Beginner to Expert in 3 years. I'm now coaching other adults to improve fast!

Find out more about Kraig

• When did you start practicing? How did this passion find you?

  I started playing chess in 2019 after it became a popular game in our offices amongst staff. I was a complete beginner. Due to my competitive nature, I started watching a lot of YouTube videos and drilled puzzles online to improve. I also hired a coach myself to accelerate the process and I've been hooked since!

• Which artists or works affect you the most?

  I prefer speed chess due to its convenience and practicalities in the real world, so I like watching and interacting with players who are strong in this area - GM Hikaru Nakamura, GM Wesley So, GM Daniel Naroditsky, GM Eric Hansen and GM Aman Hambleton all come to mind (all of which I've probably played a combined 50 games against so far!).
  
  Also a big fan of IM John Bartholomew and IM Eric Rosen for their instructional online content - I've also had significant dialogue and lessons with both during my own development too.

• What are the qualities and skill required to succeed in this area?

  Time, motivation to improve and a logical thought process.

• What is the most valuable advice you can give to help someone stay focused on creative projects?

  Keep your mind focused on the end goal!

• How would you describe your passion; how does it make you feel?

  I like chess particularly because it's all based on logic. There's no luck or hidden information. It also helps to teach patience, planning and decision making.

• What creative achievements are you particularly proud of?

  I'm honestly just happy to have been a random 600 beginner 2 years ago to now having had the experience of playing somewhere in the region of 70-80 games against top grand masters, including some of the worlds elite (Hikaru Nakamura, Wesley So, Gata Kamsky, etc) with some (albeit few) nice wins too.

• Have you ever been surprised by a student; by their ability or quick progression?

  Absolutely. Most of my students have risen from 600-700 to 1300-1400 within a few months of working with me, which is about as fast as I progressed myself, despite putting in a lot less hours. This is partly because I can also help people sift through the abundance of content online which can be overwhelming, distracting and not all of it is actually useful information to learn!

• Being a Superprof is an art! What is your secret?

  I enjoy coaching and tutoring others. If you do too, you have to enjoy sites like these!