Our Team.
Meet the group of team members who have bonded together over their shared interests to create this chess club.
Derek Wang
Founder
Tournament Director & Coach
Sullivan (Shuwen) Tan
Co-Founder
Tournament Director & Coach
Vladimir Dukkardt
Co-Founder,
Tournament Director & Coach
Aaron Sethi
Co-Founder
Tournament Director & Coach
Lilian Wang
Co-Founder & Project Manager
Justin (Jiapeng) Yang
Co-Founder
Tournament Director & Coach
Derek Wang
My name is Derek Wang, and I'm the founder of ChessMates Ottawa. I was first introduced to chess when I was 10 during an after-school program. Back then, it was just a fun game for me. However, the pandemic transformed this game into a lifelong passion. I began playing competitively and travelled far and wide to participate in tournaments. Through these experiences, I've had the privilege of connecting with chess enthusiasts from all corners of the globe. I've made lifelong friends from across Canada and beyond. My goal with ChessMates Ottawa is to share this wonderful game with young people like you and to help you create lasting memories and friendships through chess.
Vladimir Dukkardt
I've loved chess since I was a kid, and it's still my passion. I started out playing with my dad for a while, before starting to pursue it competitively. During my school years, I played in lots of tournaments across my province and country, getting better at my theory and tactical vision. Now, with ChessMates, I am hoping to pass these skills to kids through coaching and organizing tournaments. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many youth clubs have closed down. That's why I'm here now, making up for lost time by teaching young people about chess.
Lilian Wang
Hello! I'm Lilian Wang. In my role, I oversee project implementation, maintain our website to ensure it effectively communicates our mission, and assist with financial management to optimize resource allocation. I am also responsible contacting the local charity organizations to donate the proceeds we gained through running the games. I look forward to contributing to our team’s success!
Sullivan Tan
Greetings! My name is Shuwen Tan but you can call me Sullivan. I was first introduced to chess in grades 3-4, but it stayed as a hobby for a long time. The summer of 2022 was when things started to change for me. I got a private coach, letting me see the moves I played through a new lens. I started playing every day and attending CFC-rated tournaments to improve my strength. After what is now almost 2 years of persevering through defeats and hardships, I got to where I currently am: rated 1500 CFC, 1700 FIDE (provisional), and 2200 on Lichess rapid. Of course, this is just the beginning for me, I will keep on grinding and improving myself through every win and loss. ‘It’s not over until I win!’
Aaron Sethi
Hello! My name is Aaron Sethi and I am 15 years old. I have been playing chess for over 3 years now. I have played many chess tournaments in the last couple of years, earning me a CFC rating of 1600. My FIDE rating is over 1600. One of my biggest accomplishments was getting top 10 at the 2023 Ontario Chess Challenge in my age group. I have a strong passion for chess and I am always trying to improve. I am rated around 2100 on Lichess in Rapid. My goal is to one day get a title so I will continue to crush those CFC tournaments.
Justin Yang
Hi everyone! I am Justin Yang, a grade 10 student in the Merivale IB program. I have been playing chess for around 5 years and I played competitively in tournaments!
The first time I came across chess was in the after-school program in grade 5. My after-school teacher put all sorts of board games for us to play and chess instantly caught my eye.
At first, I wasn’t that skilled and kept losing. But the more I understood the game rules and strategies, the better I played. After a lot of hard work, I even managed to beat my teacher once.
From then on, I started learning more. I made a Lichess account named “YJP '' which made me famous when I created my team and interacted with other chess players online.
Playing chess also teaches me valuable life lessons. Each of us gets the same "chess pieces" when we are born, but as we follow our unique steps, then the results would be very different. So in our life, we must seize every opportunity, and not miss any important steps to strive for success!
