For Aleksey Kazakevich, chess has long been second nature. He has spent nearly two decades teaching the game, delivering thousands of private lessons along the way. As a volunteer and head instructor with Chess Cardinals, a Chesterfield-based nonprofit, Kazakevich says the most rewarding part of the work is watching students sharpen their skills and boost their confidence.
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Organization: Chess Cardinals
Title: Head Instructor / Volunteer / Head of Scholastic Program
Age: 40
Hometown: Bobruisk (Belarus)
Education: MA in history from Saint Louis University. Completed coursework and passed Ph. D. exam, but did not write a dissertation
Interests / Hobbies: Chess, history
What motivated you to get involved in this work/community/activity? I have been teaching chess for the past 17 years. I run a chess company and we have programs in 15 different schools. I have also given more than 10,000 private lessons. But a couple of years ago I started to work with the Chess Cardinals. And I came to realize how incredible the Cardinals are. It’s more than just a chess club! It’s a community organization which brings people together! And I realized that by becoming a member of the Cardinals I could bring about meaningful change I became increasingly involved with the Cardinals, running chess tournaments and camps. I also started giving private lessons to a number of Cardinals kids.
What values or principles guide how you show up in this role/community? I try to help the kids at the Cardinals to fulfill their potential and continue to improve. Some of them became the best players in Saint Louis for their age. I also try to serve as a positive role model for the kids. My goal for them is to become not just good chess players, but good human beings.
What’s the most enjoyable aspect? Seeing my students improve. And seeing how happy it makes them.
Can you briefly share a few standout memories? One of my students had a really bad tournament and was in a terrible mood. I talked to him after the tournament. I made him feel better. I explained to him that everyone can have a bad tournament. And I inspired him to work harder on his game. He came back to the next tournament and won all of his games. One of my students was going to a tournament in another city. He forgot his laptop at home and that laptop had a lot of material which would he would have needed to perform well at the tournament. He was already at the airport. I drove to his house to pick up the laptop and then drove to the airport, making it there just in time. My student got his laptop and he performed well at the tournament as a result. One of my students is really good at chess. But his behavior is often not as serious as I would like for it to be. I came up with an idea to give him more responsibility at the Cardinals. The feeling of being treated as an adult made him act more mature.
Can you share an insight about this role that most people don’t know? I do not believe that money can buy happiness. I need for my life to have meaning. Working with the Cardinals, seeing my students succeed, seeing them happy gives my life meaning.
What’s one key piece of advice you’ve embraced? Be there for my students when they need me. Be more than just a chess teacher who teaches someone one hour per week and does not care about them the rest of the time.
What’s the greatest challenge? Finding time. I want to help the Cardinals. I want to help my students get better. I want to work on my own chess so that I can keep improving myself, so that I can help my students improve.
Where do you find inspiration? Seeing my students succeed and seeing them happy.
What are your future plans or ambitions? I want to help the Cardinals grow. I want to help my students reach new heights. And maybe to go and play in some team chess tournaments, playing on the same team as my students.
