Notice Tournament Info

Special Lecture for Youth Players by GM Chernin

09-10-2025
Yumi Harashima

Grandmaster Alexander Chernin, born in Ukraine, has had an exceptional career. He was a top player who competed in the 1985 Candidates Tournament to determine the challenger for the World Championship, and since the early 21st century he has also distinguished himself as a world-class coach. He has taught and coached many of the world’s elite players. He worked as a teacher with Fabiano Caruana for three years during Caruana’s teenage years — his most extensive engagement with a single student — and served as a trainer for top grandmasters such as Judit Polgar and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. In the United States, as head coach of the “Young Stars” program supported by the Kasparov Chess Foundation and the Saint Louis Chess Club, he has personally trained leading American talents, including Jeffery Xiong and Samuel Sevian for five years, and is currently working with Andy Woodward.

 

This globally renowned trainer will give a special lecture for youth players on Sunday, November 9. Drawing on his vast experience and achievements on the world stage, he will deliver practical and essential content tailored to this age group.

 

Lecture Overview

Date/Venue/Format 

Date & Time: Sunday, November 9, 2025, from 12:00

Venue: Learning Tree International School, Koto Ward, Tokyo (3-minute walk from Kiba Station, Tokyo Metro Tozai Line) [Map]

Eligibility: Players must meet all of the following conditions:

  • Be an annual member of the Japan Chess Federation (as of November 9, 2025) and hold Japanese chess nationality
  • Born in 2007 or later
  • Possess a FIDE rating

Selection: Based on FIDE ratings and performance in tournaments, a number of high-priority youth players will be accepted in advance.

Eligible players will be contacted by email by October 12 with application details.

 

Content: The lecture will be conducted in English only.

First Session: “Trade of Pieces”

Piece trade is one of the most important and difficult for understanding issues in chess. One mistake there can change the evaluation of a position on 180 grad. Lecture represents different topics especially focusing on one of them ‘Trade on our conditions’ teaching how to achieve peace trade most favorably for self.

Second Session: ‘Maneuverable Play’

‘Weakening maneuver’ is part of maneuvering play in chess aiming to worsen positions of the opponent’s pawns or pieces. The lecture will focus on how to use our pieces to force the opponent’s pieces into inferior positions in order to achieve primarily tactical, but also positional, objectives. The role of intermediate moves will also be explained.

Note: Lecture content is subject to change.

 

Registration

Fee: ¥10,000

Registration: Purchase a ticket via 【Peatix】 during the application period (Limit: 20 participants)

Application Period: From 0:00 on Friday, October 17, 2025 to 23:59 on Friday, October 31, 2025 

Note: Details for participants (e.g., entry procedures) will be sent by email by Sunday, November 2.

 

Cancellation Policy

If you need to cancel your participation, please be sure to email japanchess.info@gmail.com.

  • Cancellation by 23:59 on November 1, 2025 (8 days before the event):
    * If the capacity is not reached – full refund
    * If the capacity has been reached – no refunds
  • Cancellation after November 2, 2025 (7 days before the event):
    * No refund for any reason
    * If the seminar is cancelled due to a natural disaster or for reasons attributable to the organizer, a separate action will be considered.
  • Refunds will be processed in accordance with Peatix regulations.

 

Schedule

Sunday, November 9

11:40–12:00 Check-in

12:00–14:00 First Session

　　　Break

15:00–17:00 Second Session

Depending on the progress of the lecture, the overall duration may be extended by approximately 30 minutes.

 

Other

  • If absent or late, contact japanchess.info@gmail.com without fail.
  • Photography by visitors is permitted, but video recording is prohibited.
  • The organisers may take photographs. These may be published on websites, social media, and official publications managed by the Japan Chess Federation, and may be provided to the mass media if requested.
  • Should you experience a fever or feel unwell, please notify staff and leave the venue immediately. Should the organisers deem you to be visibly unwell, you may be asked to leave the venue.
  • The wearing of masks within the venue is at the individual’s discretion. Even if you are not visibly unwell, if you have symptoms such as coughing or sneezing due to conditions like hay fever, you may be asked to wear a new non-woven mask.
  • The Japan Chess Federation accepts no responsibility whatsoever for any disputes arising between individuals.
  • If there is a discrepancy between English and Japanese, the Japanese version prevails.

 

Organizer

Japan Chess Federation