Art of Chess | About us

Who are we?

Art of Chess Academy is the first professional online chess school that caters to all ages, amateurs and professionals. It bases the relationship on a personalized approach with each student. Our mission is to provide quality chess knowledge that is primarily based on a strategic understanding of all parts of the game while taking into account the psychological profile of the student and their styles and receptivity of knowledge.

Enjoying the process is the foundation of any top school, which means that results come as a result of the process and emotional participation in each of its parts. Our chess instructors are carefully selected because they must meet not only the chess prerequisites but also be excellent intuitive coaches who will motivate the student and take care of their needs and crisis moments by finding the right path and the right words at the right time. That is why the principles of our academy is a combination of training and management, lessons and leadership, with monitoring that helps the student develop their own personality. The classic development of mental intelligence (IQ) is not enough, so we pay attention to the development of emotional intelligence (EQ). This way develops harmony with the personalities and creates a complete chess player or chess  athlete with excellent results.

It is often mistakenly thought that a great chess player exclusively needs the power of excellent counting of moves, that certainly helps. The foundation of a true top chess player lies in understanding the idea behind every move, in the strategic understanding of a game that fully resembles life and symbolizes our path to personal aspirations and accomplishments.

Why choose us

Who are our instructors?

Our chess instructors have been carefully selected with the aim of meeting high standards in terms of improving chess knowledge, tactics, strategy and speed of play.

At the same time, our chess instructors are excellent intuitive coaches who take care of the motivation of the course participants, as well as their needs and desires. Enjoying the process of training and education is the foundation of every top school, so our chess school is based on the fact that each student emotionally participates in every part of the training.

Art of Chess | About us

What is our training of participants based on?

The originality of our academy is reflected in the symbiosis of training, education, management and monitoring of students in order to achieve a higher level of chess knowledge and build a stable chess character and personality.

The classic development of mental intelligence (IQ) is not enough and that is why we pay the greatest attention to the development of emotional intelligence (EQ) whose goal is to harmonise the personality and create a complete chess player.

The foundation of building and forming a true top chess player lies in understanding the idea behind each move, as well as in the strategic understanding of a game that is completely similar to life.

Chess symbolises the life path of each individual to the realisation of personal desires and goals.

How is our training and chess school organized?

Chess training and courses are conducted exclusively online using IT tools such as Skype, Zoom, Teams, etc.

Art of Chess | About us

Do we guarantee that the training of participants will be successful?

Given the experience, quality and knowledge of our chess instructors, we are absolutely confident in our work and ready to offer a guarantee that we will return the money to the student if we do not improve his level of knowledge, speed and tactical-strategic elements of chess.

art-of-chess

Ana Berke

Female International Master. Croatian senior champion in 2017 and 2018. Multiple national team champion. She played several times for the national team. She worked as a professional coach in Dubai for ages 6 to 14. In addition to chess, she holds a degree in economics.

Vince Southcott

Vince Southcott is a life coach, psychologist, focused on providing support to chess players who have a need to face life and chess challenges that prevent them from achieving success. His rich experience has helped many young athletes not to retreat in moments of crisis and temptation, supporting balanced emotional and mental development.

Brian Dinter

Chess Coach & Manager

Founder of the Academy, an online high-profile website for chess teaching / training and management, which aims to develop highly intelligent and complete personalities through chess.

For a full ten years, he served as executive vice president of the Rijeka Chess Club, one of the most prominent chess institutions in the country.He was the organiser and director of various chess tournaments as well as the manager and advisor of both amateur and professional chess players.

His special approach to personalised lessons combining targeted personality psychology with chess strategy brings exceptional satisfaction and success to each student.

His rich biography includes a law degree in Croatia and Italy, a degree in Italian didactics in Venice, a doctorate in metaphysics, business management experience in much of Europe, author of a number of books in popular psychology (Virtues of the Mind, Samsara and Nirvana, On the Path of Spiritual Emancipation, Esoteric Triangle of Wisdom, etc.), novels (Passion of a Woman – published in Italy), poetry, travelogues and didactics (language exercise book). He traveled around the world and lived in Croatia, Serbia and England. He was the promoter and organiser of a series of humanitarian actions such as the Simultaneous Chess Game with celebrities in 2000. in Opatija and the humanitarian magazine ‘Hair, with love for abandoned children’ in 2005. under the auspices of government institutions. He earned the title of National Chess Master in England.

Chess is his life passion and today he is completely dedicated to it with the intention of making the Art of Chess Academy the most respected chess academy, passing on his rich knowledge and experience of the organisation to associates and students. His associates / instructors are selected based on their intellectual completeness: in addition to their chess knowledge.He feels it is important that they have personable qualities and intuitive psychological skills to transfer knowledge and motivate each student to enjoy the training process and to achieve their desired results.

Ognjen Cvitan

Grandmaster. He has been playing chess seriously since the age of twelve. In 1980 he became the junior champion of Yugoslavia. He achieved career success in 1981 when he became a junior world champion in Mexico City. He was the champion of Croatia in 1992. He has played eight times at the Chess Olympics and six times at the European Championships. In the role of coach, he raised the achievements of many current members of the Croatian national team.

Marin Bosioćić

Velemajstor. Hrvatski šampion 2017 i 2019 g. Osvajao je više međunarodnih turnira kao i zlatnu medalju na klupskom Europskom prvenstvu u Grčkoj 2017. Pored šaha završio je i ekonomske studije. Posebno je verziran za treniranje mladih talentiranih šahista sa solidnim rejtingom.

Nenad Dimitrijević

Fide master. He has been playing chess since he was five. Two-time youth champion of Vojvodina, categories 14-16 years and 16-18 years. Since 2010, he has been dedicated to the coaching profession with great success in working with children. In addition to chess, he also has a university degree as a law graduate.

Jovana Erić

Female grandmaster. Standard representative of Serbia. She has competed in three Olympics and three European Championships. Senior champion of Serbia in 2011. She has won several gold and silver medals at the European Junior Championships in Accelerated and Rapid Chess. In addition to chess, she also has a degree in biology.

Ivica Mandekić

Fide majstor. Dugogodišnji organizator i menadžer najvažnijih međunarodnih ženskih turnira u Hrvatskoj. Aktivan član Šahovskog saveza Hrvatske i predsjednik šahovskog saveza Primorsko-goranske županije, te šahovskog kluba Draga. Posjeduje višegodišnje trenersko i menadžersko iskustvo sa odličnim rezultatima svojih štićenica (prvaci države i kadetski-juniorski prvaci svijeta).

Ena Cvitan

Female International Master. Member of the Croatian senior national team since the age of 16. European runner-up in rapid chess under 18 2017. Multiple state champion at a younger age. With a dedication to chess, she is studying economics in Belgrade.

Aleksandar Kovačević

Grandmaster. From the age of eight in the chess world he won the titles of champions of Vojvodina and Serbia in all categories: cadet, junior and senior. He played for the national teams of Yugoslavia and Serbia at five chess Olympics. He has been coaching since 2015, supporting many young talents to enviable results.

Andrea Jakovac

She started playing chess at the age of 8 and won the title of master candidate at the age of 14. She has participated in a total of five European Championships. In 2016, she started teaching chess at school and since then she has been a chess teacher for beginner children in several chess camps in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County.

Aleksandra Dimitrijević

Female grandmaster. She competed in four Olympics. She was the selector and coach of the BiH junior national team. Captain of the Women’s Olympic Team of BiH in 2016. Winner of the European Junior Super Cup, as well as a medal winner at the European Junior Championships in fast and rapid chess.