Become a Chess Pro: Advanced Level 2

This class is for young learners who already have a significant formal chess background, likely including having taken multiple previous classes. All learners are expected to already be comfortable with all of the foundational rules of chess, up to and including en passant capturing and stalemate, and also have a prerequisite knowledge of multiple opening strategies (such as "The Sicilian Defense," "The Spanish Opening," etc.).

Throughout the semester we will delve into the concept of Gambits, and learn how and when to replicate them, including some transpositional openings. Each week's lesson starts with about 30 minutes of explanation and discussion, followed by, for the remaining duration of each class, virtual chess games between the classmates, supervised by the instructor.

Schedule of Lessons (first 30 minutes of each class):
Week 1: Review Prerequisite Concepts, Discuss Scandinavian Defense
Week 2: Introduction to Gambits, The King’s Gambit Accepted
Week 3: The King’s Gambit Declined
Week 4: Evan’s Gambit
Week 5: Danish/Smith-Morra Gambit
Week 6: Stafford Gambit
Week 7: Jerome Gambit and Unsound Gambits
Week 8: Conclusion: Review, Checkmate Puzzles, and more

Schedule of Virtual Games (final 30 minutes of each class):
Week 1: Practice Games with instructor coaching
Week 2: Practice Games with instructor coaching
Week 3: Practice Games with instructor coaching
Week 4: Practice Games with instructor coaching
Week 5: In-class tournament Round 1 games
Week 6: In-class tournament Round 2 games
Week 7: In-class tournament Round 3 games
Week 8: Awards Ceremony (all students will be sent certificates of completion and tournament award ribbons)