Stephen Ye is in the Class of 2026 at Miller Place High School. He has played chess since he was 7 and is a USCF expert, reaching the top 10 in his age group in the USCF national rankings. Stephen has also won many scholastic tournaments, notably the NJ primary chess championship, and more recently captained his team to win the 1st prize of the U1800 section of the 2023 World Amateur Team Championships. Apart from competing, Stephen loves to share his passion for the game in various local ways; he has taught at public libraries, coached at the LI Chess Mates, and instructed at Port Jeff. Village Center.

Aside from chess, Stephen excels in various leadership roles. He has served as President of the student government and executive council, student representative to the Board of Education, President of Tri-M Music Honor Society and Math Club. He has made 5x MathCON national finals and has won a bronze medal and multiple honorable mentions.

Additionally, Stephen is an avid violinist; he studies at the Manhattan School of Music Pre-College and has served as a concertmaster in the MYO & MSM Symphony Orchestras. Over the past two years, Stephen has taken first place in multiple international music competitions, and performed solos at Carnegie Hall and other major stages.

By creating and teaching at this club, Stephen hopes to share his passion for the game and promote the lifelong benefits that chess provides to his community. 

Angela Chen is in the Class of 2026, attending Miller Place High School. She has pursued chess in the forms of her temporary involvement in her school’s chess club, as well as her experience learning from other students well-versed in chess. Aside from chess, Angela is an officer in her school’s branch of the Foreign Language Honor Society and the leader in her section as a clarinetist in her school’s symphonic band. As well, Angela is a volunteer and leader, recently a counselor at the Little Dragons Chinese School Cultural Camp, where she aided in teaching cultural lessons to young campers and ensured a productive learning environment. Angela is also a President’s Volunteer Service Award recipient for her service in the community. A member of her school’s service club; as well as her school’s branches of the Tri-M, Foreign Language, and National Honor Societies; Angela has dedicated much time as a volunteer in many occasions, including in the LIYD chess club, where she has attended all in-person meetings, currently working to assist students with their understanding of chess. By helping to lead this club, Angela hopes to provide a valuable learning experience to young students in order to inspire them to become as passionate about learning new skills as she is.

Terrence Wang, a member of the Class of 2028 at The Stony Brook School, has a deep passion for chess and Go, which began in early childhood. He played chess throughout elementary school and later became a teaching assistant for Go at the Stony Brook Chinese School. He has earned several awards in local chess tournaments and secured 1st place in his school's high school division chess team tryouts.

Beyond chess, Terrence is an active participant in his school’s rocketry and robotics teams, where he manages flight electronics for rocketry and programs code for robotics. Additionally, he is a dedicated musician, playing oboe in the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra, and enjoys playing soccer.

Committed to community service, Terrence has volunteered with Emma Clark Library and Avalon Nature Preserve, contributing to various service initiatives. He is eager to apply his knowledge and skills to positively impact his school community and beyond.

Michael Wang is in the Class of 2029 at Ward Melville High School. He has played chess since he was 8 and has been an avid player/learner of the game. He has studied chess under chess grandmaster Peng Xiaomin as well as at the Stony Brook Center for Chinese Learning. There he not only learned how to play chess but also picked up Gomoku and quickly became the Gomoku champion of the class. Aside from chess, he has played the piano for 8 years, as well as being a singer for 7 years as a student of professional singer Zhou Lingyan. He has competed and placed in many singing competitions, as well as countless singing concerts and performances. In addition, he is a member of his school's tennis, Science Olympiad, and Math Olympiad teams. He has placed high and often in the top 3 in his events in Science Olympiad competitions. As well as contributing to the Math Olympiad team through participating as one of the five selected competitors to represent his school at the annual MoMathlon math tournament. He is already a member of the LIYD Tennis Club and would love to help take this club to even further heights, aiming to help the club grow as both a community and a competitive force, whether through mentoring new players and organizing events.

Jeremy Wang, a Class of 2030 student at The Stony Brook School, discovered his passion and talent for chess during the pandemic. Since then, he has excelled in the game, securing 1st place in the U800 section of the 69th Chessanity Tournament. He is also the top player on his school’s Junior Varsity Chess Team.

Beyond chess, Jeremy is a dedicated STEM competitor, earning an Honor Roll in AMC 8. His talents extend to music, where he holds the first-chair saxophone position in the high school orchestra. Additionally, he is an enthusiastic soccer player, representing both the school’s JV team and the SB-LGN club.

Passionate about sharing his love for chess, Jeremy enjoys teaching new players, inspiring them to develop the same enthusiasm and strategic thinking that drive his own success in the game.on goes here