Chess lessons for adults

Why adult improvers get stuck

Most adults who plateau are not short of effort. They watch videos, solve puzzles, buy opening courses and play a lot of games. The rating still doesn't move, because the work isn't aimed at whatever is actually losing them games.

Children improve partly by sheer volume. Adults rarely have that option. With a job, a family and a few hours a week, you can't afford study that doesn't pay. What you need is a short list of the right things, in the right order.

What I do differently

I went through the slow process of sorting the material that works from the material that doesn't, because I had to for my own improvement. Everything I teach has been tested that way, first on me and then on hundreds of students.

• A plan built from your games. I look at how you actually win and lose, then set priorities. Two players with the same rating often need very different work.
• Homework sized to your week. You tell me how much time you have. I give you study that fits it and tell you why each piece is there.
• Reasons, not just moves. Adults learn best when they understand why. My students tell me the advice sticks, and that is the aim.
• Structure you can follow alone. Between lessons you know what to do next, so progress doesn't depend on seeing me every week.

Who these lessons suit

• Returning players who learned as kids and want to get serious now
• Online players who want to do well over the board, or the other way round
• Club and tournament players stuck at a rating for a year or more
• Ambitious players working toward Expert or National Master
• Retirees who finally have time for the game and want to use it well

What a lesson looks like

Lessons are one hour, one-to-one, on Google Meet. When you book, you can send your rating, your Lichess username and your goals, so I can look at your games before we meet. We spend the hour on your positions and your decisions, working in a shared Lichess study.

Afterwards I email you notes from the lesson and your homework. That might be a Lichess study of puzzles I've chosen for you, a Chessable course, or specific videos and articles, depending on what you need.

How often you take lessons is up to you. You can book and pay one lesson at a time for $75, or take monthly training at $280 a month, which includes four lessons.

Nikolas has guided me towards a better understanding of why I play as I do, and I have found that his advice sticks in a way that advice from others has not.

Not sure yet?

Book a 20-minute intro call for $25. Tell me where you are and where you want to get to, and I'll tell you honestly whether I think coaching will help and what the work would look like.