United StatesAbout me
I am 31 years old. I've been coaching chess since 2009 and teaching chess to private students since 2012. I started teaching chess full time in 2016 when I was hired by the Renaissance Knights Chess Club in Chicago. I've since moved out of the city and continue to teach full time both online and in person.
Playing experience
I began studying chess in 2007 when I was 16. In high school in 2008, I was the only player to beat FM Albert Chow in a 30+ board simul at Aurora Central Catholic High School. In 2009, I won the division 2 state individual championship in Illinois. I also led my team to a top 25 finish as 1st board.
In the 2 years that I played for the ICCA (Illinois Chess Coaches Association) after high school, I competed in numerous open tournaments held at high schools and accumulated a rating of 2000+.
I started playing tournament chess again in 2018 after a 6 year break. Through 5-6 tournaments and a performance rating of over 2000 I raised my USCF rating to 1851, FIDE rating to 1830, and USCF blitz to 1971.
I took another break from tournament chess to focus on teaching but started playing again in 2022. I won the Class A section of the Chicago Class with 4.5/5. I also finished 4/4 at the USAT North including an NM scalp raising my USCF to 1941 and FIDE to 1839.
My tournament playing is sparse as most of my focus is on teaching and growing chess in my community. I began building the Kankakee County Chess League, which is in its 5th season, to regrow what used to be a bustling chess scene. The league ranges from beginners to USCF 1850, plus myself. I won the first 4 Kankakee County Championships, donated the prize fund back into the pool for the next season, and grew a modest 8 player league to 45 players (30 active).
In the 2 years that I played for the ICCA (Illinois Chess Coaches Association) after high school, I competed in numerous open tournaments held at high schools and accumulated a rating of 2000+.
I started playing tournament chess again in 2018 after a 6 year break. Through 5-6 tournaments and a performance rating of over 2000 I raised my USCF rating to 1851, FIDE rating to 1830, and USCF blitz to 1971.
I took another break from tournament chess to focus on teaching but started playing again in 2022. I won the Class A section of the Chicago Class with 4.5/5. I also finished 4/4 at the USAT North including an NM scalp raising my USCF to 1941 and FIDE to 1839.
My tournament playing is sparse as most of my focus is on teaching and growing chess in my community. I began building the Kankakee County Chess League, which is in its 5th season, to regrow what used to be a bustling chess scene. The league ranges from beginners to USCF 1850, plus myself. I won the first 4 Kankakee County Championships, donated the prize fund back into the pool for the next season, and grew a modest 8 player league to 45 players (30 active).
Teaching experience
My coaching experience began as an unofficial coach for the Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School chess team. In the few years I coached and played there I helped them achieve 3 top 25 finishes in Illinois as well as a 13-0 conference record in the SWSC.
After moving to Chicago, I then decided to build a business as a chess coach. This began with tutoring chess on Wyzant.com, where I accumulated 200+ total reviews of all 5 stars. My wyzant profile can be found here: www.wyzant.com/match/tutor/82057970
I was then hired to teach for the Renaissance Knights chess club where I ran chess programs in different schools all over Chicago. I've since moved out of the city and make a living teaching about 20 students each week, coaching tennis, and running chess events in my community.
Since moving out of the city, I started a chess team at Bishop McNamara Catholic High School. Despite starting late and only half of our team having more than a few months of experience, we qualified for State in our first partial season. Next season, our first full season with a full lineup, we went undefeated in conference, placed 7th/24 in sectionals, and 3rd in 1A at the State Tournament.
After moving to Chicago, I then decided to build a business as a chess coach. This began with tutoring chess on Wyzant.com, where I accumulated 200+ total reviews of all 5 stars. My wyzant profile can be found here: www.wyzant.com/match/tutor/82057970
I was then hired to teach for the Renaissance Knights chess club where I ran chess programs in different schools all over Chicago. I've since moved out of the city and make a living teaching about 20 students each week, coaching tennis, and running chess events in my community.
Since moving out of the city, I started a chess team at Bishop McNamara Catholic High School. Despite starting late and only half of our team having more than a few months of experience, we qualified for State in our first partial season. Next season, our first full season with a full lineup, we went undefeated in conference, placed 7th/24 in sectionals, and 3rd in 1A at the State Tournament.
Best skills
I am especially skilled with long term students. Most of my serious chess teaching was in the form of beginners (<1000) who joined my high school chess team. Many of these students achieved ratings of 1400-1700 within 2-3 years.
Teaching methodology
My teaching philosophy begins with thoroughly learning the rules of the game including all of the intricacies of pawn promotions, castling, and en passant. Then some very basic chess strategy is necessary. Things like controlling the center of the board, developing your pieces to form an effective attack, keeping your king safe, and being aware of your opponent's threats will immensely improve a beginner's chess ability.
After this, studying chess tactics becomes crucial for the player looking to improve quickly. A mastery of chess tactics supplemented with a firm grasp of the endgame is the most effective road to chess success. Once students have a strong grasp of tactics and the endgame, we can then look into developing an opening repertoire that would be suitable for tournaments. This is the general roadmap for my teaching. In reality, I can be much more flexible to meet the demands of students and their tournament schedules.
My students who put in a lot of work in between lessons will get a lot out of chess and me as well. I'm very happy to provide support, answer questions, and play practice games in between lessons whenever I can.
After this, studying chess tactics becomes crucial for the player looking to improve quickly. A mastery of chess tactics supplemented with a firm grasp of the endgame is the most effective road to chess success. Once students have a strong grasp of tactics and the endgame, we can then look into developing an opening repertoire that would be suitable for tournaments. This is the general roadmap for my teaching. In reality, I can be much more flexible to meet the demands of students and their tournament schedules.
My students who put in a lot of work in between lessons will get a lot out of chess and me as well. I'm very happy to provide support, answer questions, and play practice games in between lessons whenever I can.