---
title: 4. Coach and Mentor
description: The role of the coach or mentor is one of the most important factors in a player's journey.
image: https://image.lichess1.org/display?fmt=webp&h=550&op=thumbnail&path=IRKVlq8-cImK.webp&w=880&sig=3ff78b916ed8d125a97f09ce32cfbb1be0766dc2
---

A good coach can guide a player in the right direction.

A wrong coach can waste years of a player's career.

Unfortunately, finding the right coach has become one of the toughest tasks for parents today.

As chess becomes more popular, more people enter the coaching profession.
That is natural.

But whenever a field becomes popular and large amounts of money become involved, lower-quality products and services also become inevitable.

Chess coaching is no exception.

That is why parents should spend enough time searching for the right coach instead of choosing someone simply because they are famous or charge high fees.

Once you find a coach whom you trust, allow them to do their work.

Trust takes time to build, but without trust the training process will never be effective.

Today, the chess world has many stakeholders.
There are coaches.
There are tournament organisers.
There are academies.
There are associations.

On one side are the dreams of children and parents.

On the other side are people who earn their livelihood through chess.

There is nothing wrong with earning money honestly. Every professional deserves to earn for their work. Coaching is also a profession, and coaches should be respected and fairly compensated for their knowledge, experience, and time.

However, I have one sincere request to every coach.

**Please don't see children as just another source of income.**

Every child has only one career.
Every child has only one childhood.

Please don't give parents false hope or keep students only for financial reasons.

Every piece of advice you give can shape a child's future.

If you genuinely believe that professional chess is not the right path for a particular child, have the courage to tell the parents the truth. They may not like hearing it immediately, but honesty is always better than giving false hope.

As coaches, we have a responsibility that goes far beyond teaching openings, middlegames, and endgames. We are helping shape a child's future.
So let us guide them with honesty, integrity, and genuine concern for their long-term development—not simply for our own benefit.


To be continued...
Part 5. School Support