James Tapp

About James
Hi, I’m James and I’ve been playing chess for over 20 years. After first starting as a child and improving all the way to earn my Candidate Master title, I’ve explored many different approaches to chess improvement and experienced plenty of challenges along the way.

I know how frustrating it can be to feel stuck in your chess journey, and I believe that having the right coach can make all the difference. I’ve helped players of all levels overcome plateaus, build confidence, and take their chess to the next level. It is my firm belief that anyone can make significant progress with the right guidance, motivation, and a clear plan for improvement.

Whether you’re just learning the basics, looking to improve your online rating, or preparing for over-the-board tournaments, I’d love to help you achieve your chess goals!

About the Lesson
I believe the best way to find areas of improvement is to analyse your own games for mistakes, and really dig into where you went wrong (or right!).

A typical lesson from me would include some warmup puzzles, followed by some analysis of either Grandmaster games or your own. Finally we would finish with some targeted puzzles to work on specific and recurring mistakes in your game.

As in my own chess, I focus on understanding and calculation rather than memorisation, and a lesson may hone in on any of the following topics:
– Openings
– Strategy and Positional Play
– Important Endgames
– Typical Tactical Motifs
– Practical Play and Time Management

Afterwards I send out a lesson recap of everything we covered with the key points in order to make absorbing material easy, and everything covered is accessible in a lichess study after the lesson.