Coaching

Chess coaching is one of the many ways to help you improve and accelerate at chess. Chess organisations and individual chess trainers typically offer both individual and group coaching sessions.

These days, a lot of coaching is run online via platforms like lichess.org, but face-to-face chess coaching and training sessions remain very popular.

Chess clubs in Suffolk towns, villages, and schools, provide various levels of coaching and training, from beginner to advanced level training.

Group Coaching

Online

The free and fun online SJC Wednesday club night events are coupled with group (and a bit of individual) coaching for all levels. The regular coaching is provided by Ed Player and Tim Kent. Some of the more advanced junior players help contribute to the coaching too.

From time-to-time SJC invites local chess experts along to help out with some of the sessions, such as Bury Knights Organiser, Bob Jones.

Also, SJC hosts other other events which incorporate a bit of training. For example, local chess expert Adam Hunt (IM and FIDE Trainer), and former Suffolk junior, Justin Tan (GM) (https://lichess.org/coach/justantan), both kindly volunteered to run online simultaneous exhibitions whilst providing plenty of handy chess hints and tips to SJC members.

Face-to-face

SJC and local chess clubs have sometimes organise training days. Check the Events page for future chess training opportunities.

Local chess clubs also run training sessions. For example, Bury Knights typically run a summer training day where they invite some of the county’s top players to provide different levels of coaching to club members. Ipswich Junior Chess Club also has recorded some training videos for beginners.

Suffolk’s English Chess Federation Coaches

In 2021, the ECF announced a new coaching scheme to try and standardise and improve the quality of chess coaching around the country. Suffolk currently has two ECF-registered coaches:

• Dagne Ciuksyte – IM Dagne Ciuksyte runs the individual and joint lessons to all level junior chess players (and their parents) concentrating on the intensive chess tuition. For more information please visit https://dagnechess.co.uk/ or contact Dagne on mjchessclub@gmail.com.
• Martin Tomes – Martin runs Ipswich Junior Chess where he provides beginner-level coaching. Martin has also produced a number of chess videos involving club members.

We also collaborate a lot with Robin Slade from Essex Junior Chess.

Coaching further afield

There are various training events run by different chess organisations throughout England.  Check the ECF Events Calendar (with the filter ‘Training’ applied) to view a list of other upcoming training events.