Do You Really Need a Chess Coach as a Beginner?

I think absolutely every chess beginner at some stage of their development has asked themselves this question. Most often this thought comes to those who have hit their first chess plateau. In this article I want to give you my grandmaster opinion regarding this question and answer as thoroughly as possible whether it is necessary for a beginner to hire a chess coach and at what point in the chess journey it is best to do so. I wish you pleasant reading. As always, I will be glad if you share your feedback or experience with me.

Why beginners often struggle alone

Chess is one of the most difficult games ever invented by mankind. Beginners often think that it is enough to learn how the pieces move, learn a few openings and tactical traps, and then they will already be able to claim a serious level. But in the process of your training, more and more new topics, strategic ideas, and nuances will open up, which will grow and grow like a snowball and risk crushing a beginner chess player. Moreover, in chess there is no clear path for studying this game, unlike for example in school where we study mathematics or a foreign language. Often knowledge has to be collected piece by piece from different sources. And in the last 5 years there have become a huge number of these sources. Almost every chess website or blogger offers their own development program, and very often they are not effective.

Therefore it is not surprising that a chess beginner can have their head spinning from such an abundance of information. And they are also constantly tormented by the following questions:

1. How exactly should I train ?
2. What time control should I play online and how often? Choosing the right time controls and building healthy online playing habits is much more important than most beginners realize.
3. How should I study openings correctly and which ones should I choose?

And the list of these questions can be endless. But choosing the right coach matters.

What a chess coach can actually teach you

Besides the fact that a good chess coach can answer all your questions, the most important thing he will do for you is create a clear training system. Most beginners don’t need more information-they need a systematic approach to improvement. And this is exactly what 99% of players are missing. As I said earlier, because of the abundance of various sources it is very difficult to choose something truly valuable. But a coach can help you with this and you will always have an answer to the question: “How should I train today?”

For example, today is Monday, which means I train tactics on such and such a website and with such and such a set of puzzles. On Tuesday I study a new opening using the materials my coach sent me. On Wednesday I practice this opening against opponents on Chess.com. On Thursday I analyze these games with my coach and he explains my mistakes in detail, thereby preventing them from appearing in future games. And so on.

Another main advantage of training with a coach is help with analyzing your games. If you are a beginner, it is practically impossible for you to learn from your own mistakes in games. Yes, on the same Chess.com there is a Game Review button that allows you to analyze your games using a chess engine and get some explanations of what exactly you did wrong. But a beginner, unfortunately, is only capable of understanding 15-20% of their mistakes using this function. A computer or even neural network at the moment is not capable of clearly and accessibly analyzing mistakes in such a way that a beginner understands everything.

And this is exactly where a coach can come to help, who in simple words will explain the reason for each blunder or opening mistake and tell in detail how to avoid it in the future. What is also important is that during the process of game analysis the student constantly has questions like: “Okay, you suggest this move, but what if my opponent responds like this?” and here again the role of the coach will be irreplaceable.

When is self-study better?

If you do not set any professional goals for yourself but just want to enjoy the game, gradually getting to know it at a comfortable pace, then I advise you to train on your own. Or find yourself a coach for beginners. Just immediately at the very first lesson explain to him your goals from the learning. If the coach misunderstands you, he might start pushing you hard, giving large homework assignments, and in the end, under pressure, you may lose interest in the game.

By the way, I am absolutely calm and interested in such non-global requests from students, for example, recently a girl came to me who set a goal from the learning to beat her husband at chess. I studied his account on chess com and discovered that in one of the openings he makes one and the same repeating mistake. In the next lesson we analyzed this opening, and my student later successfully applied this trap and won for the first time in her life!

But, unfortunately, most coaches take this kind of requests very lightly, downplaying such goals. Therefore, if you have a small local target in chess, better before the first lesson ask the coach if he is ready to help you with it. Or try to independently make a plan for yourself and understand what you need to achieve this goal.

Self-study vs coaching: What to choose?

I always answer this question the same way: if you have the financial opportunities, then definitely add lessons with a chess coach to self-study. Simply because there are no disadvantages to this. A chess coach will significantly speed up your progress, and will also constantly guide and motivate you.

Notice that I said add a chess coach, not choose. Because the ideal formula for development in chess is your own training plus 1-2 hours a week with a coach.
Remember! If you hire a chess coach but at the same time stop your own training, you will sooner start regressing rather than developing in chess.

Chess, like any sport, loves consistency and regularity. The ideal formula: 80% of the time is independent study and practice, and 20% of the time is work with a chess coach.

When is the right time to hire a coach?

As soon as you feel that you are stuck and your rating has stopped growing! Or when you feel that you are losing motivation for chess and need additional support. And such a period can begin at any stage of your chess journey.

I know different examples when players independently reached the level of 2000 on Chess.com and only after that turned to a mentor for help. Or even when they literally turned to a coach on the very same day they decided to start learning, without even knowing how the pieces move.

But I will add a small remark. If you are actively progressing and you already have a training system created by yourself that works, then I would not change anything and hire a coach until the moment you hit a plateau. Why change something if it is already working well, agree?

Can free resources replace a coach?

Free resources – definitely not. Chess has become very commercial, and even to analyze more than one game a day on сhess.com you will have to pay for a subscription. Also, all the best courses on Chessable cost money, and actually not a small amount. This is still cheaper than online lessons with a coach, and if you do not yet have the financial opportunity for online lessons, but you do have some small amount that you would like to invest in your chess development, I would advise you to start with conditionally free resources. That is, those websites where you need to pay up to 50 dollars for a subscription to use the training functionality or for a particular course.

But the problem is, the stronger you become as a chess player, the fewer useful resources you can find online. This is because most content is tailored for beginners. Advanced players find it much harder to track down the right sources of information.

So, I’d put it this way: you can easily reach a 1500 rating using just free resources, like Lichess or YouTube videos. However, to keep improving beyond that, you’ll need to start investing in paid subscriptions and more expensive commercial platforms.

I would advise you to at least get a minimal paid subscription on Chess.com so that you have the opportunity to solve an unlimited number of puzzles and analyze games. And also invest about 100 dollars into 3-4 courses on Chessable. I cannot advise any specific ones because I do not know your current level of play. But there are a large number of reviews and a detailed description of the level and content of each course there. I am sure you will make the right choice.

How to choose the right chess coach

This is a very large and extensive topic, to which I dedicated a whole article. Here I will only briefly describe the criteria that a good chess coach must meet.

A coach must know how to listen to the student.
This is the very first and most important thing. I put this point even above qualifications.

A coach must be flexible.
A good coach must be able to adapt his training system to you – based on your strengths and weaknesses.

A coach must be qualified.
Ideally, if he has some chess title or achievements as a player. But not every good coach was a strong player in the past. It is much more important that he has completed some coaching courses, has extensive work experience, and possibly notable students.

In my guide on how to choose the right chess coach, I explain in more detail what to look for.

Summing it all up. Is it worth hiring a chess coach for a beginner?

My answer is definitely yes. If you have the opportunity – believe me, this will become your best decision in your chess career. And with this decision you will greatly simplify your life and save time, because you will no longer have to rack your brain over how and where to train. And also search in Google for answers to your chess questions (which most often are not there). A good coach will do this work for you. All you will have to do is trust the specialist, and by combining his knowledge and experience with your efforts, you risk becoming a professional chess player and possibly in the future ending up in the place of the coach.

♟ Article prepared by Grandmaster and chess coach Valery Filippov ♟

FAQ

Can I improve in chess without a coach?
Absolutely you can! And I know many examples of self-taught players. If you are studying and progressing without a coach, then continue and do not change anything.

At what rating should I hire a chess coach?
Rating is not important. Hire a coach at any moment when you feel that you need help and support.

How often should a beginner work with a chess coach?
Ideally – 2 hours a week. And at the same time another 6-8 hours of independent training.

Is self-study enough to reach 2000 rating?
I would say it is possible but very difficult. Especially difficult will be the path from 1500 to 2000.

Can AI replace a human chess coach?
As of 2026 my answer is definitely no. But maybe in 5-10 years everything will change. Although personally it will always be more pleasant for me to talk to a real person and rely on their real experience rather than on the knowledge of AI.