Chess4Life Chess Coaches

Drew Dawson

Drew's Coaching Style

“Chess is a beautiful game but children are more important.”

My goal as a coach is to push my students to their full potential within the boundaries of childhood. I work hard to create a balance between fun and rigor. I am also a very firm believer in the basics. Unless a student has a solid understanding of the fundamental ideas in chess, he or she cannot progress. When Elliott Neff was my private coach, he told me that chess knowledge is like a pyramid: the larger the base, the taller the pyramid can become. My job as a coach is to establish the basics and help students move up to more advanced material.

A final guiding principle in my coaching style is my flexibility. All too often coaches force their own playing style on their students. I strive to coach my students in such a way that they are free to explore different types of playing styles.

Personal Chess Life

My rating is 1772. I have gone to nationals five times. I play for the Interlake Chess Team, which has taken first place in state once and second place twice. I have represented my grade in the Washington-versus-British Columbia match twice.

Coaching Background