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Passionate Chess Player and Instructor 2400+ online rating
Preston T.

345 hours tutoring

Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee

Hourly Rate: $29
Response time: 7 hours

About Preston


Bio

Hello! My name is Preston but friends call me Hannibal (after the famous military general) and I would like to help share my Chess knowledge and experience! I have over 1,000 hours of experience teaching Chess to students as young as 3 years old and as old as 80 as well as complete beginners up to expert level players and I’ve really seen firsthand how much of a positive influence Chess has on people for all aspects of their life.

I’m rated 2400+ for the Classical time format on Lichess.org...

Hello! My name is Preston but friends call me Hannibal (after the famous military general) and I would like to help share my Chess knowledge and experience! I have over 1,000 hours of experience teaching Chess to students as young as 3 years old and as old as 80 as well as complete beginners up to expert level players and I’ve really seen firsthand how much of a positive influence Chess has on people for all aspects of their life.

I’m rated 2400+ for the Classical time format on Lichess.org and recently made it into the top 50 players list for that time format. I was originally taught by my father who is a USCF National Master and I now meet multiple times a week to train and study with a strong Grandmaster who was formerly the 4th strongest Chess player in the world. I am also very fortunate to meet with Grandmaster RB Ramesh who is considered one of the greatest professional Chess coaches. From my experiences training with these incredible players and teachers, they not only taught me how to play Chess, but also how to teach Chess.

In classes my favorite method is analyzing the student's games with them. I believe it creates a very natural environment for explaining important patterns, themes, and principles as well as lets us figure out together exactly where their gaps in knowledge are. Additionally I help my students craft an opening repertoire suited to their playstyle and teach them the middlegame plans, tactics, and critical positions that flow from these openings so they go into their games prepared with a plan. I am also very hands on in guiding students on at-home training.

Above all, my goal is to instill in my students a love of Chess and a desire to improve. After that, everything takes care of itself. Finally I’d like to mention that I offer all students an entirely free first lesson whether we continue classes or not since I believe student-teacher synergy is a critical aspect of teaching and learning. Feel free to message me if you have any questions or if you'd like to start lessons!


Policies

  • Hourly Rate: $29
  • Rate details: FREE first lesson! Sessions cancelled with under 12 hours notice will be subject to cancellation fee. For in person lessons, travel time will be added to the hourly rate.
  • Lesson cancellation: 12 hours notice required
  • Background check passed on 8/4/2020

  • Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee

Schedule

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Approved Subjects

Chess

Chess

Currently I am in the top 50 players for the Classical time control on Lichess.org and am rated above 2400. I have over 1,000 hours of experience teaching Chess and have trained and studied for hundreds of hours with strong Grandmasters including a very strong Grandmaster who was formerly the 4th strongest player in the world and also with top Chess coach Grandmaster RB Ramesh. From these incredible players I learned not only how to play Chess well, but how to teach Chess well. Above all, I am dedicated to helping myself and others improve!

Examples of Expertise


Preston has provided examples of their subject expertise by answering 1 question submitted by students on Wyzant’s Ask an Expert.

Preston T.'s Photo

Questions? Contact Preston before you book.

Still have questions?

Contact Preston
Response time: 7 hours

Ratings and Reviews


Rating

5.0 (74 ratings)
5 star
(72)
4 star
(2)
3 star
(0)
2 star
(0)
1 star
(0)

Reviews

Great tutor!

I'm very glad to have found Hannibal through Wyzant. He is a knowledgeable, patient and flexible chess tutor and I learned so much in just a few lessons. He offers practical advice and helpful guidance. I would definitely recommend learning with Hannibal.

Madelaine, 3 lessons with Preston

Very helpful chess teacher

Preston's chess lessons are always instructive and he is able to impart his chess knowledge while also catering to my needs in my chess improvement and to my requests in areas where I need help. I strongly recommend him!

Sergei, 17 lessons with Preston

Great tutor, very patient and helpful!

Great tutor, very patient and helpful! My son has improved his game since and is now more confident and winning more games he plays. Would highly recommend Mr P!!

Amaresh, 4 lessons with Preston

Good and effective start

This is my son being exposed to chess for first time. Hannibal handled the situation very well and trained my kid effectively. He is pretty calm and handle my kid in right manner.

Prasanna, 14 lessons with Preston

knowledgeable and patient teacher

Hannibal was good at effectively communicating the basic ideas and points to our 7yo, and conveying the logic behind the ideas. He is also quick in responding to questions and comments, showing his well-around knowledge of the game. Great first lesson.

Wei, 1 lesson with Preston

Tried many prior to Hannibal

My kids have been going back to back exploring different teachers and both my kids agree that this is the teacher they like the most because he teaches fundamentals and then application very well

Zareen, 4 lessons with Preston

Excellent

Excellent teacher and very thorough. Was patient and provided great suggestions related to strategy. Also, his knowledge of the game was impressive and I would recommend him to anyone learning the game.

Mike, 1 lesson with Preston

Patient and Knowledgeable Teacher

Very patient with my 7 year old son, today was his lesson. We definitely scheduled another lesson for next week.

Shanna, 1 lesson with Preston

Great Experience

Hannibal is great at making assessments and guiding players through educational steps and tips that will quickly improve their game based on their skill level.

Aaron, 1 lesson with Preston

Beginner chess

Easy teaching style and was helpful in answering questions. I learned how many chess pieces are there on each side ; names of different pieces ; also learnt different values of each chess piece as well as how each chess piece moves across the board . We had mini-practice sessions in which we reviewed the different direction In which a pawn moves as compared to a bishop as compared to a knight as compared to a rook as compared to a queen as compared to the King.

Saba, 12 lessons with Preston
Hourly Rate: $29
Response time: 7 hours
Contact Preston