My Coaching Philosophy
First and foremost, my coaching focuses on the student’s goals. I have students who are more interested in appreciating the art and beauty of the game rather than significantly improving—and that’s perfectly fine! However, if your main goal is to enhance your playing skills, please continue reading.
I believe that chess is fundamentally a game of skill, rather than knowledge. Despite its reputation as an intellectual pursuit that one masters by accumulating knowledge through books and lectures, this common perception is misleading.
You cannot become better at chess by passively reading and listening, rather, it requires active practice and development of skills. Therefore, the primary goal of my lessons is to identify as precisely as possible the skills the student needs to develop, and then provide guidance on how to enhance these skills. For example, this could include tactical vision, an aspect of calculation (of which there are many), how one intuitively feels about a certain middlegame structure etc…
Accordingly, my coaching method starts with a detailed analysis of a student’s games and includes specific tasks and puzzles to identify any skills gaps. Based on these assessments, we then focus our lessons on targeted skill development, supplemented by personalized homework assignments to strengthen these areas.
Homework
Building on the previous explanation, unless you’re a beginner, progress in chess doesn’t come from lessons alone. I view chess coaching similarly to personal training or learning a musical instrument: while lessons provide instruction and guidance, improvement requires additional work outside of these sessions. That’s why I assign homework and recommend tasks for students who want to improve.
Price and Booking a Lesson
My rate is $60 AUD per hour. To schedule a lesson, please use the calendar page, or the ‘Schedule a Private Lesson’ button in the bottom corner of the screen. Scheduling a lesson does not require payment up front. After you book a lesson, I will be in contact to potentially ask some more questions and sort out any other details prior to the lesson.
Me coaching my most famous student and best mate (just kidding, I wish)…
What to Expect in a Lesson
The primary focus of each lesson is to review the student’s own games to ensure that the instruction is personalised and tailored. We emphasize analysing the decision-making process during the game to pinpoint the reasons behind mistakes. Occasionally, we will also examine positions and puzzles from other sources if they relate to aspects of the student’s play.
Additionally, I encourage students to solve various types of puzzles while articulating their thought processes. This helps me gain a deeper understanding of their decision-making skills.
If you have any specific questions, feel free to get in contact with me at jackpuccinichess@gmail.com.
