International Chess School vs Remote Chess Academy vs Reassess Your Chess

I have been playing at around 1500 blitz for several years and looking to improve and add depth to my game.  My current training involves solving tactics puzzle -2500 rating, puzzle rush 5 min high of 32 and puzzle battle 1270 rating.  I feel like a need a better positional understanding and tend to play passively in response to threats.

I have been watching Igor Smirnov's youtube video and very much like his approach of teaching how to create a framework for beginning and middle game play so that one can rely on their positional understanding to narrow down candidate moves. I don't have an abundance of time to devote to learning - maybe 30 min/day so want to find the most efficient way to learn.  I am wondering if the Remote Chess Academy courses are a good option?  Would the International Chess School's one year course be a better option?  I also just bought the book "Reassess Your Chess" and working with that book is another option I am considering.  Thank you.

My opinion is books and free online content. I've paid for many online courses and I never end up using them.

4K

Personally it's definitely possible to get better without a coach - you just need to find a way how to evaluate your games and know how to get better from them. You have definitely put in the time and reps in playing tons of games, but without any real way of knowing how you're losing or getting draws and increasing your chances to win from those type of games, you will stagnate.

Then you should find someone to teach you how to evaluate games (without an engine), that sounds like a better investment than buying a course online.

This is good advice. Learning how to analyze and how to do puzzles properly is a great help with Visualization.

I really like Igor Smirnov of the Remote Chess Academy. I find that he is easy to follow and it's enjoyable to learn from him.

Hi!

If you have little time then it is worth working with a teacher /coach. They would customize contents, study plan and game analysis.

You could check out my posls if interested in exploring this idea:

https://www.chess.com/blog/maafernan/chess-skills-development

https://www.chess.com/blog/maafernan/guidelines-for-a-study-plan-beginner-intermediate-players

Good luck!