ONLINE LESSONS AVAILABLE - ENQUIRE THALIAHOLMES1@GMAIL.COM

INTRODUCTION
Hi, my name is Thalia, and for 16 years I have played chess at the top level, going from knowing nothing about the game to competing in the England set up, and now I would like to make the next step—teaching others. Based in Chester, I will teach your children how to play, going from basic ideas such as how the pieces move, through to more advanced concepts such as how to play accurately without mistakes, how to create plans, how to win games and much, much more.

I began playing chess at the age of 4 in the Midlands, and thanks to my local chess club, was able to move up the ranks quickly, firstly playing local tournaments aged 6 and then playing my first county match at 9 years old. During this time, I competed in many regional tournaments almost every other weekend. Because of this, I have had the experience of being a very young person experiencing the chess world for the first time.

After much hard work and practice, In 2014 aged 10, I broke through into the England set up, representing the team on Board 2 against Wales. Further success in 2016 in the Stokes Cup in a team against the likes of France and Ireland cemented a place within the England Chess Federation (ECF) International Chess Academy training program. At this time, I left the chess sphere to focus on my studies, however I never left the chess world entirely.

Returning in 2019 after a phenomenal game where I was able to defeat a master online, my interest in the game quickly peaked again. I began doing local lessons in my hometown, competing for my club again in early 2021 with a very solid record of 20 wins, 19 draws, and only 10 losses, becoming a respectable 1832 rated ECF player, and reaching an online peak rating of 2164. Within these results are wins against 1950 rated opponent and a draw in a winning position against a 2150 rated opponent

In late 2023 I moved to study History at the University of Chester, and I am currently completing studies in my second year. Although studies have overtaken chess as a matter of urgency, I always make time to play online, with my online chess account having over 4500 rapid (10 min+) games played. Now I would like to be able to teach others in the local area how to play, so are able to go on and spread the knowledge of the game that has been such an integral part of me since childhood. Check out my website https://thaliachesster.com/ for rates.