Jeffrey Ashton

17th Annual Summer Chess Camps 2026 For 17 years, Panda Chess Academy has hosted its summer camps at the same Westpark location in Houston. A fun and educational experience for scholastic chess players. Location Panda Chess Academy 9900 Westpark #252 Houston, TX 77063 Camp Director and Lead Instructor National Master Jeffrey Ashton Owner and Founder, Panda Chess Academy 2026 Camp Dates July 6-10, 2026: Intermediate to Advanced July 13-17, 2026: Intermediate to Advanced July 20-24, 2026: Beginner to Advanced July 27-31, 2026: Beginner to Advanced Weeks 1 and 2 are designed for students with prior tournament experience or established intermediate playing strength. Schedule Full Day: 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM Full Day campers should bring a nut-free lunch. Morning Session (Half Day): 9:00 AM - 11:45 AM Afternoon Session (Half Day): 12:45 PM - 3:30 PM Regular Drop-off (Full Day and Morning Session): 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM Early Drop-off: 7:30 AM - 8:30 AM ($20 per day; $100 per week) Late Pickup: 3:30 ...

Panda Chess Academy Closure Notice Dear Families, Due to expected winter weather conditions, Panda Chess Academy will be closed on Saturday, January 24, from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM at our Westpark location (9900 Westpark Dr #252). Forecasts call for cold rain throughout the day, gusty winds, and temperatures dropping toward freezing by evening. Weather conditions are expected to change throughout the day, which can lead to unpredictable traffic and road conditions, making travel unsafe even during earlier class times. Some local organizations have already adjusted Saturday schedules out of caution, including the Houston Zoo (closed) , and area school districts that have canceled weekend activities, and we are choosing to prioritize the safety of our students and families. Make-Up Options A make-up class will be added to the end of the semester, or You may choose a credit toward future classes and other acti...

  I’ve been coaching chess for a while, and there’s one habit I’ve considered changing: when I give a student a good puzzle and they get stuck, I usually end up giving away the answer that same day. When I was younger, I told myself that someday, when I’m older and wiser, I would change this habit. Today, I decided to try being old and wise. While waiting for a child to be picked up from chess camp, I showed a student one of my favorite puzzles. He couldn’t solve it (no one can) and asked me for the answer. I printed the puzzle, added this caption, and put my name and the date on it: “This is the only time in your life seeing this puzzle for the first time.” Then I laminated it and gave it to the student. By the way, this is the first time I’ve laminated a chess puzzle and given it to a student. I’m not really into laminating, but I have a laminator and hundreds of laminating sheets… After the student left, out of curiosity, I asked ChatGPT if the caption was okay. I kind of liked ...

I got a nice surprise yesterday—someone let me know that US Chess added a photo of me and my son, along with a short testimonial I wrote, to their official Mission and Vision page. It means a lot to me. That part of the website focuses on the values behind the game—what chess can teach us, and the kind of impact it can have beyond just wins and losses. Over the years, I’ve come to appreciate those parts of the game more and more, especially as a parent and coach. If you’d like to take a look, here’s the link: https://new.uschess.org/mission-and-vision

Gemini did a deeper report, but I liked what ChatGPT has to say     https://chatgpt.com/share/684540b0-d78c-8001-8f79-990c88095ed6

As a tournament director, I'm required to do this once a year, and I wish organizations require chess coaches to do something like this.  https://new.uschess.org/safe-play-testimonials  

Out of curiosity, I asked Google Gemini Pro (Deep Research 2.5) to generate a biography of “chess player Jeffrey Ashton,” and I was pleasantly surprised by what it produced. The profile was thoughtful, well-written, and even brought up parts of my chess journey I had nearly forgotten. For example, I had no real memory of serving as president of the UTDallas chess team   What impressed me most was how the biography stayed grounded in facts while still presenting a genuinely positive view. It pulled from over 20 sources that were not written by me, along with two that were—this blog and a couple of ChessBase articles. Overall, it was a nice reminder of the path I’ve taken in the chess world. Here’s the biography!  https://chessprep.com/3YN2hCO