My fellow game enthusiasts, I teach and tutor chess and backgammon to beginners and intermediate players, setting countless students up for success ever since I learned to play at age seven. I received my first chess set as a holiday present, and within months, started giving the gift back by teaching it to several of my peers until they could win against me. That was how I realized I can teach as well as play. I tied for First Place in my high school district's Senior Class chess...
My fellow game enthusiasts, I teach and tutor chess and backgammon to beginners and intermediate players, setting countless students up for success ever since I learned to play at age seven. I received my first chess set as a holiday present, and within months, started giving the gift back by teaching it to several of my peers until they could win against me. That was how I realized I can teach as well as play. I tied for First Place in my high school district's Senior Class chess tournament, played in several local chess clubs of various cities, tutored troubled elementary school students to learn, improve, and win their own chess tournaments during my internship at the University of Washington while earning my B.A. in Social Welfare, and coached many of my aspiring peers to reach my level before my climb to 1900 ELO.
Every game played is a teachable story, though I learn most from top players notorious for their respective styles, such as attacking combinations from Alexander Alekhine, Mikhail Tal, Bobby Fischer, and Garry Kasparov, or slower solid/defensive play from José Raúl Capablanca and Tigran Petrosian, or learning from Anatoly Karpov and Siegbert Tarrasch how to tie an opponent's position in knots. I also use the latest edition of Modern Chess Openings for reference, and have books in 3 different languages, including Jeremy Silman's How to Reassess Your Chess, Winning With Chess Psychology by Pal Benko, and a century old openings book by Eugene Znosko-Brovsky.
My lessons address all phases and aspects of the game, with tailored combinations of simple game play, analysis, puzzles, exercises, theory, terminology, advice, stories, print and online resources and reference material, etc. I stay attuned to each student's playing level, ability, and needs; beginners receive fundamental knowledge and conceptual breakdowns to facilitate their advancement; intermediate students build upon their skills with deeper strategic concepts to increase their success at a club, park, or tournament.
