Why I Started my Own Chess University

13 Apr 2026350 viewsEnglish (US)

When I was climbing the ranks as a kid, my improvement primarily came from playing a lot and going to the club for training every week. I loved chess, but I was never obsessed to the point where it was the only thing I thought about.

So, what kept me going?

What made me a strong chess player wasn’t some outlandish talent; in fact, I doubt I have any more talent than the average person.

It wasn’t an obsession over chess.
It wasn’t some secret genius.
It wasn’t even training chess much; In fact I had barely ever studied in my spare time until I was already 2000+ FIDE.

It wasn’t random. It was the environment.

You see, I am lucky.

I am lucky to have been born in a country with a chess infrastructure.
I am lucky to have been brought up next to a school with a thriving chess culture.
I am lucky to have made friends who shared my same love for the game.

But what if you weren’t as lucky as me? What if you have no club to go to, no culture to lean on, and no community to learn from?

I have a solution for you.

I built a community called the Chess University to be the "luck" you might not have. I’ve taken the exact infrastructure that turned me into an FM, the peer accountability, the expert lectures, and the ambitious atmosphere, and put it all into one digital campus. If you weren't born next to a chess club, I am bringing the club to you.

What is The Chess University?

The Chess University is a Discord server designed specifically for people who are serious about improving their chess. As the creator of this community, I will be hosting weekly 90-minute group sessions where I teach the most valuable concepts I’ve learned in my decade long experience of training chess.

However, there is much more to the campus than just formal lessons. We have dedicated spaces where you can interact with other students 24/7. Whether you want to dive deep into complex opening ideas, debate the latest drama in the chess world, or just chat about what you had for breakfast, you’ll find friends here.

You can also take part in the University Online Tournaments. These are private events where you can test your skills against your fellow students. As the server grows, I plan to introduce official prize-pool tournaments with actual cash prizes for the winners!

The university is built on three different membership tiers:

The PAWN-Tier

Most coaches charge over 50 euros for a single hour. In the chess university you can get 6 hours each month for just 19 euros! And that’s not even including all the other benefits.

What your enrollment includes:

🏫 Weekly Interactive Lectures:

Every Saturday, I host a 90-minute Live Lecture on Discord. These aren’t just "presentations", they are interactive lessons where we dive deep into the games, analyze positions in real-time, and you get to ask me questions directly.

🔓 Full Discord Campus Access:

Surround yourself with the right environment. Join a community where everyone is focused on the same goal: Mastery. This is where habits are built, games are discussed, and new friendships are made.

⚔️ Exclusive University Tournaments:

Gain entry to our private Lichess Team. We host regular training tournaments to test what we’ve learned, complete with a Hall of Fame for our champions. As our student body grows, so will our prize pools!

💬 Influence the Curriculum:

You have a seat at the table. Help me decide what the next Lichess study, blog post, or YouTube video should be. You’ll even get Early Access to work-in-progress videos to provide feedback before the rest of the world sees them.

The KNIGHT-Tier

If the PAWN-tier isn’t quite enough, the KNIGHT-Tier is perfect for you. For only 49 euros you get twice as much coaching but also a lot more benefits:

Everything in the Pawn Tier is included, plus:

🎥 The Master Archive:

Never miss a breakthrough. Only Knights and Kings have 24/7 access to the Full Video Archive. Every lecture I have ever held is recorded, indexed, and stored here. Whether you can't make the live time or you want to re-watch a complex lesson five times, the library is yours.

📁 The FM Resource Vault:

Stop guessing what to play. You get direct access to my personal files, the same preparation and analysis I use in my own games. Some of them come with detailed comments as I was planning to publish them as a course at some point.

🛡️ The Tactical Inner Circle:

Join an elite, high-focus environment. This is a smaller sub-community within the Discord where the discussions are deeper and the ambition is higher. Here, you aren't just a student; you're part of a tactical think-tank.

🎯 Personalized Group Guidance:

In this smaller circle, the coaching becomes personal. During our sessions, I’ll be diving into student-submitted games, highlighting recurring patterns of error, and tailoring my instruction to the specific weaknesses I see within this group.

The KING-Tier

The King tier is the highest level of enrollment, designed for the player who wants to skyrocket their Elo as explosively as possible. This moves beyond group study into a one-on-one strategic partnership.

You get everything in the Pawn & Knight tiers, plus:

📋 Your Personalized Training Roadmap:

When you join, I will personally audit your recent games to identify your "leaks." I’ll then build you a custom PDF training plan tailored specifically to your goals and playing style.

🤝 Monthly 1-on-1 Progress Check:

Once a month, we’ll have a meeting privately to review your progress, update your repertoire, and adjust your roadmap based on your latest results. We ensure you stay on the fastest path to improvement.

🎗️ The "Inner Circle" Direct Line:

You get access to a private, King-only Discord channel with priority support. Whether you’re struggling with a variation or need preparation help before a big tournament game, I am just a message away. I am essentially your personal "Second."

💎 Custom Repertoire Deep-Dives:

You don't just get my files, you can request specific analysis. If you need an engine-checked solution for a line you’re struggling with, I will provide the bulletproof preparation you need.

🚫 Strictly Limited Availability:

To ensure I can give every King my full attention and high-quality coaching, this tier is strictly capped at 10 members. Once the spots are gone, the gates are closed.

🎓 Join the Campus

If you are ready to stop training in isolation and join an environment that makes improvement inevitable, I’d love to have you.

If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, check out my patreon to join the discord:

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