Welcome to One Move Ahead
One Move Ahead is a chess tutoring service that empowers students to think smarter, focus deeper, and approach challenges with confidence. Using chess as a foundation, we cultivate strategic thinking, patience, resilience, and problem-solving skills that support success in academics and everyday life. Our mission is simple: to help every student stay one move ahead: in chess, in school, and in the future.
Our approach
We guarantee: Comfort. Structure. Growth. Engagement. Value.
Comfort: Sessions are held at the trusted Richmond Hill Public Library (Richmond Green Branch), creating a safe and focused setting where members can learn without pressure.
Structure: Every lesson follows a consistent, step-by-step teaching system. Members receive weekly updates so progress is always organized, transparent, and easy to track.
Growth: Students improve through guided instruction, targeted feedback, and structured skill-building that develops real decision-making ability over time.
Engagement: Learning is kept active through interactive puzzles, challenges, teamwork activities, and guided gameplay that keeps students motivated and involved.
Value: The average cost of chess lessons typically ranges from $30–$150 per hour. At just $16 per hour, we make high-quality chess education accessible to more families without compromising on structure, support, or results.
Intelligence
Chess is unique in the way it trains the brain — every single move demands calculation, pattern recognition, and creative thinking all at once. Studies show that chess players develop stronger memory, sharper focus, and faster decision-making skills than their peers. For children especially, the impact is profound — the brain grows fastest during childhood, and chess takes full advantage of that, shaping how they think, learn, and problem-solve for the rest of their lives.
Academic & Career Benefits
Students who play chess consistently perform better in math, reading, and science, because chess teaches the same core skills those subjects demand: logical thinking, pattern recognition, and the ability to work through complex problems methodically. But the benefits extend well past school. Chess develops strategic thinking, patience, and the ability to make high-stakes decisions under pressure — qualities that top performers in every field share.
Personal Development
Chess teaches you things about yourself that few other activities can. Every game is a mirror — it reflects how you handle pressure, how you respond to mistakes, and whether you can stay composed when things aren’t going your way. Over time, chess builds resilience, patience, and confidence. For children, these lessons are especially powerful, shaping character at an age when it matters most. For adults, chess is a reminder that growth is always possible — that with the right mindset and the right effort, you can always find a better move.
Social Benefits
In Canada alone, 1 in 5 adults play chess every year. Across the world, it’s one of the few activities that erases the barriers of age, language, and background. For children, it builds sportsmanship, respect, and the confidence to compete. For adults, it’s an instant common ground with anyone, anywhere. And for those who want to take it further, chess has a thriving competitive scene — from local clubs to international tournaments.
- Meet Your Coach
- Meet Your Coach
- Meet Your Coach
- Meet Your Coach
- Meet Your Coach
- Meet Your Coach
- Meet Your Coach
- Meet Your Coach
- Meet Your Coach
- Meet Your Coach
- Meet Your Coach
Hello, my name is Sujan Chanthiran and I am a recent graduate of the IB program at Bayview Secondary School. I'm many things — a competitive chess player, an award-winning leader, an effective teacher, and someone who strongly believes that chess is the greatest game ever created. I bring a rare combination of competitive experience, proven teaching ability, and an infectious passion for the game that makes every lesson something worth showing up for. I will be heading to Western University this fall, but my mission this summer is simple: to share the game I love with as many people as possible, and to make sure every student who joins my program leaves with a genuine love for chess and and a strong foundation to build upon for years to come.
Why Trust Me As Your Coach
Chess credentials
I hold a 1900+ rapid rating on Chess.com — placing me in the top 1% of all players on the platform — and a 2000+ rapid rating on Lichess, where I rank in the top 3% of active players worldwide. I've competed in many local tournaments, including helping lead my school chess team to second place in the York Region Chess Championship, and have even defeated a chess National Master. Not only have I spent three years as one of the best players on my school's chess team, but I have also been in charge of training our school's chess team. I served as Vice President and Training Coordinator of Bayview Secondary's chess club, where I helped organize tournaments, led training sessions, and helped create a competitive team that has remained undefeated across York Region in over 16 tournaments — most recently defeating G.W. Williams Secondary School 8-0 on June 3rd. In fact, our chess team received an honour of recognition from our school for our outstanding success. I also serve as the president of a Chess.com club with over 200 members, and I co-manage a separate club with International Master Tanitoluwa Adewumi.
Tutoring experience
I am an official SAT tutor through Schoolhouse — a nonprofit backed by the College Board and founded by Sal Khan of Khan Academy. After scoring in the top 2% and being contacted with the opportunity to lead tutoring sessions, I completed their certified tutor training and now run group sessions helping students achieve their academic goals.
Hardworking ethic
I finished 8th out of 650+ students nationally in HOSA Canada's Pathophysiology category — the largest medical competition in Canada. To get there, I handwrote and studied over a thousand pages of notes, dedicating nearly a year of consistent and relentless preparation to achieve this dream.
My students succeed
I not only competed in the largest medical competition in Canada in the Pathophysiology category, but I also taught Pharmacy Science and Pathophysiology at Bayview Secondary as a HOSA trainer — turning over a thousand pages of dense medical information into structured lessons, slideshows, quizzes and interactive content from scratch, then delivering it to my students. The results speak for themselves: 3 of my students placed in the top 10 out of 400+ competitors nationally. Seeing my students succeed were some of my proudest moments ever!
Academic Excellence
I recently received the "Uukkamathu Kaividale" Award of Excellence in the Academic category — a perseverance award presented to 100 Tamil high school students across York Region District School Board, nominated by my Vice Principal.
Leadership & Recognition
I volunteered as an assistant figure skating coach, helping teach CanSkate levels 1 through 6 — an experience that contributed to the honour of being included in the Richmond Hill Sports Hall of Fame!!!
"Sujan is the kind of chess teacher I'd want for any beginners or new players. They bring real structure and patience to their coaching — the same qualities that helped me when I was learning. With a 2000+ rapid rating, genuine teaching experience, and a natural ability to break the game down for beginners, I have full confidence recommending them to anyone looking to build a strong foundation in chess."
- Tanitoluwa Adewumi, International Master, 2024 U.S. Cadet Champion, and my friend on chess.com
