Private 1-on-1 Chess Classes in Singapore
Give your child the right foundation in chess. Apply for chess classes with coach Tigran, a FIDE master & trainer who has produced National, ASEAN, European and World Champions.
Our students featured in:
Students Who've Made Chess History
The youngest player ever to beat a grandmaster
At 8 years old, Singapore's Ashwath Kaushik defeated GM Jacek Stopa in a classical tournament in Switzerland setting a world record that made headlines on BBC, CNN, and The Guardian. He had started chess classes at the age of 4 under Coach Tigran.
Singapore's youngest world chess champion
At age 6, Derek Lim won the Under-7 title at the World Schools Chess Championships in Halkidiki, Greece becoming Singapore's youngest world chess champion.Coach Tigran trained Derek through his championship years.
Grandmaster before 15 Years Old
Coach Tigran was Samvel's first chess coach, taking him on at age 5 and training him for seven years. Under Tigran, Samvel won gold at the 2003 European Championship (Under-10) in Budva, Montenegro.
He went on to win gold at the 2009 European Championship (Under-16) in Fermo, Italy, and the World Championship in Caldas Novas, Brazil, before earning the Grandmaster title one day before his 15th birthday.
He became World Under-18 Champion and won the Armenian National Championship twice. At the 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai in 2022, Samvel was part of the Armenian national team that won the silver medal.
What Makes Coach Tigran Different?
For parents who understand that the right chess classes build foundations that last.
Qualified to coach all levels, from complete beginners to aspiring masters.
1. Coach Tigran is the only chess coach in Singapore with a formal academic education in chess coaching.
Most chess coaches are former players who learned coaching by doing it (and among them, there are quite a few good coaches).
Coach Tigran studied it at one of the most rigorous institutions in the chess world.
*Illustration only. Actual certificates available upon request.
Tigran had the privilege of attending lectures by the 6th and 9th World Champions, Mikhail Botvinnik and Tigran Petrosian, as well as the renowned trainer Mark Dvoretsky and other coaches and players.
Lectures attended by:
Why this matters for your child
Playing chess well and teaching chess classes well are different skills. A strong player can show your child how they would play. A trained coach knows how to develop your child's game in the right order, at the right pace.
The wrong coach can do more damage than good. A strong player who teaches on the side will pass on what they know, often advanced concepts layered on a foundation that was never properly built.
Unlearning a weak foundation is harder than building a strong one. That's why the first coach matters more than the next one.
2. Coach Tigran Trained In The Soviet System At Its Peak
The Soviet chess school isn't a metaphor. It was a formal, state-funded system of coaching education that produced the overwhelming majority of World Chess Champions for most of the 20th century: Botvinnik, Smyslov, Tal, Petrosian, Spassky, Karpov, Kasparov, Kramnik. No other national chess culture has ever come close.
Coach Tigran was trained inside that system at its peak, the same pedagogical tradition that shaped every World Champion listed above. He now teaches using the curriculum and methods he learned there, adapted for children in Singapore.
Why this matters for your child
The "right foundation" isn't a marketing phrase. It's a specific, sequenced method of teaching chess that the Soviet school refined over generations and that most coaches outside that tradition were never taught.
3. He's a master-level player in his own right
- International Master norm (1987)
- FIDE Master (2005)
- Master of the USSR (1991) – a title awarded across 15 republics during the era of the strongest chess nation in history
- Peak International Rating: 2360 (top ~1% of rated players worldwide)
- Nine-time participant in the Armenian Men’s Championship – the highest league (4th place in 1982 and 1984)
- Member of the Armenian Chess Youth Team, 1972-1974
- 6th place out of 120 participants (including 10 Grandmasters and 25 International Masters) at the International Chess Tournament in Šibenik, Croatia, 1987
- Champion of the Youth Trade Unions Chess Olympiad of Moscow, 1976
- Champion of the “Dynamo” Voluntary Sports Society in Rapid Chess, Moscow, 1990
Learn more about his story in our about page.
Why this matters for your child
Coach Tigran isn't a coach who read about high-level chess. He competed at it, against Grandmasters, for decades. He knows what it actually takes to play strong chess because he's done it.
4. His Students' Results Speak for Themselves
Coach Tigran’s coaching isn’t theoretical. It produces titled players, national champions, and world champions across two countries and three decades.
In Singapore:
- Derek Lim (CM) – Singapore’s youngest world chess champion (U7, 2007)
- Lee Qing Aun (FIDE Master)
- Young Hoon Jung (CM)
- Joel Ong, Annabel Hii, Mark Hii – ASEAN and Singapore-level champions
In Armenia:
- Samvel Ter-Sahakyan (GM) – World U18 Champion, two-time Armenian National Champion, coached from age 5
- Narine Gasparyan (WIM) – Armenian and European-level champion
- Liana Aghbekyan (WIM) – Armenian and European-level champion
Why this matters for your child
When a coach has produced titled players across decades, in multiple countries, starting from children as young as 5 that's not luck. That's a method that works.
5. Trusted by Singapore's top schools
Coach Tigran has taught chess at Raffles Institution, Hwa Chong Institution, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), Anglo-Chinese School (Junior), Anglo-Chinese School (Primary), Nanyang Primary School, Kheng Cheng School, Gongshang Primary School, Northland Primary, and other leading local and international schools in Singapore.
Why this matters for your child
Top schools don't hire chess coaches casually. They vet for pedagogy, track record, and how a coach works with children because they're answering to parents, school boards, and students' competition results. Being chosen repeatedly by the schools Singapore parents most want their children to attend for chess classes is its own form of proof.
6. Published chess author, distributed in Russia & United States
Coach Tigran has written three major chess books published internationally and sold through every major chess bookstore in the world.
The King Is a Powerful Piece! (Mongoose Press, distributed by Simon & Schuster, 2017; published in Russia as Шахматы. Стратегия игры королём, Russian Chess House, 2015) – Coach Tigran’s sole-authored work. The first systematic study of the king’s active role in the opening and middlegame, a gap in chess literature that had gone unaddressed for over a century. Draws on 100+ games from Steinitz and Alekhine through Karpov and Kasparov.
Petrosian Year by Year, Volumes I & II (Elk and Ruby, 2021–2022) – Co-authored with International Master Tibor Karolyi. A two-volume, 300+ game analytical treatise on World Chess Champion Tigran Petrosian, with a foreword by Grandmaster Levon Aronian. Published in both English and Russian editions. Reviewed in New In Chess, CHESS Magazine, and American Chess Magazine.
Why this matters for your child
That ongoing depth of engagement with the game is what keeps his teaching sharp, his curriculum current, and his insight into your child's development rooted in the full history and theory of chess.
More Student Highlights
These are just some of the students from our chess classes. The results speak for themselves.
What Parents Say About Coach Tigran
★★★★★
My son, Devansh has been playing chess for 15 years and to date, Mr Gyozalyan has been the best chess trainer he has ever had. Mr Gyozalyan has supported my son through many international chess tournaments and his knowledge and understanding of the game is really incomparable to other chess trainers my son has encountered. I am grateful for the training support that Mr Gyozalyan has provided for my son.
Rita King
★★★★★
I was first recommended to Coach Tigran by my nephew (Derek Lim) who was under the tutelage of Mr Tigran for several years. My nephew became Singapore's youngest world chess champion after winning the Under-7 title as the World Schools Chess Championships in Halkidiki, Greece. Mr Tigran has managed to uncover my 9-year-old son's potential and he is now enrolled with Singapore Chess Federation under its Junior Preparatory Squad.
Joanne Soh
★★★★★
Finding a good chess coach in Singapore is hard. Mr Tigran did not disappoint. He is a very patient coach and most importantly, he understands how to keep chess interesting for my young son. Thanks to Mr Tigran, my 7-year-old son enjoys chess tremendously and never ceases to look forward to his weekly lessons. Believe me, getting a 7-year-old boy focused and interested for 1.5 hours each class is no easy feat.
Lee Pheck Wan
Endorsements from World Class Grandmasters
GM Karpov Anatoly, No. 12 World Champion
The 12th World Champion, Anatoly Karpov, congratulated me on the New Year and extended his wishes to all chess players of Singapore. He also wished my young players great results at the World and Asian Championships!
GM Sergey Karyakin, Vice-World Champion
World Chess Championship Challenger Sergey Karjakin congratulated me and wished me well.
FAQ
How much do chess classes cost?
After you submit the application, Coach Tigran will reach out to you through WhatsApp or email to discuss your child’s needs and share pricing options.
What format are the lessons?
Private 1-on-1 chess classes, either in person in Singapore or online via Zoom.
Group courses are available during school holidays, but only those who have previously applied for coaching are notified. If you’re interested in group lessons, mention it in your application or email us to be added to the waitlist.
How long is each session?
Chess classes are typically 1 to 1.5 hours depending on the student’s age and level.
How old does my child need to be to start?
Coach Tigran works with children as young as 4. There’s no upper age limit. He also works with teens and adults. The key factor isn’t age, it’s whether the child shows genuine interest. A child who wants to learn will always progress faster than one who’s been pushed into it.
Some of Coach Tigran’s most accomplished students including Ashwath Kaushik (4-years-old) and Samvel Ter-Sahakyan (5-years-old) started with him as young beginners.
My child has been playing chess for a while but isn't improving. What's different about Coach Tigran's approach?
Most coaches see a child who isn’t progressing and assume the problem is “more practice” or “study harder openings.” Coach Tigran does something different first: he accurately diagnoses how your child thinks and how they approach the game.
From there, he identifies the specific weaknesses that are holding them back: gaps in foundation, thinking patterns that lead to mistakes, habits from previous coaches that need correcting. At the same time, he spots the strengths that are already there, even if they’re not showing up in results yet. He builds the training around strengthening those strengths and eliminating the weaknesses.
This is why children who come to Coach Tigran after plateauing elsewhere often see a shift. It’s not that they need to work harder. It’s that they need to work differently and that requires a coach who can see what’s actually going on beneath the surface.
Do you conduct chess classes for adults?
Yes. Coach Tigran works with adult learners at all levels, from complete beginners to competitive players working toward a specific rating goal. The same foundation-first approach applies.
Should my child do private lessons or group classes?
Coach Tigran recommends private 1-on-1 lessons to build the right foundation. This is where the core method works best. Each child’s learning pace, strengths, and gaps are different, and private coaching lets Coach Tigran adapt in real time.
Group classes are valuable for other things: peer learning, tournament practice, exposure to different playing styles.
Some of Coach Tigran’s students do both private lessons with him for foundation work, plus group courses elsewhere for tournament prep and social chess.
The right path depends on your child’s age, experience level, and goals. Coach Tigran will make personalised recommendations during your consultation.
Can my child still compete in tournaments while training with Coach Tigran?
Absolutely. Many of Coach Tigran’s students compete regularly in national and international tournaments. Coach Tigran helps with tournament preparation and post-tournament game analysis as part of the coaching process.
Why is there an application process instead of open enrollment?
Coach Tigran works with a limited number of students at any given time. The application process ensures he can give each student the individual attention the method requires. It also helps him assess whether his coaching style is the right match for you or your child.
“I don't teach kids how to play chess, I teach them how to think strategically and creatively through chess so they can think independently and make effective decisions, whether it's in their game of chess, or in life.”
– Tigran Gyozalyan
Limited spots available.
Application reviewed personally by Coach Tigran.