...Through 5-6 tournaments and a performance rating of over 2000 I raised my USCF rating to 1851, FIDE rating to 1830, and USCF blitz to 1971. My teaching philosophy begins with thoroughly learning the rules of the game including all of the intricacies of pawn promotions, castling, and en passant. Then some very basic chess strategy is necessary. (read more)