What's included
8 live meetings
4 in-class hoursHomework
1 hour per week. Ideally, you should play several games on your own in between lessons. This isn't required, but I've found that this approach helps students to get the most out of the course.Class Experience
If you've learned the basics of chess - for example, how to move the pieces, what checkmate and stalemate look like - then it's time to move to the next level and learn how to attack your opponent's army effectively. We'll probe ways of analyzing positions and making your pieces work as a team - Queen and Knight, for example, or Rook and Bishop - so that your attacks become more effective and much more powerful. To help you master these ideas, we'll look at lots of actual situations where they happen. If you've mastered the basic rules and now want to hone your skills and become a better player, this is the course for you. In each class I want to introduce you to a new concept and then play through some games with you so that you can see how attacks work in actual practice. Here's an overview of the topics we'll cover: First Session: the pin Second Session: the fork Third Session: discovered check Fourth Session: double attack Fifth Session: the skewer Sixth Session: mates on the back rank Seventh Session: checkmate patterns Eighth Session: review of topics In every lesson I'll ask you to think through a number of positions and situations with me. This will help you to think through positions in your actual games and find the best moves to make. I look forward to working with you to improve your chess techniques!
Other Details
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Sources
I'll use tools on the chess.com website to illustrate chess tactics and review complete games. Learners won't have to sign up for membership on this website to participate in the course.
Teacher expertise and credentials
Years ago I was one of the top chess players in my high school; later on I was also a member of the chess team at my university.
When I taught at a high school, I sponsored the chess club there for thirty years, and the club's members regularly participated in local tournaments. Also, after my retirement in 2016 I helped to coach elementary school students and prepared them for regular tournaments in the area for three years.
Reviews
Live Group Class
$14
weekly or $110 for 8 classes1x per week, 8 weeks
30 min
Completed by 30 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 11-14
3-6 learners per class