Hi! My name is Austin Mei. I'm a FIDE master from Berkeley, California, where I study Astrophysics and Economics at UC Berkeley. I'm working on a few engineering projects related to space, including the on-campus Rocketry Club. Outside of my studies, chess is the most important part of my college life: I'm the coach of the Berkeley chess club and the captain of our CCL team, which made the playoffs last semester! I also work as a chess coach, which brings you here, to my coaching page!
IMPORTANT NOTE: I am currently not open to taking new one-on-one students, but I have opened an advanced 1800+ group class at just $20 per lesson!
>Weekly 1-hour lessons
>Class notes and homework with every lesson – collaborative work encouraged!
>Class community where you can discuss with other students
>Topics which will be covered:
>Opening analysis
>Analyzing your games
>Swindling
>Advanced calculation
>Playing with space
>Long-term sacrifices
>Flexibility
Class will begin when 5 students have registered. Register today to reserve your spot!
FM Austin Mei
Improvement should be effective...and fun!
| Location | Berkeley, CA United States |
|---|---|
| Languages | English (US) |
| Rating | FIDE: 2280276026022566 |
| Hourly rate | $60/Hour |
| Availability | Accepting students |
| Active |
About me
Playing experience
I'm experienced with both classical and online time controls. Here are some of my qualifications:
>Tied 5th & mixed doubles champion at the 2022 US Open
>Top 100 juniors in the United States
>12th place at the National High School Championships
>1 IM Norm
>FM and NM titles
>Defeated many International and Grandmasters in classical chess
>Peak lichess bullet rating 2800+
>Peak chess.com blitz rating 2700+
>Trained by nationally famous coaches
>Have 500+ opening files in Chessbase
>Tied 5th & mixed doubles champion at the 2022 US Open
>Top 100 juniors in the United States
>12th place at the National High School Championships
>1 IM Norm
>FM and NM titles
>Defeated many International and Grandmasters in classical chess
>Peak lichess bullet rating 2800+
>Peak chess.com blitz rating 2700+
>Trained by nationally famous coaches
>Have 500+ opening files in Chessbase
Teaching experience
I have been coaching people of all levels since 2021. I led a community chess program for young children at my local library for two years, volunteered at multiple nonprofit organizations, and have coached 10 private students. Many of my students have won local tournaments. Recently, one of my students has reached their 2000 USCF goal after working with me!
Other experiences
I have experience tutoring physics and astronomy to my classmates in high school and college, and I volunteer with our university's astronomy club for public outreach events. I am also working towards becoming an undergraduate student instructor for the Introduction to Astronomy class, taught by UC Berkeley's top astrophysics professor!
Best skills
For most students, chess is not a profession or a job – it’s a hobby and passion, something to enjoy. I recognize that most students do not have unlimited time to spend on training, and the time they do dedicate to the game should ideally be fulfilling and enjoyable. My coaching philosophy focuses on:
>Helping students refine their preferred styles, rather than forcing them to play in a way they don’t like
>Showing students how to control the direction of the game to obtain positions where they play strongest. “Know thy enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles, you will never be defeated.” Sun Tzu
>Most importantly, having my students enjoy all aspects of chess – playing games the way they want, giving lessons that are engaging, and providing homework that is brief but effective. Work smarter, not harder!
and:
>Helping students build an intuitive understanding of concepts like space and initiative through simple examples and analogies
>Focusing on seeing the forest through the trees – overall strategic principles over individual moves
>Teaching students practical skills that most coaches skip over – game analysis, swindling, when to make practical calls instead of objective ones
Additionally, my strongest technical skill as a coach is my extensive training in doing opening preparation. I have trained with top grandmasters and worked in multiple dedicated opening analysis groups to produce high-quality files. I have found that the way many people, even very strong titled ones, approach opening preparation is flawed. I will be able to help my students learn:
>How to use whatever tool they have at their disposal - Chessbase for students willing to spend, or Lichess studies for students on a budget
>How to build a suitable repertoire that fits your style, and not whatever’s trendy or what the computer says is best
>Teaching students how to prepare for opponents, rather than just giving them preparation. “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
>Helping students refine their preferred styles, rather than forcing them to play in a way they don’t like
>Showing students how to control the direction of the game to obtain positions where they play strongest. “Know thy enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles, you will never be defeated.” Sun Tzu
>Most importantly, having my students enjoy all aspects of chess – playing games the way they want, giving lessons that are engaging, and providing homework that is brief but effective. Work smarter, not harder!
and:
>Helping students build an intuitive understanding of concepts like space and initiative through simple examples and analogies
>Focusing on seeing the forest through the trees – overall strategic principles over individual moves
>Teaching students practical skills that most coaches skip over – game analysis, swindling, when to make practical calls instead of objective ones
Additionally, my strongest technical skill as a coach is my extensive training in doing opening preparation. I have trained with top grandmasters and worked in multiple dedicated opening analysis groups to produce high-quality files. I have found that the way many people, even very strong titled ones, approach opening preparation is flawed. I will be able to help my students learn:
>How to use whatever tool they have at their disposal - Chessbase for students willing to spend, or Lichess studies for students on a budget
>How to build a suitable repertoire that fits your style, and not whatever’s trendy or what the computer says is best
>Teaching students how to prepare for opponents, rather than just giving them preparation. “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
Teaching methodology
My lessons are an even split of theory and practice. I usually lead with definitions and concepts: what we're going over for the day. I use analogies to help students build an intuitive grasp of the idea, before moving on to example games, selected either from classics or my own games, that illustrate the idea well. Finally, I will include some brief homework exercises after the lesson that train the idea. Answers will be reviewed at the beginning of the next lesson, where we can go over your solution.