Hi ChessCoachFlyn here...
Thank you for your consideration…
Before I begin, I’d like to ask you a small favor which I promise to return in spades.
If you contact me on Thumbtack, please give me the opportunity to chat with you for a few minutes before you make your final decision on a coach. I promise NO pressure in the call to select me.
Besides answering your question and giving you more detail on my program I also promise to share a wealth of data that will help you ensure your child’s success going forward. I will give you ways to help your child with chess.
I LOVE HELPING whether I’m paid or not. I assure you that no matter what decision you make for your child’s chess coaching our conversation will be of great value.
I will even give you access to one of my best student’s moms to ask any questions you might have about me or my program (Her testimonial follows below).
(Please note that most of my testimonials aren’t on this site as they didn’t come from Thumbtack but from my group coaching and direct referrals. You can see them on my coaching website.
NOTE: I have added 2 of those clients reviews They are two of my best recommendations.)
ChessCoachFlyn’s Coaching Program
I have 11 years’ experience coaching kids’ how to play chess, including after-school programs, summer camps, teaching at a local chess school, and doing private lessons.
(Note: My profession included nearly 4 decades of professional high-level coaching and hundreds of hours of related study in subjects like study and learning technology, accelerated learning, courseware development, and presentation skills. I have developed numerous techniques for accelerating my student's learning of chess.)
Who My Program is For
My focus is on kids that are reasonably serious about chess. Kids that want to improve their chess skills and play or eventually play competitively.
The Program’s Focus
My approach to teaching kids’ chess is to evaluate and identify the 2 or 3 things that will most improve their play at this moment in time. I focus on what the student “needs” in the present time to make progress.
The above provides quick success that provides your child the motivation and enthusiasm for learning that will make them successful.
The Program
My program includes one-on-one in-person coaching and guided and supervised homework between lessons.
Kids do learn from the coach in a lesson, but they learn far more from their study activities as we all learn by figuring things out, not by being told. These activities greatly enhance the value of the lessons and progress of the student.
I monitor the homework in real time between lessons and will send notes for corrections and adjustments I believe will improve their study efforts.
My Content Focus
Board Vision
Being able to see where pieces can move and what they can do quickly and easily
Tactics
Nearly all games below the master class are lost on tactics. Most games are lost on 1-3 half-move errors (a move for white or black is a half move, a move for white and black is a full move, add another move for white and you have 3-half moves) where the player misses one of the moves.
Endgames
Knowing endgames is critical to becoming a good player. Player who are good at endgames tend to be stronger. I have another strategic reason for teaching them to kids in the lessons that greatly helps them with their playing skills.
Strategic Principles (Opening, Endgame, Middlegame)
To play good chess one must use “strategic principles” to understand the position at hand and make decisions about what move should be played.
Teaching Parents How to Empower and Coach Their Kids
If you don’t know how to help your child with chess you leave a lot of progress on the table.
Knowing what to do and how to do it can make a significant difference in your child’s progress no matter who’s coaching them.
You DO NOT have to be a good chess player or even know how to play to make a significant difference.
Of course, for best results the design of the coaching program needs to support the above.
I’ll teach you these things.
TALK TO A PARENT of one of my best students. She will be happy to tell you about her experiences, her daughter’s success, and the details of my program.
ADDITIONAL TESTIMONIALS
These are testimonials that could not be formally posted to Thumbtack as Thumbtack was not their source.
FORM: SHANE FERNANDES, COO, KidzToPros
To whom it may concern: We hired Flyn as an after-school chess coach in 2018. At the end of the 2018/19 school year, due to his stellar performance and constant inquiries to do more for KidzToPros we engaged him to create and extensive formal program for the 2019 school year.
Flyn created a complete set of 30 lesson plans for the coaches to use in their sessions. He provided detail that allows nearly anyone who has a competent understanding of the game to provide a great lesson for the kids.
Additionally, he created a complete instructor training program to ensure all our instructors can teach at the highest level. This two-hour set of videos gives the coaches a variety of techniques and methods Flyn has developed for being successful with the kids. It covers every aspect of running the class, teaching chess and communicating with the kids. I can tell you from personal observation of his coaching of one of our employee’s kids, that he is simply phenomenal with kids. He’s engaging and teaches in a self-discovery mode, helping that allows his students to discover the right ideas and answers as they go. I would highly recommend him to any parent or school that desires chess instruction for their child or program.
Regards Shane
KidzToPros: Is a US-based provider of after-school educational programs throughout the country
FROM PRITEE GUPTA
I met Flyn when he was hired to help KidsToPros, develop our after-school-program.
Flyn taught chess classes for us for about 2 years before he was hired by the COO on a contract basis to do some projects for our chess program. He was soon brought on as the Director of the Chess Program, where he proceeded to develop a full year’s curriculum for the coaches to teach and a training program for the coaches to improve their effectiveness.
In the conversations that followed his employment, he discovered that my daughter, age 10, was interested in chess. He offered to give her a lesson as we could film it and use it for our program. I was not prepared for what happened.
He sat down with my daughter for about 90 minutes of chess instruction – she was totally engaged for the full 90 minutes – she never even blinked.
I told him after the lesson she'd never been that engaged for that long about anything. I understood why this happened, as Flyn has a “self-discovery” teaching method and personality the kids can’t resist. Shortly after that, we hired Flyn to give her private lessons – she made amazing progress and yes, she was always fully engaged whenever he arrived. She made quick and obvious progress. It’s hard to imagine I could have made a better choice.
If you’re looking to have your child coached at chess, I can unconditionally recommend Coach Flyn as your guy.
Regards Pritee Gupta <----
