When evaluating a chess program, here are some questions you should consider asking:

1. What is your approach to tracking progress of your students?

2. What is your objective in teaching chess? is it to make me a grand master?

3. How much chess do you expect me to play daily if I enroll in your class?

 

 

Our approach:

We have taken the entire world of chess, and have broken it down into meaningful, reasonable levels. Each level has its own set of deliverables. The very basic level focuses entirely on mastering moves by various pieces and we also have evolved several task-focussed games to help students master the moves. Once students master all the deliverables for that level, we have a graduation program and invite them to the next level.

What is your objective in teaching chess? is it to make me a grand master?

Our primary goal is to ensure that our students enjoy playing chess for a long time after they have completed their lessons with us.  Research (and common sense) indicates that the more the players enjoy a game, the more likely they are to play it more frequently. Needless to say, the first step in evolving your game to that of a grand master’s is to be able to enjoy playing chess. We have seen many examples in our tenures as chess coaches of students that showed incredible promise, then became disillusioned with Chess because they were pressurized to perform at a certain level and improve that progress each week. Because, when chess becomes a chore, kids prefer something else that is more fun.

 

 

How much chess do you expect me to play daily if I enroll in your class?

We do not expect our students to have any exposure to chess before they sign up with us. It gets even better. We also do not expect our students to practice chess at home any more than what they are comfortable with. If students are comfortable playing one game a day, then we do not ask that they up the ante and play three games a day because in our opinion, if the student finds chess fun, then you cannot stop him/her from playing more than what they are "supposed" to.

 

My kid is 6 years old - is this too young to enroll at your academy?

Our youngest students are a batch of 5 year-olds.. They started at level 1 and three months later, they are already in level 2 and are enjoying solving basic chess puzzles. You are the best judge to decide if your kid is old enough to play chess - if your child can stay focussed and attentive for about an hour, then you should consider enrolling in chess. In our opinion, the sooner a kid enrolls in chess, the more effective the benefits of learning chess would be for that kid.