Nicholas Lewis has a Bachelor of Music Education from Florida State University (FSU). He learned about chess in college and served as president of the FSU Chess Club.

 

Before working as a product lead for a major tech company, he served as a certified public school teacher and professional violinist in numerous orchestras throughout the United States.

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His passion for education and business, as well as his college experience with connecting vibrant and enthusiastic chess communities, led him to found the Manasota Chess Center, where all players can learn, compete, and connect.

Bob Bernstein manages the marketing and business operations activities for the Manasota Chess Center. His prior work experience includes executive management positions at various telecommunications companies, during which he directed teams in the areas of Finance, Sales Support, Product Management, Marketing Communications, and Market Research & Analysis.

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Bob is enjoying having more time to devote to chess since retiring from AT&T in 2018. His educational achievements include an MBA in Finance, as well as a BS degree in economics. Bob moved to Florida in 2021 and resides in Longboat Key.

Jason Boskey serves as Treasurer of the Manasota Chess Center and manages the financial activities for the Manasota Chess Center.  He is a CPA and a Financial Risk Manager with 27 years of accounting and treasury experience in the banking industry, where he has been responsible for the accounting for financial derivatives and investments for most of his career.

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Jason is a new arrival in Florida, having moved here in October 2021.  In addition to chess, where his passion for the game far outweighs his skill, he is also a private pilot, a curler, and has occasionally been seen on stage.

Michael graduated from Florida State University (FSU) with a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics and is pursuing a Master's degree in physics. He began playing chess as a child and has studied with various master-level players. At FSU, he served as president of the Chess Club and achieved strong results in local and state-wide tournaments, including defeating several titled players. He enjoys puzzles and games and uses his mathematical training to identify their key patterns.

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Michael is our lead scholastic coach and offers private and group instruction.

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Rick is a local chess teacher, author, tournament director, chess collector, and dealer of rare chessman. Over the last ten years, Rick has taught students of all ages in schools and private lessons throughout Sarasota. Rick is the author of "A  World of Chess: Its Development and Variations through Centuries and Civilizations."

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Rick currently works with the Manasota Chess Center, where he serves as chess historian, chess variant specialist, and USCF tournament director.

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