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The Coach
Hi! I am NM Dan Heisman, and if you are looking to be a
better chess player, I would like you to consider me as your chess
instructor.
Many of the Chessville regulars know who I am – my bio is in the Chessville
Forum “Bios” section. Recently I was the first person to win three 1st-place
awards in one year from the Chess Journalists of America, plus I also won an
honorable mention award in a fourth category. Among my awards was first
place for “Best Instruction” ahead of GMs Evans, Alburt, Schwartzman, Shaked,
and others.
My main web page is available at
www.danheisman.com . For detailed information I have web pages
containing:
1) General Lesson information:
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/danheisman/Lessons/chess_lesson.htm
2) Additional Lesson information for adults (most of my students are
adults):
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/danheisman/Lessons/Adult_Guide.html
3) Credentials:
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/danheisman/Lessons/CHES_RES.htm
4) Fees:
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/danheisman/1999-00_Chess_Fees.html
But here I want to “sell” myself and tell you:
1) Why anyone wishing to improve needs a chess coach, and
2) Why anyone looking for a chess coach should consider me.
Why anyone wishing to improve needs a chess coach: The fact is that no one
ever got really good at chess without good chess coaching. This is true for
almost any kind of endeavor - ever see Pete Sampras play without them
showing you his coach…? Even Bobby Fischer, who liked to compare himself to
the Russians by saying he did it all himself, actually went to NM John
Collins’ home and studied with Collins and some of the best players in the
country. Read any famous chess player’s biography and he will tell you how
many years he spent studying at the Botvinnik School, or from IM Dvoretsky,
or from Bruce Pandolfini, or whomever.
Chess is like anything else – to improve you need theory and practice.
Theory may include reading books, watching videos, etc., but getting lessons
is the key here, as it would be in sports (ever hear of a team without a
coaching staff?) or music (a high school orchestra without a music teacher
and instructor?), or anything else. In an upcoming Novice Nook I answer the
question, “What can a good chess coach do for you that going over your game
with (the chess program) Fritz cannot?” The answer:
A good instructor can:
1. Look at your games and see what you are doing wrong. Not just pointing
out weak moves, but every possible weakness, such as misconceptions about
how to play positions, planning and position errors, etc.
2. Talk with you and find out what you know and what you don’t. If you don’t
know that both sides should try to attack when castling opposites sides with
Queens on the board, he will see that and quickly tell you.
3. Answer questions and explain things to you that you don’t understand.
Suppose you read in a book, “Passed pawns must be pushed” and you don’t know
when or why, then if you ask a good instructor, he should be able to explain
it to you until you are satisfied.
4. Work on your thought process. Listen to you think and make constructive
suggestions on how to improve your technique.
5. Suggest a practice routine, including what tournaments to play, how to
prepare, and what time limits would be the most helpful.
6. Suggest a way to learn new information and patterns, whether it be
through reading books, watching videos, listening to tapes, etc.
7. Work on your time management. Show you when it is important to take your
time and when you are wasting your time.
8. Provide psychological support. Teach you that you will not go straight up
and that setbacks are normal and to be expected; teach you how to deal with
and learn from your losses. Encourage you when you are down and keep you on
an even keel if you get overconfident.
9. Help you pick an opening repertoire if you need help. Teach you what
moves you will encounter the most frequently and the best ways to learn
more.
10. Help you judge your progress and figure out what that means for your
future play, practice, and study.
11. Show you themes and patterns that occur frequently so you know how to
handle them when they do.
12. Listen to your concerns and desires and help you decide what are
reasonable expectations; when you just need to accept what is happening and
when you might need to do more.
There are more, but I think you get the idea!
Of course, not everyone can afford an instructor. Bad instructors can be
gotten cheaply, but some bad ones are also pretty expensive. Most good
instructors know they are good and charge at least a reasonable amount. I
have had to raise my prices almost every year because I am always so busy,
yet I still make less than half what I did 10 years ago as a software
manager, and I get no benefits, so compared to a software consultant, most
chess instructors are still dirt cheap! ☺ - and you do not have to take a
lesson every week (see below).
Why anyone looking for a chess coach should consider me?
An NM is not the strongest instructor you can find, but unless you are
already over 2200, it is likely that taking lessons from a GM is not only
overkill, but may not be as helpful as lessons from someone a little bit
more in the trenches. And I think everyone understands that there is very
little correlation between chess playing abilities and chess teaching
abilities, just as in any other endeavor. Sure, a good teacher who is 2500
is probably better for an 1800 player than a good teacher who is 2000, but
the 2000 may be a better instructor for someone who is 1400, and the 2000 is
a better teacher for everyone than a bad teacher who is 2500.
I may not be the best chess player in the world, but at FIDE 2285 I am in
the top 1% of all tournament players. And I have natural teaching skills:
when I worked at Intermetrics, I was in charge of their local training
program and I have taught both calculus at the college level and chess in
adult evening schools. Teaching chess (and writing) is my full-time job and
has been since 1996. If I am in the top 1% of the chess players in the
world, I hope I am in an even higher percentile as an instructor.
As the author of such books as Everyone’s 2nd Chess Book, Elements of
Positional Evaluation, and A Parent’s Guide to Chess, I consider myself one
of the leading authorities on how people learn chess. If you need further
proof, read all my Novice Nook columns from
www.chesscafe.com - I have all
my Chess Café articles linked at:
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/danheisman/Articles/Novice_Nook_Links.htm
I am not for everyone though. In an earlier posting in the Chessville Forum,
I stated:
“Much of an instructor is chemistry. Once a player realizes that nobody ever
got really good without at least some serious instruction, they need to pick
out an instructor who may click with them. Here are some "Probably will
click" and "Probably won't click" tips whether a student will mesh with my
style.
Probably Won't Click with Me If:
1) Looking for a Quick Fix
2) Dislikes the Socratic Method
3) Hates Playing Slow Games (At least 30 5 or preferably slower)
4) No Sense of Humor/All Business
5) Not Open-Minded
6) Looking for A Cheerleader
Probably Will Click with Me If:
1) Understands That Getting Good at Chess Takes Time (you
may not be able to afford a lesson every week, but once every 3 weeks for
two years is a lot better than once a week for 3 months). And anyone that
expects some magic dust to get 300 points in 2-3 lessons, see #1 above.
2) Willing to balance theory and practice.
3) Willing to take constructive criticism without getting defensive.
4) Understands that for most players most moves are not best.
5) Wants to work with me to learn, and not just have me tell them what to do
(goes along with Socratic method).
6) Can have a little fun once in a while and get off the subject, or do a
fun chess puzzle.
7) Communicates their concerns and problems openly and freely, and not
afraid to tell me what they like and don't.
8) Understands that sometimes getting better means doing some work (both off
the board and during your move) and sometimes doing things a lot differently
than you thought.
9) Keeps in good communication about goals and feelings about ways to
achieve them.
10) Is Open-minded about what they may need to improve and/or doing wrong.”
I just wish to add that I try to make my students my friends as well – I
care about how they are doing. Admittedly I am not as good as I could be
with new names and faces, but that is my lack of ability – not lack of
concern! And even after you are done using me as an instructor I still am
happy to talk with you – every year at the World Open I have a pizza party
for my students – not just my current students, but my current and former
students.
I offer no guarantees – if you want guarantees and quick fixes, look
elsewhere (well, I will guarantee that if you take lessons regularly and
play lots of slow games you will steadily improve, but how much and how fast
– there’s no way to guarantee anything there!). On the other hand, you don’t
need to take lessons from me every week; if you can afford it, great. If
not, I am happy to take on students that can only do it once every two
weeks, or whenever they can schedule. Irregular students just have lower
priority when it comes to picking their times, since if someone wants a
certain time every week and it is not already taken, it is theirs. I teach
from 9 AM Eastern until 11 PM Eastern every day except for my rest day,
Tuesday (when I go in the evening to the Main Line Chess Club).
Those taking lessons from afar usually join me on the Internet Chess Club
(ICC) – if they are not a member, they can come on as a guest. We look at
the same chess board and type back and forth or, even better, they call me
on my 2nd line. About 70% of my lessons are going over your slow games and
looking for your weaknesses to help me figure out what I need to show you
and what you need to read, do, play, etc. to get better – for much more on
that kind of stuff please visit my website!
To schedule with me, call 610-649-0750 or e-mail me at
danheisman@comcast.net
with a set of times you are available. Same with any questions you may have.
I know I can help…
NM Dan Heisman
September 2002
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