As you'll see from the bios below, some OSCO board members have technical expertise in chess, but not all of us do! Here are two things  we all have in common: gratitude for how OSCO has benefitted our kids, and the desire to say "thanks" in a meaningful way that will keep this organization going for the next crop of newcomers. 

 

The OSCO membership elects board members to serve two-year terms. Elections are held annually at our state championship. Families have one vote per scholastic member. For members under the age of 16, a parent or guardian may vote. (Membership is granted to any player who has participated in an OSCO event during the current academic year.)

Once elected, the policy board meets to select officers. This year, the board met on June 30 in Oklahoma City. 

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OSCO policy board 2025-26​

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Mike Waters 

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Mike Waters has a Master’s degree in electrical engineering from Oklahoma State University and is currently works in a management role for engineering  and product at ZAYO Telecommunications . He is an advocate for teaching chess to scholastic age kids and currently runs the Jenks Chess Club with help from his family. Mike earned his Local tournament director certification in 2024.

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Feng Li 

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Feng "Fiby" Li  represents Casady School on the OSCO board. Her son, high school senior Raymond Jiang, has been playing tournament chess for seven years. Fiby credits the hard work of OSCO volunteers for making Raymond's introduction to tournament chess such a positive one. 

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"I decided to volunteer to pay back this chess community that has served my son and I so well," she said. "This position allows me to utilize what I know to help chess kids in Oklahoma while continuing to improve myself alongside my son." ​

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Debasish Roy Choudhury 

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Debasish works for IBM as an IT professional. Along with his wife, Sanghamita, he runs the Edmond Chess Club and helps out at the Moore Chess Club. His sons are active players at both clubs and participate regularly at scholastic and open tournaments.

 

Along with his family, Debasish is an enthusiastic advocate for youth chess, looking for any opportunity to encourage other families to give it a try.  Unlike video games, he said, chess is a brain game that requires complex analysis and sustained focus and concentration—skills that also help players in academics. “Every parent should  encourage their children to spend some time on chess,” he said.

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He said volunteering for OSCO is important so more kids can have the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of chess, he said, noting that Oklahoma’s scholastic chess community is among the fastest-growing in the nation.  “Many exceptional rising players are representing OSCO at the national level and in many out-of-state tournaments,” he said.

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Levi Applegate

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Sajish Pavithran

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​Jason Spurlock

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Jinxiu (Mary) Yuan

 

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