How to Choose A Chess Coach?

How to choose a chess coach? This question is undoubtedly the first and last question that comes into the minds of most parents who wish to provide the best chess coaching experience for their child.

In any subject, choosing a coach who suits your child is most important in his/her development. Many parents look for the skills recognition a coach has in the world of the game. This may impart some confidence to the parents and child in training, but it is not as important as most think it is.

Coaches are in reality, teachers. A teacher is a person whom by definition knows how to teach or instruct. Therefore, apart from the knowledge and experience a person has in a given subject, good communication skill and patience are required for a person to able to teach or instruct well. Chess is a game that involves a lot of strategy playing. For that reason, being able to convey the chess knowledge and chess playing experiences a coach has is important. Without the basic teaching traits, a chess coach will neither be able to teach nor share his chess knowledge and experiences of the game to his students. As skillful as a coach can get, even in the instances of holding a Grand Master title, an impatient coach can almost never be a good teacher.

A coach is someone who should understand and know how to hone his students’ skills, to help build new ones. Having an understanding nature is a plus point because a compassionate coach understands that every student has different skillsets and skill levels. A good coach should know how to develop a coaching style that suits and supports students from different skill levels and backgrounds. The success of creating the aforementioned coaching style can ensure the development of his students is neither too advanced nor too suppressed, thus ensuring that every student enjoys and gains from his coaching sessions.

According to research, a child learns most by observing. Thus, coaches play a vital part as positive role models to children in their learning phases. In this situation, a coach who is passionate about chess outshines the rest because he will be able to exert some influence on his students in terms of skills and character building. Additionally, the coach has may even rub off some of his passion on his students, helping to instill love of the game in them.

Finding the perfect chess coach for your child is not impossible. You would just have to be patient in your search. Make a list of your preferences, and screen through the potential candidates accordingly. Broaden your search scope by doing your research online and asking around your communities. Even after you have made a decision on a certain someone, remember to assess the coach regularly by talking to your child about his experiences with his coach. Whenever situation permits, talk to the coach regarding your child’s progress. You will be able to fully assess if the coaching suits your child from a two-way communication.

Marcus Chan from MarcusChess.com is a Malaysian National Master chess player who is passionate about teaching chess to the younger generations. He is known to impart his chess knowledge and experience through fun-filled activities in his coaching classes. Having coached chess for the past 5 years, Marcus has successfully coached a number of his students to become national champions in his short stint. From experience to passion, he could be the chess coach you are looking for your child!

For more details, kindly contact Joey at +6013-2582768.