Who I Am: I'm a Candidate Master living in Albuquerque, New Mexico. My peak rating is 2187 USCF and I've won the New Mexico State Championship three times (2009, 2012, and 2013). I've coached with the local chess institution, Learners Chess Academy, since 2011. I believe one of my strengths as a coach is listening to the needs of my students, which is helped by my day job as a mental health therapist. I have experience working with kids and and adults, beginners and more advanced players.

What I Can Offer You: In addition to the direct help from lessons, I'll help you to find a study plan and material that will work best for you. Finding the right study plan amounts to what you want out of chess and what time you're willing to put into studying. That is something that is unique to everyone and I'll work with you to find the right plan for you.

Students will often message me questions or challenge me to daily games in between lessons, which I'm happy to answer and participate in. I offer those as free resources to my students because I want you to prosper in your chess goals. If you're succeeding as a student, I'm succeeding as a teacher.

Prices: I charge $95/hr for private lessons. I also offer consultations. A consultation is a discussion between you and I about your goals in chess and what you're doing to reach them. I offer this as a free service and am happy to do it whether or not you decide to utilize me as your coach.

Message me if you are interested in either service or have other questions.

Thanks for reading, have a great day!

DBthigpen