Whether you're looking to improve your rating, compete in tournaments, or simply enjoy the game of chess at a higher level, the Unstoppable Chess Academy can help you achieve your goals. With its knowledgeable instructors, cutting edge training tools and supportive community of fellow chess enthusiasts, the Academy offers everything you need to master the art of chess and become an unstoppable player.
Whether you're looking to improve your rating, compete in tournaments, or simply enjoy the game of chess at a higher level, the Unstoppable Chess Academy can help you achieve your goals. With its knowledgeable instructors, cutting edge training tools and supportive community of fellow chess enthusiasts, the Academy offers everything you need to master the art of chess and become an unstoppable player.
We have asked our fellow student from Ireland, Mary Lea, about her recent experience with UCA and the head coach Abi. This is Rosie from Unstoppable Chess Academy, powered by Opening Master, the biggest chess database. I welcome you to our regular interview sessions with Greatest Minds in Chess. Hi, Mary.
Interview
UCA: It's pleasure talking with you. I have few questions for you, and I'm pretty sure our chess community would love to hear about you more. Let's start with easy one, how it is working with Unstoppable Chess Academy. What can you say about Coach Abi?
Mary Lea: Well, at the moment I'm studying with Unstoppable, uh, chess academy. And my coach is Abi, who's been helping me with board visualization and improving my tactics. I've played terrible chess for many, many decades, and he is helping me undo bad habits and understand the game, better, which has really helped me play. Better chess you know, chess, that I'm actually pleased whenever I don't, I don't make as many blunders, at least not in every game.
And it's also helping me enjoy watching the game more. Enjoy, you know, the patterns and sophistication of the game. The other thing that he's helped me with a lot is I'm finding it easier to sort of keep the moves in my head. And because, I'm partially cited and I'll probably, you know, not be able to see the board at all at some point, I can actually, I can actually imagine that there will come a point when I'll be able to play comfortably, just using the braille board.
I'd always been worried that when I went completely blind, I'd not be able to play chess anymore. I know, know that I will be able to play chess, and that's entirely because of the, the help I've been getting, from the, from the academy. It's never too early or too late to study, even if it means decades.
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UCA: Congratulations. My next question is related to your achievements in chess. Can you tell us more how you started or what patterns do you use? How is your middle game?
Mary Lea: My greatest achievement in chess, I think, is the fact that I'm actually, finally beginning to get better. After about 40 years odd of playing badly, it's quite hard to root out bad patterns and learn new patterns, and I'm very pleased with myself, but I'm beginning to understand, some kind of positional.
Ideas, you know, to do with, the middle game that had been completely beyond me that I just couldn't understand at all until fairly recently. So I'm happy about that. I'm also happy that, I can, I can sort of move the pieces around in my head that I can, You know, I can see the board, you know, more clearly and, think more moves ahead.
The other thing I'm enjoying is that there's a lot of children locally, learning chess, um, that I'm able to help with. I'd say just the fact that I enjoy chess and I'm able to share it with other people is my greatest thing so far. You know, that and the fact that even though I'm never going to be a grandmaster, I'm definitely going to keep enjoying the game and learning a little bit more about it.
So yes, I'd say just the fact that I'm enjoying the game and still learning is, is my biggest, success in chess.
UCA: 40 years of playing chess, that is already an achievement. Wow. I would like to ask you, how is it working with Coach Abi? He is right now in India, establishing UCA India, I guess you work only online?
We work online. We have an online class. He, he goes over my games and sort of points out mistakes and things that I've made and we work on weaknesses that I have and try to, he gives me exercises that I can, I can do. In my own time to improve my game. We have sort of practice, sessions and chess games where we talk through each move at a time.
He puts a lot of extra work into it. It's not just the time that I'm actually having a a, an a live session with him. He, he puts a lot of thought into preparing materials for me to work on separately. So, for example, he's helped me learn how to analyze my games and you know, he has given me sort of lots of things to help with weaknesses, as an older partially cited player.
I'm not very good with tactics and he's certainly given me a lot of extra support to improve my tactical understanding and the games, you know, the, the lessons are extremely helpful and you know, they're very intuitive. And he's extremely patient as well, which is, which is necessary, I think you know, so they're, he's non-judgmental and patient and very, very thorough in the effort he puts into preparing material for you.
So we work together online. Learning by playing is the best possible practice, and having homeworks proves the dedication of both students and coaches. What is your next chess challenge? Would you like to increase your ELO?
I think everybody, everybody would like to increase ELO. I mean, the sort of, the humble, modest thing to say would be, oh no, I'm beyond that.
I would like to increase ELO. I have increased ELO since, um, uh, Abi's been helping me, but I've, you know, I'm, I'm, I'm never gonna be a grandmaster. I have, I have sort of, increased about 400 ELO, since I've been having lessons with Unstoppable Chess Academy. I'd like to more than anything, be able to play a good, solid.
Game with a plan. Blunder as few pieces as possible and, just get into, into interesting positions that I can explore ideas with. And I have been doing that you know, I've, I've not been sort of falling into a quagmire of you know, hanging pieces and blundering queens. So, you know, my game has definitely improved.
And I sometimes manage to play a game where I feel, that's actually pretty. Oh, I really liked that idea. That was a really, I. I'm really pleased with how that worked out. Um, and it's nice actually having games that I can be proud of. You know, that, um, that I feel like I've played extremely well. So my get role is to improve.
I'm sure you are happy increasing your E L O and working with others. Playing a good chess is the most important, and maybe one days you will reach level 2000.
UCA: My last question today. What message would you like to give to other students who are deciding whether to sign up and learn chess with UCA?
Um, it's extremely well worth learning.
It does help you, um, improve concentration. It helps you in other aspects of your life. It really helps you learn how to focus and concentrate on a moment. You know, it helps you sort of, Be less scattered in, in your everyday life. And it is just simply an enjoyable thing to do. It's something where you can, you can see at the end of a game if you've made a mistake, you can see what mistakes you've made and it, its something that's provable and testable and you can keep competing against yourself almost to see how much better you can get, um, how much more you can learn.
But more than anything, it's, it's just fun. You know, whether you're studying something out of a book or doing puzzles or whether you're sitting and playing over the board with real human beings, you can enjoy chess in many different ways and I think it has something for everybody. So yes, I would certainly encourage anybody to at least try the game and see how much they can get out of it.
About Unstoppable Chess Academy
How much does it cost?
Unstoppable Chess Academy under the leadership of coach and founder Abhishek Yadav charge reasonable prices. Just 20 EUR per 1 hour class. (While normal lesson costs 30 EUR per 1 class hour, with Opening Master you will pay only 20 EUR per hour.) Sometimes the classes go longer because they are passionate what they do but don't worry only 20 will be counted. We provide variety of discounts and credits for chess coaching modules. If you purchase Opening Master chess database package you get first class for free.
Who is this for?
The Unstoppable Chess Academy is for anyone who is interested in mastering the art of chess. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced player, the Academy offers a wide range of resources and tools that can help you improve your game and develop your skills.
What makes it different?
The Academy is designed for anyone who is serious about becoming a chess master or just learn chess. It offers comprehensive training programs, instructional videos, and other resources that can help you learn the fundamentals of the game, as well as more advanced tactics and strategies.
Where can we find Unstoppable Chess Academy
The address is https://www.unstoppablechess.com/ .
For new Premium Subscribers to Opening Master Chess Database (OM GOLEM) you can use your free chess lesson online (video call). To book your chess lesson classes please write email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
What are you going to learn?
Chess. Chess. And more chess. With experience and dedicated coach you will soon reach your dream ELO 2000. For beginners your first goal will be ELO 1000. The chess lessons are available only in English (for Indian customer we can provide chess lessons in Hindi). You will use Chess Database Opening Master as reference (part of the license agreement between Opening Master and Unstoppable Chess Academy) and study chess according to the modules provided to you by the coach.
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