I learned to play as a kid, and upon telling my dad we played several games. He always won, but I loved playing with him. Turned out he was quite the trash talker while playing too. Later I found out he had purchased Larry Evans' book Chess: From Beginner to Expert. I started reading it and soon beat him. Sadly, he never wanted to play me again. However, I still have that book and think of him when I see it. Later in my late 20s, I joined the USCF for Chess Life magazine. After receiving the magazine and finding no one to play with, I purchased a Fidelity chess computer I had seen advertised in CL.

In 2014 I joined Chess.com at age 56. Shortly after, I wanted a real rating and attended my first tournament. While there, I was told the local Jacksonville Chess Club had folded, so I started to dedicate a percentage of my time to rebuilding it. JAXCC.org I became a TD, and others joined to help. Within a few years, chess was thriving in JAX with 25-person weekly rated chess tournaments with many large events drawing over 100 players multiple times a year. I also started a Sunday afternoon academy for kids and it has grown to over 100 kids every semester. ScholasticChess.Org.

In my 60's, I became the President of the Florida Chess Association www.floridachess.org . Then in 2021, I was elected to the Executive Board of US Chess as a Board Member At Large. www.kp4eb.org or www.USChess.org. In my second year, the board appointed me to be Vice President of US Chess. At this year's 2024 US Open, I was elected President of the US Chess Federation.

Never saw any of that coming. Just worked hard to help chess grow at the local, state, and now at national levels. Crazy journey, right?

Cheers,

Kevin

kasro