IM Sahil Sinha

Welcome! My name is Sahil S. I am an International Master (IM) of Chess. I have had 3-4 years of teaching experience and it has brought me joy to help my students achieve victories. I dynamically tailor my instruction to satisfy the needs of every student of mine, and work with people of all ages and skill levels. I have experience as a professional scholastic coach with the C & O Chess Center, Lakeforst Mall Club, schools, as well as community-wide clubs in Maryland. As a UMD Team Captain and Chess Coach, I strive to teach my students the vital life lessons from this royal game, including strategic planning, calculation training, prophylactic thinking, and decision making. These aspects are the key factors in my lessons.

Apart from teaching, I am pursuing a Master's in CS at Georgia Tech currently, and have a Bachelor's in CS (business analytics minor) from UMD, College Park.

As an international chess master, I hold the following qualifications:

Major achievements:
2019 - Holder of the International Master (IM) Title
2019 - North American Junior U20 Co-Champion, Charlotte NC
2018 - Grade 12 National Champion, Orlando FL
2018 - MD Rep. at the GM Denker Tournament of HS Champions, Middleton WI
2018 - UMBC Sweet-16 Scholarship Winner, Baltimore MD
2017 - Bronze at North American Youth, Windsor, Canada
2017 - 1st Place at Continental Class Championships, Falls Church VA
2014 - Supernationals VI, Tie for 2nd, Nashville TN
2014 - Obtained the United States Chess Federation National Master Title
2011-2019 - 7 time MD State Scholastic Champion

I have 4-5 years of teaching experience.

My strengths are primarily opening preparation and middlegame play. Regarding coaching, I specialize in building a solid opening repertoire based on the students' style of play. I start off with connecting with each student to see where they stand and work accordingly to develop a plan for leveling up.

My methodology of teaching consists of analysis of students' games, calculation and tactical training, opening build, prophylactic exercises. It is important to identify mistakes and fix weaknesses regardless of the outcome of the game. I also go over some top grandmaster games to show the thought process and similar concepts behind the opening and middlegame. Teaching is usually performed via Skype call and Lichess or Chess.com board. If you are interested, you can contact me on lichess directly!