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OUR STORY

After watching the movie Searching for Bobby Fischer in 1993, Kevin learned how to play chess with the help of his soccer coach and his father, William Sevilla. After watching the movie, Kevin and his father went in search of a chess clock in the yellow pages that eventually landed them at the doorsteps of Chess for Juniors, a chess club for children based in southern California. The rest is history.

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With a chess background spanning individual and team state and national championships as a player, Kevin has moved on to work with great coaches such as Tim Tusing at the Oak Hall School and start his own program with Luis Salazar at the Queen of Peace Catholic Academy.

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Endgame Chess Academy officially launched in September 2022 with the mission to:

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  • Make chess mainstream

  • Introduce chess to children regardless of background

  • Develop chess champions from the ground up

  • Offer events of the highest quality using the latest technology

KEVIN
SEVILLA

Head Coach

Coach Kevin has been playing and coaching chess for the last 25 years and is a United States Chess Federation Candidate Master. He’s previously worked as an engineering academic but has since focused on coaching chess full-time. In the last two years, he’s worked with Coach Tim Tusing at Oak Hall School to build and coach 3 national championship teams, 2 individual national champions, and several Florida State Champions.

LUIS
SALAZAR
aka
COACH SAL

Coach

Coach Sal has been an avid chess player for over 35 years. He led and coached his High School team to the Illinois High School state championship where he came in 2nd place. He’s a US Army Diver Veteran and entrepreneur. Luis finds inspiration in teaching his kids chess using traditional and custom methods. He assists Coach Kevin with coaching duties, curriculum development, and business operations.

KEVIN
PRYOR

Coach / Contributor / Advisor

Kevin is an internationally recognized chess instructor certified by the World Chess Federation (FIDE). He is a US Chess Federation Senior Tournament Director and Certified Chess Coach. Kevin started a rated scholastic events Series, bringing USCF-rated competitions to kids while conducting a popular Sunday afternoon Chess Academy Development Program.  The program trains kids to compete locally, state, and nationally. Kevin is also one of the most active chess leaders in the country and is the current President of the US Chess Federation (uschess.org).  He founded the Jacksonville Chess Club and the Gainesville Chess Experience.

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WGM

JENNIFER

PEREZ-RODRIGUEZ

Coach / Contributor

Jennifer is a Woman Grandmaster (WGM) and experienced chess coach with over a decade of international success. She won the 2022 Continental Championship of the Americas and has represented Paraguay in top events, including the Chess Olympiad in Budapest.

 

As a coach, she has led chess federations in Ecuador, training national champions and developing structured teaching programs. Jennifer is a FIDE Instructor and Chessable.com author specializing in player development, tournament organization, and digital chess education. Her work inspires and shapes the next generation of chess talent worldwide.

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