ChessPunks Coach Advice
Eight of the top instructors at Chessable recently offered their coaching expertise to the players of the ChessPunks Tournament Finals on October 22. These eight masters—IM Yuriy Krykun, IM Christof Sielecki, GM Arturs Neiksans, IM Andras Toth, GM Daniel King, GM Mykhaylo Oleksiyenko, FM Midas Ratsma, and FM Kamil Plichta—also offered advice to readers of the Chessable blog in the leadup to the tournament finals.
In this article, we've collected some of the best advice from each instructor's featured blog.
- IM Yuriy Krykun
- IM Christof Sielecki
- GM Arturs Neiksans
- IM Andras Toth
- GM Daniel King
- GM Mykhaylo Oleksiyenko
- FM Midas Ratsma
- FM Kamil Plichta
IM Yuriy Krykun
For players rated under 1200: Chess strategy can be a fascinating thing, but making a great positional move doesn’t help if you blunder a piece.
On tactics and strategy: The biggest challenge a lot of improvers face nowadays, in my mind, is the amount of information around. They often rush and assume that more information equals more improvement. In reality, the best piece of advice is to slow down and make sure you are deeply understanding whatever new knowledge you are acquiring!
Slow down and make sure you are deeply understanding whatever new knowledge you are acquiring!
- IM Yuriy Krykun
Click here for more advice from Yuriy.
IM Christof Sielecki
Coaching philosophy: I believe training should include fixing big leaks and weaknesses, rather than emphasizing the student's strong points. There are more games lost due to mistakes than won due to brilliant ideas.
There are more games lost due to mistakes than won due to brilliant ideas.
- IM Christof Sielecki
For more advice from Christof, click here.
GM Arturs Neiksans
Only have three hours a week to train? Definitely don’t overdo openings—their value is overrated. Be pragmatic and choose easy-to-remember systems that can be applied against most opponents’ moves.
Advice for players rated under 2000: For calculation improvement, do anything blindfold chess-related.
On tactics and strategy: For tactics, do thousands and tens of thousands of puzzles—there’s no easy way around it. The more you do, the better you become, the more likely it is that you will recognize the motif.
For tactics, do thousands and tens of thousands of puzzles—there’s no easy way around it.
- GM Arturs Neiksans
Click here for more advice from Arturs.
IM Andras Toth
On tactics and strategy: It is important to also ensure that we solve using the correct method, which is that at all times the student is expected to deliver complete lines and conclusive evaluations.
On openings: I prefer to opt for opening repertoires that expose students to a wide range of structures and strategies. As such, I tend to avoid system setups and encourage students to play openings which offer them a richer and more enjoyable experience.
Play openings which offer... a richer and more enjoyable experience.
- IM Andras Toth
Click here for more advice from Andras.
GM Daniel King
Advice for players rated under 1200: Slow down.
Advice for players rated under 2000: Slow down[!]
On openings: Memorizing some key opening lines is important, but one must also understand the moves. With my students, I talk about why certain openings are played, what each player is trying to achieve, and that inevitably leads to a discussion of middlegame ideas.
Memorizing some key opening lines is important, but one must also understand the moves.
- GM Daniel King
Click here for more advice from Daniel.
GM Mykhaylo Oleksiyenko
On tactics and strategy: Tactics is like a muscle. It is a skill. It needs constant training.
Advice for players rated under 2000: It is quite useful to address opening problems that happen in your games. And they will happen a lot!
Tactics is like a muscle. It is a skill. It needs constant training.
- GM Mykhaylo Oleksiyenko
Click here for more advice from Mykhaylo.
FM Midas Ratsma
Coaching philosophy: The aspect that you likely skip in your chess training is properly analyzing your games without using a computer. This is what I like to focus on in my lessons.
Advice for players rated under 1200: Prioritize calculating captures first, always protect your pieces, and keep an eye on your opponent's unprotected ones.
Prioritize calculating captures first, always protect your pieces, and keep an eye on your opponent's unprotected ones.
- FM Midas Ratsma
Click here for more advice from Midas.
FM Kamil Plichta
Coaching philosophy: I truly believe in teaching/learning in a good atmosphere and I always try to create a friendly environment.
On openings: Unless you reach a rating of around 1500-1600 your opening should be mostly based on playing along the opening rules. If you are rated lower than 1500-1600 online, you shouldn't spend a lot of time on openings.
I truly believe in teaching/learning in a good atmosphere and I always try to create a friendly environment.
- FM Kamil Plichta
