By the chess tutor in Murray, Utah: Jonathan Whitcomb (Salt Lake City area)
I have found a number of roads to learning to play chess on a higher level:
- Join a chess club and compete informally against a variety of players
- Read and study chess books, using the best methods of practice
- Record each of your games, to later analyze both errors and good moves
- Take private chess lessons from a qualified tutor (not necessarily a master)
From about 1963 to 1971 I progressed a great deal from the first three methods, but I would have progressed much faster if I had taken private chess lessons from the right instructor. Alas, I had neither the means nor the opportunity to receive such instruction, so it took me eight years to obtain a USCF rating of over 1900.
What Happens in a Private Chess Lesson?
I can speak for myself (Jonathan Whitcomb). My own philosophy for chess education includes the tutor giving the student opportunities to come up with his or her own ideas. With that said, when you have a chess lesson with me, you’ll most likely find that most of the ideas about how you can improve will come from me, at least in the early stages.
Yet part of my philosophy on chess education is this: Encourage the student to be creative, and when he or she comes up with a creative idea to accomplish something on the chess board but the idea is flawed, concentrate on helping the student to see how a different approach might be more practical. If the flawed idea might be useful in a different chess position (and poor ideas usually can be fine in different settings), let the student know that it could be a good idea in a different situation.
Sometimes an actual chess game best helps a beginner to learn
Someone took a photo of me playing chess with a boy at the Jordan Pines campground, shown in the above image. In fact we played several games of chess. He would sometimes ask a question and I would answer, yet I tried to give him only the most useful comments, avoiding overwhelming him with too much advice in too short a time.
Should the Tutor Play Chess Games with the Student?
I give no stock answer for chess instructors, for the best use of tutoring time depends on the precise needs of the student. Let’s look at two extremes:
- The student takes weekly lessons but plays only about one game per month
- The student plays at least one game per week and records each one in chess notation
In the first case, the student would get far too little experience in over-the-board play, leaving him or her with too little practice. That student would gain much from playing a game, or part of a game, with the chess teacher during each lesson. Afterwards, they could go over the recorded moves, allowing the teacher to explain why some of the moves were good and some were bad. This would give that teacher ideas for constructing puzzles especially for that student.
In the second case, the student plays games outside the lesson time, either at a chess club or in another setting. The chess tutor should then spend time going over recorded games the student had played, especially a game played within a few days before a lesson.
Individualized Chess Lessons in the Salt Lake Valley of Utah
Please call me with any questions you have about tutoring sessions in the Salt Lake Valley: 801-590-9692. You may also reach me by email.
The first meeting is free, a getting-acquainted session in which you can learn how I teach chess lessons and I can learn something about your present skill and knowledge level in the royal game. If you decide to continue with formal private chess lessons, each one will be $25 and will last about one hour. (An exception may be made for a very young child, if that young student is unable to concentrate for a full hour.)
These chess lessons are available in the Salt Lake City area as well as in many other communities of the SLV.
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Beat That Kid in Chess I wrote for the early beginner, the chess player who knows the rules of the game but little else about how to win. More recently, I began offering my services as a chess tutor in Utah, with private lessons in the Salt Lake Valley for $25 per hour.
Alexander Gustafsson gave a simultaneous exhibition of chess on June 22, 2016, at the South Jordan Library in Utah. Jonathan Whitcomb, another chess coach, was one of about nine players who competed against the chess expert, and he was able to obtain a draw.
Chess Tutor in Salt Lake Valley
It will not be a mechanical process, with me lecturing you and telling you what to think. We’ll begin with a free getting-acquainted session in which you will learn about how I teach and I will learn about where you stand in your chess abilities. After that free meeting, you can decide how to proceed: private chess lessons, group lessons, or some other course of action.
In this first post of Chess Test, “The Art of Chess,” let’s look at a variety of chess positions. Test yourself by trying to find the best move in each position. Ponder each position for at least a minute or so, as necessary. Answers are given at the bottom of this post . . . [five chess positions in this quiz, most of them challenging]
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