Meet Our NSCF Instructors – Florida
WFM Amelia Hernandez
WFM Amelia Hernandez is a Women's FIDE Master and a former 6-time U-20 and 5-time Women's National Champion in Venezuela. The World U-18 Girls Champion, Amelia won the Gold Medal at the 1994 World Chess Olympiad in Moscow. She was the youngest person inducted into the Venezuela National Sports Hall of Fame. After a career as a medical doctor, she returned to chess and emigrated to the United States. She is the 2023 Florida State Women's Chess Champion, taught chess at Franklin Academy, and leads weekend Open Plays for the NSCF in Sunrise.
NM Nicholas Rosenthal
NM Nicholas Rosenthal has been playing chess since age 9. A National Master, he won multiple Florida State and National Championships. Nicholas graduated from Lindenwood University, where he attended on a chess scholarship and captained the team. He earned a degree in sports management before returning to South Florida to join the NSCF/Sunrise team in 2020. Among his many classes, Nicky leads our chess program with the Dan Marino Foundation.
Robert McKenzie
Robert McKenzie transitioned from a stand-out basketball player to a passionate chess player in college, quickly becoming a Category 1 player. A teacher in Broward Schools for almost 30 years, he started his career as a 2nd-grade teacher, later earned his Masters in Math Education, and became a Math Specialist who founded a school-wide chess program. Today, he is the STEM and Math Specialist at Lauderdale Lakes Middle School, integrating chess into his lessons. Robert teaches in NSCF community programs, leads teacher workshops, and serves as the NSCF Tournament Director for South Florida.
McKhaila mckenzie
McKhaila McKenzie started her competitive chess journey at age 8 when her team took 2nd place in the All Girls National Chess Championship, earning a Proclamation from the City of Lauderhill. By age 12, she was a regular volunteer with the NSCF. A distinguished graduate of Florida Atlantic University at age 20 with a degree in Biology, her sights are now set on Medical School. Still an active tournament player, McKhaila was an integral part of the NSCF's Chess Queens mentoring program, and is committed to ensuring girls benefit from the game.
Brandon Vila
Brandon Vila is a USCF Expert who began playing right before high school, quickly joining the scholastic chess team at Belen Jesuit Prep and contributing to multiple regional, state, and national victories. He started coaching K-12 students as a senior in high school. An active player, his most notable achievement is winning the 2023 Under 2000 Florida State Chess Championship. Brandon joined the NSCF in 2024 to teach and help administer programs..
GEORGES SABA
Georges Saba has been teaching chess for over 6 years with several of his students competing in state championships in Florida. A commissioned arbiter with FIDE (the international chess federation) and the USCF, Georges is one of the tournament directors for chess.com, running cheat detection investigations and managing online tournaments for the top chess players in the world.
Quintin Tanksley
Quintin Tanksley and his twin brother, Quan, became serious about chess in middle school and participated in an NSCF mentoring initiative through high school. Both are now IT Engineering students at the University of Florida and volunteer at their former middle school. Quintin, a Class A player (top 5% of US competitive players), teaches chess classes, serves as a floor director for tournaments, offers game analysis, and tutors in math.