Search
Austin E.'s Photo
Austin E.'s Photo Austin E.'s Photo

Chess Tutoring for Tournament and Casual Players
Austin E.

5.0 (239 ratings)

1,227 hours tutoring

Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee
Hourly Rate: $80
Contact Austin
Response time: 36 minutes

About Austin

Bio

I’m a full-time chess coach with 15+ years of experience, specializing in helping students achieve fast, lasting improvement. I’ve coached since 2009 (privately since 2012) and have taught full-time since 2016.

I’m rated 1965 USCF / 1878 FIDE, with tournament highlights including winning the Illinois State HS Individual Championship (Division 2), multiple 2000+ performances, maintaining an undefeated record on board 1 at USAT North, 1st place on board 1 at USAT North 2026, and a draw...

I’m a full-time chess coach with 15+ years of experience, specializing in helping students achieve fast, lasting improvement. I’ve coached since 2009 (privately since 2012) and have taught full-time since 2016.

I’m rated 1965 USCF / 1878 FIDE, with tournament highlights including winning the Illinois State HS Individual Championship (Division 2), multiple 2000+ performances, maintaining an undefeated record on board 1 at USAT North, 1st place on board 1 at USAT North 2026, and a draw against GM Alexander Shabalov. One of my biggest wins was a 20 move clinic against FM Eugene Yanayt in a Sicilian Dragon.

I’ve helped hundreds of students improve, many starting under 1000 and gaining several hundred rating points per year. Some of my long-term students have exceeded 2200 chess.com rapid. I also provide support between lessons (questions, training materials, game review), which accelerates progress.

I have 200+ five-star reviews on Wyzant and consistently work with ~20 students per week. I’m especially strong with long-term improvement and tournament preparation.

I also have proven success coaching teams. I helped Bradley-Bourbonnais HS achieve a 13-0 conference record and multiple top-25 state finishes. At Bishop McNamara HS, I built a program from scratch that earned 3 conference titles, 5 1A top-5 state finishes, and a 4th place finish at Nationals within five years.

My lessons are structured and practical. I focus on eliminating bad habits, building strong fundamentals, and training pattern recognition, calculation, and planning. I also help students develop clear opening strategies so they stop “guessing” with passive development and start playing with purpose to control the center of the board.

Whether you’re a beginner or a serious competitor, I tailor lessons to your goals and provide a clear path to improvement.

Read more

Education

Roosevelt University- Chicago
Philosophy

Policies

  • Hourly Rate: $80
  • Rate details: Ask about discount bulk lesson purchases.
  • Lesson cancellation: 6 hours notice required

  • No background check

  • Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee

Schedule

Loading...

Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Austin hasn’t set a schedule.

We’re having trouble loading this schedule right now. Please try again later.

Approved Subjects

Chess

Chess

I have been playing chess for almost 10 years now. I have been teaching chess to students in person, online, and in schools for about 8 years. I worked as a volunteer coach for the Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School chess team and helped them achieve impressive results. The team had a 5-2 record at the state championship in 2009, 2010, and 2011 and they were also able to go undefeated and win conference in 2011. Most of them are very successful individual players as well and a good number of them are Class B strength tournament players. Immediately after starting to play seriously, I was able to grasp the concepts necessary to excel at my level and I know what it takes to get better quickly. I am expert level strength (approximately 2000+ rating) and I am looking forward to working with students of all skill levels and ages.
Tennis

Tennis

I have been playing tennis for about 8 years now. I started my freshman year in high school and with a lot of practice, I was able to work my way up to 1st doubles. In high school, I also instructed summer tennis camps where the school hosted dozens of 8th graders who were interested in playing tennis the following year. After graduating high school, I then moved on to play 2nd singles at Roosevelt University. Since graduating, I have focused more on instructing beginners in tennis and preparing them to play on a team or just have fun on the weekends.
Elementary Math
Philosophy
Prealgebra
Spelling
Writing
Austin E.'s Photo

Questions? Contact Austin before you book.

Still have questions?

Contact Austin
Response time: 36 minutes

Ratings and Reviews

Rating

5.0 (239 ratings)
5 star
(238)
4 star
(1)
3 star
(0)
2 star
(0)
1 star
(0)

Reviews

Great tutor

My son loves his tutor. After couple of times completing classes, my son feels that he gained knowledge of chess. Austin knows what student needs and filled with great knowledge to that requirement.

Linda, 3 lessons with Austin

Interactive and Insightful Session

I learned how to open with pawns, how to defend against knights, how to evaluate the value of different pieces, how to sequence moves. Very helpful. I also received helpful tips for homework and a plan for the next lesson.

Gordon, 178 lessons with Austin

Great chess tutor!

My son is loving the chess lessons! Austin is knowledgeable and fun and my son is really enjoying the weekly sessions. We highly recommend Austin for tutoring!

Erin, 95 lessons with Austin

Skilled and goal driven

Austin knows his stuff. And knows my goals. Like the strategy he proposed of getting into games and seeing where I started going astray. Will be using him regularly.

Mike, 4 lessons with Austin

Very patient and gives great instruction.

My daughter has done four lessons with Austin and she is learning so much from him! He is a great teacher and is very patient and gives great instruction! She is now meeting with him once a week and looks forward to every lesson!

Sofia, 30 lessons with Austin

Knowledgeable and patient tutor.

Austin is a great chess tutor. He really engages in active learning (i.e., he doesn't just lecture to you) with his students in a way that accelerates the learning curve. Five stars -- would highly recommend.

George, 103 lessons with Austin

California loves Austin!

Austin is helping my 9 year old love the game of chess! In addition to being a tutor Austin is a positive influence that my son gets to download lots of info from, get constructive feedback on performance, be challenged by and grow.

Amanda, 5 lessons with Austin

Knowledgeable and patient tutor.

Austin provides detailed and in-depth chess instruction. So says my child who takes his chess lessons. He has learned quite a bit by all the additional resources Austin has shared as well. We are happy with Austin!

Mabel, 56 lessons with Austin

Great!

My son loved his first lesson with Austin, he had a lot of fun, finished his lesson and wanted to keep playing, invited every member of the family to play :) He is looking forward for his next one.

MV, 75 lessons with Austin

Works great with kids

Austin has an encouraging style, and works well with our to children. He has an encouraging style which makes learning easier. He has been working with us for at least 6 lessons, and the kids enjoy the session.

Rich, 12 lessons with Austin
Hourly Rate: $80
Response time: 36 minutes
Contact Austin