Step by Step Chess

I developed the 15 Steps to Elevate Your Chess curriculum by combining 50 years of acquired chess knowledge with 30 years as a marketing and management consultant.  As a consultant, my main task is to break down complex subjects into their fundamental elements, communicate these elements in an engaging and easily understandable way, and finally help clients use the understanding they gained to make key decisions as to their company's overall business strategy and marketing approach.

I've learned through both chess and consulting that people assimilate and understand information at different rates and via different routes.  For some mastery of a subject comes naturally and quickly.  For others, grasping the elements of the very same subject or challenge can be a struggle.  Whatever methodology one employs, there is no "one size fits all" solution for chess instruction or helping company leadership identify and pursue opportunities or manage crises.

In both cases, the key for the chess teacher or consultant is to gauge which elements of the challenge have become "mental stumbling blocks" and to develop ways to remove those blocks -- either by framing the elements differently, changing the pace of the instruction, or both.  This personalizes the learning experience and raises a student's or client's level of involvement as they learn how best to put into practice what they have learned (and, as Ben Franklin opined, involvement is the key to learning).

Chess teachers and consultants who do not set up their students and clients to continue learning after their sessions are over are doing only half of their job.  The 15 Steps to Elevate Your Chess curriculum is designed to allow the student to continue their chess journey once lessons are over.  The final steps focus on elevating the student's ability to analyze and learn from their own games and using chess tools (apps, books, engines) most efficiently and profitably.