Prodigy Program Registration Open - October 2020

Prodigy Program Month 1 Core Curriculum

Here are the core curriculum topics taught by Kairav Joshi, FM Dalton Perrine, FM Arne Jochens, and IM Kostya Kavutskiy in the first month's core curriculum. Core curriculum topics are taught through video lessons, prerecorded lectures, study guides, and curated resources all in addition to the live training we offer.

Prodigy Program 900+ Month 1:

• Understanding fundamental endgame checkmates: K Q vs. K, K R vs. K, and basics of K B B vs. K.
• Introduction to forcing moves and basic tactics.
• Understanding endgame principles.
• Introduction to basic chess theory - having the right mindset when you play chess.
• Basic endgame training and important endgame tricks to remember.
• Basic endgame facts: what's won, what's drawn, and how to apply that knowledge to make better decisions.
• Understanding chess move by move - logic training and key guidelines to remember.
• Understanding what to do in different types of positions.
• Learning from the most common mistakes 900+ Elo players make.
• Training to better grasp fundamentals of the game.
• Textbooks: Silman's Complete Endgame Course by IM Jeremy Silman and Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess by Bobby Fischer are both highly recommended.

Prodigy Program 1200+ Month 1:

• Mastering fundamental endgame checkmates: K Q vs. K, K R vs. K, and K B B vs. K.
• Winning the fundamental endgame checkmates:K Q vs. K B and K Q vs. K B.
• Understanding basics of the K Q vs. K R, K Q vs. K B B, K Q vs. K N N, and K Q vs. K B N endgames.
• Improving understanding of formations, coordination, protection, etc. by studying unbalanced multi-piece endgames such as K Q vs. K R N, K Q vs. K R B, and K Q vs. K R R.
• Introduction to multi-move tactics and basic combinations.
• Understanding importance of forcing moves, forcing replies, and forcing continuations.
• Everything about squares: critical squares, weak color squares, and outposts.
• How to convert dynamic advantages into wins.
• Learning to play forcing, aggressive chess move by move.
• Evaluating pros and cons of typical forcing pawn moves.
• General thought-process training in different types of positions.
• Training for all phases of the game.
• Textbooks: Silman's Complete Endgame Course by IM Jeremy Silman and Amateur's Mind also by Jeremy Silman are both highly recommended.

Prodigy Program 1500+ Month 1:

• Mastering rook endgame fundamentals such as the Lucena Position and Philidor drawing method.
• Basics of K R P vs. K R and K R P P vs. K R endgames.
• Introduction to the forcing move thought process at the 1500+ Elo level.
• Tactical and calculation training in the middlegame and endgame.
• Improving tactical play move by move.
• Introduction to queen and pawn endgames.
• Improving at understanding what matters most in different types of positions.
• Learning how to masterfully use advantages in development and initiative to win games.
• Understanding when forcing moves may NOT be the best.
• Thought-process training to better apply concepts from this month, especially in the middlegame.
• Training for all phases of the game.
• Textbooks: Silman's Complete Endgame Course by IM Jeremy Silman and How To Reassess Your Chess 4th Edition by Jeremy Silman are both highly recommended.

Prodigy Program 1750+ Month 1:

• Understanding combinations: combining tactical ideas, logic, and principles.
• Typical sacrificial patterns you must know.
• Insight into how strong players calculate effectively and what we can learn from them.
• Understanding how strong players simplify calculation.
• Learning which false assumptions commonly lead to major calculation errors.
• How to better scrutinize our options and remove unnecessary candidate moves from our calculation.
• Understanding the importance of move order when calculating.
• Calculation training in the endgame.
• Learning from typical calculation mistakes made by 1750+ Elo players.
• King and pawn endgames where one subtle mistake can flip the game's evaluation.
• Gaining pawn structural understanding.
• Training for all phases of the game.
• Textbooks: No books needed this month

Not sure which section's core curriculum to study? Our sections refer to over-the-board Elo ratings such as USCF or FIDE. Online ratings tend to be a bit inflated so if you're not sure which section to join, simply email Sophie@ChessUniversity.com with your username and we'll provide you our recommendation.

Prodigy Program FAQ

• Can I ask questions during live classes? Yes, students can ask questions during class through a chat box. At times, students may also ask questions verbally.
• Can adults join? Yes, in fact half of our students are adults.
• Any success stories? Yes, our students often improve their rating by 100s of points. One of our students went on to break the record for youngest master in American history.
• Can I preview sample lessons? Sure, here you go:
  https://www.courses.chessuniversity.com/p/prodigy-program-sample-materials-2020

Testimonials: