From the Chess Coach’s perspective

From the Chess Coach’s perspective

from the Chess Coach's perspective

What I have experienced as a Chess coach observing the process of ‘UNDERSTANDOING’Β 

Yes you read it right. It is not a typo and it stands for doing things right by understanding them first. I would like to share my experience from the Chess Coach’s perspective in coachingΒ juniors, who are improving rapidly. They are also getting positively addicted to the game. I have been varying my training methods to ensure that the interest levels are sustained for a long time and compared to when I started some 8 years back, made some observations and corrections vis-a-vis my coaching/training regimen.

I believe that at present I there is a good amount of involvement and drive in the children, and that is due to the different approach to remolding their thinking.

Let me hear from you if you have had any similar experience so that we may learn from it and benefit.

Here are my observations on what I think are important factors to be considered when coaching children:

Difference between children and adults:

What I have found is that there is a difference between juniors and adults in terms of interest areas.

Juniors are way too interested in competition and thrill, while adults like to arm themselves with concepts and have a learning approach to the game.

I have also found that children who do not have any thing forcibly thrust on them tend to do weaker than the children who have a fixed homework schedule.Β  Not only fixed but studiously followed.

Some discipline is usually expected here.

From the Chess Coach’s perspective – Learning by teaching.

The Master and the student.

The meeting point when children sit with me is also not trivial (for me), in my experience. I have achieved a fulfillment when the entire class sits and contributes, rather than just the bright kids. In order to avoid this disparity I usually break down the position to make it digestible to the weaker or younger kids after having given everyone some time to think about a tactical position.

I make it a point to get a written answer rather than a verbal one as it helps maintain track of each and every kid while keeping the answer hidden as long as possible. And in the rarest cases when everyone falters in getting the right answer I follow the pattern of mental imaging and visual guiding.

There are a few kids who I consider as the brighter ones but they too sometimes fail to get the right answers after 10 minutes or so. In such cases two things happen.

  1. I take this opportunity to pamper a weaker player to perfect his answer if he somehow intuits the correct move but fails to see the follow-up continuation properly.
  2. My analogy is to see the chessboard like an eagle flying over it and approach any middlegame position after getting a grip on what actually is the problem in that position. This helps in understanding. I will divulge more about this method later.

Β 


Some books are great a must-read and learn to improve your chess.

from the Chess Coach's perspectiveAt present I have a few good books going. To generate interest I usually start with 1000 Checkmate Combinations that brings the stronger players’ forward and also is not that difficult for the weaker players to rub shoulders. I do around 10-12 positions at most to kick-start the momentum.

Then I move into theΒ Chess School Series by Ivaschenko that is quite a handful for the entire group.

It makes everyone sweat!

After 4-5 positions of great difficulty the weaker players get the hang of it and they start chipping in with their intuition guiding them now rather than brute force calculation.

The internal dialog starts and then understanding sinks in after the warm-up session, by solving 6-8 positions. It’s akin to the people with defective eyesight getting a sudden burst of clarity by using some corrective lenses.

My job here is to make them see the position in its entirety.

Tip for fellow chess coaches: –

Sometimes I have to get my thoughts in focus and need some warm-up myself to answer or refute the wrong variations. It is fun to see children catching my ruse; the stronger ones need to haveΒ  proper visualization skills to see my ruse while the weaker ones don’t see it coming for a long time till they play it out manually!

Mistakes by stronger students:

I usually frown upon the ‘silly’ mistakes made by stronger players as it shows their weakest link in the chain. This area is where they will falter while in a tournament. In this regard girls are better than boys as they have a better discipline and understand the importance of good thinking habits. The books may vary – the orientation may vary but the mental self- discipline is something that I stress all students right from day one.

Then comes the playing part:

I make them play blitz and if the class strength is good they play a mini tourney. That way the session is lively and interesting. While they play I also remind them of the the “viewing from a higher vantage point” to separate the woods from the trees (‘see the chessboard like an eagle’ and ‘approach any middlegame position as a human’). That way they have a sense of satisfaction when they implement the tactics they have just recently learnt and it brings a big smile on my face.


My question to you is –

Should I allow take-backs and not enforce touch-piece rules while they are training? Also should there be a difference in this according to the strength of students?

Your comments are always welcome…


Oh BTW – Empire Chess is offering a huge discount on digital and hard copies! Make sure you get the deals while they last.

Important Thumb rules for the opening stage in chess

Important Thumb rules for the opening stage in chess

Important Thumb rules for the opening stage in chess

(also called – 90% rule for a reason)

Important Thumb rules for the opening stage

Important Thumb rules for the opening stage


After almost two decades of teaching Chess, I observed some principles in chess need to be simplified. So…

Here are my Important Thumb rules for the opening stage in chess

Intro:

When a new student wants to join our academy for chess classes I ask him if he knows to play chess.
They confirm that they can beat their family members and due to that, they want to try chess as a professional sport.
Then I make them play with some younger students in the academy and they think that these tiny kids will be no match to them.
Then the fun starts.

 

Important Thumb rules for the opening stage in chess

Knowing the Important Thumb rules for the opening stage helps kids get a decent position in chess

13 Free Smart Chess Training Ideas That Actually Work

These new students though much older than my junior students, get ripped apart slowly and they have a puzzled look on their face.Β 

Having seen the puzzled look on most of the older kids when they lose to someone much younger than them,

I felt it was a gross injustice to the elder newbies who were lost due to a lack of knowledge of the opening principles.

I believe Chess must be first taught in chunks and only then can the full picture be slowly understood.

MemorizeΒ them and see your game improve or at least achieve some decent amount of coherence.

But before memorizing them, remember that they are also called 90% rules. That is because they are applicable only 90% of the time and depend on the position.

Caveat: Please take these rules with a pinch of salt and follow them with discretion.

 


Important Thumb rules for the opening stage

  • The simplest way to start the game is to occupy the center of the board with a pawn.
    Start by advancing your central pawns (d-pawn and e-pawn) to control the center of the board. This helps in establishing a strong position and gives your pieces more mobility.
     
  • Develop your Knights and Bishops as quickly as possible (usually Knights before Bishops).
    Bring out your Knights and Bishops to active squares as quickly as possible. Knights are often developed before Bishops, as they can jump over other pieces.
     
  • Castle early, usually on the Kingside, to make your King safe. This move protects the King behind a wall of pawns and activates the Rook. 
  • Don’t move the same piece twice in the opening – except to make or evade capture. Each move should help in the development of your other pieces or control of the board. 
  • Don’t bring the Queen out early, unless you can win something (or give a checkmate) by doing so. Instead, focus on developing minor pieces and securing a solid position before involving the Queen in attacking play. 
  • The Rooks are the last pieces to be developed, They should be placed on open files or central squares not blocked by pawns, increasing their scope and control. 
  • Don’t develop pieces by blocking your other pieces, instead, strive for a harmonious placement where each piece supports others and has room for maneuvering. 
  • Don’t make too many pawn moves at the start of the game. Move your two central pawns, and sometimes also your c-pawn to fight for the center. Excessive pawn moves can lead to weaknesses and hinder piece development Also remember that pawns cannot move backwards! 
  • Don’t move your f-, g- and h-pawns in the opening – you will need those to remain unmoved to defend your King when you castle on the Kingside. These pawns serve as a protective shield for the King after castling. 
  • Be careful about grabbing pawns in the opening, when you are yet to develop pieces, fully. Such moves can lead to a loss of time or expose your pieces to attacks.

I cannot stress how important it is to adhere to these Important Thumb rules for the opening stage in chess – at least till you have a decent rating of say 1500. Till then these thumb-rules will serve as guideposts and will help you navigate through the black and white jungle.

If you are above 1500 elo rating then I suggest you look at this video

 

7 Mistakes In Chess Tactics Training +2 Bonus Training Methods

These principles not only guide you on how to play the opening stage in chess but also help to make sense of more advanced opening ideas.

After that, you are free to do what you deem fit πŸ™‚

Psychology of Chess Weaknesses | 4 Easy Hacks


Suggested reading:

Tournament Chess Set Triple Weighted – 100% satisfied!

Correct Attitude to Learning chess | 5 Tips to success

3 Important Questions To Ask Before a Chess Move

The Tao Of Chess: 200 Principles to Transform Your Game and Your Life

Thumb-rules for the opening stage

 

Even more reading

Thumb-rules for the opening stage

Which is stronger – Bishop or Knight – Part – 2

Which is stronger – Bishop or Knight – Part – 2

Which is stronger – Bishop or Knight

We were discussing Which is stronger – Bishop or Knight in ourΒ previous post.

In this part – Which is stronger – Bishop or Knight – Part – 2 I am going to show you a classic game played between Gligoric and Trifunovic in which Knight is proved to be superior to a Bishop.

This is somewhat an achievement!

This caught my eye as something that deserves a separate post as a showcase for this topic.

Which is stronger – Bishop or Knight

Gligoric vs Trifunovic

.

You can post your doubts if any!