Junior coaching ... keep it simple !
By Phil Adams (3Cs' chief coach)
His ability as a chess coach ? Just look at 3Cs' records !!!
17 June 2025
CHESS ON THE WEB
You can keep up with events in the chess world by regularly checking out these chess news websites:
TWIC is an invaluable resource for all strong or ambitious players. Every Monday night or Tuesday morning Mark Crowther provides a FREE file in PGN or CBV format of all the available tournament games played in the previous week !
There is also a website focusing on chess, technology and IT: https://www.chesstech.org
Click on the approprite link above to access the desired website
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WHAT'S NEW IN CHESS
Popular streamer IM Miodrag Perunović aka “The Butcher” has a video on YouTube showing a recent idea for White in the Grand Prix Attack vs the Sicilian Defence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7q-Y18oSN8
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GM Karsten Müller is a great expert on the endgame and frequently explains interesting and instructive endgames at the Chessbase website. Here’s his most recent article: https://en.chessbase.com/post/a-strong-duo
And here’s a complete list of all Müller’s endgame articles available at the Chessbase website; you can learn something useful from every one of these! https://en.chessbase.com/tagged?tag=Endgame
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A great article about how we should think about ratings: https://www.chess.com/blog/GMGabuzyan/the-rating-obsession-why-its-ruining-your progress
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REMINDERS
Swiss GM and trainer Noël Studer suggests a simple process to use every time you want to learn a new opening:
https://nextlevelchess.com/new-opening/
And here GM Studer discusses some of the pros and cons of playing “system” openings, especially with Black: https://nextlevelchess.com/system-openings-black/
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There is a lot of interesting and instructive free content at https://chessmood.com/ Of course, this is offered in the hope that you will sign up for one of their paid courses, but nevertheless the free material at the site is well worth exploring.
Here’s a quite short but very instructive article by the US master Jeremy Kane with some “test yourself” puzzles. It provides useful reminders of some really important basic chess principles. Understanding these and keeping them in mind can help you to make the right decisions on the chess board, whatever your level. https://www.chess.com/article/view/bad-trades-amateurs-make-in-chess
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*** Chessable are still offering a FREE course in basic endgames. *** https://www.chessable.com/basic-endgames/course/6371/
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This site https://www.openingtree.com/ can help you research the online games of future opponents
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For already strong or ambitious players, a useful sources for keeping up to date with the latest developments in your favourite openings is https://www.chesspublishing.com
You have to subscribe (to one or more sections) to be able to read or download the detailed annotations, but the free-access pages can be useful in their own right, for pointing you towards the most important recent games in each opening, which you can usually then find at TWIC and download for study
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There is also a “forum” (at https://www.chesspub.com/cgi-bin/chess/YaBB.pl) where you can ask questions and discuss openings and other chess topics.
Some suggestions for self-preparation
The recent health crisis gave many chess players more free time to practice their skills, yet, although the pandemic has largely abated, such self-assessment and training is still required in order to maintain a level of play in readiness for when regular competitive matches restart.
Hence, the following are some suggestions to prepare for such occasions ...
1: Learn or revise basic endgames from books such as Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual, How to Play Chess Endgames by Müeller & Lamprecht or 100 Endgames You Must Know by De La Villa. The work you put in now, learning and practising basic endgames, will be useful to you for as long as you want to keep playing chess and (unlike openings) it will never go out of date!
2: Play through practical endgames, using books such as Endgame Strategy by Shereshevsky, How to Play Chess Endgames by Müeller & Payeken or the excellent books by Glenn Flear or John Nunn.
3: Play through as many of the great games of the past as you can, collected in books such as The Mammoth Book of the World's Greatest Chess Games.
4: Learn and practise some strong main-line (or at least “respectable” secondary) openings and defences.
5: For relaxation as well as practice:
a) play some on-line blitz at 3’+2” or 5’+3”, but use these games mainly to practise your openings – save each game in PGN as you go along and look at them again later, especially in respect of the opening;
b) solve puzzles or endgame studies e.g. at chess.com, maybe using “puzzle-rush”.
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
If you’re a lower-rated player you like to attack things; if you’re a higher-rated player you like to improve your pieces.
GM Ben Finegold
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In order to get better at chess, it is essential that you play chess against people who are stronger than you.
GM Daniel Gormally
3Cs' head coach Phil Adams providing valuable instruction to 8 year old Zayeem Alam as well as his dad Shahed who also plays for the club ..... we shall refrain from discussing which one of them is in more need of Phil's coaching !
3Cs often ask other people to assist with coaching at the club so as to gain different points of view. This photo shows FIDE Master Alex Longson (grey top near the door), himself a product of the 3Cs' coaching system and a former England junior international, who has taken charge of many of the club's coaching sessions. Alex also organises the Delancey UK Chess Challenge along with his wife Sarah who also assists at the club.
How do you learn tactical patterns?
My first and absolute top recommendation would be to read these two books one after the other (available from the 3Cs' library):
1) "How to beat your dad at chess" teaches you all the most important checkmating patterns.
2) "Chess tactics for kids" teaches you all the most important chess tactics patterns....
.......and then read them again!
A suggested thinking routine after your opponent has moved ...
1: Write the move down.
2: Check it is a legal move (Some people may try to cheat or bluff you).
3: Is there a threat ?
4: Can I ignore the threat ?
5: What are all my options ?
6: What seems to be my best option ?
7: Give your proposed move a final "blunder check" before touching the piece.
Ideas by 3Cs' senior coach Phil Adams on how to specifically make new young players feel welcome at a chess club as wel as tips on coaching methods for them and which can be downloaded via this link....
Although the attached notes were written several years ago (ie: ask your parents if you don't understand what Phil means by a "VHS tape" !!!), the ideas are still very much relevant and have proven to be very successful at 3Cs for generations of young players at the club.
Learn these simple rules ...
a: Often the best moves do TWO good things; most notably the double attack (eg: a fork)
b: Always look at the forcing moves
c: f2 and f7 are the weakest points in the first part of the game
d: In the opening, don't move the same piece twice without a good reason
e: When ahead on material, exchange pieces not pawns
f: When losing on material, exchange pawns not pieces
g: With the safer king, keep the queens on
h: When under attack, try to exchange queens
i: When attacking, invite everyone to the party
j: Every pawn move creates a weakness.
(ie: Don't move a pawn when stuck for a move - try to improve your worst piece instead)
k: Chess is two-way traffic - always look at what the opponent is trying to do