Today we’d like to introduce you to Carlos Perdomo.
Hi Carlos, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am a Chess Entrepreneur, International Master, Coach/Educator, Travel Expert, and proud American citizen since 2019, originally from Colombia, South America. If you have seen the Disney Movie Encanto, you’ll understand and believe me when I say that this is where chess became my superpower and I am “the unofficial” Connect Four World Champion.
I founded Chess Atlanta in 2003, an organization with a mission to provide more young students the opportunity to learn in a chess club environment and foster good sportsmanship among the growing number of young chess players in the metro area. Chess Atlanta has provided over 19 years of club instruction, camps, and private lessons to students of all ages, including Emory University’s Chess Team who defeated Duke, Yale, and Stanford in a Panamerican College Tournament in 2004. Our students have won individual and team tournaments at local, state, and national competitions. We even trained an American who won a World Championship at a Chessboxing competition in 2018.
My parents taught me how to play chess when I was 7. I earned an International Master’s title in 1998 due to outstanding results in three critical tournaments held in different countries around the world. I’ve been one of the top highest-rated players in Georgia continuously since 2002. I played in two World Championships (Argentina 1984, Under 14 and Germany 1995, Under 20), two Chess Olympiads (1996 and 1998) I’ve been GA State Champion four times since 2001.
Chess gave me the opportunity to travel around the world to more than 30 countries and that became my passion. Before I moved to Georgia, I traveled extensively throughout Europe for competitions. These experiences traveling abroad inspired me to pursue a complementary career in the travel industry and we are looking forward to offering family vacations to wonderful destinations at cruises and resorts that will provide a chess-learning experience for kids of all ages and skill levels.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
In addition to the Pandemic crisis, I personally had two other big crises; when I first had to leave Colombia in 2001 for safety reasons and again in 2008 when I had to leave the U.S. after withdrawing my asylum application and applied for a different type of Visa based on my chess skills. It took me 19 months to get back to the United States and receive my Green Card. I was very fortunate to have the support and encouragement of family, friends and the chess community in The United States during this challenging time.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Chess Atlanta has a great and enthusiastic team of instructors/educators.
We offer many types of chess coaching and programs, as listed below:
School Programs – typically held at the school site before, during, or after school.
Summer & Winter Chess Camps – week-long chess camps, whole or half days.
Mini Camps – similar in structure to chess camps, mini camps are typically half-day events scheduled periodically throughout the year to prepare for tournament play.
Tournaments – Unrated and rated events for scholastic players.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
It’s very important to be consistent, extremely dedicated and patient and at the same time to remember that “Life’s a marathon, not a sprint.” I wish I had better communication, public speaking, marketing, organizational and business skills since the beginning, but it is a learning process. Chess is a wonderful activity specially for kids and older adults and I feel extremely lucky to be able to make a living doing something I love and that is great for societies.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.chessatlanta.com
- Instagram: chessatlanta
- Facebook: chessatlanta
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlos-perdomo-a8b52989
