An All-Time Great Shares His Experience And Tips

GM Artur Jussupow is one of the greatest chess players ever, and now the best player to be named the Chess.com Coach of the Month. At one time he was the number three player in the world, behind only GMs Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov. He has played some of the most acclaimed chess games of all time and was a three-time semifinalist candidate for the world championship.

Jussupow became a renowned author and coach as well. In 2019, Chessable published his first courses, The Fundamentals 1 and The Fundamentals 2. Now, both courses have received video updates, with Jussupow himself presenting the material—and the courses are on sale from now through March 12.

For the occasion, we asked Artur about his experiences both as a student and learner, as a coach and teacher. 

At what age were you introduced to chess, and who introduced you?

I was six years old when my father taught me to play chess, and it was love at first move.

What is your first vivid memory from chess?

My first vivid chess memory is probably reading my first chess book—a beginner’s book by IM Vasily Panov.

Which coaches were helpful to you in your chess career, and what was the most useful knowledge they imparted to you?

At the age of six-and-a-half, I started attending a chess section at the Pioneer Palace in Moscow, where my first coaches all came from. During my early school years, I was trained by Master Mikhail Yudovich, Jr.

Later, from 1972-73, I began taking lessons from IM Mark Dvoretsky, who soon became my main trainer and to whom I owe a lion’s share of my success in chess. I learned many things from my coaches, but the most important was how to work on chess. In 1974, I was accepted into GM Mikhail Botvinnik’s chess school, and his example was also incredibly inspiring.

What is your favorite or best game you ever played?

Perhaps my best effort was my game against GM Andrei Sokolov in the 1988 Soviet Championship.

How would you describe your approach to chess coaching?

I use the same approach that Mark Dvoretsky did: provide young players with all the necessary knowledge, help them overcome their weaknesses, and improve their decision-making process.

What do you consider your responsibility as a coach and which responsibilities fall on your student?

We both have the same responsibility: We should try to do our job as well as possible. The student is always the star, since being the one making the decisions over the board, while the trainer takes a supporting role.

How does your approach change with GMs or IMs compared to other players/students?

When working with younger students, you focus on teaching the rules. When working with GMs or IMs, you focus on explaining the exceptions.

Do you ever find it a challenge teaching concepts that came easily to you but might not come as easily to lower-rated players?

The most challenging task is teaching simple concepts, like opposition. Many of my students think they already understand it, so they don’t listen carefully!

What is a piece of advice that you give your students that you think more chess players could benefit from?

I learn the most from my losses: analyze your games, find mistakes, try to understand why you made them, and look at what you can do better next time. Then, you’re not a loser anymore, but someone who becomes better after each game.

What is your favorite teaching game that users might not have seen?

It could be the game Armin Hellinger vs. Christian Mischke, played in 1999 during our Seminar-Tournament, but I’ve already published it in my book. [Editor's note: It is also available in chapter 14 of the "Fundamentals 1" course.]

What is the puzzle you give students that tells you the most about how they think?

I believe you should test a new student with different puzzles—one isn’t enough (at least for me)!

Do you prefer to teach online or offline? What do you think is different about teaching online?

It's better to teach in person, and it’s also important to visit tournaments, as it allows you to observe how your student behaves over the board in a tournament situation. Only then can you get the complete picture, and online training may not provide you with this level of insight.

What do you consider the most valuable training tool that the internet provides?

You can watch chess games by strong grandmasters live—from the comfort of your home! But please, switch off the engine!

Which under-appreciated chess book should every chess player read?

The FIDE Handbook: Make sure you are aware of the chess rules and tournament regulations.