Private coaching, online worldwide
Chess coaching that
moves your rating.
One-to-one lessons for juniors and adult improvers, entirely online. Book and pay in under two minutes.
- National Master
- NM
- FIDE rating
- 2174
- Peak blitz · chess.com
- 2719
- Lessons worldwide
- Online
Meet James
James Dinham is a National Master who coaches online from Johannesburg. He plays at a FIDE rating of 2174, with a peak online blitz rating north of 2700.
He coaches juniors and adult improvers entirely online, building lessons around the games you are actually playing rather than a fixed syllabus.
- NM
- National Master
- 2174
- FIDE
- 2719
- Peak blitz
Coaching built around the player
No two students get the same lesson. Here is where most people start.
For juniors
Kids learn tactics through play, not lectures. Every lesson ends with something they can beat their friends with.
- Ages 6 to 12
- Weekly slots
- Parent progress notes
For adult improvers
You know the rules and you have hit a wall. We find the two or three habits costing you games and rebuild them.
- Honest game reviews
- An opening you understand
- Real endgame technique
For competitors
Rated and hungry. Preparation tailored to your next event, your colour, and the opponents you will actually face.
- Opponent scouting
- Sharp repertoire
- Time-pressure training
A method, not a magic bullet
We look at your real games
No generic curriculum. I go through games you have actually played and find the patterns that lose you points.
Fix the habits, not the symptoms
A blunder is a symptom. We work on the decision behind it so the same mistake stops happening.
Train the way you compete
Tactics under a clock, positions from your own openings, and the endgames that decide close games.
Players who broke through
Real reviews from James's students, on what changed once the lessons started.
“James has been a great chess teacher! He has been giving me lessons for over 2 months now and I can see a massive improvement in my strategies. You won't go wrong with James as your chess tutor.”
Questions, answered
Anything else, email me directly and I will get back to you.
All lessons are online, over a Google Meet call built right into this site so you never have to leave the page. It works just as well down the road or across the world.
Your next rating starts with one lesson
Book a slot that suits you. If it is not the right fit, the first lesson tells you fast, and there is no obligation to continue.