I’ve been
playing in chess tournaments since I was seven years old. At some point in my teens, I picked up
teaching as a way to make some extra cash.
It seemed so natural at the time.
I would take a skill I already possessed and use it. When I decided to make chess my profession, which
was somewhere between the ages of 8-15, I realized that I would have to do
both. Playing in tournaments while
trying to improve and chase titles was enjoyable, but it was not a reliable
source of income. Teaching became a
means to an end, a way for me to do what I wanted without worrying about the
financial consequences. That’s not to
say I didn’t enjoy passing on knowledge, or that I didn’t care about my
students succeeding. When people asked
me what I did for a living, I’d say I’m a professional chessplayer. After I repeated myself four or five times to
make sure they heard it properly, I’d explain that I traveled playing in
tournaments while teaching a little to make ends meet. I didn’t hide the fact I taught, but I’d
never call myself a teacher.
About four years ago, I hit a sort
of stall pattern. I played in
tournaments, studied chess, and had some students. Everything was going according to the plan,
but somehow I struggled to find balance.
My lessons were scattered throughout the week, and in my mind they were
shards of glass cutting through my study time.
My tournament play suffered. I
enjoyed everything I was doing, and yet balance was completely elusive. After a while, I started to realize the
problem: I was pretending I had only one
profession, when in fact I had two. Playing
chess well has nothing to do with teaching it.
Chess teachers make terrible tournament players. The very best players don’t teach, for good
reason, and therefore don’t have to make this distinction. A lot of teachers don’t play in tournaments,
which makes life easier as well. For
those of us who try to do both, and do them well, I find that it is important
to follow some ground rules.
1. Find Good Students. This is probably the most
important. I don’t make a huge
distinction as far as rating goes. In
fact, I have students all over the spectrum, from 800-2400. A good student for me is one who enjoy chess,
wants to get better, and respects my time.
I’ll take a middle-aged 1400 who loves chess any day over a talented
2200 junior who is always late and whose dad pushed him to take lessons.
2. Make Time for Them. Respect goes both ways. Finding good students is great, but not
always so easy, which makes it especially important to keep the ones you
have. I’m very much a believer in symbiotic
relationships, and this means living up to your end.
3. Be Selfish at Tournaments. I try to avoid students
at tournaments. This is not to say I
shun them while passing them in the hall.
Occasionally I’ll check the wallcharts to see how they are doing, but
even that I try to avoid. Teachers make
the worst tournament players, and for this reason I choose not to be one during
a tournament.
4. Book Study Time. This is one I discovered
recently. If I try to just study in my
free time, often I find that I don’t do it.
Whereas if I put it on my calendar it is an appointment. I always try to keep my appointments. This is where students who are on time come
in handy, by the way.
5. Use Your Brain. It is sometimes easy to slip into auto-pilot
when teaching something you know super well.
I try very hard not to do it. If
I’m asked a question about a position, I’ll take some time (even minutes) just
to analyze. I think it keeps me out of
bad habits, and it is also better for the student. It is certainly more beneficial than spouting
a bunch of nonsense.
That covers the basics.
Of course, I’m always editing and adapting the rules. Also, like almost any set of rules, I don’t
always follow them. Even so, I’ve found
they help balance my two professions as much as possible. When asked now what I do for a living, I
proudly proclaim that I’m a professional chess player and a professional
teacher. I still have to repeat myself.
