Erik will be working in the Events Department on National Events including the US Open, National Scholastic Championships, invitational tournaments, and director certification, among other responsibilities.
Erik Czerwin’s chess journey began in 2005 as a teacher, coaching chess as an extracurricular activity. Over his teaching tenure, he has coached in Peoria, Marengo, and Rockford, Illinois. He has also supported and grown scholastic chess programs across the state as the Illinois Chess Coaches Association Secretary. Working in that position, Erik fell in love with directing tournaments and has worked dozens of chess events every year since. In 2024, he left teaching to help Wildman Rocketry launch their in-house fiberglass manufacturing, while maintaining his chess work every weekend.
Erik is thrilled to join US Chess as the Events Manager. “Chess improvement is self-improvement, and coaching chess players makes magic happen. I’ll always do whatever I can to support an enriching chess experience for everyone.” He devotes himself to chess with inexhaustible effort and deep passion because he believes chess elevates people and communities in ways nothing else can.
