Danny Kopec is one of the most talented home-bred chess players in the United States. Dr. Kopec was New York High School Champion at 14, National Master at 17, Scottish Champion in 1980, 2nd-equal in the Canadian Closed in 1984, and International Master in 1985. He is an active player, journalist, writer, chess educator and scholar.
His competitive results with top-flight chess professionals have always been remarkable. He has also delivered many chess courses, lectures, and published five highly recognized chess books and produced five highly acclaimed instructional videos (12.5 hours). His Kopec’s Chess Camp, with Hal Terrie as Associate Director, has become world renowned.
In parallel with his chess career, Dr. Kopec has pursued an academic career in computer science with research in artificial intelligence, software methodology, and computer science education. In recent years he has been focused on the area of ERRORS -- and how they can be avoided in the medical field, by programmers, and by chess players. He is graduate deputy chair and associate professor in the Department of Computer and Information Science at Brooklyn College, CUNY.
For more than 20 years Kopec has been testing and evaluating hundreds of human and machine chess players in the UK, Canada, and US in order to quantify their overall chess strength, their specific deficiencies and definite abilities. In bridging his chess and academic interests, Kopec has developed a reputation as perhaps the world’s greatest exponent of chess knowledge. His recent book, Test, Evaluate, and Improve Your Chess: a knowledge-based approach (2nd ed., 2003, USCF Press) represents a large portion of Dr. Kopec’s overall efforts to help chess players understand and achieve the knowledge necessary to achieve chess mastery.