I first met Philip over a year ago when I joined a study group he founded on a popular chess website. His introductory rates for private lessons were very economical, and being continually frustrated by my chess capabilities decided to give it a try. The game of chess has had by far more information published about it than any other game, and this may also include all sports. Chess is both beautifully simple and extremely complicated. Playing well demands precise evaluation and analysis after each and every move. Mediocre players like myself try to play mostly by intuition which is a long way from being infallible. Although I can't say it is totally original material by him, Philip has written and published a book called "The Process of Decision Making in Chess" which spells out in detail the steps to finding the best move in any board position. He will soon publish a second book complementing the first. Back to the lessons...I completed the first series of 10 lessons, with the optional video recording of each, and promptly signed up for another round, and have continued to do so to the present. In my case we usually meet once a week on Skype for one hour each time. Philip is very flexible in his approach to the lesson leaving the format largely up to me. We sometimes analyze games by the world's elite players, sometimes games he has played, or games of mine. Always, we analyze using Philip's process of decision making. I will admit to not being a very good student, but that is me, not Philip or his process. I enjoy our sessions very much. Philip is quite personable and has become a friend as well as my teacher. I highly recommend that anyone interested in improving their game contact him.
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