About Me
Hi there! This is International Master Yaacov Norowitz. I am a Professional Chess Coach with 20 years of experience teaching both children and adults of all ages.
I was born in 1982 to 3rd-generation Lower East Siders, and moved to Elizabeth, New Jersey at the age of 5. A few years later, my dad taught me the rules of chess, and I joined the Jewish Educational Center Chess Club when I was 9. Dr. Richard Lewis saw my talent, and started giving me intensive, one-on-one lessons. Under Doc's tutelage, I shot up in the ranks, and just two years later beat my first expert-level opponent. When I was 12, I defeated a master for the first time, and represented New Jersey on the All-American Pressman Chessman team.
Shortly thereafter, I began studying with Grandmaster Roman Dzindzichashvilli, who at one point was ranked #6 in the world. With his training, I continued developing, and at 16 I achieved a National Master title. When 1999 rolled around, I was a top-10 teenage chess player in the US. That year, I did a 16-person simul at the Homowack Lodge, where I was the main entertainment over the 8-day long Passover holiday. I also did 4-person simuls while blindfolded, and ran events at the Homowack up until 2006.
In 2002 I came in 3rd place in the Jerusalem Championship and won in 2003. It was around this time that I was inspired by Roman to explore ideas relating to light and dark squares and harmony. This was the origin of Dacha, my unique approach to chess which I would go on to refine over the course of the next 18 years.
In 2009, I notched my first World Champion scalp when I defeated Garry Kasparov in an exciting Caro-Kann blitz game. 2013 was a golden year for the Dacha community. I achieved norms in the Philadelphia World Open, Bahamas Open, and finished 3rd in the Reykjavik Open, thus securing the title of International Master (IM). In that year, I also won the New Jersey State Championship. To top it off, I was invited to the US Championship, the most prestigious chess event in the country, where I scored a 4.5/9, good for 12th overall. I am also 5x World Open Blitz Champion. In 2016, I won the Millionaire Blitz Chess Open, going a perfect 10/10.
I am a strong believer in the benefits which chess has on kids. It makes a lifelong impression on them, builds confidence, and opens avenues of self-expression. Over the past 20 years, I have spent numerous summers at camps both in the Tri-State Area and throughout the country. From 2016-2018, I taught 80 students/year in Dallas youth camps. It was a really rewarding experience, as I got total beginners to love chess and have a special time. Many said it was their favorite part of camp—more than color war, snacks, and swimming!
We teach chess full-time to players worldwide. I am proud to announce a YaacAttack academy and YaacAttack courses on Chessable! Each summer, we run a Virtual Chess Camp for students going into grades K-12.
If you are interested in taking your game to the next level, please email me at Yaacov@YaacAttack.com. See you soon!
Yaacov Norowitz
