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Active - Public

Chess

Hi, my name is Coach Mark and I am a full-time professional chess coach.  I am so excited about the possibility of working with you!  

I have been teaching chess for over 13 years.  My background is in chemical engineering as I spent 10 years in industry before going into education.  I have played over half a million games of chess in my life through various websites and currently have a peak online rating of just above 2200.  I also organized the first ever inter-high school chess league in Augusta, Ga.  I have an incredible amount of experience to share with my students.  I am skilled in the opening, middle, and end game techniques, tactics, as well as having strong positional skills. 

I absolutely love working with kids as well as adults and am enthusiastic about passing my knowledge on to students who are interested in improving their chess game. Feel free to check out some of my videos I've posted on this website.  I can't wait to work with you, so let's get started!

In this class, Mark will cover an introduction to online chess, basic checkmating patterns, and chess puzzles.  This class is the second lesson in the chess series for beginners after Lesson 1 - Fundamentals.  Lesson 1 is not required, but it will be assumed that students are familiar with how the pieces move, etc.  The instructor will give an introduction to online chess, which websites to use and their advantages/disadvantages, different time controls, and settings that should always be used online.  Mark will then cover the 3 most common checkmating patterns every beginner should know, and the class will conclude with an intro to chess puzzles and tactics.

Chess for Beginners Part 2 - Checkmating Patterns

Beginner

Intermediate

Advanced

Life-time Impact Award (three times)

Certified to teach math to gifted students

Gifted Certified

Started as an entry level engineer in Augusta, Ga. in project and design, and eventually received two promotions up to Environmental Manager.

Chemical Engineer and Manager

Taught 7th and 8th grade math/algebra for two years at two different schools in Evans, Ga. before deciding to move up to high school.

Middle School Teacher

High school math teacher with experience in teaching Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry, Gifted Algebra 2, and Gifted Geometry

High School Math Teacher

English

Hi! My name is Mark M. and I am a professional chess coach. I have played chess all my life.  I am a very skilled and extremely experienced chess player as this has always been one of my favorite hobbies and games to play.  I spent 10 years in industry as a chemical engineer, so my strong math background goes hand in hand with the analytical skills required to be an accomplished chess player.  I have an incredible amount of experience and knowledge to share with my students.  I am skilled in the opening, middle, and end game techniques, tactics, as well as having strong positional skills.  I have knowledge of all various types of openings such as the the London System, Caro-Kann, Vienna, the King's Indian defense, etc.  Please note my chess lessons are designed for 1-hour and here is what you can expect:

1) Beginners - basic rules/fundamentals, learn a couple of openings, and general strategies

2) Intermediates - Learn a few more openings, middle and end game techniques, learn tactical awareness, how to solve puzzles, deeper calculations

3) Advanced - Build an opening repertoire using software with training, deeper theory, advanced tactics and patterns, fine tune middle and end game strategies, counter-attacking, defensive resources, how to consistently convert won positions, and much more

What sets me apart from other instructors?

- My humor! I love to make learning fun by sprinkling in funny sounds, music, short video clips, etc. to spice it up. If you don't laugh during our session something is wrong!
- I record all sessions
- My enthusiasm
- My knowledge/experience - peak online rating over 2200, 13 years teaching, and over 500,000 games played!
- Patient and supportive (can go fast or slow)
- Native language is English, good communicator
- Offer support outside of lessons
- I explain things well

I absolutely love working with kids as well as adults and am enthusiastic about passing my knowledge on to students who are interested in improving their chess game.  I would love the opportunity to work with you and I look forward to hearing from you!

"Wow, what an amazing experience!  Coach Mark was extremely knowledgeable and patient with me.  He is very good at explaining the positions and why certain moves needed to be played.  He is funny and made our first lesson very fun!  I've tried other coaches before and there is no comparision.  He is now my permanent chess coach. 

Knowledgeable about all aspects of the game. Patient teacher who is able to bring it down to my level - lots to absorb!

Mark is not only a high-level player who loves the game but also a skilled and patient teacher. His lessons are well conceived, and you can plug into them from the beginning or jump straight to a specific topic e.g. an opening, middle game strategies, tactics. Beyond the formal lessons Mark will also mentor you in live games which is helpful in challenging your bad habits and improving your vision. Highly recommend.

Excellent first session. Confident in prospects for chess improvement.

Mark is an amazing chess coach. He is very professional and explains the multilayers of chess the game and theory. He is patient, encouraging and has a variety of teaching tools to help you through the learning process and still have fun playing the game. I highly recommend Mark.

Mark is an excellent Chess coach. I'm an adult improver and Mark really cares about how I'm doing. His lessons are easy to understand, but challenging. I highly recommend Mark for kids of all ages and adult learners too!

Such a patient, smart and encouraging guy. I am really enjoying these lessons.

I've been taking chess lessons with Mark for several months, and Mark is absolutely excellent. He communicates his lessons effectively, is patient and a VERY good chess player. I couldn't recommend him more.

In this video, Coach Mark will be conducting a speedrun using the Stonewall Attack at a rating level of 1700 - 1800, so I will only be playing games from the white side. Please make sure to watch my main video on the Stonewall Attack opening to ensure you are familiar with the main ideas. It is a fantastic, aggressive opening and is especially dominant at lower rating levels although it can be used up to the 2000 level. Let's have some fun!

Chess Speedrun - Stonewall Attack Opening for White 1900 - 2000 Rating Level

Chess Speedrun - Stonewall Attack Opening for White 1800 - 1900 Rating Level

Chess Speedrun - Stonewall Attack Opening for White 1700 - 1800 Rating Level

In this video, Coach Mark will be conducting a speedrun using the Stonewall Attack at a rating level of 1600 - 1700, so I will only be playing games from the white side. Please make sure to watch my main video on the Stonewall Attack opening to ensure you are familiar with the main ideas. It is a fantastic, aggressive opening and is especially dominant at lower rating levels although it can be used up to the 2000 level. Let's have some fun!

Chess Speedrun - Stonewall Attack Opening for White 1600 - 1700 Rating Level

In this video, Coach Mark will be conducting a speedrun using the Stonewall Attack at a rating level of 1500 - 1600, so I will only be playing games from the white side. Please make sure to watch my main video on the Stonewall Attack opening to ensure you are familiar with the main ideas. It is a fantastic, aggressive opening and is especially dominant at lower rating levels although it can be used up to the 2000 level. Let's have some fun!

Chess Speedrun - Stonewall Attack Opening for White 1500 - 1600 Rating Level

In this video, Coach Mark will be conducting a speedrun using the Stonewall Attack at a rating level of 1400 - 1500, so I will only be playing games from the white side. Please make sure to watch my main video on the Stonewall Attack opening to ensure you are familiar with the main ideas. It is a fantastic, aggressive opening and is especially dominant at lower rating levels although it can be used up to the 2000 level. Let's have some fun!

Chess Speedrun - Stonewall Attack Opening for White 1400 - 1500 Rating Level

In this video, Coach Mark will be conducting a speedrun using the Stonewall Attack at a rating level of 500 - 600, so I will only be playing games from the white side. Please make sure to watch my main video on the Stonewall Attack opening to ensure you are familiar with the main ideas. It is a fantastic, aggressive opening and is especially dominant at lower rating levels although it can be used up to the 2000 level. Let's have some fun!

Chess Speedrun - Stonewall Attack Opening for White 500 - 600 Rating Level

In this video, Coach Mark will be conducting a speedrun using the Stonewall Attack at a rating level of 1300 - 1400, so I will only be playing games from the white side. Please make sure to watch my main video on the Stonewall Attack opening to ensure you are familiar with the main ideas. It is a fantastic, aggressive opening and is especially dominant at lower rating levels although it can be used up to the 2000 level. Let's have some fun!

Chess Speedrun - Stonewall Attack Opening for White 1300 - 1400 Rating Level

In this video, Coach Mark will be conducting a speedrun using the Stonewall Attack at a rating level of 1200 - 1300, so I will only be playing games from the white side. Please make sure to watch my main video on the Stonewall Attack opening to ensure you are familiar with the main ideas. It is a fantastic, aggressive opening and is especially dominant at lower rating levels although it can be used up to the 2000 level. Let's have some fun!

Chess Speedrun - Stonewall Attack Opening for White 1200 - 1300 Rating Level

In this video, Coach Mark will be conducting a speedrun using the Stonewall Attack at a rating level of 1100 - 1200, so I will only be playing games from the white side. Please make sure to watch my main video on the Stonewall Attack opening to ensure you are familiar with the main ideas. It is a fantastic, aggressive opening and is especially dominant at lower rating levels although it can be used up to the 2000 level. Let's have some fun!

Chess Speedrun - Stonewall Attack Opening for White 1100 - 1200 Rating Level

In this video, Coach Mark will be conducting a speedrun using the Stonewall Attack at a rating level of 1000 - 1100, so I will only be playing games from the white side. Please make sure to watch my main video on the Stonewall Attack opening to ensure you are familiar with the main ideas. It is a fantastic, aggressive opening and is especially dominant at lower rating levels although it can be used up to the 2000 level. Let's have some fun!

Chess Speedrun - Stonewall Attack Opening for White 1000 - 1100 Rating Level

In this video, Coach Mark will be conducting a speedrun using the Stonewall Attack at a rating level of 800 - 900, so I will only be playing games from the white side. Please make sure to watch my main video on the Stonewall Attack opening to ensure you are familiar with the main ideas. It is a fantastic, aggressive opening and is especially dominant at lower rating levels although it can be used up to the 2000 level. Let's have some fun!

Chess for Beginners Part 2 - Checkmating Patterns - Chess Class

About Mark M.

Class reviews

Mark's Chess videos