Coach’s Corner: Nate Solon
When it comes to chess improvement, few voices bring a perspective as multidisciplinary and pragmatic as FM Nate Solon. He started as one of the strongest kids in the United States scholastic scene, spent seven years as a professional poker player, and then pivoted to data science.
Nowadays, as he focuses on chess coaching and content, Nate brings all those experiences together to help chess players train smarter. His practical approach works with students of all levels - from one of his students winning the Nebraska state championship, to another breaking the 1000 USCF barrier for the first time. It also works for himself. Nate won the 2023 and 2024 Charlotte ALTO (At Least Twenty One) tournaments using opening lines from his own Chessable courses to beat out grandmaster opposition for the title.
“Chess is a zero-sum game: if you win, someone has to lose. What I like about coaching is that it's a positive sum, everyone can win. I also enjoy the puzzle of understanding someone's strengths and weaknesses, and helping them remove the blockers to their success. I find this puzzle equally fascinating regardless of the strength of the student.”
- Nate Solon
Do you know how some people leave you food for thought or spark your curiosity to learn more about something? That’s how one feels after talking with Nate, or after reading his Zwischenzug newsletter. Read some of his fascinating insights about chess and coaching here:
What is your chess coaching philosophy?
The big challenge with chess improvement is, out of the nearly infinite chess topics, how do you know where to focus your energy? I believe mistakes are the best clues about what you need to work on, so I look at the student's mistakes, and especially at patterns of mistakes. More often than not, many of a player's mistakes are the result of the same thought process error, so that's what we work on.
I also save positions that my students struggle with in their games. If it presents a challenge to one player, it usually has valuable lessons for other players around the same level. These positions often don't look like traditional "puzzles".
Finally, I'm probably more open to technology and new approaches than the average chess coach, who tends to be pretty traditional. For example, I believe that the engine and blitz are two of the most powerful tools for improvement, but you need to learn to use them correctly!
Suppose a player has only 3 hours a week for chess training. How should they spend their time?
Day 1: Tactics, either from a book or a site like Chess.com (30 minutes)
Day 2: Study ONE book or course of your choice (30 minutes)
Day 3: Play a rapid game and review it (30 minutes)
Repeat this cycle once, and take one day off, and you've got 3 hours per week.
What is the biggest factor for improvement for players under 1200 (Chess.com)? Under 2000?
Under 1200: Board vision and tactics. Board vision basically means you know what pieces can be taken at all times without thinking. You're not hanging pieces, and you take your opponent's pieces when you can. After that comes basic tactics like forks and pins. While these might not be the most interesting parts of chess, they're by far the most impactful on winning, and it takes a lot of practice to truly master them.
Under 2000: Safety and planning. By safety I mean that you're not allowing your opponent dangerous opportunities. Players at this level are usually proficient enough at offensive tactics, but they often struggle to see what their opponent can do. Since fewer games at this level are decided by gross blunders, planning starts to become more important as well. By this I mean you have a vision for what you're trying to do in the position, and your moves fit together in a coherent way.
What is your preferred way to improve at openings? What's the approach to chess openings that you try to teach your students?
In one sentence, "Learn by playing." I prefer to develop a foundation of key ideas and lines as quickly as possible, then practice the opening in blitz or rapid games. Every time you play the opening, you improve your knowledge a little bit.
It's very important to understand the "why" behind all the moves. Too many players half-memorize a bunch of random moves. You don't have to know that many moves to be successful, but you need a strong grasp of the logic behind them.
I'm currently running a live group course where I walk students through my process for learning an opening. Hopefully I'll do more sessions with other openings 
What is your preferred way to improve at the endgame?
I would suggest playing out practical endgames with a training partner and analyzing them. In general, theoretical endgames are overrated, and practical endgames are underrated. Beyond a few of the most common like K+Q or K+R vs. K, most theoretical endgames happen so rarely that knowing them will have virtually no impact on your rating. But practical endgames, where there are more pieces on the board and there is no simple procedure you can memorize, happen all the time.
Is there anything else you would like to share with ambitious chess improvers?
I believe coaching is massively underrated, not only in chess, but in pretty much everything. A phrase I've heard that I believe is true is, "There are no shortcuts, except other people." Having access to someone who's been where you've been, knows the typical pitfalls, and can help answer your questions and direct your efforts, is such a huge time saver.
I understand that cost is an issue for a lot of people when it comes to coaching. If you're in this position, you can get many of the benefits of coaching from friends or training partners. Simply asking a stronger player "How would you think about this position?" can be tremendously valuable.
Courses by FM Nate Solon
Through his opening courses, Solon sets his students up for success in two ways: First, he curates openings that give them the best odds to win. Then, rather than overwhelming them with exhaustive lines, his focus is on essential ideas and lines. To date, Nate has published two highly-acclaimed, compact opening courses:
100 Repertoires: Nimzowitsch Sicilian
In addition, Nate just launched 100 Repertoires: Semi-Slav on Chessable, which is on sale until May 28, 2025.
