About me#
I came into chess later than most coaches — I learned at 14. That late start is exactly why I’m good at teaching beginners. I remember every concept that confused me, and I remember exactly how my coach explained it differently the second time so that it finally clicked.
At ChessWize I split my time between coaching early learners (ages 5–10) and designing the explainer videos, exercise sets, and parent-facing materials that every cohort uses. I’m comfortable teaching in English, Hindi, or Bengali.
Playing experience#
- Active rated player on Lichess and Chess.com (1900+ rapid)
- FIDE rating 1780
- Local AICF-rated events; multiple online youth platform tournaments
Teaching experience#
Five years of coaching, two as a freelance instructor and three at ChessWize. I’ve personally taught 200+ students and designed the materials used by every other coach. The 50+ “first-piece-ever” students I’ve taken to school-chess-club level in under 6 months is the metric I’m most proud of.
Coaching methodology#
Beginners learn best with three things: a clear visual model, a one-line rule, and a short exercise. My foundation curriculum has 32 micro-lessons each built that way. A child sees a position, hears a one-line idea (“knights love forks”), and immediately solves three problems testing the idea. Repeat 32 times and you have a tournament-ready beginner.
For early learners I lean heavily on the London System (white) and Caro-Kann (black). Both are solid, easy to teach, and let the student spend their mental energy on tactics rather than memorising opening theory.
Best skills#
- Teaching the first 50 hours of chess — when most students quit
- Bengali-language coaching for families from Eastern India
- Designing 5-minute exercise sets that age 5–10 students actually finish
- Co-writing the weekly WhatsApp parent report so it sounds friendly, not formal
Notable students#
- 50+ first-piece-ever children taken to school-chess-club level in under 6 months
- Several students who passed their school’s selection trial within 3 months
- Multi-language students who learned chess in their home language and now play confidently in English
How I make a 6-year-old listen for 45 minutes#
Nobody listens to chess theory at 6. So I don’t lecture — I run a position. Five seconds of setup, then “what do you think Black should do?” Their answer is the lesson. I correct gently, ask why, ask again. The rule sticks because they discovered it. Sessions feel like conversation, not class.
Languages#
English, Hindi, and Bengali. Bengali coaching is rare in Indian online chess academies — I take particular pride in it.
