Our team
Founder and Managing Director
David Garceran Nieuwenburg (2012 - present)
As a youth in the Netherlands, David earned a National Club Team title and received training from IM Cor van Wijgerden, co-creator of the Step Method.
David has played competitively in several countries and was briefly President of the Hong Kong Chess Federation in 2015 and returned as Director in 2023 and Vice President in 2024.
David is a certified FIDE National Instructor and a FIDE Arbiter and is passionate about promoting chess through teaching and organizing events locally and abroad.
David is a Fulbright Scholar and holds M.A and M.Sc Master's degrees from Leiden University and Erasmus University Rotterdam School of Management and went to the Johns Hopkins Paul H. Nitze School of Strategic Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington DC for his Ph.D.
Boxing, going to the gym and hiking with his dog, Bobby, are David's favorite free time activities.
Regional Head of Training
IM Matthew Tan (2018 - present)
Coach Matthew is an International Master with a degree in mathematics. As Head of Training, Matthew oversees our classes, curriculum and guidance of the students at the different tournaments.
A former youth national champion, he has represented the Netherlands at different international competitions with his best result a top 10 place at the European Championship U14. He achieved the FIDE Master title in 2008 and the International Master title in 2012.
A certified FIDE Trainer since 2018, with over two decades of teaching experience using the Step Method, Matthew blends his maths teaching background with his chess expertise.
Matthew has been coaching some of the top youngsters in Hong Kong to win several youth titles. His next goal is to bring them to the international stage and have them compete with the best in the world.
An active person, in his free time, Matthew can be found in the gym or on the hiking trails with his dog.
Osaka Branch Manager
Leonard Brinkmann
Leonard is from Germany and has a B.A. degree in Japanology. He started playing chess at the age of 8 and lives in Japan since 2016. He has ample experience in teaching chess in German, English and Japanese doing this online as well as over the board for many years.
As a chess player he played in various tournaments in Europe as well as Japan also winning a few smaller ones but is currently focused on chess education and organizing chess-related events in Japan (mainly Osaka). He is also the founder and active leader of Kashiwara Chess Club.
Chess has always been a huge part of his life and Leo thinks that chess contributed a lot to his well-being and enabled him to make good decisions in life. Being a chess lover himself he is passionate about promoting and conveying the joy of chess in Japan.
In his spare time he enjoys playing piano, reading and sometimes hiking.
Freelance Trainers
Trainer
CM Kan Nakahara
Nakahara became Japan Champion at the National Championships during Golden Week in May 2026.
Nakahara is a Candidate Master and was the Japan Youth Champion from 2019 to 2021. Born and raised in Japan, he began playing chess at the age of eight and has represented Japan in numerous international junior chess tournaments. He specializes in speed chess and has defeated grandmasters over 100 times in online chess! He is currently studying medicine at university while also being an active player.
He continues to devote his time to chess, participating in overseas tournaments during longer holidays and steadily improving his skills as a promising young player. Since 2023, he has led his team to the Japanese championship wins for three consecutive years, playing on a different team each year. He also has teaching experience, and his goal is to help students improve their skills while enjoying chess.
He wants as many people as possible to experience the joy of chess, and hopes to contribute to the spread of chess in Japan.
Trainer
Jonathan Leibowitz
Jonathan is from America, and was first introduced to the world of chess through the vibrant street chess culture in his home town of New York City. He started learning chess by playing with his grandfather, and then learning from the larger New York Chess Community. As a University student in Psychology who also works as a Japanese interpreter, he specializes in connecting and communicating between cultures.
Jonathan has learned chess through self study and consistent practice, learning how to teach and be taught through hours of analysis in the multiple chess clubs he has been a part of. He focuses on creating a welcoming atmosphere to play chess while members learn from each other.
Jonathan believes Chess has encouraged his growth as a human being. It has helped not only to sharpen his mind, but develop skills for overcoming challenges in life as well. Chess has been a teacher of many things to Jonathan, and he strives to return the favor and spread the benefits of chess to others.
Exploring Japan’s beautiful nature,(especially the mountains and sea of Kobe) is Jonathan’s favorite thing to do when not sitting behind a chess board.
Trainer
Tsogt-Ochir Bold
Tsogt-Ochir is from Mongolia and is currently pursuing a master's degree at the Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, as a MEXT Scholarship student.
Introduced to chess by his grandfather at the age of four, he developed a lifelong passion for the game. His father holds a national title, and one of his relatives was a Mongolian Youth Champion, providing him with an environment where chess was a natural part of his life from an early age. As a child, Tsogt-Ochir won a provincial youth chess championship.
After a long hiatus from chess training, he resumed in 2023. In 2024, he placed third in the Mongolian National Amateur Chess Championship, earning a national title.
Tsogt-Ochir believes that improving at chess requires creativity, precise calculation, consistent practice, and, above all, enjoying the learning process. As an instructor, he aims to build his students’ confidence, foster independent thinking, and help them develop not only strong chess skills but also a lifelong love for the game.
Outside of chess, he is an avid sports fan who enjoys playing and watching a wide variety of sports.
Interested in becoming a part of Caissa?
For inquiries feel free to contact our Osaka Branch Manager Leonard Brinkmann. Please note that it might take a few days to respond. We kindly ask for your understanding.
070-5432-6915