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How I went from an insecure chess player to a professional chess coach

How I went from an insecure chess player to a professional chess coach

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chesscoachdiego
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My transformational chess story 👑

How I went from an insecure chess player to a chess coach in international tournaments.

When I started playing chess at 14 years old: 👇


  • I was the least talented player in the school where I played chess.
  • I started late (14 years) compared to my classmates who started at 8-9.
  • I suffered too much anxiety before each game, I was very afraid of losing.
  • Despite training, I was stuck for a long time
  • When I had to play against a strong or higher-elo opponent, I felt lost even before the game started, and if I managed to gain an advantage, these fears made me self-sabotage and end up giving the game away.
  • I never won a major tournament. My best achievement was qualifying in the top 10 in a South American tournament. (The one in the photo where I appear playing)

Me at my 27 years (13 years playing chess): 👇



  • I gained self-confidence, trust my abilities, and eliminate all defeatist thoughts about myself, as well as my insecurities.
  • Understand the fundamentals of chess
  • I`ve reached 2400+ on platforms like chess.com or lichess.
  • I’ve coached many talented players in international tournaments. By the way, in one of the photos, I appear with one of my former students in a Pan American youth chess tournament in 2017 in Costa Rica.
  • I live from my passion: teaching chess.

Why am I sharing all of this with you? ⭐

My point with all of this is that your starting point doesn't matter:

❌If you started very young or very old

❌If you are talented or not.

✅You can still go on adventures and achieve things that excite you with chess. This game is epic.

And NO, you don't need to aspire to be a titled master or a chess coach ...

As long as you're learning new things ...

As long as you're progressing ...

As long as you are excited to create beautiful combinations in your games…

YOU ARE ALREADY WINNING. 👍

Don't stop learning, don't stop growing, chess gets more and more exciting (and difficult) every time you improve.

Do not settle for being stuck, one morning you will wake up and see how much you have improved in one of the most difficult strategy games in the world.

And it will be rewarding.

All it takes is commitment, perseverance, and patience.

See you on the winning side, ⁣

-Diego Villanueva