FM Zaur Hasanov

Hello! I’m Zaur Hasanov, a FIDE Master from Azerbaijan currently living in Germany. I have a FIDE rating of around 2330 and I am an active tournament player as well as a chess coach.

My goal as a coach is not simply to give students opening lines or show them computer moves. I want to help them understand chess better, identify their weaknesses and build a training program that fits their individual playing style and goals.

I teach in English, German, Russian and Azerbaijani and welcome ambitious players of different ages and levels.

I am a FIDE Master with a rating of around 2330 and one IM norm. I have many years of competitive tournament experience and regularly play strong national and international events.

In 2026, I became German Vice-Champion in Rapid Chess, finishing second in the German Rapid Championship. I have competed successfully against titled players and continue to work actively toward the International Master title.

As an active tournament player, I can bring current practical experience directly into my lessons: opening preparation, tournament strategy, time management, psychological aspects of competition and preparation for specific opponents.

I work with students individually and adapt the training process to their current level, goals and playing style. My coaching focuses on long-term chess improvement rather than memorizing moves.

I particularly enjoy working with motivated players who want to improve their tournament results and develop a deeper understanding of the game. I also regularly analyze my own games and work with experienced international coaches, which allows me to bring modern training methods into my lessons.

Besides coaching, I am an active tournament player competing in Germany and internationally. This gives me continuous practical experience with modern openings, preparation against opponents, tournament psychology and decision-making under time pressure.

My main strengths are positional understanding, opening preparation, game analysis and practical decision-making.

I can help students with: opening repertoire building and preparation; middlegame plans and positional understanding; calculation and tactical decision-making; analysis of tournament games; identifying recurring weaknesses; tournament preparation and opponent-specific preparation; time management and practical play.

I especially focus on explaining WHY a move or plan works instead of asking students to simply memorize variations.

Every student is different, so I do not use the same training program for everyone. We normally start by analyzing several of your recent games. This allows me to identify your main strengths and weaknesses and determine which areas can bring the fastest improvement.

From there, I create a personalized training plan. During lessons we combine game analysis, calculation exercises, positional training and opening work depending on your needs.

For tournament players, we can also prepare specific openings and strategies for upcoming opponents and analyze the games after the tournament.

My goal is to make you increasingly independent as a chess player: not only to find good moves during our lessons, but to understand positions and make better decisions on your own.