Helping students learn to think better through chess.
About The Coach
My name is Girish Iyer.
I am a chess player and coach with a strong interest in understanding how players think during a game. My focus is not only on the moves played on the board, but on developing clear thinking and decision-making skills.
Chess improvement is not just about learning moves. It is about learning how to think before making a move.
My Chess Journey So Far
My chess journey began in 2018 when I started playing regularly on Chess.com.
In the beginning, I played many games and taught myself the basic principles of chess. I spent a lot of time practicing tactics using books and online resources, especially the tactics training available on ChessBase.
After a few months my rating reached around 1100 on Chess.com, but I realized that tactics alone were not enough for long-term improvement. Chess requires several important skills such as calculation, positional understanding, and pattern recognition.
To deepen my understanding of the game, I began studying classic chess books such as:
- Logical Chess – Move by Move by Irving Chernev
- Play Winning Chess by Yassar Sairawan
- How to Reassess Your Chess by Jeremy Silman
- Simple Chess by Michael Stean
Books are a valuable source of knowledge. However, true improvement comes from practice and understanding positions deeply, not just reading.
What helped the most was consistent training that included:
- tactical exercises
- studying master games
- learning positional ideas
- analyzing my own games
Through this process I realized that chess improvement depends on understanding why moves are played in a position, not simply memorizing them.
Endgame knowledge also plays an important role. I studied endgames using resources such as Lichess and the book 100 Endgames You Must Know.
With this structured approach to training, my performance improved and I began achieving better results in tournaments. I eventually obtained a FIDE rating of 1446, while my online ratings also improved to around 1600 on Chess.com and 1800 on Lichess.
Teaching Philosophy
Many beginners try to improve by memorizing opening moves or learning opening tricks.
While this may help win a few games, it does not lead to long-term improvement. As soon as the opponent plays something unexpected, the player often becomes confused.
Chess is largely about pattern recognition and decision-making.
The correct way to develop these skills is to understand moves and positions, rather than memorizing them. Students must learn how to evaluate positions, calculate variations, and recognize important patterns.
Analyzing games is also an essential part of training. By reviewing games and identifying better moves, students gradually develop stronger thinking habits.
Why ThinkFirst Chess Academy Was Created?
My own experience with chess improvement inspired me to create ThinkFirst Chess Academy.
Many students struggle to improve because they rely on ineffective training methods. Some of the common problems include:
- relying too much on memorization
- missing simple tactical ideas
- not thinking about the opponent’s threats
The goal of ThinkFirst Chess Academy is to help students develop structured thinking habits that lead to consistent improvement.
Training Focus
Training at ThinkFirst Chess Academy focuses on four core areas:
Tactics – Recognizing common tactical patterns and opportunities.
Positional Understanding – Learning how piece activity and pawn structures influence a position.
Calculation and Visualization – Developing the ability to calculate variations before making a move.
Game Analysis – Reviewing games to understand mistakes and discover better ideas.
If you are interested in improving your chess understanding, you can start with a free demo class.