Chess Academy of Canada

Roman Pelts
FIDE Master & FIDE Trainer.

In 1986, Roman was featured in Echec+, the magazine of the Quebec Chess Federation. The magazine reported that Pelts was Canada's number one chess trainer.

In June 2007, World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov was the key speaker at the prestigious Empire Club of Canada. Roman Pelts was personally invited to sit with him at the head table.

Roman Pelts
FIDE Master and FIDE Trainer.

Roman Pelts at Upper Canada College.

Three time member of the Canadian Olympic Chess Team.

Soviet Women's Championship, Odessa 1950.

Seated:
3rd from left - Ludmilla Rudenko, World Champion 1950-1953
4th from left - Olga Rubzova, World Champion 1956-1958
5th from left - Elizaveta Bukova, World Champion 1953-1956, 1958-1962.
Front:
Assistant TD Roman Pelts, age 13 (right.)
Back:
TD Samuel Kotlerman 7th from left. At this time Kotlerman was one of the top chess coaches in the Soviet Union. His early students included the great Efim Geller and Roman Pelts.

In 1961, Roman Pelts played in a prestigious tournament in Sochi, Russia, featuring Soviet masters and grandmasters.

Front:
2nd left GM Alexey Suetin,
4th left GM Andrei Lilienthal,
far right GM Avram Hasin.
Back:
2nd left FM Roman Pelts,
6th left GM Vladimir Simagin,
7th left GM Simon Furman,
far right GM Anatoly Lutikov.

USSR Chess Semi Finals in Vladimir 1974.

Back: 7th from left Roman Pelts.

Soviet Chess Championship Semi-Finals, Minsk, 1962.

Back: 1st from right Roman Pelts.

Roman Pelts with World Champion Anatoly Karpov, 1976. The association between these two goes back to 1971, when Roman Pelts was the official trainer for the Soviet team at the World Student Team Chess Championship.

Roman Pelts with his wife Luba Pelts and Toronto Mayor Mel Lastman.

Former world champion Mikhail Tal and his wife were guests of Roman Pelts while they visited Toronto in 1979.

Roman Pelts speaking to Garry Kasparov at a function held by Leslie Dan.

World Champion Anatoly Karpov gave an exhibition in 1979 at the Toronto Eaton Center, in which he played 20 opponents simultaneously. Exhibition organized by Roman Pelts.

In 1976, newly crowned World Champion Anatoly Karpov gave a simultaneous exhibition in the Soviet Union against Roman Pelts' chess students. Here we see Karpov pondering a move being made by Roman's daughter Alexandra, with wife Luba watching closely from behind.

Roman Pelts represented Canada at the 1984 Chess Olympiad in Greece. Here he faces Grandmaster Jorge Rubinetti, in the Canada - Argentina match.

Boris Spassky, former world champion, visited Toronto in 1982 at the invitation of Roman Pelts, where he gave a simultaneous exhibition at the Square One shopping centre in Mississauga.

Roman at the Simultaneous Exhibition in Montreal.

In 1998, at a private dinner in Toronto, Pelts faced World Champion Garry Kasparov in a three game speed chess match. After suffering a rare defeat on time in the first game, a surprised and none too pleased Kasparov commented that the clock was unlike any he had used before...

After winning the second and third games, a much happier Kasparov forgot all about the clock.

Roman Pelts 40 board simultaneous exhibition, Soviet Union, 1971.

Roman Pelts 30 board simultaneous exhibition, Toronto 2001.

Roman Pelts at the USSR Championship in 1967.

Roman Pelts playing a simultaneous exhibition with children in Russia.

Roman Pelts plays a Simultaneous Exhibition in Montreal.

In 1964, Roman Pelts played board one for a victorious Soviet team at the World Student Team Chess Championship in Cracow Poland. Here is Roman's gold medal from that event.

Roman Pelts watches as World Champion Garry Kasparov faces his Upper Canada College students in a simultaneous exhibition in Toronto, 1998.

Garry Kasparov playing chess with Roman Pelts' students.

Garry Kasparov and Roman Pelts.

Lesson with Roman Pelts.

Roman Pelts with students.

Roman Pelts FIDE trainer and his students.

Roman Pelts with Upper Canada College student.

Happy student of Roman Pelts, FIDE trainer, winning a game.

Students of Roman Pelts playing chess at Upper Canada College.

Upper Canada College students learning the Two Knights Defence.

Roman Pelts, FIDE trainer with Upper Canada College students, Ontario Primary School Champions, 2000.

Pelts observes as his students put what they have learned into practice.

In 1980, Roman Pelts opened Chess Academy of Canada in Montreal. All the newspapers at that time reported that this was Canada's first ever chess school.

Roman Pelts leads another lecture, one of many thousands conducted over the years at Chess Academy of Canada.

Roman Pelts FIDE trainer and a class of students. Somewhere in this crowd is a future master!

Students answering questions in a chess workshop conducted by Roman Pelts, FIDE trainer.

Students of Chess Academy of Canada learning King's Gambit.

Students in a chess class taught by Roman Pelts FIDE trainer.

Roman Pelts' grandson.

Founder of Chess Academy Canada Roman Pelts' invitation to sit at the head table at the Empire Club, Toronto.