About Me

Hi, my name is Timo Küppers, I am 25 years old and have held the FIDE Master (FM) title since 2018. I learned to play chess at the age of five, but only found my way into a chess club when I was twelve – and since then, the game has never let go of me.

A large part of my chess knowledge is self-taught through books and videos. I only started working with a personal coach on my path from 2200 to 2300 Elo. Because of this, I know from my own experience how important targeted coaching is and which training methods are most effective at different stages of a player’s development.

Training Conditions
My regular rate is 50 € per hour.
The first trial lesson is completely free and without any obligation.
Lessons can be held in German or English.

Explaining and passing on knowledge has always been a passion of mine. That is why I studied to become a teacher, which also benefits my work as a chess coach.

Playing Experience

In addition to several appearances in the 2nd Bundesliga, I have been playing on the top boards of my club in the Oberliga NRW for many years. As a junior, I competed in numerous championships – from regional tournaments to German Championships, both in individual and team events. Furthermore, I gained valuable international experience by playing many tournaments across Europe.

Teaching Experience

I now look back on around nine years of experience as a chess coach. My experience includes both individual and group training sessions. At regional and German youth championships, I have coached both individual players and entire teams for my club SF Essen-Katernberg.

As a private coach, I have worked with players of many different skill levels, ranging from children to adults. Many of my students have significantly improved their playing strength, reached the 2000 Elo mark, or even surpassed it by a considerable margin. Among their achievements are several youth state championship and vice state championship titles.

Strengths & Special Skills

Throughout my chess career, I have played almost every opening at least once. As a result, I have developed a strong understanding of a wide variety of positions, opening theory, and the associated strategic ideas.

As a player, I have gone through several stylistic transformations. In the beginning, I was strongly positionally oriented, which led to weaknesses in dynamic play. Through targeted training, I was able to eliminate these weaknesses – sometimes even to the point of playing almost too dynamically. Later on, I found a better balance and returned to a more solid, static approach.

Many players naturally favor either a static or a dynamic style and tend to neglect the other. Because I have personally experienced both extremes, I know exactly which typical weaknesses arise from this imbalance – and, most importantly, how to work on them effectively.

Teaching Philosophy

For me, understanding always comes before memorization. Simply memorizing positions, move orders, or variations without grasping the underlying ideas is of little value. Every move has a logical purpose – and even most tactical shots or mating attacks are based on strategic concepts.

To find the best move in any position, all relevant factors must first be identified and then evaluated correctly. That is why, at the beginning of training, I place great emphasis on building a solid positional foundation. We work step by step:

Which strategic concepts and positional factors do you already know?
Which ones are still missing?
Can you reliably recognize them in complex positions?
Can you weigh these factors against each other to make correct decisions?

Calculation skills are just as important – they are the most essential technical tool of every chess player. Even the best strategy is useless without concrete calculation. Another central part of my training is the analysis of your own games. Nothing shows more clearly what a player already understands and where gaps still exist. Based on this, I provide targeted exercises or book recommendations.

We also work on building an individual opening repertoire and on systematic endgame training. Anyone who wants to improve must also play regularly – only through practice can new insights be applied and consolidated.

I do not consider solving tactical puzzles during training sessions to be particularly effective. This kind of work can (and should) be done independently with books or online tools. During our lessons, I prefer to focus on areas where a trainer adds real value – such as understanding strategic concepts, analyzing your own games, or going deeper into specific questions. Of course, I am happy to assign suitable tactical exercises as homework.

In the end, real progress in chess always depends on the player's own effort. A coach can provide the right impulses, structure your learning, and explain complex ideas – but to get the most out of the training, you must work on your chess regularly and with commitment. My role is to guide this process and make your improvement as effective as possible.

👉 If you would like to work on your chess improvement together, feel free to contact me. The first trial lesson is free, and regular training is available for 50 € per hour in German or English.

Timo_Kueppers