Prodigy Program - May 2015 Registration Open!

This is a fully updated article regarding Chess.com University's Prodigy Program. Please read this post in its entirety if you are a new student or a prospective student wanting to join the program in May. Most importantly, registration for all three sections of the Prodigy Program is now open for the May, 2015 month of the program.

Want your child to become a chess prodigy? Yes? So do we! Or are you an adult and want to master chess yourself? Great, we will get you there! Read on to learn more about our program.

*Chess.com University's Prodigy Program*

Master Chess at Any Age, Within 5 Years

This online super-coaching program by Chess.com University is designed to create chess prodigies out of youth players and take them, or any chess player, to master-level within 5 years. By offering high-quality live lessons, detailed study plans, relevant homework, and unlimited guidance from our world-class team of coaches, we have created a program that can take any chess player from beginner to master within 5 years! The Chess.com University Prodigy Program is for kids as well as adults. It is open to chess players of all ages.

Important Information:

- Taught by Kairav Joshi, Chess.com's officially best-selling coach and President of Chess.com University, along with FM Dalton Perrine, FM Arne Jochens, GM Alex Yermolinsky, and many other top coaches. Other grandmasters involved, mostly as guest instructors, include former USCF (U.S. Chess Federation) President GM Maxim Dlugy, former Ukrainian National Champion GM Valeriy Aveskulov, famous American coach GM Ben Finegold, and many more!

- At least 12 hours of live online classes per month spread out over 8 to 10 sessions. The live lessons will also be recorded and uploaded online so students can review them.

- Detailed weekly study plan (an awesome 7-page PDF sent each week!)

- An online correspondence tournament each month.

- A simul with a chess master (sometimes grandmaster) each month.

- Two games analyses per student, usually through email but sometimes live.

- Full email support for all students. Unlimited guidance and tips!

- Tuition: $150/month per student.

- Live lessons will be taught mostly on weekends between 8:30 AM and 1:30 PM PDT (Pacific Time U.S./Canada). One of the lessons may be held on a Monday.

- The 900 ELO and 1200 ELO sections of the Prodigy Program launched with over 100 kids and adults in December, 2014. The third section of the Prodigy Program, the 1500+ ELO section, started in January, 2015. The program has continued to grow since then. New students are able to join in during any month. Each month is designed to be a course it itself making it easy for new students to join.

Key Areas of Study in May, 2015:

900: The basics of positional play, important pawn structures to understand, general strategy, and tactical pattern recognition.

1200: Improving at positional play, important pawn structures to understand, general strategy, step-by-step planning, improving calculation and visualization while trying to master common tactical patterns and become a tactically proficient player.

1500: Intermediate positional play, imbalances and how they affect your plans, understanding positional advantages and weaknesses, planning in static positions, opening repertoire for White vs. Sicilian, and some openings for Black.

Prospective students who would like to join the 900, 1200, or 1500 section starting in May are allowed to do so but it may make sense to go through the recorded version of the Prodigy Program for previous months. The recorded packages are available for purchase for $150 and contain all the material for the program from that month.

If you would like to purchase past material, please email kairavjoshi@chess.com. Note that due to high email volume, we may not be able to get back to you right away.

*The May lessons of the 900+, 1200+, and 1500+ USCF/FIDE sections begin on Sunday, May 10th, 2015 at 10:00 AM PDT.

Note: While the sections have not been renamed, they are now covering material aimed at a more advanced audience. For example, the 900 section can be thought of as a 1050+ section, and so on.

Note: Our ratings refers to the standard over-the-board rating system. Rating systems that are used by FIDE, USCF, CFC, etc., are Elo or similiar to Elo. Online ratings tend to be inflated, sometimes heavily at the lower rating levels. A 1500 correspondence rating on Chess.com may indicate an actual strength of near 1200.

Understand that what we are offering is indeed a beginner-to-master program. Adults who join the program have an excellent chance at achieving that elusive chess master distinction. Parents who sign up their kids can (and should) expect their children to improve at chess very quickly. I myself have sent an 8-year-old student to the world youth championships and have numerous student competing and winning at the state and national levels. Let me tell you that we can certainly make your child a chess prodigy too! In fact, several Prodigy Program students have already won school, club, city, and state championships!

Our prodigy program will continue for a long time. Students can join in or opt out at any time. We expect that youth players who study in our program for a few years will end up being among the best players in their age group. But those who only study with us for a few months will still improve by leaps and bounds. Our rate of $150/month offers unbeatable value. With our detailed, guided study plan in addition to the live lessons, the amount students learn each month may be equivalent to about 25-30 one-on-one hourly lessons with coaches. If the typical skilled coach charges $30/hr, that would cost $900/month!

With Chess.com University, it is $150/month and that is paying for the highest-quality of chess instruction available anywhere. That is paying for neverending tips and guidance. That is paying for the opportunity to learn from the best chess coaches while also getting a chance to interact with top chess players. Certainly, we will have super-GMs, perhaps even former world chess champions, as guest instructors too! If you truly love chess and want to get better quickly, sign up for the world's best chess-learning program.

Here are comments from former USCF President and #1 blitz chess player Grandmaster Maxim Dlugy regarding the Prodigy Program:

"By designing the Prodigy Program, Chess.com University has created a brilliant solution for chess players around the world. By offering lectures, training sessions, game analysis sessions, homework, and guided study plans all in an organized manner, the Prodigy Program enables easy and efficient chess learning."

"Technology has made it easier than ever to learn and improve at chess. I wish such programs existed when I was a young and ambitious chess player!"

"If you want to make your chess study productive and want to become a strong chess player, I highly recommend joining Chess.com University's Prodigy Program."

Don't have an official over-the-board rating?

What about those who don't have an ELO rating and are not sure which group is best for them? We have written a placement exam for them. Individuals without official ratings who want to join the 1200+ or 1500+ sections should complete the placement exam and achieve a satisfactory score.

The placement exam has been posted in the Chess.com University group on Chess.com:

http://www.chess.com/news/prodigy-program-placement-exam-ready-3294

That link will only work for Chess.com University members. If you are not a member, click here to join and then follow the link given above.
 

May 2015 Registration:

Registration for May 2015 is now open for all sections of the Prodigy Program. We accept payment via check, money order, Bitcoin, credit/debit card, and PayPal. If you would like to mail a check or money order, contact GeniusKJ on Chess.com or send an email to kairavjoshi@chess.com.

If you are a new student (current students, use the link that was already emailed to you) and would like to send payment for May, 2015 (any section) using credit/debit card or PayPal balance, please use the following link:

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=KQQSW7EYWWKJA

After payment is processed, you will be redirected to a Google form. Fill out and submit this form to complete the registration process.

Discounts and Commissions:

We offer family discount. We also give 10% commission on valid, successful referrals. 

Sign up for the Prodigy Program today and start your journey of becoming a chess master!

Contact Chess.com University by sending a message on Chess.com to GeniusKJ or sending an email to kairavjoshi@chess.com.