How To Find a Chess Coach Online

Coaches aren’t just instructors–they're also mentors, supporters, role models, and more. Whether they’re working with professionals or amateurs, coaches play a huge role in the development of their athletes as competitors and as people. As basketball coach John Wooden once said, “A good coach can change a game; a great coach can change a life.”

No matter which sport or activity you’re hoping to sign your child up for, finding the right coach can be difficult. For chess in particular, the traits of an ideal coach can differ from level to level. Let’s take a look at the key things you need to know before choosing a chess coach online:

• What makes a good coach for children
• Types of online chess coaches and where to find them
• Traits of good chess coaches for beginners, intermediate students, and advanced players

Core Attributes of a Good Youth Coach

• Compete: Give 100% effort in lessons, practice games, and competitive matches.
• Learn: Be an open, eager learner who is flexible and willing to adjust your playing style as needed. Focus more on growth than outcome, and remember that mistakes are necessary to improve. Look at each game as an opportunity to learn and develop.
• Honor: Respect yourself, your opponents, your coaches, and the game. Take responsibility for how you play, including your mistakes. Show good sportsmanship and maintain a belief that there is always a chance to play better and improve in your next game, whether you win or lose.

Well-trained coaches will follow the core tenets of this approach, according to youth sports advocacy organization Project Play’s coach quality checklist for parents. A trustworthy coach will also make an effort to get to know your child, adapt their teaching style to best suit the way your child learns, and always keep things fun.

At Silver Knights, our coaches follow the guiding principles of the “Compete-Learn-Honor” model at every level by prioritizing effort over victory, teaching students who’ve lost a game to focus more on the lessons they can learn than the loss itself, and encouraging kids to try their best at all times and show excellent sportsmanship no matter what. 

Finding a Chess Coach Online

There are two types of chess coaches: private tutors and group instructors. For some students, one-on-one instruction is ideal, but for most kids, group lessons actually offer better opportunities for growth. Private lessons often restrict students to a single opponent–their coach–while group classes provide frequent chances to compete against other kids of a similar skill level.

To find a private coach, use a reputable website or organization with vetted instructors. A good place to begin your search is Chess.com, which hosts dozens of coaches of all skill levels and teaching styles. Many local or regional chess clubs also have coaches available for private lessons. Search “[nearest metropolitan area] chess club” and check out the group’s website to see if any of its members offer scholastic tutoring.

If the benefits of group classes sound more appealing, consider signing your child up for our online chess Academy program. We offer nine class levels, flexible scheduling, and month-to-month memberships that include free bonus classes, online tournaments, and more. Our expert chess coaches are trained to provide age and ability-appropriate instruction for any child, whether they’re brand new to the game or an experienced player.

What To Look For in a Chess Coach

Young learners require different types of coaching and support as they progress through their chess study. A total beginner who’s struggling to deal with the emotional elements of chess (most frequently the frustration of repeated losses) for the first time has different coaching needs than a state champion preparing to head to Nationals. 

When looking for a chess coach for your child, aim to find someone who’s specifically trained to teach students of your child’s age and skill level. Here are some of the qualities a good beginner, intermediate, or advanced chess coach will possess.

Beginner Chess Players

First and foremost, a chess coach for a beginner should be an excellent communicator who’s skilled at breaking down complex concepts into simple terms. At this stage, it’s less important for a coach to be a titled player than it is for them to be encouraging, passionate, and focused on making chess fun for your child. They should be attentive to your child’s learning style and personality and give individualized feedback that will help your child progress without making them feel discouraged.

A beginner-level coach will be your child’s first mentor on good sportsmanship in chess, so whoever you choose should lead by example and model excellent sportsmanship at all times. As they teach your child how to play the game, a good coach should also teach the importance of losing to a chess player’s development and help your child learn how to accept (and learn from) their losses. Grandmaster Anish Giri touched on this topic in a recent event with our students and had this to say:

“Losing is painful—and it should be. If a loss didn’t hurt, you wouldn’t grow from it. Even top players like Carlsen or Nakamura feel the sting of losing. The goal is to bounce back and play the next game as if nothing happened. The best way to recover is to stick to your process and remember your next game matters more than the last one.”

Intermediate Chess Players

At the intermediate level, coaches should continue to provide encouragement and emotional support while giving more refined feedback on the details of your child’s play. This might include their use of time or tactics, application of opening principles, or the quality of their trades, just to name a few. 

A great intermediate coach will also make the next level of concepts exciting and explain why they’re important to learn. Depending on the student and their knowledge base, this could be anything from new checkmating patterns and their defenses to pawn structure and beyond.

Chess coaches help students develop into strong players.

Many students at the intermediate level hurry through their games and fail to take advantage of their time allotment, so look for a coach who will stress the importance of slowing down and help your child develop good chess habits. It’s like taking a test in school–do you rush through the questions, circle the first answer you see, and turn it in before checking any of your work, or do you stop to read each question and answer again to make sure you didn’t overlook anything before you hand the test to the teacher? The same idea applies to each turn in a chess game.

Advanced Chess Players

Advanced students will focus less on the emotional side of the game, which most have mastered, and instead use lesson time to go deeper into chess theory. Good coaches will show students how the concepts they’ve studied thus far present in high-level games, including the coach’s own tournament games, and expand upon those foundations.

"A coach is someone who sees beyond your limits and guides you to greatness." - Michael Jordan

At this level, it’s important for a coach to be a rated or titled player with total mastery of all elements of chess. They should be able to speak from experience, offer thorough analysis of your child's games, and help further refine technique.

Many advanced students are competitive players, so a good coach will help students prepare for tournament play, whether that means exploring lines of a particular opening or helping a discouraged player overcome a plateau and rediscover their joy for chess. They’ll also be able to help your child set goals, identify problem areas by analyzing their games, and help them achieve those goals by adjusting their study and training program.

Final Thoughts

Don’t underestimate the impact a great coach can have on your child’s chess journey–and don’t underestimate the impact a bad coach can have, either. When choosing a coach, make sure to pick someone who will meet your child where they’re at skill-wise and provide the best style of instruction to usher them on to the next level and beyond. It may take a bit of leg work to find the right fit, but the results will be worth it.

If the thought of searching far and wide for the perfect coach sounds daunting, Silver Knights has you covered. From those who specialize in teaching beginners to the grandmasters who teach our Elite Academy classes, our staff features trained, screened, and trusted coaches for every skill level. As your child progresses from one group to the next, we have a great coach ready to take them under their wing and lead them to chess success–no research required. Try a $5 trial chess class today to see what our Academy program is all about.