By the chess coach in Murray, Utah: Jonathan Whitcomb
Chess Instruction in the Salt Lake Valley
For only $25 per chess lesson, I can drive to your home (or to a mutually agreed-upon public library) in the Salt Lake Valley of Utah. The first one, however, is free, a getting-acquainted session that will allow you to make an intelligent decision about chess lessons. The best location, however, may be in my home where my wife and I live in Murray. The dining room table will be set up with a tournament-quality chess set and all that is needed for a chess lesson.
I (Jonathan Whitcomb) am both a tutor and an author of chess, having written the book Beat That Kid in Chess in 2015. I’m active in both the Harman Senior Center chess club and the Sandy Senior Center chess club, with a non-losing streak of 16 games (13 wins and 3 draws, from mid-October through mid-November of 2016) in those two chess clubs. In six months of 2018, I had a non-losing streak of 26 games at the Harman Chess Club (in West Valley, Utah): 20 wins and 6 draws. During that streak, I won first place in the club championship tournament.
For more information about chess lessons or about the royal game in general or about chess clubs, call me at 801-590-9692.
A Short Game During a Chess Lesson
In a private chess lesson, it’s generally best for the coach to go over one or more games that the student has played since the last lesson. Sometimes that’s not possible, for a student may not have played a recent game or the game was not recorded.
That was the case with one of my students early in November of 2016, so I played a game with him during our chess lesson. Here are the fourteen moves of that game:
White: Jonathan Whitcomb (chess tutor)
Black: Alan (chess beginner, student)
1) e4 e5
2) Nf3 Nc6
3) Nc3 b6
4) Bc4 Nf6
5) O-O . . . .
Black to move (chess game of teacher versus student in November of 2016)
In the position shown above, my beginner-student captured my pawn at e4 (the white pawn in the middle of the board). That was a mistake, for my knight at c3 (left of center and next to the white-squared White bishop) was protecting that pawn.
5) . . . . Nxe4?
6) Nxe4 . . . .
My student lost a knight while I lost only a pawn: a unequal exchange of material.
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Diagram-2: White is a piece ahead, at the cost of only a pawn
In Diagram-2, Black may now move d5, attacking two of White’s pieces: the bishop on c4 and the knight on e4. That would not win back material for Black, however, for White could then move Bb5, attacking and pinning the black knight that is on c6.
6) . . . . g5? This loses a pawn without any compensation
Diagram-3: after Black moved g5?
7) Nexg5 Qxg5?? This loses the black queen
8) Nxg5 Be7
9) d4 . . . .
White is not now concerned about the loss or gain of a pawn, for he’s ahead by a queen. The point is this: White wants to open up the position and get his dark-squared bishop, and a rook or two, into action quickly to finish up the game.
9) . . . . h6
10) Nxf7 Nxd4
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Diagram-4: White to move
11) Qh5 . . . . bringing the most powerful fighting piece into action
11) . . . . a6
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Diagram-5: White has a forced mate-in-three-moves; do you see it?
During this chess lesson in the Salt Lake Valley of Utah, the instructor (playing White) now made a combination that forced checkmate in three moves as follows:
12) Nd6 (double-check) Kd8 (If Black had moved Kf8, then Qf7 is mate)
13) Qe8+ Rxe8 (This capture by Black is forced)
14) Nf7 mate
What about chess books?
The low cost of a chess book looks attractive, naturally: Just a few dollars or a bit more, and you can continue using that chess book without any additional cost. But what about your questions? You can’t ask a book what it means by a particular statement on a particular page; you can’t ask a book what weaknesses you need to work on. And that’s just the beginning of questions that a book cannot answer.
How do you choose the right chess book? Even if it’s a gift of a chess book, meant for your friend or relative, you still need to consider that question, and it’s difficult to determine.
Your Turn
Remember, your first move is to call me and check out the free chess lesson, with no obligation to take any further chess instruction unless you’re comfortable and sure that it’s what you want to do. Phone me and ask what you will about chess: 801-590-9692.
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Low-cost chess lessons in Utah
Chess Coach Jonathan Whitcomb, of Murray, Utah (author of the book Beat That Kid in Chess), offers private and group lessons in the Salt Lake Valley. He offers a free introductory chess instruction session . . .
Brief reviews of three chess books
Chess Tutoring in Salt Lake Valley
I can drive to your location, or to a location convenient to both of us, if you live in or near the Salt Lake Valley of Utah. Communities most convenient to my own home in Murray include, but are not limited to . . . Holladay, Taylorsville, [Salt Lake City], Kearns, Cottonwood Heights . . .
The fee for each chess tutoring lesson is $25 . . . In addition, you get a copy of my chess book (Beat That Kid in Chess) at no additional charge, with the first lesson, and you don’t need to commit to any more lessons.
[Get] a free introductory [lesson]. This brief introduction to chess instruction should be sufficient for you to know how to proceed regarding private tutoring. . . . ask questions about lessons or about chess tournaments, chess clubs, tactics, strategy, or whatever you would like to ask.
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