CoachRhys

I'm a professional coach who runs several school chess clubs. I also founded Coventry Juniors Chess Club in 2022 which has students age 7-14 and is very successful. 

You can see from my ratings page I began playing chess seriously 4 years ago. I've been able to quickly improve from 1200>1900 rapid (over 2000 on my private account) as an adult improver (age 31) in just a few years and I believe this puts me in a unique position to help other students do the same.

My Training

Certified FIDE Developmental Instructor. I've been trained in how to coach chess effectively by some of the worlds top GM coaches.

I've also completed training in coaching chess by 'Chess in Schools and Communities' including 20 hours shadowing and working with other coaches at schools around England. 

I instruct students using a range of material from curriculums like the 'Chess Steps Method' and some of the russian methodologies for beginners which I have used with great success with my students.

Prices

I'm not currently offering free taster sessions. 1-1 coaching for children and adults online is $50/£40 for an hour or $70/£55 for a 1.5 hour session. Discounts are available for bulk bookings.

Contact

Students can contact me to book a session at [email protected] or they can message me on chess.com but you'll get a quicker reply from my email. 

Please let me know in your message:

1. Age (Under 16 I will need to speak to a parent/guardian before booking the lesson)
2. Timezone
3. What days of the week you would like lessons? (give multiple days if possible)
4. What times of day would work for you?

I'm happy to provide references and my DBS (UK Government certificate to prove I'm safe to work with children) on request. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

FAQ:

It looks like you're inactive and only rarely play bullet? 

I realised that playing my best repertoire was costing me in local games where opponents could easily find my public profile so I've now moved my main chess activity to a private account. I occasionally play a bullet game (which I'm pretty bad at) on here to keep the profile active, I'm happy to show any students my other account rated over 2000 rapid).

Doesn't my Coach need to be a master?

Being amazing at chess doesn't necessarily make you great at teaching it to others. I think many masters were probably rated above 1500 by age 14 - this may make it very difficult for them to remember exactly what they did to achieve that, especially if they simply achieved it through playing 30-50 hours a week as a child which not everyone has time for. If you're on the road to 1500 I think professional chess coaches like myself can do just as well if not better in helping you to get there.