---
title: "Chess tournament preparation coaching"
url: "https://georgelichess.com/tournament-preparation.md"
canonical_url: "https://georgelichess.com/tournament-preparation"
last_updated: "2026-11-13"
type: "product"
summary: "Chess tournament preparation with International Master George Li: a file on each opponent, a call before and after every round, texts and a written review."
related: ["https://georgelichess.com/pricing.md", "https://georgelichess.com/how-to-choose-a-chess-coach.md", "https://georgelichess.com/how-to-teach-kids-chess.md", "https://georgelichess.com/online-chess-coach.md", "https://georgelichess.com/book/first-lesson.md", "https://georgelichess.com/about.md"]
---

# Chess tournament preparation coaching

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Chess tournament preparation with International Master George Li: a file on each opponent, a call before and after every round, texts and a written review.

George prepares your player for every round of a multi-round event: a study of how they play, a file on each opponent as soon as the pairing posts, a call before the game and a call after it, and a written review when the event ends. Nine rounds is $2,000, and a five-round weekend is $1,250.

## Who it is for

### A parent of a rated junior

- Starting point: Your child is entered in an event of five rounds or more, such as a state championship or a national scholastic event, and you want an International Master working on it with them.
- How it goes: George studies how your child plays, prepares for each opponent as the pairing posts, talks the plan through before every game and goes over the game afterwards.
- You receive: A file for every round, a call on each side of every game and a written review of the whole event.

### An adult tournament player

- Starting point: You play a rated weekend open or a longer championship and want the openings and the opponent research handled so you can rest between rounds.
- How it goes: George builds your openings for the event from the games you actually play, then prepares each round as the pairings come out.
- You receive: A round card or file before each game, short calls around it and a written review with what to work on next.

### A player whose regular coach is away

- Starting point: Your coach teaches your openings week to week but cannot be at the event.
- How it goes: George starts from the opening files your coach already gave you and keeps any line your coach wants kept.
- You receive: Preparation that fits the repertoire you already have, round by round.

## How the round-by-round cycle works

1. **Send your games and openings.** 7 days before Round 1 at the latest, you send the event and section, the last 12 months of over-the-board games, online usernames and the openings your player plays now. Their games are studied for recurring mistakes, time use and the openings they really play.
2. **Kickoff lessons.** One-on-one video lessons of 60 minutes settle the openings for the event, a clock plan and the routine for round day: two lessons in the nine-round package, one in the five-round weekend package.
3. **A file for every round.** When the pairing posts, you get a file on that opponent: the main line to expect, a few side lines and training positions. Posted 3 hours or more before the round, the full file arrives 90 minutes before it. Posted later, a one-page round card arrives 60 minutes before.
4. **A call before the round.** A 30-minute video call that ends 15 minutes before the round. Your player says the line aloud and takes the card to the board. Nothing new is added on the call.
5. **A call after the game.** A 30-minute call the same evening to go over the turning point and what changes for the next round. Send the game score within 1 hour of the game. On a two-game day, the morning game is reviewed after the evening game.
6. **A written review.** Within 3 business days of the last round you get a written review: what happened in each game, the patterns behind the results and what to work on next.

## What is included

- A study of your player before the event: their games, online accounts and the openings they play now.
- Two 60-minute kickoff lessons with George before Round 1 (one in the five-round weekend package).
- Delivered 24 hours before Round 1, once the entry list is published: in the nine-round package, a file on every possible opponent, or a scouting file on the likely top boards where the section is too large for that; in the five-round weekend package, a scouting file on the likely top boards.
- A round file or round card for every round, as soon as the pairing posts: the line to expect, the trap to watch for and a clock plan.
- A 30-minute call before every round and a 30-minute call after every game.
- Texts with George from 08:00 to 22:00 event time, answered within 30 minutes, until 24 hours after the last round.
- A written review within 3 business days of the last round.

## Packages and prices

- Tournament Preparation: Nine Rounds: $2,000. For a nine-round event. Two 60-minute kickoff lessons, a file on every possible opponent, a round file or card for each of nine rounds, a call before and after every game, texts during the event and a written review.
- Tournament Preparation: Five-Round Weekend: $1,250. For a five-round weekend event. One 60-minute kickoff lesson, a scouting file on the likely top boards, a round file or card for each of five rounds, a call before and after every game, texts during the event and a written review.

Each package has a secure checkout button on [this page](https://georgelichess.com/tournament-preparation.md#packages) and on the [pricing page](https://georgelichess.com/pricing.md). After you pay, an email with the intake form follows.

## What you send, and when

- The event name, the section and your player's FIDE or US Chess ID.
- Their Lichess and chess.com usernames.
- The last 12 months of over-the-board games, as PGN or photos of the scoresheets.
- The openings they play now, on one short form: the first move as White, and the answer to 1.e4, 1.d4 and the rest as Black.
- Any opening files from a regular coach, and any line the coach wants kept.
- Who attends the calls (a parent for a minor), the parent who is the contact, a phone number for texts and your time zone.

- 7 days before Round 1: Your files and the intake form are in. Book at least this far ahead.
- 24 hours before Round 1: Your field file, once the organizer has published the entry list.
- Each round, when the pairing posts: Your round file or round card, 90 or 60 minutes before the round.
- Within 1 hour of each game: You send the game score, as PGN or a photo of the scoresheet.
- Within 3 business days of the last round: Your written review.

Material that arrives late is used from the next round's file onward; files already sent are not reworked.

## What depends on the event

- Opponent files depend on the organizer. They can be built only after the field and the pairings are published. A pairing that posts less than 3 hours before the round gets a round card, drawn from your field file, in place of a full file.
- George prepares one player in each section, so two players in the same section are never both prepared. Write to us with your event and section before you buy.
- The calls are fixed to the round times. A call you miss is not rebooked, and the round file or card is still sent.
- Every time on this page is the event's own local time.

## About your coach

- International Master ([FIDE profile](https://ratings.fide.com/profile/2052695))
- One Grandmaster norm, 2019 ([US Chess report](https://new.uschess.org/news/wow-chess-renaissance-seattle))
- 2016 North American Youth Chess Champion, Under-16 ([2016 standings](https://windsorchess.org/naycc-pairings.php))
- 2023 U.S. National Blitz Champion ([US Chess yearbook 2023](https://new.uschess.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/cl_2023_fullyearbook_09.pdf))
- Peak FIDE rating 2433 (February 2020) ([FIDE rating history](https://ratings.fide.com/profile/2052695/chart))
- International Master norm, 25th Chicago Open, 2016 ([US Chess report](https://new.uschess.org/news/young-norm-winners-highlight-2016-chicago-open))
- 2017 Denker Tournament of High School Champions co-champion ([US Chess Denker results](https://new.uschess.org/denker-year-year))
- Second, 2018 National High School Chess Championship (K-12) ([US Chess standings](https://ratings-api.uschess.org/api/v1/rated-events/201804297032/sections/1/standings))
- 2022 Illinois state chess co-champion and 2023 Illinois Blitz Champion ([Illinois Open champions list](https://il-chess.org/chess-content/illinois-champions/))
- US Chess All-America Chess Team, 2018 and 2019 ([US Chess announcement](https://new.uschess.org/news/2019-us-chess-federation-america-chess-team-announced))
- 2017 US Chess Scholar-Chessplayer Award ([US Chess Trust recipients](https://www.uschesstrust.org/scholar-chessplayer-award/))
- US Chess Original Life Master ([US Chess yearbook 2023](https://new.uschess.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/cl_2023_fullyearbook_09.pdf))
- University of Chicago degrees, including the MS in Computer Science
- Teaching assistant for the Generative AI and Algorithmic Game Theory courses

## Questions

### Which events is this for?

Any rated event of several rounds: a state championship, a national scholastic event, a weekend open or a longer international event. The nine-round package is built for events of nine rounds, the five-round weekend package for events of five. If your event has a different number of rounds, write to hello@georgelichess.com with the event, section and dates and you will get a reply by email.

### How early do I need to book?

At least 7 days before Round 1, with your files sent by then. That gives time to study your player's games, and to build and check the field file. Booking closer than that? Write to hello@georgelichess.com with the event and the dates and you will get a reply by email.

### What if the pairing is posted late?

A pairing posted 3 hours or more before the round gets a full round file, 90 minutes before the round. A later pairing gets a one-page round card 60 minutes before, drawn from the field file already built, so your player still goes to the board with the line to expect.

### Who is on the calls?

George and the player, by video. For a minor, a parent attends too and is the contact. The video link for each call comes by email.

### Will George prepare against every opponent?

In a small section, the field file covers every possible opponent. In a section too large for that, it is a scouting file on the likely top boards, and each round gets its own file or card as soon as the pairing posts.

### Can my regular coach stay involved?

Yes. Send the opening files your coach gave you and say which lines your coach wants kept. George builds the preparation around them.

### How do I pay?

Each package has its own secure checkout button on this page and on the pricing page. After you pay, you get an email with the intake form for your event. Questions before you pay go to hello@georgelichess.com.

Questions before you buy: write to hello@georgelichess.com. See also [prices and packages](https://georgelichess.com/pricing.md), [how to choose a chess coach](https://georgelichess.com/how-to-choose-a-chess-coach.md) and [how to teach kids chess](https://georgelichess.com/how-to-teach-kids-chess.md).

## Related

- [Chess lesson prices and packages](https://georgelichess.com/pricing.md)
- [How to choose a chess coach](https://georgelichess.com/how-to-choose-a-chess-coach.md)
- [How to teach kids chess: a guide for parents](https://georgelichess.com/how-to-teach-kids-chess.md)
- [Online chess coach with George Li](https://georgelichess.com/online-chess-coach.md)
- [Chess first lesson and study plan](https://georgelichess.com/book/first-lesson.md)
- [George Li, chess coach](https://georgelichess.com/about.md)