About me

Hi, My name is Ben Hercules and I am absolutely in love with chess! I am a Candidate Master based in South Africa and a full time chess teacher and professional.

Playing experience

- Multiple time South African Junior National Champion
- Multiple time South African University Champion
- Represented South Africa in various international events in 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011
- Winner of the international chess festival in Reunion 2019
- Best performing university student at the Commonwealth Games 2013
- Participated in my first national event in 2000

Teaching experience

- Professional chess instructor for over 10 years
- Coached Wits University Mens team to a silver medal 2013
- Coached various U/18 & U/20 provincial/regional teams to multiple gold medals in the South African Junior team championships for the past 5 years, 2017- Present
- Professional chess teacher at various educational institutions, 2012-Present
- Head lecturer & Chief of Content at the Mzansi Chess academy, 2021-Present
- Private students of all ages ranging from U/8 to the Senior over 50 category

Best skills

Chess is a challenging game comprised of deep strategical thinking, pattern recognition, calculation, and creativity. I’ve learnt to simplify themes and break down complex concepts to aid in the learning process. Targeted Interactive lessons that draw on combinations of probing questions and practical simulations are utilised in my lessons. I draw on a wealth of experience both as a player and as a coach to perfect the student’s thinking processes.

Some areas that I try to work into every player's training are developing and familiarizing the student with their own unique repertoire of opening systems, building a good foundation of endgame knowledge and breaking down middlegame themes into coherent digestible content where patterns and general rules apply in similar scenarios.

Teaching methodology

I want to share my deep passion for chess with all those I teach and in the process inscribe a love for the game that should be nurtured in each student.

Chess like all art forms depends on the individual who will have unique characteristics that make them special. Each chess player has their own sets of strengths and weaknesses that will dictate the structure of their training. A bespoke tailored approach that caters to the needs of the student is worked into each session with the goal of honing in on what ever the specific developmental needs are. This training avenue works well since when certain domains improve, there is scope to branch off into new uncharted territory where learning is constant and uninterrupted.

There are no shortcuts or magical recipes to chess mastery, instead an enjoyable journey of self-learning and revelation await those who wish to embark on the path of chess education. Not only do I wish to enrich your understanding of where the pieces belong, but want to celebrate each landmark of improvement with you.

The_Sneaky_Weasel