Where to find a chess coach

The five places, side by side

We read each listing page on that date and describe only what it shows. The author, George Li, is an International Master (FIDE profile), and he coaches online.

Chess.com and Lichess directories

Both directories are places to find titled players who coach. The pages we read show no booking or payment step and no set prices, so you arrange lessons with the coach.

The Chess.com directory lists coaches, and each entry shows a title, a username, a name and location, a rating and a profile that the coach writes. The profile may say how to get in touch. There is no hourly price field, so a profile that does not state a rate leaves you to ask.

The Lichess list is narrower. A coach applies with a National Master or FIDE title and Lichess reviews the application. Each entry shows the title, location, languages, FIDE rating and an hourly rate that the coach types in. Because the rate is typed as text, it comes in different currencies and formats, or as a request to message the coach. The list can be sorted by last activity, Lichess rating or name, and filtered by language and country.

Use a directory to build a shortlist of three or four coaches. Then check each title (how to verify a title) and write to each one the same questions.

Marketplaces: Wyzant and Apprentus

A marketplace is built for comparison. Each coach sets a price, and you can sort and read reviews.

On Wyzant, the chess page showed 226 matching tutors on the day we read it, and printed a range of $20 to $85 an hour with an average of $35 to $60. A tutor's card shows an hourly rate, the number of reviews, hours taught and a typical response time. Most tutors on a general marketplace are not titled players, so check ratings and credentials yourself.

On Apprentus, the United States chess page listed 10 teachers, each with a price per 60 minutes, and said that only reviews from students are published. The prices we read ran from $17 to $125 an hour, with a median of $35, and one listing named a Grandmaster title. Both marketplaces fit a beginner or a child who needs patient teaching better than a player preparing for a national event.

Academies and individual coaches

An academy employs several coaches and matches you to one. Some publish a coach roster with a starting rate for each coach, and others sell a rate by level, such as an expert coach, a master, an International Master or a Grandmaster. The cost guide lists the rates we read, with the source and date for each.

An individual coach with their own site sells directly, and you deal with the person who will teach you. Prices are usually higher than on a marketplace, because the coach keeps the whole rate and sets it by demand. George Li coaches this way: lessons are booked on this site and taught by him.

Warning signs in a listing

A listing can look good and still leave you guessing. Be careful with any of these.

• No title or ID where a title is claimed. Ask for the exact title and a FIDE ID.
• A promise of a result. No coach controls your rating, and a listing that promises a number is selling a hope.
• Pressure to prepay. A coach you have not met should not need a large payment up front.
• Reviews that do not say what changed. A good review names a lesson or a habit.

How to compare three coaches

Whichever place you use, run the same short test on each coach. It takes one hour of your time per coach and avoids paying for the wrong fit.

1. Ask the same three questions in writing. How would you find out what is holding my play back? What does a lesson look like? What homework do you set and do you check it?
2. Check the title. Look up the title on FIDE or US Chess before you pay.
3. Book one lesson, not a package. After the hour, you should be able to say what you were taught and what to do before the next lesson.
4. Ask for a written plan. A coach who works methodically can show one after the first lesson.
5. Compare what you got, not the price. The cheapest hour is not the best value if you leave with nothing to practice.

The guide to choosing a chess coach has the full checklist and the warning signs.

Lessons with George Li

Lessons here are one-on-one, online and 60 minutes. You start with a single lesson, which ends with a written study plan, and you continue with single lessons or a package.