DARJA KAPŠ

Darja Kapš is the first Slovenian female chess grandmaster and a longtime member of the Slovenian national team, holding two medals from the European Women's Team Chess Championships (2001 in Spain and 2003 in Bulgaria). After concluding her playing career, she began teaching children in primary schools and at a chess school. In 2015, she earned the title of FIDE Trainer and holds the title of chess coach at the national level. She is also an organizer of major international chess tournaments and chess camps, a chess ambassador, and a strong advocate for gender equality in chess.

How Darja sees chess? 
“Chess is the best exercise for the brain. It is a mental and social game that offers individuals added value: perseverance, fighting spirit, discipline, responsibility, concentration, determination, a healthy attitude towards others, visualization, planning, logical thinking... Chess connects people all over the world. Playing chess is always very enjoyable, as you can meet new friends and discover new places, cultures, and languages.​”

TONI KOS

Toni Kos comes from Krško. He is an international chess master and has been a chess coach for nearly 30 years. Since 1993, he has been accompanying young chess talents to world and European championships, and in recent years, he has been the coach of youth teams at the Chess Olympiad in Turkey and the European Championship in Slovenia.

Toni Kos is one of the most recognized and experienced chess coaches in Slovenia. Many successful players have trained under him, achieving top positions in their categories at the national level and also finding success at European and world championships. He is extremely dedicated to chess pedagogy, placing special emphasis on the balanced development of all aspects of the game: opening, middlegame, and endgame. He focuses particularly on the methods of psychological preparation of players for competitions. With his accumulated experience, he understands that each player is different, and thus tailors his training approach to each individual player.

His chess motto is: "Every chess master was once a beginner."

In the photo: Toni Kos celebrating with his student Ema Jakša, who won the title of European Champion. Ema achieved this title in Prague in August 2024 in an extraordinary way, with 9 wins out of 9 games! This happened for the first time in the history of Slovenian youth chess.

ANA SREBRNIČ

Ana Srebrnič is a chess grandmaster and a university graduate in pedagogy. She comes from a chess-playing family and has been involved in chess her entire life. She has been a multiple-time national champion in both youth and adult categories. She has also achieved numerous successes on the international stage. She placed 6th at the World Youth Chess Championship and won a gold medal at the Mediterranean Championship. For over a decade, she was a member of the national team and competed in five Chess Olympiads with the team.

Her greatest passion in life, besides chess, is children. Since her youth, she has been involved in chess coaching, leading chess clubs, and chess schools. Additionally, she teaches an elective chess course at an elementary school, where she primarily works as a special education teacher. She enjoys using innovative methods in teaching chess and, above all, educates children for life. "Chess is a game that brings different people together. Chess is a school for life, and it can be incredibly fun. Chess is a window to the world."

Ljudmila GOROŠKOVA

She has been teaching chess for more than 10 years. In addition to having a higher education degree in pedagogy, she also holds an advanced degree in law. She worked in the police force, so she is strict but fair. She has participated in various championships multiple times and has won in categories such as "Most Beautiful Tournament Participant" and "Best Game."
She does not like blitz chess and believes that the true beauty of the game is revealed only in classical, carefully considered six-hour matches. She loves women's handbags and her cat, Sylvester.
Chess is art, science, and sport.