Our people

At the heart of our organization is a dynamic and dedicated team of volunteer directors, each bringing a unique and valuable set of skills to the table. With backgrounds in non-profit leadership, education, law, business, IT, fundraising, marketing, and beyond, our directors are united by a common goal: to make a positive impact on the world around us.

 

But we don’t stop there. Our management team is fueled by passion and driven by a shared desire to create a better tomorrow. And when it comes to our expert instructors, they are truly the backbone of our organization. With a staggering century of combined teaching experience, our instructors are masters at creating engaging, transformative learning experiences that stay with students for a lifetime.

 

Chess Institute of Canada is an organization that is not only committed to excellence, but is also driven by a genuine passion for helping others. We can’t wait to show you what we’re capable of achieving together!

Meet our Staff

Bringing chess to life in classrooms and across Canada!

Nick Grachev.

Nick Grachev

Manager, Outreach & Partnerships

Nathan Hoang.

Nathan Hoang

Customer Service & Instructor Lead

Dafina

Dafina Bekaj-Dalipi

Finance Coordinator

Keith Denning.

Keith Denning

Tournaments & Events

Jennifer Gaatch

Jennifer Gaatch

Staff Photographer

Aniruddha

Aniruddha Ghosh

Staff Photographer

Meet our Board

Our Board of Directors is composed of highly skilled and capable volunteers who bring a wealth of experience from various fields to CIC.

Neil St. John

Chair, Board of Directors

Marlena McCarthy

Vice Chair

Laura Zhang

Treasurer

Adam Morrow

Board Member

Carmen Mager

Board Member

Victor Yan

Board Member

Mark Bluvshtein

Board Member

Michael Sutton (Ret.)

Board Member Emeritus

Be Part of the
Magic

Join us in spreading the wonder and joy of chess throughout Canada! We believe that every individual deserves the chance to develop critical life skills through engaging and inclusive community chess lessons. By contributing to our cause, you have the power to make a meaningful difference in the lives of families in your community. So why wait? Donate today and be a part of our mission to enrich the lives of Canadians through the magic of chess!
Donate today
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Nick Grachev.

Nick Grachev

Manager, Outreach & Partnerships

Nick has been playing chess for 25 years and has been a part of CIC for a decade. A Toronto native, Nick’s first chess teacher was CIC’s founder Ted Winnick. In his spare time he enjoys playing sports, reading non-fiction, and camping.

Nathan Hoang.

Nathan Hoang

Customer Service & Instructor Lead

Nathan started playing chess as a young child but slowly phased out of it into his teenage years. He has recently rediscovered his passion for chess, along with teaching, and has joined the team at Chess Institute of Canada to use the ancient game to instill valuable life lessons into the youth of today.

Dafina

Dafina Bekaj-Dalipi

Finance Coordinator

Dafina is the Finance Coordinator who joined the team in September 2024, bringing over 10 years of experience in finance and administration.With a diverse background, Dafina plays a key role in supporting the team’s financial operations and ensuring effective financial management.

Keith Denning.

Keith Denning

Tournaments & Events

A well-known figure on the Toronto chess scene, Keith is the Club Manager at Annex Chess Club, a qualified chess arbiter, and an instructor at National Chess Camp. A seasoned chess instructor at CIC, Keith also manages CIC PA Day and other tournaments, bringing a love for chess to everything he does.

Jennifer Gaatch

Jennifer Gaatch

Staff Photographer

Jennifer Gaatch hails from Oshawa, ON and been taking photos for more than 30 years utilizing both film and digital formats. Jen is very excited to be on board with the Chess Institute as she continues to pursue her Journalism degree at TMU.
Aniruddha

Aniruddha Ghosh

Staff Photographer

As a professional photographer and filmmaker, I am dedicated to capturing the essence of each event, commercial, fashion shoot, and product I work with. My commitment to integrity and honesty in my work ensures that my services are reliable and of exceptional value.

Neil St. John

Chair, Board of Directors

Neil St. John is a highly experienced General Counsel & Corporate Secretary with professional firm, national regulator and not-for-profit experience. For over 20 years he was the General Counsel of Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP and more recently was the Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Ethics & Corporate Policy. He can be contacted at neil@chessinstitute.ca

Marlena McCarthy

Board Member

Marlena McCarthy joined CIC’s board in 2019.

She brings a deep knowledge of CIC and its development, having been a long-time friend of founder Ted Winick, who spoke to her about his passion for teaching people chess—which imparts many important life skills—from long before he created Chess Institute of Canada and throughout CIC’s development.

Marlena brings to CIC many skills: volunteer board leadership, fundraising, marketing, communications, and editing and writing.

She has worked with non-profit organizations since 1982 in both a staff capacity, and as fundraising and communications consultant for more than 170 organizations, from small to international.

She is a development editor for Civil Sector Press, which produces trade books for the non-profit sector. She also works with independent authors.

Marlena co-authored (with husband Jack Bergmans, CFP) the only how-to books on integrating insurance into philanthropy – Multiplying Generosity and Ripple Effect.

Her hidden superpower is singing. She sings in the Toronto a cappella choir SoundCrowd.

Laura Zhang

Board Member

A Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), Laura is a very poised individual with an entrepreneurial spirit.  As a child in chess in Montreal, she developed an appreciation for the game at a young age – and is considering a re-start.  She notes that she was often the only female player and has expressed an interest in exploring this issue further.  

Laura brings with her a passion for active citizenship and community engagement, as demonstrated by her commitment to volunteerism.  As a volunteer, she has lead young adults (via CPA Ontario) and women (via Native Women’s Resource Centre Toronto), through steps to financial literacy. 

Adam Morrow

Board Member

With a strong background in sales, customer service, and years of volunteer coaching experience in youth hockey, Adam is passionate about helping young individuals build confidence, skills, and a lifelong love for sport and competition. Adam believes deeply in creating opportunities for youth to grow both on and off the field of play, emphasizing teamwork, leadership, and personal development. 

A strong advocate for learning through play and competition, Adam has seen firsthand how sport, games, and competition can foster resilience, character, and long-term success in life for youth. 

Carmen Mager

Board Member

Carmen is a leader with extensive expertise in workplace health, safety, quality and environment. She also is a human resources professional having held progressive managerial and executive responsibilities for global and Canadian organizations. Carmen has worked in multiple stakeholder environments using her facilitation, management, investigation and policy development skills. She has demonstrated proven project execution and strategic management expertise.

Carmen holds a Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP) designation and presently serves as the Chair of the Board of Canadian Registered Safety Professionals (BCRSP) Exam Committee selected by her peers. Previously, she chaired the BCRSP Item Writing Committee for 6 years and was selected as the BCRSP Volunteer of the Year.

Victor Yan

Board Member

Victor developed a passion for chess in middle school and believes in its power to teach strategic thinking, resilience, and effective decision-making. He is deeply committed to CIC’s mission of empowering young people to build confidence and tackle challenges with creativity and discipline.

 Victor brings experience leading strategic initiatives and advancing data analytics and process innovation. He has worked across multiple divisions at a major Canadian bank, building a broad and progressive background in financial services. He has spearheaded modernization efforts that enhanced operational efficiency and applied data-driven strategies to simplify complex processes and drive lasting impact. Victor is a CFA charter holder and a BBA graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University, and he is passionate about using his skills to foster positive change in the community.

Mark Bluvshtein

Board Member

Mark is a professional chess player turned business leader. Mark is Canada’s youngest ever Grandmaster, achieving the feat at age sixteen. Mark represented Canada at five Chess Olympiads and was named Canadian Chess Player of the Year four times.

Since leaving competitive chess, Mark worked in Investment Banking at TD and has held leadership roles at Wave Financial, Humi, and Collage HR. Today, Mark is CEO of Collage HR and Vice President at its parent company, People Corporation. Mark holds a Bachelor of Science from York University and an MBA from the University of Toronto Rotman School.

Mark strongly believes in Chess Institute’s vision to bring life skills, decision-making, and structured thinking to all Canadians.

Michael Sutton (Ret.)

Board Member Emeritus

Our longest-serving board member until stepping back in 2024, Michel continues to serve as a sounding board and chess expert for CIC and curriculum development.

Following a 39-year career as a Senior Technical Support Specialist for the City of Toronto, Michael now works as Chief Technology Officer for Spirit Victory and has also served as President of Xplor Canada, an industry association for Electronic Document Systems. Michael teaches graphic communication and accessibility courses at Toronto Metropolitan University.