Ribnick receives national Award for Excellence in Chess Education

Nicollet Middle School chess coach Brian Ribnick recently received the Andy Lerner Award for Excellence in Chess Education from Chess in the Schools. The award recognizes educators’ impact on the chess community and students, with alignment to Chess in the Schools’ mission and the values of youth enrichment through chess education.

“It meant a whole heck of a lot. It felt like a culminating event for all my years of coaching. It’s probably one of the highest honors a chess educator in America could win, so to be there was very moving and extremely meaningful,” said Ribnick. “I was certainly surprised to get the award, but very grateful.”

The ceremony was held May 29 in New York City. The last time Ribnick was there, he was busy coaching his team at a national tournament—so he was happy to have a little more time to be a tourist this time around.

“It was very exciting to be in New York City and have time to explore it. Last time I was there I was with 25 junior high kids, so it was a little more stressful,” Ribnick said. “Some of my idols in the chess coaching world were there, people who have had books and movies made about them, so it was pretty special for me to be able to talk to some of them.”

Ribnick is a retired District 191 teacher. In his 54-year coaching career, Ribnick’s teams have won 36 state middle school championships, five national scholastic championships and 18 first-place division finishes at nationals—most recently this spring, when Nicollet Middle School again claimed the top spot in their division.

Ribnick’s love of chess started when his dad taught him the game at age 10 or 11. That spark became a lifelong passion after he began working with coach Larry Lampert.

“I instantly fell in love with it, and then I went on to work with a coach that was extremely inspirational and taught me to love it even more,” he said.

Lampert helped Ribnick land his first chess coaching job, and Ribnick enjoyed it so much he changed his college major from engineering to education.

“I was having so much fun coaching and teaching, a lot more fun than engineering, so I switched to become a math and science teacher,” Ribnick said.

He began coaching at his former junior high in St. Louis Park, where he led the team to back-to-back state titles in 1978 and ’79. In 1980, he began teaching in Burnsville, where the chess coach at Nicollet Middle School was more than happy to hand over the reins.

Over the years, Ribnick found joy in the immediate progress his students made as they learned the game and applied new strategies.

“You can see so quickly the results of your coaching. You can see students get better and start beating other people and doing well in tournaments,” he said. “I enjoyed getting that real good positive feedback.”

He also cherished the long-term growth chess inspired—especially the confidence students carried with them beyond the board.

“One of the stories I told in my speech (in New York City) was of a student who in his first year or two would lose practically every game because he was afraid to make a move. We kept giving him positive affirmations and by his last year with our club he finished fifth in his section of nationals,” Ribnick said. “He said thank you for helping me believe in myself. That type of thing will go a long way in life, not just on the chess board—getting kids to believe in themselves.”

That belief, he said, has helped hundreds of his former students succeed not just in chess, but in life.

“I want them to see that if they work hard they can be the best in the country. You can apply that to any area of your life that you pursue. They can be the best if they understand the habits of what it takes to be the best—work hard, set high goals, and believe in yourself,” he said. “I’ve been very fortunate to see huge development from students in more areas than just the chess boards. They’ve had fantastic careers and it’s gratifying to see how far they’ve come in their lives.”