Several of our regular members have formed a Coaching Group that are on hand every Thursday from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. to assist both kids and adults who want to learn chess or reach the next level in their game. We encourage anyone interested to join us! There is no advance notice required and there is no charge for "walk-in" informal lessons at club—just tap one of us on the shoulder!
If you are looking for regular instruction from one of our coaches, we encourage you to review the biographies below and reach out directly to them regarding their services. If you have any questions, you can contact the Columbia Chess Club Coaching Group using the contact button.
Titles: President, Senior Tournament Director
Contact: james@columbiachess.org
Bio: James grew up in Hawaii, California, Washington, Texas, Tennessee, and South Carolina, having attended White Knoll High School. James learned how to play chess at the age of 10 from his father, starting chess clubs in middle and high school and teaching the basics to others. In 2021, James competed in his first tournament at the late age of 28. In August of that same year, James rebooted the Columbia Chess Club following pandemic disruptions, and within the first year he directed and competed in over 60 events. The 2022 Columbia Open, hosted by the Club, set a record for the largest open chess event in South Carolina chess history. While spending most of his time as a husband and father, James is focused on invigorating the local chess community and making chess as popular as other competitive sports.
Titles: 2024 Columbia Chess Club Champion, 17-Time ND State Champion, 4-Time SC State Champion
Contact: msailer@midco.net
Bio: Mike is a National Master with nearly 40 years of playing and coaching experience. He has won 21 state championships during that time and is a three-time Denker High School representative (1988-1990) and a Irwin 50+ representative (2023). Mike was elected to the ND Chess Hall of Fame in 2007. He continues to be a very active OTB and online player to this day. Mike specializes in teaching students how to expand their positional understanding and simplifying the decision-making process of finding strong moves.
Titles: 2017 Columbia Chess Club Champion, Senior Tournament Director, FIDE National Arbiter
Contact: brandon@columbiachess.org
Bio: Brandon is a long-time chess player who has been coaching individual players and school clubs since 2018. Brandon's students have won multiple State Championships and represented South Carolina at the national tournament of champions. Brandon has also taught after-school classes and was the coach of the Lake Murray, Ballentine, and River Springs Elementary School chess teams who won first place in several tournaments.
Titles: 2025 Columbia Chess Club Champion, Local Tournament Director
Contact: copeland.paulb@gmail.com
Bio: Paul grew up playing chess with his brother Sam. He was the runner-up in the 2004 and 2005 high school state championship. After high school he stepped away from competitive chess for a while. He began working with club president James at Westinghouse. During COVID he reconnected with chess and began playing competitively again in 2021. Since returning he has taken his rating from 1230 to 1685.
Titles: 2025 SC High School Team Champion, 2023 SC Amateur Champion
Contact: emurrah@gmail.com
Bio: Tyler was introduced to chess at the age of six by his father, but began playing competitively midway through 2023. Growing up in Lexington SC, he honed his skills through regular play and competition and winning a state amateur championship soon after starting tournament play. Now as a high school student, Tyler is an anchor of his state-champion high school team, and volunteers running the club’s online tournaments. His firsthand experience as a junior player helps him connect with and teach newer young players on how to correctly navigate the game of chess.
As a bilingual coach, he is pleased to offer instruction in both English and Mandarin Chinese for his students.
Titles: 2009 Amateur State Champion
Contact: emurrah@gmail.com
Bio: Erik began playing tournament chess at 29 and in just two short years he became the 2009 Amateur State Champion in South Carolina, eclipsing a rating of over 1600. Erik reached a peak rating of 1785 in 2016 before leaving tournament chess to focus on career and family obligations. Erik recently returned to tournament play when his teenage son expressed interest in chess. Erik has been a scholastic coach and teacher for over 10 years, having taught over 100 students during his career. Erik takes a holistic approach to teaching chess focusing not just on the right moves to make on the board, but also helping shape students to be resilient, disciplined, and emotionally-mature competitors. In addition to teaching kids, Erik also has ample experience coaching adult improvers.
Titles: Local Tournament Director
Contact: scmiller250@gmail.com
Bio: Sean has been playing chess on and off since he was 6 years old. He founded the chess club at his high school and has a passion for introducing new players to the game. He enjoys showing his students how to find killer tactics in their games, as well as sharp openings where they can put their tactical vision to use.
Titles: Local Tournament Director
Contact: nicholas.vincent.ciriello@gmail.com
Tel: 803.238.1781
Bio: Nick is from Irmo, South Carolina currently attending Midlands Technical College, and studies chess regularly in his free time. Nick has been playing casually from a young age, but only recently has been working to improve as a serious player. Nick has also been a coach in local after-school programs where he taught chess to elementary students. He plans to hit a rating of 2200 and become a National Master within the next 10 years.
Titles: SC Chess Association Vice President, Local Tournament Director
Contact: TJThorla@gmail.com
Bio: Thomas grew up in Ohio before attending business school at the University of South Florida in Tampa. He learned chess at a young age from his father and brother. He recently regained his interest in the game and joined the Columbia Chess Club in August of 2021. He competed in his first tournament in November of the same year. Since then, Thomas has competed in tournaments all over SC and NC. He also has become a Club Tournament Director to help organize the Clubs many ongoing tournaments.