Meet our Coach
Conoce a nuestro entrenador

Kavin Bendre is a senior at Walter Payton College Prep in Chicago. In addition to his impressive academic and extracurricular accomplishments, Kavin is a passionate and skilled chess player, with a current rating close to 1700. The 2026 - 2027 school year will be Kavin’s second consecutive year serving as our Head Coach, supporting curriculum development, mentoring other coaches, and working closely with our novice and tournament-ready students. He has already connected with our players during local tournaments, mentoring and engaging with them between rounds as well as during zoom teaching sessions beginning in 2025 and continuing through summer break.

Kavin’s passion for helping others and his commitment to teaching make him a natural coach and tremendous asset to our program. Kavin’s patience and dedication have helped our students grow in both confidence and critical thinking. He encourages perseverance through challenges, and belief in their potential. The growth we’ve seen— both on and off the chessboard—is a direct reflection of his mentorship and commitment to our community. In this past year, under Kavin’s leadership, the students have shown immense tactical improvement and positional understanding of chess. Because of Kavin, and his family’s generous contributions, our students have access to high-quality resources and equipment that elevate their learning experience and prepare them for competitive play. Kavin’s investment in our club goes far beyond time (16 hours each month!)—it reflects a genuine commitment to expanding opportunity and access.

Kavin’s leadership and service extend beyond our chess program, as he has been the captain of the Walter Payton College Prep Varsity Policy Debate and Varsity Chess teams for 2 years. He mentors the novice and JV teams for both. Kavin has been on varsity chess since freshman year, helping his team place in the top 4 Illinois teams every year at the State Tournament. Kavin is an avid policy debater, ranked nationally in the top 10 teams and enjoys teaching the novice and JV debaters at Payton as well as giving lectures at the Chicago Debate League to junior debaters. He has also been chosen by his soccer teammates and coaches to serve as the Co-Captain of the Payton Varsity Soccer team this fall season. Kavin’s field position is goalie. Kavin is an avid writer with an op-ed published in the Chicago Tribune in August 2026 titled “The implementation of Illinois’ phone ban in schools needs flexibility”. His philosophical essay on Animal Rights was chosen as a finalist in the international John Locke Essay Contest in 2025, and he was invited to London for the awards ceremony. In September 2026, Kavin was named as a 2027 National Merit Semifinalist. Kavin enjoys traveling, baking, and watching football and anything Star Wars.