Learn From One Of The Best Coaches In The World

He started off the camp by getting to know our name, rating strength and how often we studied chess. Back then I barely studied at all and I was just below 2000. Then he asked us about our short- and long term goals in chess, meaning 1 year respectively 5 years in the future.

I was first off and told him my short term goal was to reach 2200 and he looked at me with a disappointed face. I thought I had been overambitious so I defended my statement by mentioning I had been 2100 at my peak. to which he leaned back on his chair and said to the entire group something along the lines of:

"Look... Gaining 300-400 elo points in one year isn’t particularly hard."

I was dumbfounded. I had plateaued around 2000 for a year and becoming an FM seemed out of the realm of possibility. However, spoiler alert, one year and 19 days later I had reached the interim rating of exactly 2300, earning me the FM title. Ramesh was right.

What’s Next? A New Camp This Summer!

If you're a young player or an aspiring coach, there’s some exciting news: You can join me as a brand-new camp is happening this summer! It's designed for players rated 1700+ FIDE and anyone interested in improving as a chess coach.

When & Where:

June 14–20, 2025 — Bardonecchia, Italy

Player Groups:

• Group C: 1700–1899 elo
• Group B: 1900–2149 elo
• Group A: 2150–2349 elo

World-Class Coaches Include:

• GM R.B. Ramesh – One of the most respected coaches in the chess world, with his students winning over 40 medals at the Youth World Championships and including stars like Praggnanandhaa and Aravindh Chithambaram. In recognition of his impact on chess training, he was awarded the prestigious Mikhail Botvinnik FIDE Award in 2023.
• GM Lexy Ortega – Former Cuban junior champion, Olympic team coach, and head of Italy’s youth sector. He has coached former junior world champions and the likes of Daniele Vocaturo, one of Italy’s all time greats.
• IM Jesper Hall – Has spent 25 years shaping chess education (even coaching Magnus Carlsen!) leading national programs in Sweden and Norway and authoring 18 books.
• IM Pierluigi Piscopo – A former top Italian player and national team member, is a FIDE Trainer known for his broad teaching experience. He has coached literal world champions, like the 2023 U20 World Champion Marc'Andria Maurizzi,.
• CM Sebastiano Paulesu – Awarded as best instructor by the FSI in 2010, he is an expert in school-level instruction and creator of the “Ideographic Method,” with decades of experience in youth coaching.

For more information check out the website: https://www.alfierebianco.com/camp2025/

Level Up Your Coaching Credentials

Right after the talent camp, a FIDE Trainers’ Seminar will take place (June 20–22), giving coaches and future trainers the chance to earn official FIDE titles such as:

• FIDE Trainer (FT)
• FIDE Instructor (FI)
• National Instructor (NI)
• Development Instructor (DI)

This seminar is led by world-class instructors and includes everything you need to work toward one of these prestigious titles. And no matter your current level, the only real prerequisites are passion, dedication, and the willingness to learn.

I will probably go, and maybe to both camps, and hopefully I can see you there!