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CHESS

Chess Registration

We are now offering 8-week online summer programs to help bridge our Spring and Fall chess courses. ​

Register Now

Chess Program Highlights

  • Group Lessons: Our group lessons encourage discussion, a deeper understanding of the materials and proactive collaboration among students.

  • Weekly Tournaments: We provide an environment for safe tournaments that provides students with ample opportunities for practical application of their training and growth in their understanding of chess. 

  • Online Training Arena: Our online chess training helps students to work on their tactics and play against a computer of a similar level.

  • Ongoing Assessment via Weekly Homework

Instructor(s)
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Coach Bilgen

Chess Teacher

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Coach Gensay

Chess Teacher

Image by Michał Parzuchowski

Level 0

Our Level 0 program is for absolute beginners who have no background or experience with chess.

IN-PERSON

ONLINE

Learning how to Play Chess

Level 1

Our level 1 program is for beginners who have some knowledge and have been learning for a year. We go over the fundamentals of the game at each stage and learn about tactics.

IN-PERSON

ONLINE

Image by Michal Vrba

Level 2

Our level 2 program is for beginner-intermediates who have prior knowledge in openings and endgame and have been learning for more than a year. We build more into the strategies which involve 2-3 move thinking.

IN-PERSON

Image by Michal Vrba

Level 3

In our level 3 program we go in-depth into complex thinking and multistep planning. In this intermediate level we dive into combinations and compensation mainly. This is suitable for students who have a solid foundation and can calculate 3-4 moves ahead. 

ONLINE

Learning Chess at Home

Level 4

Our Level 4 class is for intermediate-advanced players who have been playing chess for more than 3 years. We dive into more advanced techniques and strategies in the opening, middle and endgames. 

ONLINE

Chess Tournament

USCF 1000

Our USCF 1000 level is for students who have tournament experience and a rating over 1000 (official federation rating) and are serious about competing. We dive into advanced techniques and positional calculations. We also explore more theory in-depth.

ONLINE

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Overview

Our Level 0 program is for absolute beginners who have no background or experience with chess.

Objectives

  1. Introduction to Chess: Rules, board, notation, names of the pieces and moving the bishop rook and queen

  2. Moving the pieces: King, Pawn and Knight

  3. Special moves, point system and Checks

  4. Checkmate Basics: How to do a checkmate

  5. Stalemate Basics: What is it, is it good or not do it

  6. Practice playing and Capturing Pieces

  7. 4 Principles and How to Start a Game

  8. Chess Tactics: Forks, Pins and Skewer

  9. Setting Up a Double Attack: Real Attacks

  10. Exploiting Position, Winning Material

  11. Playing against the Coach and Apply Course Knowledge

  12. How to Make a Draw: Different Types of Draw

  13. Fool’s Mate and Lighting Attack: How to do it and how to defend it

  14. Endgame Basics: Pawn, rook, knight, bishop and queen

  15. Play Against the Coach and Summarize Course Knowledge

  16. Endgame Basics: Double Rook and Single Queen Mate Techniques

  17. Battery Attack: Basics

  18. Playing against the Coach and Apply the Course Knowledge 

  19. Defending Against Checkmate 

  20. Defending Against Double attack

  21. First Game Analysis 

  22. Course Review with Puzzles and Playtime 

Class Schedule

  • ONLINE: Tuesdays, 7:00pm - 7:45pm 

  • IN-PERSON: Registration closed 

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Overview

Our level 1 program is for beginners who have some knowledge and have been learning for a year. We go over the fundamentals of the game at each stage and learn about tactics.

Objectives

  1. Essential Tactics Identification Technique: Puzzle Rush

  2. Elimination of Defense: Checkmate

  3. Punishing The Copycat: When To and Not To Copy

  4. Play Against the Coach and Summarize Course Knowledge

  5. Famous Checkmates: Anastasia’s and Arabian Mate

  6. Dismantling Philidor’s Defense: Learn and Master Concepts

  7. Practice Playing Against the Philidor

  8. Second Queen: Dreams Come True 

  9. Acing The Italian Opening: Learn and Master Concepts

  10. Practicing Italian Opening

  11. Defending 101: Against Tactics and Checkmates

  12. Clearance and Desperado Sacrifices

  13. Grandmaster Game Analysis

  14. Play Against the Coach and Summarize Course Knowledge

  15. Strong Squares and Outposts

  16. What is Zwischenzug: Introduction to Important Timing 

  17. Queen’s Pawn Introduction: Why the d-pawn?

  18. Jumping Over the 7th Rank

  19. Play Against the Coach and Summarize Course Knowledge

  20. The Effective Use of Pawn Structure 

  21.  Defending Against the Pawn Race 

  22. Play Against the Coach and Summarize Course Knowledge

Class Schedule

  • ONLINE: Saturdays, 11:00am - 12:00pm

  • IN-PERSON: Registration closed.

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Overview

Our level 2 program is for beginner-intermediates who have prior knowledge in openings and endgame and have been learning for more than a year. We build more into the strategies which involve 2-3 move thinking.

Objectives

  1. Reviewing the essentials for the beginning of the game 

  2. Setting up a Complex Tactic: Sneaky Discovered 

  3. Chess Opening Traps: Blackburn, Legal etc.

  4. Horwittz Bishops

  5. Preventing Blunders 

  6. Play Against the Coach and Summarize Course Knowledge

  7. Game Analysis: Famous Games

  8. Endgame: Pawn Race and King Chase 

  9. Crusher Tactics: Common Themes

  10. Game Analysis: Course Review of Openings

  11. Play Against the Coach and Apply Course Knowledge

  12. Scandinavian Defense: Learning and Mastering the Concepts

  13. Practice Playing Scandinavian Defense

  14. Introduction to Master Player Brain

  15. Attacking the Castled King: Rook, Bishop and Knight 

  16. Students’ Game Analysis

  17. Sacrifice Mate Techniques and Tempo 

  18. Play Against the Coach and Apply Course Knowledge

  19. The Greek Gift: All Variations 

  20. Elastic Band Trap

  21. Double Attack: Chasing and Aiming 

  22. Play Against the Coach and Apply Course Knowledge

Class Schedule

  • IN-PERSON: Registration closed

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Overview

In our level 3 program, we go in-depth into complex thinking and multistep planning. In this intermediate-level we dive into combinations and compensation mainly. This is suitable for students who have a solid foundation and can calculate 3-4 moves ahead. 

Objectives

  1. Combination and Compensation

  2. Elements of Combinations: Motifs and Theme 

  3. General Concepts: Blueprint for Success

  4. Play Against the Coach and Apply Course Knowledge

  5. Unarming the Castled King: Defenses Begone 

  6. Immortal Game Analysis

  7. King’s Gambit Opening: Learning and Mastering the Concepts

  8. Practice Playing King’s Gambit

  9. Pseudo Sacrifice

  10. Deadly Diagonal

  11. Trapping Pieces Combinations

  12. Play Against the Coach and Apply Course Knowledge

  13. Modern Defense: Learning and Mastering the Concepts

  14. Practice Playing Modern Defense

  15. Combinations in the Endgame: Back Rank 

  16. 7th Rank Mastery: Strategy 

  17. Play Against the Coach and Apply Course Knowledge

  18. Introduction to Middle Game Combinations: Centre

  19. Pawn Centre: Soviet Secret Recipe 

  20. Major Pieces and Their Strength: Combinations

  21. Polgar’s Trapping the Queen Analysis 

  22. Play Against the Coach and Apply Course Knowledge

Class Schedule

  • ONLINE: Saturdays, 3:00pm - 4:00pm

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Overview

Our Level 4 class is for intermediate-advanced players who have been playing chess for more than 3 years. We dive into more advanced techniques and strategies in the opening, middle and endgames. 

Objectives

  1. Reviewing the Essentials for the Beginning of the Game

  2. Pawn Endgame: Using the Long Opposition to Draw

  3. Drawing Losing Endgames: Understanding how Masters do it 

  4. Middle Game Strategy: How to Make an Outpost 

  5. Learning the Ponziani: The Secrets behind it 

  6. Play Against the Coach and Apply Course Knowledge 

  7. Drawing Rook & Pawn vs. Rook as the Losing side

  8. Winning Rook & Pawn vs. Rook as the Ahead side

  9. Understanding the Escape Squares for the King & Controlling them 

  10. Making a Plan like a Master: What to Pay attention to 

  11. Differentiating Different Pawn Structures based on different openings 

  12. Reviewing Master Games: Pawn Placement 

  13. Play Against the Coach and Apply Course Knowledge 

  14. Capablanca’s Rook Endgame: Using the Open Files to his Advantage 

  15. Tree Analysis: Bear Trunk 

  16. Positional Centre Analysis: Applying Tree Analysis 

  17. Analyzing Students’ Games #1

  18. Analyzing Students’ Games #2

  19. Studying Kasparov’s Games

  20. Studying Karpov’s Games

  21. Deflection: The Power of Deflections 

  22. Play Against the Coach and Apply Course Knowledge

Class Schedule

  • ONLINE: Saturdays, 4:00pm - 5:00pm

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Overview

Our USCF 1000 level is for students who have tournament experience and a rating over 1000 (official federation rating) and are serious about competing. We dive into advanced techniques and positional calculations. We also explore more theory in-depth.

Objectives

  1. Play Against Coach and Apply Course Knowledge 

  2. Rook Endgame Against Bishop: Hard to Defend 

  3. Checkmates: Using the Lethal Long Diagonal 

  4. Using the Pawn Promotion to Help Checkmate 

  5. Destroying Opponent’s Defenses: Plan

  6. Analysis Tree: Selection of Candidate Moves

  7. Play Against Coach and Apply Course Knowledge 

  8. Analysis Tree: Dizziness due to Success

  9. The Blind Spot: Miscalculation 

  10. Positional Judgement: Open Files and Diagonals 

  11. Thinking Like a Master: Pawn Structure and Weak Squares

  12. The Wins by Steinitz: Creative & Technical Substance 

  13. Play Against Coach and Apply Course Knowledge

  14. The Pawn Wedge- The Nail Pawn

  15. The Aesthetics of Combination: General Concepts 

  16. Interference of Enemy Pieces: Unlocking the Secrets  

  17. Famous Combinations of Grandmaster: The Themes and Imitation

  18. Rook vs Endgame: Rook’s Battle Against Knight and Bishop 

  19. Queen vs Endgame: Battle Against the Rook and Review of the others

  20. Student Game Analysis

  21. Interference Weapon: Ruining Plans 

  22. Play Against the Coach and Apply Course Knowledge

Class Schedule

  • ONLINE: Sundays, 2:00pm - 3:00pm

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