It truly depends on your situation. For some people, independent learning with online resources is enough. Others need a little more of a push, with a coach. I've told people before to explore online resources, and come back to us after some time to decide if our coaching would still be valuable for them.
Are chess coaches actually worth it?
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Aug 25, 2025
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#3
It depends if you like learning on your own (the best imo), financial situation and other things. But because of information overload you need to carefully choose material for your level, that's when coaches come in to guide you. I'm one of them (shameless plug lol) https://www.chess.com/member/benkoni_kid
0kbutwedont_care-33 wrote:
Some people have benefited greatly from a chess coach because of structured feedback, accountability, and learning from their mistakes. However, I think autonomy in learning and understanding chess is better due to self-realisation, freedom in learning and being able to do anything we want. What do you guys think?
Coaches help a lot, in my opinion. A good coach won't restrict your freedom, and will adapt to your learning style. They analyse your games and tell you where you could have played better. It feels good to know someone is keeping closely with your journey. However, many good coaches don't teach players below 1500 or something. It might not be the best for everyone as many charge ludicrous sums of money.
Some people have benefited greatly from a chess coach because of structured feedback, accountability, and learning from their mistakes. However, I think autonomy in learning and understanding chess is better due to self-realisation, freedom in learning and being able to do anything we want. What do you guys think?