Introduction
Before getting into details about a particular chess tutor, consider what is marketed online. On July 20, 2016, the following phrase was used in a Google search:
chess lessons in Salt Lake Valley
Here is the result for the first page:
- Utah Chess Association (home page)
- “Chess Teacher in Salt Lake Valley” (blog post by Jonathan Whitcomb)
- “Chess Instruction by Private Lessons” (similar to #2 in that it promotes Whitcomb)
- An old discussion thread of almost no relevance to organized lessons
- “Chess Club” in Sandy, Utah, but it’s really a number of class sessions
- “Take Lessons” appears to be part of a general tutoring service
- The URL is www.your-child-matters.com mentioning “Cottonwood Heights”
- A page of the “WyzAnt” tutoring system
- Another general tutoring service: “Tutor Select”
- “Chess Tutoring Available in Holladay, Utah” – another Whitcomb page
The #1 page from Google (UCA) had not even one mention of “lesson” or “tutor” or “instructor” or “teacher.” This does not mean that the Utah Chess Association is not doing great things for the royal game, of course. They’re just not making it easy to find a chess tutor through Google searching on July 20, 2016.
The #2 Google-result had twenty instances of the word “lesson” and a good number of other relevant words. This could be useful, with a phone number and email-contact page for communicating with the tutor himself. The next two are similar.
The #5 page is for classes at the Dimple Dell Fitness and Recreation Center. It costs $30 for four class sessions, beginning with at least one session for beginners. This is probably a far cry from private chess lessons.
The “Take Lessons” page appears to be part of a big business: probably many subjects are offered with many tutors in many locations. This particular page seems to be for chess lessons in “Salt Lake City.” This could help students get a good chess tutor, but the page itself says almost nothing about the royal game. With the business appearing to take part of the fee, this is unlikely to be a low-cost way of learning how to play chess better.
The #7 page is another promotion for the chess tutor Jonathan Whitcomb ($25 per lesson). It says much about where lessons are available in the Salt Lake Valley, but this page itself does not have anything like a chess lesson. It’s just marketing such instruction.
With a photo of a young lady playing the violin, you’d think the #8 page has little relevance to chess. But scroll down and you’ll see brief information on five chess tutors. Their average cost is $38, although the apparently most-qualified chess expert charges only $30 per hour. WyzAnt is a tutoring business, so many of your dollars will probably go to that company, and you probably have no way to easily contact any of those five tutors directly.
“Tutor Select” is another business for connecting students to private instructors. This page has more information on the tutors and has a grand total of 15 teachers. Most of those tutors charge between $35 and $50 per lesson.
The big problem with the Tutor Select page, however, is that with all those many descriptions of teaching style, educational background, and tutoring experience, not one of those fifteen paragraphs has the word “chess” within the body of the text. You can learn that a tutor teaches mathematics, English, and science; you can learn how those tutors teach; you can learn about their personal philosophies about education. But you’ll see nothing about any instruction in the royal game, at least on July 20, 2016.
The final #10 spot on the first page of the Google search is another Whitcomb page. It’s time I explained that I am Jonathan Whitcomb. Why do my web pages dominate this Google search? I’m a nonfiction writer, and one of my subjects for writing about is chess, and since I’m now offering my services as a chess tutor I have been writing much about that.
.
Chess tutor Jonathan Whitcomb demonstrates a simple endgame technique
.
Chess Tutoring in Salt Lake Valley – by Whitcomb
I live in Murray, but my city business license forbids the use of my home for business (it’s a home office). I can probably drive to your location, however, as I travel to many places in the Salt Lake Valley. We can meet at your home or at a public park or library convenient to both of us.
The first meeting is free, a getting-acquainted session in which you may learn something about my chess teaching methods and I may discern where your stand in chess-playing abilities. After that, if your choose to have private lessons, the cost is $25 for each hour-long lesson. There is generally no additional charge for chess-instruction materials.
There is also generally no travel charge, provided we can agree on a mutually-convenient place to meet. This would be the great majority of cities and communities in the Salt Lake Valley.
For more information, please call me at 801-590-9692 or ask questions by email. Thank you.
###
.
I’m a chess instructor, living in the Salt Lake Valley of Utah. I know something of how the beginner and the post-novice and the moderately-advanced player, can benefit from chess lessons. It begins with tactics, NOT strategy.
Salt Lake Chess Tutor – Lessons
How will you learn to play better chess, gaining the ability to win more games? Each chess lesson will be tailor-made for where you stand (assuming you take private lessons instead of group sessions).
Chess Lessons in Holladay and Cottonwood Heights
The first session will be an introduction, a getting-acquainted meeting, and it’s free. Ask questions and learn how I may help you in improving your game. You can then decide if you would like to continue with private chess tutoring, at $25 for each one-hour lesson.
Salt Lake Valley Chess Tutor – Whitcomb
You may choose what course of study to receive, yet I would advise allowing me to help you in what you most need regarding improving your ability to win chess games. You have the final word on your course of training, however.
.