Joe's Bio

Joe Hanley has been teaching chess to youth and adults for over 24 years. He went to college at Long Beach State and graduated with a Bachelors of Business Administration degree in 1991. Joe learned chess from his father when he was 8 years old. In Junior High, he was introduced to tournament chess by the well-known chess teacher Dewain Barber. Since then, Joe has held a lifelong passion for chess and believes wholeheartedly in the value of learning and playing chess.

Joe was a serious player in major chess competitions from 1978 and 2002. In 1991, he earned the title of United States Master from the U.S. Chess Federation. During this time, Joe won 64 games against master level (2200-2600 USCF) players including 2 Grandmasters and 6 International Masters (the 2 highest titles achievable in the world other than World Champion). Joe was the Champion of the Master section at the U.S. Open Championship in Hawaii in 1995, a tournament that had some of the best players in the US.

Through his years of chess playing, Joe was able to see first-hand how the game trains the mind for focusing, strategic thinking, problem-solving and critical analysis. These skills greatly enhance intellectual pursuits such as tackling complex math and technical subjects as well as impart life lessons of hard work, self-confidence and self-responsibility. From 2004-2006, Joe was a teacher of advanced math (pre-algebra, geometry and Algebra) at a private school in Cypress CA. In this capacity, Joe also found his love of teaching and coaching. For several years, Joe was a referee for water polo, swimming, and basketball. In 2002, he was invited by the NBA into its referee development program where he continued to referee minor league and college basketball until 2009.
In January 2008, Joe was able to combine both his love of chess and teaching by opening the Hanley Chess Academy (HCA). At HCA, Joe provides chess education and practice through private lessons, group classes, weekly tournaments, and training for major chess competitions. In the last 6 years, Joe has trained 8 Individual National Champions and three National Champion Teams. His students include(d): Joaquin Perkins (winner of 4 titles in FL 2010, Texas 2009, Irvine 2011 and Burlingame 2012), Kyle Perkovich (1st place in the D section at the US Open in 2010), Ryan Perkovich (1st Place Class E in 2010), Charles Tang (the Champion of 16 and Under at the National Chess Congress in 2012) and Daniel Pascoe (the Champion of 20 and Under at the National Junior Chess Congress in 2013), Marcus Vasquez, (1st Place in International Youth Championship in Las Vegas, NV; 5-0 perfect score with 82 total players. Joe has also trained two teams to National Championships in December 2011, January 2013, and June 2015.