GM Ivan Schitco Avis 

I've been training with Ivan for about four months now. In general, I think hiring a coach is a great idea for anyone who intends to spend hundreds (or thousands) of hours practising and is serious about improving - I wish I had hired a coach sooner.

About Ivan specifically: he's exceptionally knowledgeable and hard-working, has great communication skills and is highly reliable.

Knowledgeable: he's an active Grandmaster and he often uses his own tournament games as examples of the concepts he's teaching.

Hard-working: he comes to every lesson prepared with a plan for what we'll go through in the lesson, a plan for what I should train for the next couple of weeks and a list of my games with useful teaching points.

Great communication skills: he explains chess concepts and training concepts clearly and concisely, always giving me advice that I can actually use in my games/training.

Reliable: whenever I have questions, he responds quickly and thoroughly.

We have been very impressed with Adrian's progress since he started training with Ivan. When Adrian began, he enjoyed chess but was still developing his fundamentals and had not yet established an official USCF rating. Since then, he has earned his first official USCF rating, won multiple tournaments, including the Kid Chess Tournament of Champions, become the champion at his school, and increased his rating from 1000 to 1900 in just a year and a half.
What we appreciate most is that Adrian's progress goes well beyond his ratings and tournament results. Ivan works with Adrian in a structured and engaging way each week, helping him understand the ideas behind the moves rather than simply memorizing lines. He is patient and encouraging, while also knowing how to challenge Adrian and keep him motivated and excited about improving. We have seen Adrian become more confident, disciplined, and thoughtful in the way he approaches the game. We are very grateful to Ivan for his dedication and for the positive impact he has had on Adrian's development, both as a chess player and as a young person.

Ivan is a great chess coach. He is an expert on all aspects of the game from opening, to middle game and end game. His analysis was very insightful and detailed. Besides his technical strength in chess, he is also a great coach to keep student motivated and provide guidance on the mental part of the game. Highly recommended.

I have been training with Ivan Schitco for the past 9 months, and I can honestly say that working with him has been transformative for my chess development. I highly recommend him to anyone serious about improving their game.

The Beginning: Building the Right Foundation

My first two tournaments after starting lessons were disappointing, which is a natural part of the learning process. It's much like when someone teaches you the correct grip for a tennis racket—initially, your shots may actually get worse before they get better, because you're retraining muscle memory and adjusting fundamental technique. Ivan understood this completely and never let me get discouraged. He explained that these early setbacks were not failures, but essential steps in restructuring my game on solid foundations.

The Breakthrough

The patience paid off. After those initial tournaments, my rating began climbing steadily. I've now gained approximately +130 rating points and, most remarkably, I've achieved a 2000 rating—a milestone I wasn't sure was within reach when we started.

His Teaching Method: Precise and Comprehensive

What sets Ivan apart as a coach is his analytical precision:

Weakness Identification: He quickly identified the specific gaps in my playing style and created a targeted development plan
Personalized Opening Repertoire
Rather than teaching me generic opening theory, Ivan built a custom repertoire that aligns with my playing style and strengths
Balanced Training:
During our sessions, he prioritized addressing my weaknesses while ensuring I didn't neglect other critical aspects of chess—tactics, endgames, and middlegame understanding all received appropriate attention

Ivan's approach is both focused and holistic, making every training session productive.

I strongly encourage any chess player looking to make serious progress to consider training with Ivan Schitco.

Grateful to have Ivan as my coach. He's dedicated, professional, and visibly passionate about the game. Each lesson is built around my weaknesses and what I need to work on, always focused on helping me understand the game more deeply and play stronger. It's also just a pleasure to watch a GM in action and learn how he approaches the game.