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Susan Polgar Explains Her Coaching Philosophy

Susan Polgar is, in my humble opinion, the best chess coach in the United States. Her achievement of coaching two different division 1 colleges to National Chess Championships on several occasions speaks volumes as to her abilities. I believe Susan’s coaching philosophy should prove useful for coaches of any discipline.

Obtained from http://susanpolgar.blogspot.com/2014/04/my-coaching-philo<a href="http://susanpolgar.blogspot.com/2014/04/my-coaching-philosophy.html?m=1

Many people have asked what is my coaching philosophy when it comes to team events? There are four main issues which I stressed. We may or may not be the best team (depend on the year), but our approach is always the same:

1. Come to each match fully prepared: Physically, mentally, and chess-wise. Players have to be fully focused. We have fun after, not before or during important events.

2. Play with complete discipline: We are prepared to fight hard every game, and play all games with complete discipline, just as the prepared game plan for each match.

3. Team work: We prepare as a team, fight as a team, and celebrate as a team. There is no I in team. We are one family.

4. Win with grace, lose with dignity: This has long been my motto. I will not tolerate any hot-dogging or in your face nonsense. Self control and be gracious, win or lose.

Here is to hoping Susan Polgar’s chess team at Webster University wins this weekend’s College Final Four of Chess.

Don’t forget that Susan Polgar will be visiting the 2014 Fremont Summer Chess Camp.

Published by chessmusings

Chris Torres is a nationally renowned scholastic chess coach working in the San Francisco Bay Area. His classes have attracted players of strengths ranging from rank beginners to world champions. A chess professional since 1998, Chris is widely recognized as one of the main driving forces behind the explosion in popularity and sudden rise in quality of scholastic chess in California. Chris Torres served as the President of the Torres Chess and Music Academy from 2005-2020 and currently is recognized as a correspondence chess master with the United States Chess Federation. Since 1998 Chris Torres has taught 6 individual national champions as well as led multiple school teams to win national championship titles. In addition, Chris Torres has directed and taught at 10 different schools which have been California State Champions at chess. In 2011 and 2012, several former and current students of Chris Torres have been selected to represent the United States at the World Youth Chess Championships. Mr. Torres’ hobbies include playing classical guitar and getting his students to appear on the national top 100 chess rating lists.

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