Prodigy Program - September 2015 Registration Open!

This is a detailed article regarding Chess.com University's Prodigy Program. Please read this post in its entirety if you are a new student or a prospective student wanting to join the program in September. Most importantly, registration for all three sections of the Prodigy Program is now open for the September 2015 month of the program.

Want your child to become a chess prodigy? Yes? So do we! Or are you an adult wanting to master chess yourself? Great, we will get you there! Read on to learn more about our program.

*Chess.com University's Prodigy Program*

Master Chess at Any Age, Within 5 Years

This online super-coaching program by Chess.com University is designed to create chess prodigies out of youth players and take them, or any chess player, to master-level within 5 years. By offering high-quality live lessons, detailed study plans, relevant homework, and unlimited guidance from our world-class team of coaches, we have created a program that can take any chess player from beginner to master within 5 years! The Chess.com University Prodigy Program is for kids as well as adults. It is open to chess players of all ages.

Important Information:

- Taught by Kairav Joshi, Chess.com's officially best-selling coach and President of Chess.com University, along with Assistant Director FM Dalton Perrine, FM Arne Jochens, GM Alex Yermolinsky, and many other top coaches. Other who have contributed to the program recently and occasionally teach live lessons or play simuls include: GM Alexei Shirov, GM Valeriy Aveskulov, GM Maxim Dlugy, GM Erwin l'Ami, IM Valeri Lilov, IM Attila Turzo, NM Julian Lin, and others.

- At least 12 hours of live online classes per month spread out over 8 to 10 sessions. The live lessons will also be recorded and uploaded online so students can review them.

- Detailed weekly study plan (an awesome 7-page PDF sent each week!)

- An online correspondence tournament each month.

- A simul with a chess master (sometimes grandmaster) each month.

- Two games analyses per student, usually through email but sometimes live.

- Full email support for all students. Unlimited guidance and tips!

- Tuition: $150/month per student.

- Live lessons will be taught mostly on weekends between 8:30 AM and 1:30 PM PDT (Pacific Time U.S./Canada).

- The 900 ELO and 1200 ELO sections of the Prodigy Program launched with over 100 kids and adults in December, 2014. The third section of the Prodigy Program, the 1500+ ELO section, started in January, 2015. The program has continued to grow since then. New students are able to join in during any month. Each month is designed to be a course itself making it easy for new students to join.

Key Areas of Study in September, 2015:

900: Improving thought process, calculation, and learning more endgames while developing basic endgame technique.

1200: Improving thought process, calculation, understanding of imbalances, and learning more intermediate endgames while improving endgame technique.

1500: Learning an opening repertoire for Black against moves besides 1.e4 and 1.d4. This means, we will cover playing Black against 1.c4, 1.Nf3, 1.f4, and other less common first moves. Improving endgame technique and learning more king and pawn endgames will also be a part of this month's program.

*The September lessons of the 900+, 1200+, and 1500+ USCF/FIDE sections begin on Saturday, September 12th, 2015 at 10:00 AM PDT with an introduction session.

Note: While the sections have not been renamed, they are now covering material aimed at a more advanced audience. For example, the 900 section can be thought of as a 1100+ section, and so on. We will likely rename the sections next month.

Note: Our ratings refers to the standard over-the-board rating system. Rating systems that are used by FIDE, USCF, CFC, etc., are Elo or similiar to Elo. Online ratings tend to be inflated, sometimes heavily at the lower rating levels. A 1500 correspondence rating on Chess.com may indicate an actual strength of near 1200.

Understand that what we are offering is indeed a beginner-to-master program. Adults who join the program have an excellent chance at achieving that elusive chess master distinction. Parents who sign up their kids can (and should) expect their children to improve at chess very quickly. I myself have sent an 8-year-old student to the world youth championships and have numerous student competing and winning at the state and national levels. Let me tell you that we can certainly make your child a chess prodigy too! In fact, several Prodigy Program students have already won school, club, city, and state championships!

Our program will continue for a long time. Students can join in or opt out at any time. We expect that youth players who study in our program for a few years will end up being among the best players in their age group. But those who only study with us for a few months will still improve by leaps and bounds. Our rate of $150/month offers unbeatable value. With our detailed, guided study plan in addition to the live lessons, the amount students learn each month may be equivalent to about 25-30 one-on-one hourly lessons with coaches. If the typical skilled coach charges $30/hr, that would cost $900/month!

With Chess.com University, it is $150/month and that is paying for the highest-quality of chess instruction available anywhere. Period. That is paying for neverending tips and guidance. That is paying for the opportunity to learn from the best chess coaches while also getting a chance to interact with the world's best chess players such as GM Alexei Shirov. If you truly love chess and want to get better quickly, sign up for the world's best chess-learning program.

Here are comments from former USCF President and #1 blitz chess player Grandmaster Maxim Dlugy regarding the Prodigy Program:

"By designing the Prodigy Program, Chess.com University has created a brilliant solution for chess players around the world. By offering lectures, training sessions, game analysis sessions, homework, and guided study plans all in an organized manner, the Prodigy Program enables easy and efficient chess learning."

"Technology has made it easier than ever to learn and improve at chess. I wish such programs existed when I was a young and ambitious chess player!"

"If you want to make your chess study productive and want to become a strong chess player, I highly recommend joining Chess.com University's Prodigy Program."

Don't have an official over-the-board rating?

What about those who don't have an ELO rating and are not sure which group is best for them? We have written a placement exam for them. Individuals without official ratings who want to join the 1200+ or 1500+ sections should complete the placement exam and achieve a satisfactory score.

The placement exam has been posted in the Chess.com University group on Chess.com:

http://www.chess.com/news/prodigy-program-placement-exam-ready-3294

That link will only work for Chess.com University members. If you are not a member, click here to join and then follow the link given above.
 

September 2015 Registration:

Registration for September 2015 is now open for all sections of the Prodigy Program. Presently, we accept payment via Bitcoin, credit/debit card, and PayPal.

The monthly tuition for the Prodigy Program is $150/student. Students can make a one-time payment for September 2015 by using the link below:

Link for one-time payment:

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=P8KLGBXSAUW9E

PayPal should redirect you to a Google form. Please fill out the form to complete your registration for September if you are a new student. Current students, only use the PayPal link directly sent to you via email for renewal. Note: PayPal occasionally doesn't redirect students to the Google form. If you don't get redirected, please contact GeniusKJ on Chess.com and provide your registration information such as name, Chess.com username, section, etc.

Registration Deadline:

Registration for the September 2015 month of the Prodigy Program ends at 3:00 PM PDT on September 9th, 2015. This means, we must receive payment by then. We will accept late payments but late registrations won't be get processed until a few days later meaning that such students would not be able to attend the first lesson live. Please complete payment in advance if you would like to study in our Prodigy Program this month.

Discounts and Commissions:

We offer family discount. We also give 10% commission on valid, successful referrals. 

Sign up for the Prodigy Program today and start your journey of becoming a chess master!

Contact Chess.com University by sending a message on Chess.com to GeniusKJ or sending an email at kairavjoshi@chess.com.