Palawan 'Queen’s Gambit' standout teaches at New York Chess Academy

MANILA, Philippines – Woman International Master Mikee Suede has begun teaching online at the New York Chess Academy.

The former University of the Philippines student-athlete, who will be competing for the Palawan Queen’s Gambit in the Professional Chess Association of the Philippines, is currently teaching chess to students in North America and Europe.

The students’ age ranges from three to five years old.

“When I entered the NYCA, my first question to them was everything about ethics because I know teaching kids from different countries and cultures will be challenging,” admitted Suede. “Fortunately, the adjustments were minimal for me in terms of teaching technique because kids everywhere are still kids.”

Suede, who also used to coach at De La Salle Zobel and La Salle Greenhills, also drew upon her experience at her church to build confidence in teaching. “Teaching in our church, one of my duties is being a teacher and that is the reason why I am used to instructing kids of different ages. That built my confidence in teaching."

While online teaching greatly varies from the traditional face-to-face learning, Suede has adjusted well to the new medium of instruction. “Even if (it was) online only, was nerve-wracking at first, but now everything runs smoothly.”

Suede started last Thursday, January 7.

The students from the NYCA are from the United States, Sweden and Canada. 

The New York Chess Academy was founded in 2018 by Filipinos that include owner and director Loraine Salinas-Biag and co-founders Ivan Gil Biag, Mark Paragua and Christine Paragua with partner schools in New York, Ohio, and Connecticut.