Personal instruction to improve your chess

Owen P.

I am a recently retired attorney who enjoys teaching/tutoring. A highly competitive chess player in high school, my career demands made me give it up. Since retiring, I've restored my game to its previous level and better. I want to share what I've learned with players who want to raise their level of play, whether online, with friends, or in clubs, leagues, or serious tournaments. But I've never forgotten that chess is fun. I'm here not to train professional chess players but to improve your understanding and abilities so you enjoy your chess more.

I grew up wanting to be Bobby Fischer, but fell a little short, becoming the top rated HS player in Ohio and Board 1 on the best team in the state. This was before computers or the web, so all play was in person, and all study was from books and pamphlets. Now, I am an avid online player and stay in contact with frequent opponents throughout the US, often analyzing their games for them. My ratings on lichess.org (as of Nov. 2020) are 2223 rapid (98th percentile) and 2224 classical (99th percentile and ranking 201st on that site).

The online learning tools are great, but personal instruction provides a bigger picture and integrates the learning. When reviving my chess game, I studied for two years with an International Master who had emigrated from Russia. He gave me a whole new appreciation and approach to the game. Much of my teaching is derived from my lessons with him.

My instruction focuses on four areas: opening theory and practice (developing an opening repertoire that suits your needs); tactics (the techniques for winning material and mating attacks, along with defensive resources against your opponents' tactics); positional chess (pawn structures, open lines, weak and strong squares, and piece activity); and endgames (to cement victories and avoid needless defeats). Instruction will follow this structure, but individualized based on your strengths, weaknesses, and interests. Homework will be assigned, but I'll try to keep it fun.

Beca