Last chance to be a part of the FIDE Online Trainers Seminar taking place from 29th to 31st May

An amazing line-up of trainers will be teaching you at the FIDE Online Trainers Seminar 2020 organized in co-operation with ChessBase India for the Indian subcontinent. 26th of May 2020 is the last day for registration. Hence, if you are keen on learning from the best and also getting your FIDE Trainers title, you should register right away.

Know your trainers and what they will be teaching you

1. Alexander Motylev

Alexander Motylev was Russian champion in 2001 and European champion in 2014. Motylev is also Sergey Karjakin's trainer and one of the coaches of the Russian national team. Motylev will talk about thinking priorities in chess, how to analyze your own games and how to improve your calculation!

2. Yu Shaoteng

Yu Shaoteng is a Chinese GM and was the personal trainer of chess prodigy Hou Yifan. He has played several strong events and is not just one of the most well-known trainers of China but also a fine chess player. Yu Shaoteng will teach you why you should be working on your endgame and how you should be working on the last phase of the game.

3. Dejan Bojkov

Dejan Bojkov is a Bulgarian GM and an author. He became a GM in 2008 and also has won the Canadian Open in the past. He has been the former trainer of Women's World Champion Antaoneta Stefanova. Dejan will talk about the challenges that trainers face, the psychological issues and how to fight them and improve.

4. Artur Yusupov

Artur is former World no.3 chess player (behind Kasparov and Karpov). He is an author of best selling series of books - Build up your chess, Boost your chess and Chess Evolution. He has trained innumerable talents in the world of chess alone and along with his trainer Mark Dvoretsky. Yusupov will talk about the importance of studying classical games in the lecture.

5. Ivan Sokolov

Ivan Sokolov's chess achievements require no introduction. He is well known for his attacking style of play and has even beaten Kasparov. He was the trainer of the Iranian team for quite some time and had predicted the rise of Alireza Firouzja when the youngster was just a 2500 rated GM. Sokolov would be talking about static and dynamic factors in middlegame play.

6. Thomas Luther

Thomas Luther is an inspirational GM from Germany. He is an author, a trainer, as well as a strong grandmaster and was part of the German team that won the silver medal at the Istanbul Olympiad in 2000. He suffers from congenital disability on his arms, but that has never come in between him and his aims to be a strong chess player. He will be speaking about the introduction to the FIDE TRG, how to work with beginners and how to teach tactics.

7. Sagar Shah

Sagar is the author of these lines and he is one of the leading experts in the world with regards to the use of ChessBase softwares. He will be teaching about opening principles and how to use ChessBase to maintain an opening repertoire effectively.

Participants who have already confirmed from India

There are several more participants outside India who have confirmed their entries which will be updated soon. This is the list of Indian participants.

Schedule for the seminar (Timings in IST)

What can you gain by attending the trainer seminar

The best thing about this FIDE trainer seminar is that it is held online. So you do not have to travel anywhere. You can sit at home and learn from the best in the business. Apart from gaining knowledge, you also get a FIDE Trainer's title based on different parameters. You can gain one of the four titles from the list:

1. FIDE Trainer (FT)

2. FIDE Instructor (FI)

3. National Instructor (NI)

4. Developmental Instructor (DI)

What is the criteria for getting the above titles is mentioned here.

Who can attend the seminar?

The seminar is open to all the countries in the Indian subcontinent. They include: India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Maldives, Bhutan and Pakistan. If someone who is interested is not from these countries can reach out to Peter Long and ChessBase India from the contact info given below.

Organizers and Contacts

In case of any questions you can reach out to:

Peter Long, Secretary, FIDE Trainer’s Commission (TRG) - trainers@fide.com

ChessBase India - chessbaseindia@gmail.com

Seminar and FIDE Fees

There are two ways you can attend the seminar. If you would only like to attend the training sessions and not give the exam, then the cost would be Rs.8000 (100 Euros). If you would like to attend the seminar and also give the exam and apply for your title, then you will have to pay Rs. 12,000 (150 Euros). The cost of the seminar has also been subsidized as compared to normal ones so that the people in the region can afford it.

Update on 27th of May: Entries are closed

For players outside India

Players outside India who would like to take part in the seminar can make the payment directly to FIDE TRG's Paypal address: TRGpayment@fide.com

The fees are 150 euros for seminar + examination or

100 euros for just the seminar

Please note: Although this seminar is recommend for trainers, even if you are an ambitious chess player, you can learn a lot from it and you may consider attending it. After all it is not every day you get a chance to train with greats like Yusupov, Sokolov, Motylev and others. Last Date for entry is 26th May 2020.

Fill up the form

After you have paid the entry fee, please make sure that you fill in the form and send it to trainers@fide.com with a copy (cc) to chessbaseindia@gmail.com

Frequently Askd Questions (FAQs)

Answered by Peter Long

1.I do not have FIDE ID. Can I participate and get the Title?

You may participate and even take the exam. But without a FIDE ID you cannot get a title.

2. I am an Indian but now live in South Africa. Should  I pay the entry fee to FIDE or ChessBase India?

If you are registered with AICF you pay to ChessBase India. Otherwise you have to pay to FIDE. The reason is to lower banking transaction costs for Indians by using CBI's payment facilities in India.

3.I have only Mobile phone? Will I be able to attend the seminar and give exam with Mobile?

Zoom is the platform used and it works on mobile phones. The interactive experience might however be limited due to less functionality available on smaller devices. You also have to ensure you have a good data connection as it is video. The exam is via email so you have to download it, answer and sent back within the stipulated time.

4. Can I ask questions to trainers?

While the lecturer is teaching you will be muted. He will however be looking at the public chat and answer questions deemed relevant and of interest to all as he goes along. The lecturer usually also puts questions to the participants and invites answers and depending on what they are, be public or private in chat. And the lecturer can also unmute the participant as he deems appropriate. 

5. Whom to contact if there is any issue with connection or any other technical issue?

There will be a moderator who will be available. Unless it is a Zoom function related feature in which case assistance can also be requested via chat.

6. What is the Exam Pattern? Is it going to be multiple choice or long answers?

All this will be explained in the information pack provided before the seminar starts. But the short answer is that this written test is 20 percent of the total score and is largely based on what was taught at the seminar. The questions will confirm your understanding and there will be a few to test your comprehension and ability to apply the learning in a teaching context. 

7. How do you make sure that participants are not cheating?

What is claimed in the questionnaires we distribute that will measure the experience, results and achievements will be checked. You cannot lie about your rating and we will know if you have related skills as a trainer. There is no time to discuss the written exam with others and it is designed that we will know if you have not yourself answered it. We have penalized cheats in the past.

8. Will I surely get the title in the rating category that I fall into?

Being a good trainer has nothing to do with your results as a player but all have to accept that there is a minimum playing or rather analytical strength needed to teach some players of a high level.

9. How does FIDE TRG asses the other criteria? What if people can give false information about themselves.

This has been answered in Q7 above. I will add that the examiner is independent of the lecturers and that a panel reviews his marking.

10. Would you refund the money, if there is any techinical issue and I am not able to participate?

We will be sympathetic in special cases but generally the answer is no.

11. How much time does it take to announce the result?

The process is thorough and typically takes up to two weeks. But it is only official with the approval of the FIDE Council which meets quarterly. 

12. Shall I get a badge as well along with the Trainer Title?

Yes, we issue a badge after the title is awarded.

13. Is attending all the lecturers compulsory? Can I give the exam directly?

It is not a good idea to miss lectures as explained in Q6 above.

14. Can I get the printable material of the seminar?

It is up to the lecturers to decide if they have any materials to give. Because the seminar is about sharing teaching methods and best practices. So actual materials to be used to teach is up to the individual trainer to find or to create themselves. But of course recommendations will also be given. I will like to point out here that TRG has a partnership with Forward Chess to make all their ebooks available to trainers at a lower price.

Related

More information about the TRG online seminars