How To Get Started With Chess Coaching

Even if you're not a master

When I posted a tweet encouraging chess players of all levels to try coaching, it got a big positive response, but a lot of people responded with the same question: “How do I get started?”

So today I’ll share some suggestions for how to get into coaching, even if you’re not a master. But first let me say a little more about why I think coaching is a good idea for players of all levels…

1. It can be difficult for grandmasters to understand the perspective of someone who is still learning basic concepts. In many cases, they may have gone through this process when they were so young that they don’t even remember. But for you, the process is still fresh in your mind. I learned this when I was studying AI through the fast.ai course. Co-founder Rachel Thomas wrote:
   
   “You are best positioned to help people one step behind you. The material is still fresh in your mind. Many experts have forgotten what it was like to be a beginner (or an intermediate) and have forgotten why the topic is hard to understand when you first hear it. The context of your particular background, your particular style, and your knowledge level will give a different twist to what you’re writing [or teaching] about.”
   
   Coaching and playing are different skills. The best players are not necessarily the best coaches. Having said that, some grandmasters are also excellent coaches! One of the very best, RB Ramesh, is leading a class next week in The Chess Gym. Our classes are free for members!

2. Teaching is one of the best ways to learn. In order to explain something effectively, you have to understand it deeply from multiple angles. So coaching is a win-win: you can help others improve while also accelerating your own improvement.

So, how do you get started?

Start Local

If you try to sell your coaching services online, you’re competing against the whole world, but there might not be many chess coaches where you live.

Do you have any friends or family members who are interested in getting into chess? You could offer coaching to them.

Or if you have a local chess club, take on a bigger role there. You could start a study club, or help other players analyze their games. Of course, you need to be careful about butting in with unsolicited advice, but most players would welcome some feedback if it’s offered in a friendly way. If other players see that you can talk about chess effectively, they might be open to a paid coaching arrangement.

Social media

If you want to coach online, you’ll probably want to use social media to make a name for yourself. I started writing this newsletter years ago with no audience, but it gradually gained a following and led to a lot of opportunities in the chess world.

There are a lot of different platforms to choose from. I started using Substack because it’s easy to set up, and it’s worked well for me. I’ve also had a lot of success copying my posts to my Lichess blog. Chess.com offers a blogging platform as well.

For shorter written content, a lot of chess players hang out on Twitter (now X) and reddit. You can make a lot of connections by engaging positively on these platforms.

If video is more your style, chess content is also incredibly popular on YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok. To be honest, I don’t know a lot about these platforms, but I’m thinking about doing more on YouTube.

I would pick one or at most two platforms to start with. You don’t need to do everything at once!

The Chess Gym

My online chess learning community, The Chess Gym, is a great way to get into coaching. One of our core beliefs is that everyone is both a learner and a teacher. Many of our members post their annotated games to get feedback from a variety of players.

We’re also ramping up a series of events where members give a presentation on a chess topic they’re passionate about. For example, Dan Bock is going to show us how he uses Anki to capture and review chess knowledge with virtual flashcards.

Those are just a few ideas to get you started. Hey, maybe you can make a little extra money while helping someone improve at chess, and increasing your own understanding. And who knows, if things really go well, maybe you can build a whole career around chess.

And if you want to try out The Chess Gym, we currently have an offer where you can try one week for $1.