CHESSanity was founded in 2014 by FIDE Master Wesley Wang and National Master Warren Wang, two brothers hailing from Jericho, NY, in response to huge demands from Long Island chess parents for quality and collegiate chess lessons. The responsibility was passed to Candidate Master Thomas Li, a student from The Wheatley School.
President Thomas Li
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Thomas with Anatoly Karpov, the former World Chess Champion
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Biography
Currently a senior at The Wheatley School, Thomas’s passion for chess rose despite not residing from Jericho. Thomas started chess at the age of 10, becoming one of the top players in his age group only after one year of competitive play, later attaining the Candidate Master title. Consistently being ranked in the top 100 for his age group over the past years, Thomas continues to grow his passion for chess outside of tournament play. Striving to teach chess to kids across Long Island, Thomas has been able to use his experiences to even teach kids across the nation, spreading his knowledge about the game to those in need. Outside of chess, Thomas is fond of several other activities, taking up boxing and running his school’s varsity track, making all-county and all-conference after becoming the 2022-2023 Nassau County and Conference champion in the 4x400. His interests expands in business and finance as he aims to become a change-maker. His goal is to connect with many people, programs, and opportunities that support his passion for business in order to make a positive impact in society. |
Chess Achievements
Top 5 in the Nation 2019 US Chess Junior Grand Prix 4th Place 2018 Greater New York Scholastic Championships Tied for 5th Place 2018 National K-12 Grade Championships 1st Place Team 2019 World Amateur Team Championships, U2000 Division Tied for 8th Place 2020 New York State Championships Tied for 5th Place 2021 Greater New York Scholastic Championships Tied for 9th Place 2021 National K-12 Grade Championships 1st Place 2024 New York Metropolitan Scholastic Chess Championships |
Emeritus Advisor Weijie-Jay Li
Biography
Jay, Stanford Class of 2028, moved to Jericho in 6th grade bringing with him a passion in chess. As one of the top players of his age group, he has been consistently ranked top 100 for his age in United States. In addition to Chess, Jay is also a massive enthusiast in math. He is a qualifier for both USA Math Olympiad and USA Junior Math Olympiad, the highest level of mathematical contests in United States, including the title USAJMO Winner in 2021. He has received awards for his performance in many other mathematical competitions, such as 9th place individual in Princeton University Mathematics Competition and perfect individual score on New York State Mathematics League. His interest also expands into the field of Computer Science. Along with two friends from Jericho High School, his team won the St. Joseph University's Programming Competition. |
Chess Achievements
Fourth Place Team 2018 National High School Championship Tied for First Place Individual 2018 National K-12 Grade Championship Tied for Second Place Individual 2019 National K-12 Grade Championship First Place Team World Amateur Team, U2000 Division, 2019 Fourth Place Individual 53rd Annual Greater New York Scholastics (2019) Fifth Place Team 53rd Annual Greater New York Scholastics (2019) Second Place Team 54th, 55th Annual Greater New York Scholastics (2020, 2021) |
Emeritus Advisor Wesley Wang
Portrait of Wesley Wang
Biography
FIDE Master Wesley Wang, a 2025 Forbes 30 Under 30 Honoree and member of Harvard Class of 2026, is an accomplished chess player with 11 National Champion titles and a place on the 2019 U.S. World U16 Olympiad Team. Beyond his chess success, Wesley is deeply passionate about the arts. As a filmmaker, both a writer and director, his short film “nothing, except everything.” went viral on YouTube and was subsequently picked up by Sony TriStar and Darren Aronofsky for a feature-length adaptation, making Wesley the youngest in Hollywood history to secure a feature with one of the Big Five studios. Wesley’s creative talents extend to music as well; he enjoys singing and songwriting, and his pop single "Runaway" has already garnered over 73,000 streams. At Harvard, he even opened for songwriter Nicky Youre at Crimson Jam. In athletics, Wesley holds his high school’s record in the 400-meter dash with a time of 52.05 seconds and captained his high school’s county-dominating badminton team for two years. Peers describe Wesley as “creative, outgoing, and determined.” Wesley's Instagram page where he updates peers on his work: (Link) Wesley's YouTube channel where he occasionally posts his work: (Link) |
Wesley after being crowned the champion of the 9th grade at the National Grade Championships in Florida for both individual and team.
Chess Achievements
Chessplayer Scholar Award (annual award by US Chess Federation to 5 juniors for academic distinction, social impact and excellence in chess) - 2021 2nd Place (tied for 1st Place) - 2019 North American Youth Chess Championships (U18 Open) Member - 2018 US Youth U16 Olympiad Chess Team Member - 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, & 2016 All-America Chess Team Member - 2019 National K-12 Grade Team Championships, 10th Grade Champion Team (Jericho High School); 2016 & 2015 National K-12 Grade Team Championships, 7th & 6th Grade Champion Teams (Jericho Middle School); 2017 SuperNationals VI (K-9 Section ) Champion Team (Jericho Middle School); 2016 National Junior High Championship (K-8 Section ) Champion Team (Jericho Middle School) Member - 2017 AND 2016 U.S. Amateur Team East Champion Teams Co-Champion - 2018 National K-12 Grade Championships, 9th Grade; 2017 SuperNationals VI (K-9 Section); 2016 National K-12 Grade Championships, 7th Grade; 2016 National Junior High Championship (K-8 Section) 2nd Place - 2016 North American Youth Chess Championships (U12 Open) Champion - 2015 National K-12 Grade Championships, 6th Grade 3rd Place - 2018 National High School Championship, Championship Section 8 Time U.S. Qualifier - The World Youth and Cadets Championships (2014-2021) |
Emeritus Advisor Warren Wang
Warren Wang visiting the Louisville Slugger Museum as an avid Yankees fan. (Pictured here with Babe Ruth's plaque).
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Warren after winning 6th place at the National Junior High School Chess Championship
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Biography
Learning chess at the age of four and beginning to play in tournaments before he was six, Former Wharton Student NM Warren Wang is a well-seasoned and very experienced chess competitor. Presently coached by GM Gennady Sagalchik, Warren has evolved into one of the top players in his age group in the United States. He has been consistently ranked in the top 100 for his age group in the country, having achieved this feat every month since April 2007. Additionally, he has attained the National Master title: a feat achieved by only six other Long Island players before the age of 18 (including his brother). Outside of chess, Warren has many different hobbies, many of which revolve around sports. He is currently on University of Pennsylvania Team for both chess and badminton, and has also played high school's tennis varsity and travel soccer for many years. Besides playing sports, Warren also loves to watch sports, particularly soccer, where he is an avid supporter of Chelsea FC and the Belgian national team. His other interests include films (particularly The Shawshank Redemption and many Christopher Nolan pieces) and certain types of trivia. Warren joined Meta in 2022 as a data scientist after he obtained his BS and MS degrees simultaneously from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and Penn's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Some of Warren's academic honors include being named as a U.S. Presidential Scholar Semifinalist (Link) and one of 15 Long Island's "Extraordinary Seniors" in 2018 by Newsday (Link). |
Chess Achievements
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