★★★★★
“Once we had our one-on-one session, I realized I had been approaching my games the wrong way. After only 7 days since that session, my Elo went up 111 points on Chess.com.”
For adult & senior club players
The Journey to Grandmaster Academy
You have studied enough. Now someone needs to look at your games.
Bring your real games. I find the mistake that keeps costing you points, give it a name, and show you what to do differently in your next games.
★ IM Yevhenii Yelisieiev • 60,000+ subscribers • 4.9/5 from 100+ reviews
One lesson, one game, and if you are not clearer about what costs you points, full refund.
★★★★★
+111
Rating points in 7 days
“Once we had our one-on-one session, I realized I had been approaching my games the wrong way. After only 7 days since that session, my Elo went up 111 points on Chess.com.”
RON • ADULT IMPROVER
Start here
Press play. Four minutes, everything explained.
Does this sound familiar
You know more chess than your rating shows
×
A one or two move blunder out of nowhere.
×
A winning move you only see after the game.
×
A critical moment where your brain simply goes blank.
×
Courses finished, puzzles done, rating unchanged.
That is not a knowledge problem. It is a blind spot, and blind spots are invisible by definition.
How the Academy works
Three steps, every week
I am not trying to fix your whole chess in one lesson. That is how people get overwhelmed. I am looking for the one mistake that repeats.
1
Bring one real game
A recent loss that confuses you is perfect. Posting it takes two minutes.
2
I find the leak
Live, in a small group at your level, I find the mistake that repeats and give it a name you will remember.
3
You fix it and win
Three games hunting that one mistake, and a win you can point at. Then we find the next leak.
One game. One leak. One mission. That is the whole method.
Why adults stay stuck
Studying chess is not the same as fixing your chess
You can watch a hundred lessons and still miss your own blind spot, because blind spots are invisible by definition. Every strong player I know improved because someone stronger looked at their games and pointed to the exact moment things went wrong. That is what the Academy gives you every week.
Why I built this
I studied alone for years and stayed stuck
When I was younger I did what most ambitious players do. More videos, more puzzles, more games. And I still got stuck, because studying chess in general is not the same as fixing your chess.
What finally moved me forward was coaching. Someone stronger looking at my actual games, pointing at the exact moment it went wrong, and giving me a clear next step. I trained that way on purpose, and everything changed.
- ✓Rating pushed past 2400, became an International Master
- ✓Won the German U-25 Championship
- ✓Played Fabiano Caruana at the World Rapid Team Championship
- ✓10+ years coaching adult club players
Chuck is 71 and came in rated in the low 700s. No talent miracle, no six-hour study days. He brought games, we found one leak at a time, and he says the live coaching is where he finally began preventing the blunders that used to decide his games. His confidence and enjoyment have been climbing since.
CHUCK • ACADEMY MEMBER • 71 YEARS OLD
Your membership
What you get inside the Academy
Weekly live lessons at your level
Tailored to your rating, in small groups, so your questions get answered and your games get seen.
Your games, your leak
Bring one real game and I find the mistake that keeps costing you points, then show you exactly what to do instead.
Never miss a thing
Every session is recorded and added as soon as it is ready, plus the community where I personally answer your questions between lessons.
Included with your Academy membership
- ★A free One-on-One lesson with me, just the two of us on your chess
- ★Weekly structured calculation training, with a new focused session from me each week
- ★The full library of training materials to improve every aspect of your chess
Your first week, step by step
What happens the moment you join
1
Start Here guide
A simple guide walks you through everything, so you are never dropped into the deep end.
2
Book your One-on-One
Schedule your free One-on-One lesson with me, and we work on your single biggest weakness.
3
Join your first live session
Find the schedule in your timezone and come to your first small-group lesson.
4
Send a game
Submit one of your games and I break it down on the next live call, the exact moment it went wrong.
“The surprise for me was that I did not only learn from my own games. I learned from the other members’ games too, because their mistakes were my mistakes in different openings. That is why the group format works.”
JESSIKA • ACADEMY MEMBER
The honest comparison
Private coaching vs the Academy
| Private coach | The Academy | |
|---|---|---|
| Analysis of your games | ✓ | ✓ |
| Coached by an International Master | Depends on coach | ✓ |
| Ongoing support between sessions | Maybe | ✓ |
| Learn together with peers at your level | × | ✓ |
| Weekly structured calculation training | × | ✓ |
| Library of training materials | × | ✓ |
| Recordings if you miss a session | × | ✓ |
| Price per month | $400+ | $99 |
This is for you if
- ✓You are an adult or senior club player who is done improving alone.
- ✓You can bring your real games and try simple fixes in the next ones.
- ✓Whatever your level, the groups are split by rating, so the room fits you.
It is not for you if
- ×You want to watch passively and hope.
- ×Bringing your own games is more than you want to give.
- ×In that case my courses will serve you better, and I would rather say it here.
What this costs, honestly
Choose your Academy membership
Choose monthly or annual membership. Your membership rate stays locked for as long as your membership stays active.
Monthly
$99/month$149
Locked for as long as you stay active. Cancel anytime.
- Everything included, nothing gated
- Weekly live lessons at your level
- One-on-One lesson with IM Yevhenii Yelisieiev
- 14-day Try It Guarantee
Secure checkout with PayPal or card
Best value
Annual
$899/year$1788
Under 75 per month in your billing currency. One decision instead of twelve.
- Three months free
- Everything from the monthly plan
- One-on-One lesson with IM Yevhenii Yelisieiev
- 14-day Try It Guarantee
Secure checkout with PayPal or card
Your membership rate stays locked for as long as your membership stays active.
The Try It Guarantee
Join, attend one live lesson with one of your games in your first 14 days, and decide from the real experience. If you do not walk away clearer about what has been costing you points, email me within 14 days and I refund every cent. No forms, no friction, no hard feelings.
I ask for one attended lesson because the live room is the product. I do not want you deciding from a page. I want you deciding from your own game on the board.
- Full refund within 14 days
- One lesson, one game, your decision
- The risk is on me, not you
In their own words
What students say about the coaching
★★★★★
“But Yevhenii totally changed my way of looking at chess. He is capable of explaining chess to players of all level. Which is unique.”
★★★★★
“IM Yevhenii has shown me what I need to look for during the game and the steps to think about before moving.”
Questions
Answered the way I would on a call
Is it worth the price?
A single lesson with a private coach costs about what a whole month here costs, and a month here includes four live coached sessions, your leak found from your games, recordings, community, and a One-on-One lesson with me. The other alternative is another course on the shelf, and courses give you a system, the Academy checks whether that system is showing up in your games.
How much time does it take?
One lesson hour a week, and you bring your games whenever you want feedback. The fixes happen inside the games you already play. If you have 2 to 4 hours a week for chess, you have more than enough.
Am I too old for this?
Chuck is 71. Tomas is 78 and finally broke through 1000 after years of being stuck. Adults improve through feedback on their own games, and this method respects your time and does not ask for a young memory.
Will I keep up, or will everyone be stronger than me?
The live sessions are split by level, so the games on the board are your games, at your level, with your problems. And half the value is watching leaks get found in other members' games, which works at every rating.
I am nervous about showing my losses to a group
Everyone feels that way in week one, and it disappears fast. Losses are the culture here, the Game Drop asks for confusing losses on purpose, and every member in that room has had their blunders on the board. Nobody laughs, everybody recognises their own games in yours. And nobody is put on the spot, your game goes on the board when you post it, not before.
I am not very technical
If you can watch a YouTube video, you can do this. The live lesson is one Zoom link, one click, the same link every week. Posting a game is copying a link from chess.com or Lichess. If anything will not cooperate, reply to any of my emails and I will personally get you sorted.
What if I miss the live lessons?
Every session is recorded and added to the Learning tab as soon as it is ready. Post your game or question in the Academy Discussion; game analysis happens during live lessons. Check the Events tab for the current schedule and Zoom links, including any reschedules.
Monthly or annual, which should I pick?
Pick monthly if cash flow matters or you want the easiest start. Pick annual if you already know you want the year and want the lowest effective monthly rate. Both include every membership bonus. Improvement comes from bringing your games and using the feedback, whichever plan you choose.
Can I cancel?
Monthly, anytime, one click from your account. Annual runs its year and simply does not renew if you turn it off. And inside the first 14 days, the guarantee stands, one attended lesson and a full refund on request.
You have two options
Bring one game to your next live lesson
Keep studying alone, and the same leaks keep deciding your games. Or let me show you what has actually been costing you points.
$99
$149
FOUNDING RATE
14-day Try It Guarantee. I will see you at your next live lesson. Bring a game.