Who am I?

My professional experience and passion

"I am very passionate and fanatical about the game of chess."

I am Les Lord, a professional full-time chess coach/tutor and I am very passionate and fanatical about the game of chess. Chess is educationally, super-beneficial; it stimulates the mind and emotions; and is food/exercise for the brain. Whether you are young or old, male or female, rich or poor; regular chess training has the power to have a positive and far-reaching impact in your life for the better.

"Over 50 years experience in competitive chess"

I have over 50 years experience in competitive chess; both as a player and a coach. Even though I have now retired from participating in competitive tournaments, I am heavily involved in coaching/training juniors from around the Toowoomba district.

I teach a combination of school-based lessons and private lessons on a weekly basis. Some 30 years ago I commenced coaching chess in the school sector and now operate a full-time chess coaching business. The school-based chess lessons are before-school, after-school, at lunchtime and during class-time. More and more local Toowoomba schools are incorporating "chess lessons" in their school curriculum. The kids and teachers love it!

Now, I am pleased to offer online chess coaching lessons for individuals and groups, squads and schools.

Chess Tournaments

Watch the students talk about their love of chess

Who is it for?

Students of all ages

Beginners

Typically ages 5-8

For the player who wants to learn the basic fundamentals & principles about the game of chess in a fun environment.

Types of online and in-person lessons available:

Private/Individual Lessons
Group Lessons
School (classroom) Lessons

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Intermediate

Typically ages 9-12

For the player that already has an overall basic understanding of the game and wants to take their game to the next stage.

Types of online and in-person lessons available:

Private/Individual Lessons
Group Lessons
School (classroom) Lessons

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Advanced

Typically ages 13+

For the player that takes the game seriously and wants to compete at a high level (inter-school/state/national level).

Types of online and in-person lessons available:

Private/Individual Lessons
Group Lessons
School (classroom) Lessons

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I teach all the fundamentals from basic to advanced strategies. Take a look at just some of the topics I teach:

Rules of play
Understanding main principles of sound play
Tactical themes and ideas
Strategies and planning concepts
Attacking and defensive skills
The art of sacrifice
Basic principles on all stages of the game
Study of annotated games to illustrate themes
Problem solving and practical chess exercises
Advanced principles on all stages of the game
Opening theory (basic and advanced)
Training with chess clocks
Development of competitive/tournament skills
Competitive play/games against other juniors
Inter-school matches
Systematic revision of game knowledge

...all the requirements to becoming a great player.

I'm here to help you become the player you've always wanted to be in an enjoyable and fun way.

Learn more and view lessons Get Started

Testimonials

Read some reviews from happy students

Michael Gearing

"Les coached me for the better part of 10 years. He helped me to improve in many aspects of the game (openings, middlegame, endgame, planning, calculation, tactics, and more). I started out as an enthusiastic kid and through his tutelage went up the ranks to place several times in state and national tournaments. Les is thorough in his preparation and communicates complex strategy simply and clearly. His passion for the game is infectious and he opened up avenues for me to discover and enjoy the exquisite art and beauty of chess, for which I will always be grateful."

Brock McIntyre

"I am privileged to have been coached by Les both as a student of Toowoomba Grammar and later as an adult. Les uses a mix of established chess theory with modern theory to achieve a well-balanced approach that has and still is competitive in the wider Australian chess community. Under the tutelage of Les I have played representative chess in New Zealand in 2006 and placed 11th in the 2014 Queensland Championships. Importantly, Les instils a mentality of hard work, respect and dedication to the game and opponents. It is for this reason that Les remains such a high-quality coach."

Alex Miles

"I played chess from a young age with my father but my game went to another level due to what I was able to learn from Les. With Les we explored all aspects of how I played and the game itself focusing on areas where I need work. We went move by move though many of my games focusing on the ones that I lost so that I could learn. I played competitively for several years and while I don’t play competitively anymore, I still believe that exploring chess in detail helped me greatly especially at an early age. Chess is a great game to improve logical reasoning, memory, concentration and patience (I really needed this). More importantly, I still play socially and enjoy it greatly."

Equipment

Where to purchase chess equipment?

For chess equipment and products, click on the link below:

www.chessaustralia.com.au

or call Gary Lane from Australian Chess Enterprises on (02) 4588 6156