Decades of experience have taught me
it's all about vision.
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It's about the possibilities see in the specific position on the board in front of you.
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It's about the possibilities you see for yourself as a chess player in the years ahead.
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Expanding Vision
Playing winning chess is all about playing good moves, and not playing bad ones. The ability to decide which is which is rooted in a player's ability to assess the existing position and to accurately judge the ways that possible move sequences - yours and your opponent's - will transform it.
Growing as a player is an ongoing process of refining the accuracy of your evaluations and expanding your ability to evaluate possible paths forward. Developing these skills is a primary focus of my work with students.
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Many players want to become masters or, at least, highly accomplished chessplayers. However, they doubt their ability to do so, and don't set out on that demanding but wonderful journey. Once again, vision is critical. People don't strive for goals they don't see as achievable. I work with students to expand their vision of what is possible for them to achieve. Then we work together to assess the time and work necessary to their goals, and build an appropriate training plan. Since the future is dynamic, we will periodically review our plan and modify it as necessary.
Becoming a strong player is an exciting, and creative process. There are principles and methods that have proved effective over time, but every path is different. My role is to guide the training process with targeted exercises, new knowledge, by triggering new insights, and by providing encouragement and feedback as needed.
I know this challenging journey because I've walked it myself.
I fell in love with chess in middle school, fascinated by its intricate dance of attack and counterattack, by its inexhaustible reservoir of ideas and possibilities.That passion has only grown over the years as I have soaked myself in chess history, chess theory and chess lore. It has been an arduous journey because I am not a naturally gifted chess player who swiftly rose through the ranks. I've had to fight for every rating point, every rung on the ladder. I've come to realize my struggle has been a gift from God. I understand what it means to be confused by a position or to be discouraged by a lost game or a poor result in a tournament. I've been there.
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Passion is the key because passion keeps us pushing on when we're tired and discouraged. Chess is a wondrously multi-faceted game. One aspect of the game sparks on player, while another aspect fans the flame of passion in another player. Two of the first books I studied seriously were Alexander Alekhine's marvelous My Best Games, Volumes 1 & 2. His complex, brilliant attacking style - which German master Rudolf Spielmann described as sonnenschach (chess that sparkles like the sun) thrilled me. Another early book was Al Horowitz's Chess Openings - Theory & Practice, which though very much dated now, sparked a my passion for opening analysis, which persists to this day. Still another inspirational book from those years is Bobby Fischer's magnificent My 60 Memorable Games, a book that belongs on the bookshelf of every serious players. I can go on and on about chess books (and will in the members site. However, I wrap this section up with one more set that continues to fan the flame of my passion - Garry Kasparov's remarkable My Great Predecessors, Volumes 1-5. It is, quite simply, a history of modern chess through the eyes of the greatest player of all time. (Yes, Garry still gets my vote!) He's not only the greatest player of all time. He's also a great analyst. I rather think there's some connection there.
My other great chess related passions are teaching and coaching (which are related but are not the same thing.) I come from a family of teachers; sharing what I know and helping others grow is in my blood.
I started teaching at the Berkeley Chess Club while I was at the University. After graduation, I lived in San Francisco an taught privately as well as running several chess classes and group programs on the peninsula south of San Francisco.
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My primary focus shifted in 1978 when I became the Associate Executive Director of the US Chess Federation. However, even with those responsibilities, I kept on teaching a number a private students and running a group class for the Poughkeepsie Chess Club.
I left the USCF for the business world in 1982, but once again kept on teaching. As I said, it's in my blood...
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I returned to the west coast in 1996, and started teach chess full-time once again. I founded Chess Odyssey in 2002, which is the next part of the story...
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Chess Odyssey
I settled in Portland, Oregon in 1997, working with private students and teaching a weekly chess class for the Portland Chess Club. In 2002, Chess Odyssey was born to help kids grow as chess players - and more importantly - as people.
Over the next two decades, my staff and I worked with more than a thousand young chess players in chess clubs, chess camps and private sessions. Our Friday Night Quads tournaments were extremely popular, and qualified more players to the OSCF State Championships than any other events in the state. Our motto. "It's all about the kids!" was much more than a tagline, or even a vision statement. It was our way of life. Those were extremely busy years, but they were also extremely happy and gratifying years.
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When the pandemic changed our world, we scaled down our programs and took them online. I was, of course, continuing to teach privately. It is gratifying that over my two decades+ in Oregon, I've had the honor of helping 105 students win Oregon Championship titles at all levels and ages. Many of my students have finished "on the podium" of numerous regional and national events. Several of them have become masters, and more are on their way to that coveted goal. What is even more gratifying is that so many of them have grown into high quality young people in a world that so desperately needs them.
My Teachers
I settled in Portland, Oregon in 1997, working with private students and teaching a weekly chess class for the Portland Chess Club. In 2002, Chess Odyssey was born to help kids grow as chess players - and more importantly - as people.
Over the next two decades, my staff and I worked with more than a thousand young chess players in chess clubs, chess camps and private sessions. Our Friday Night Quads tournaments were extremely popular, and qualified more players to the OSCF State Championships than any other events in the state. Our motto. "It's all about the kids!" was much more than a tagline, or even a vision statement. It was our way of life. Those were extremely busy years, but they were also extremely happy and gratifying years.
​
When the pandemic changed our world, we scaled down our programs and took them online. I was, of course, continuing to teach privately. It is gratifying that over my two decades+ in Oregon, I've had the honor of helping 105 students win Oregon Championship titles at all levels and ages. Many of my students have finished "on the podium" of numerous regional and national events. Several of them have become masters, and more are on their way to that coveted goal. What is even more gratifying is that so many of them have grown into high quality young people in a world that so desperately needs them.
My Teachers
I settled in Portland, Oregon in 1997, working with private students and teaching a weekly chess class for the Portland Chess Club. In 2002, Chess Odyssey was born to help kids grow as chess players - and more importantly - as people.
Over the next two decades, my staff and I worked with more than a thousand young chess players in chess clubs, chess camps and private sessions. Our Friday Night Quads tournaments were extremely popular, and qualified more players to the OSCF State Championships than any other events in the state. Our motto. "It's all about the kids!" was much more than a tagline, or even a vision statement. It was our way of life. Those were extremely busy years, but they were also extremely happy and gratifying years.
​
When the pandemic changed our world, we scaled down our programs and took them online. I was, of course, continuing to teach privately. It is gratifying that over my two decades+ in Oregon, I've had the honor of helping 105 students win Oregon Championship titles at all levels and ages. Many of my students have finished "on the podium" of numerous regional and national events. Several of them have become masters, and more are on their way to that coveted goal. What is even more gratifying is that so many of them have grown into high quality young people in a world that so desperately needs them.