Chess.com And Chesskid.com
Chesskid.com or Chess.com are the sites where lessons will be conducted. They are best chess websites for students to learn and improve outside of lessons. It is free to create an account, but you can pay to unlock more features. Some free features include puzzles trainer, online play with thousands of people chess news, and articles. You can have a choice of website, but the diffrence is that Chesskid.com is geared towards people brand-new to the game, and Chess.com is geared towards more experienced players. Both website are fine, and we can conduct lessons on wither one.
ChessBase
For Higher-Level Competitive Players
If you wish to compete in Chess tournaments and aim to progress as far as you can go, maybe even earning some titles on the way, ChessBase is extremely useful for analyzing and reviewing games. It does come at a hefty price,100-300 dollars depending on the package and where it is bought (buying from the ChessBase website is MUCH cheaper than Amazon), but it is worth it in the long run if competitive chess is something you wish to do. However, it is not recommended to buy this when you are just starting to play competitive chess, as the features of the program may not be as useful. But, when you reach a certain level, which we can discuss, then ChessBase will become very useful.
The Three Core Books
Although there are many resources on the internet to learn and improve your chess, books are still one of the best ways to learn and are essential for skill development and improvement. People who use books range from the earliest beginner to even the best players in the world! With these books, it is heavily recommended that you play the moves on a physical chessboard, with physical chess pieces. Although you will have to learn the chess notation that the books use, it is extremely easy, and we will be there to guide you every step of the way. Books will never stop being a useful tool for chess improvement, and so we recommend that you purchase these books, and they can be used during lessons and on your own time.
The Ideas Behind Chess Openings
Wide selections of Openings
In chess, one of the most aspects of the game is the opening. It sets the tone for the game and dictates how the rest of the game will play out. It is important to choose an opening that fits your style, whether it be attacking or more positional. This book contains many ideas for a wide variety of openings, and so, once we figure out what type of player you are, we can figure out an opening that suits you, and this book will be used to outline some of the ideas in said opening, and we will add additional details learned from experience. Creating a strong opening repetoire sets you up for success, and as you progress in the game of chess, your opening will have to be as good as you can get it. Luckily, we have loads of experience with this, so we will help you every step of the way.
Chess Training Pocket Book
Tactics, Tactics, Tactics!
Tactics are a series of moves in a game that win positions and saves losing ones. Gaining considerable experience with tactics is essential for beginners, as the games will be much more blunder-prone, leading to games rich with opportunities for tricks and tactics. Therefore, sharpening your tactical ability will take you a long way in winning games, and this book is one in a wonderful series of tactics books. We will use this during and outside of lessons, and when completed, will set up a strong foundation for increasingly difficult tactics. As your tactical vision grows sharper, your chess-playing ability will undoubtably rise as well.
Practical Chess Endings
Crucial Endgames
In many chess games, the result is that there are only a few pieces left in the game. In these scenarios, precise endgame play is required in order to win, draw, or simply make it tough for your opponent to win. This book contains all the fundamental endgames in chess, which is then used as a springboard to more complicated endgames. It will teach you how to assess and learn the nuances of these types of endgames. This book will also be present during lessons, and we will use it to review endgames, as well as assign homework with it. Learning the endgame will take a long time, and nobody is perfect. But with hard work and perseverance, you can reach a very high level of endgame play, which will benefit your game immensely.