion for teaching and 11 years of experience to the Academy. An aggressive player and rigorous coach, Akin's unique coaching style is designed to develop discipline and a fighting mentality in his students. Akin also holds a Master's degree in Law.
Mikee
Woman International Master
Mikee, a Woman International Master, has a talent for coaching children from a very young age, providing online lessons to kids as young as two. She also specialises in teaching positional chess to adults, helping them understand the game's intricacies and the relationship between its pieces.
Camelia
Woman International Master
Camelia, has 10 years of experience in teaching chess. She holds notable tournament victories, including 3 National Champion titles (u10, u16, u20) and the European champion title under 18 with her team. She has coached over 400 students, created instructional videos as a chess content creator, streamer, and producer of educational content. Camelia holds a Bachelor's degree in Public Relations.
Edwin
National Master
National Master Edwin is skilled in both teaching approaches: fun and engaging, and result-oriented. As one of our unique coaches, he teaches students as young as 3, employing special methods for young learners. With 20 years of experience in competitive play, including winning the Costa Rican Blitz National Championship in 2020 and playing internationally around the US and Europe, he also excels in tournament preparation. Beyond chess, his interests include Physics, Literature, and Yoga.
Marie
Woman International Master
Starting her chess journey at age 3, blends passion and expertise to make learning chess a joy. With a Psychology degree enhancing her coaching, she caters to all levels, including children as young as 3. Marie excels in both fun and engaging, and result-oriented teaching methods. Additionally, she offers specialized tournament preparation for aspiring Chess Masters to achieve chess titles.
Michal
Fide Master
Michal teaches with a result-oriented approach for serious players. He is a FIDE Master. Chess is his great passion, and he has dedicated most of his life to chasing his chess dreams. Michal firmly believes consistency and hard work are keys to success and provides materials for independent study and solution review sessions. He holds a Bachelor's degree in economics from Warsaw School of Economics.
Paulina
Woman Fide Master
Starting chess at 10, Woman Fide Master Paulina earned her title at 15 during the 37th Chess Olympiad in Turin, Italy, and focuses on making chess classes engaging and enjoyable, believing in the power of uncovering the game's beauty for student devotion and results. With 16 years of coaching experience, Paulina is one of our most dedicated chess instructors. Paulina holds a bachelor's degree in Communications and a Master’s degree in Marketing.
Eira
Expert Coach
Eira, with a competitive chess background since age 8 and representation in international competitions as a national youth team member, has secured top-three finishes in youth tournaments and 3rd in the Women's Chess Championship. With 10 years of experience, she focuses on making chess fun and engaging, aiming to elevate her students to strong club players with online ratings of 2,000 and 1600 OTB, tailoring her methods to each learner's needs.
Join us as a coach
To join us as a coach please tell us a bit about yourself and we will get in touch as soon as we can.