CM Youcef Lattafi

I’m a chess coach and competitive player who loves helping students understand the game rather than just memorize moves.

My approach is practical and personalized: we’ll work on calculation, tactics, positional understanding, openings, endgames, and—most importantly—how to think during a real game. Whether you’re just starting out or already have some experience, I’ll adapt the lessons to your level and goals.

I want my students to leave each lesson with a clearer understanding of chess and something concrete to work on. Chess should be challenging, but it should also be fun.

I’ve been playing competitive chess since 2023 and have competed extensively in OTB tournaments across Canada.

I currently hold the FIDE Candidate Master (CM) title and have reached 2300+ CFC and 2000+ FIDE. Some of my notable tournament results include scoring 5.5/9 and finishing 18th at the Canadian Open 2026, 21th at the 2026 Canadian Zonals and finishing first individually at the 2026 Canadian University Chess Championship by scoring 5/5.

My experience has given me a lot of exposure to different styles of chess, from sharp tactical positions to slower positional and endgame battles. I’m constantly studying and competing myself, so I bring that practical tournament experience directly into my lessons.

I’ve been teaching chess to students of different ages and skill levels, from complete beginners to more experienced tournament players.

I currently give private chess lessons and have also taught chess in a school setting.

My strongest areas are tactics, positional understanding, and practical decision-making. I especially enjoy helping students learn how to calculate variations accurately and understand why a move works rather than simply memorizing it.

As a teacher, I’m good at breaking complicated positions into understandable ideas and asking the right questions to help students find the answer themselves. I also adapt lessons to the student's level, personality, and goals.

I usually begin by identifying the student's strengths, weaknesses, and goals. From there, I build lessons around their actual games and the areas that will have the biggest impact on their improvement.

During lessons, I prefer an interactive approach. Rather than simply explaining everything, I ask students to calculate, evaluate positions, explain their ideas, and find candidate moves themselves. We can work through their recent games, tactical and calculation exercises, opening positions, endgames, or model games depending on what they need.

After each lesson, I try to leave the student with a few clear ideas or exercises to work on independently. I also encourage students to bring their recent games to future lessons so we can track recurring mistakes and progress over time.