NM DENNIS NORMAN

Dennis first learned the rules of chess in elementary school and became a serious tournament player in high school, playing most of the major open and scholastic tournaments in the DC, Baltimore, and Philadelphia areas. He first reached USCF 2000 in the summer of 2017 and finally accomplished his goal of USCF National Master (2200 rating) in early 2022. His most notable tournament results include tying for first place at the 2019 UMBC Open, winning clear first in the 2021 Washington DC Championship, and winning the 2023 Dewey Beach Open with a perfect score.

Along the way, Dennis has taught chess to players of many ages and strengths. His favorite element of chess, both to study and to teach, is the positional foundation behind opening and middlegame strategy. He especially enjoys showing students the plans behind different pawn structures and the thematic ideas unique to each specific type of position.

Before coming to the Charlotte area, Dennis had spent most of his life in Maryland. He graduated from The Johns Hopkins University in 2020 with a BA in Political Science.