VP for Scholastic Chess – Sunil Weeramantry
Sunil Weeramantry is a FIDE Master and former New York State Chess Champion. Sunil is also the Executive Director of the National Scholastic Chess Foundation. He oversees all NSCF programs and conducts ongoing staff training and development for all NSCF instructors.
A nationally acclaimed chess instructor, Sunil served as Chairman of the USCF Committee on Chess in Education from 1990 to 2000.
He has also been a member of the USCF Scholastic Committee from 1986 to the present, and served as co-chairman of the USCF Scholastic Council from August 2002 to July 2004.
For his work in scholastic chess, Sunil earned the 2004 Meritorious Service Award from the United States Chess Federation.
In 2005, Sunil was named “Chess Educator of the Year,” a prestigious National recognition by the University of Texas at Dallas.
In January 2007, Sunil gained international recognition by earning the title of FIDE Trainer.
A FIDE Master (FM) and a former two-time New York State champion, Sunil is one of the most successful chess coaches in the country.
He has coached over 80 individual and team champions in national scholastic tournaments organized by the USCF. He served as one of the coaches for the American players at the World Youth Chess Championships in 1985, 1987 and 1989.
Many of his students have medaled at this event over the last 20 years, the most recent being his stepson Hikaru Nakamura.
Sunil is a pioneer in the field of curricular chess instruction. Starting in 1979, he developed a comprehensive chess program at Hunter College Campus Schools in Manhattan. This program has evolved to the point where chess is now a required subject for all students in kindergarten through sixth grade. Sunil still teaches chess at Hunter.
Sunil has led Hunter teams to numerous national and state championships (too many to count). The Hunter Junior High Team has also competed successfully at the International level, winning the 2000 World Schools Chess Championships.
Sunil is the author, with Ed Eusebi, of the best-selling chess book, Best Lessons of a Chess Coach, and of a soon-to-be-published book on the history of chess, with Alan Abrams.