Grandmaster Chess Institute

Grandmaster Chess Institute (GMI) is an online chess school built around one idea: world-class coaching should be accessible to serious players at every level. With nine active grandmasters on staff, including GM Pavel Eljanov, GM Liem Quang Le, GM Boris Avrukh, and GM Alex Lenderman, GMI delivers 28 live interactive lessons every month with no repeated content. At roughly $3 per hour of instruction, it is one of the most affordable ways to learn directly from titled players who compete at the highest levels of professional chess.

Classes are organized into four skill tiers: U1500, U1800, U2100, and Open (2200+). Each coach teaches four sessions per month on a specific topic, so members get exposure to diverse teaching styles and subjects ranging from deep calculation to opening theory to endgame technique. All sessions are live with real-time Q&A, and every lesson is recorded and added to a library of 330+ recordings that members can access anytime. Lower-rated sections include homework assignments to reinforce learning between sessions.

GMI is designed for players in American time zones, making it especially practical for competitive players in the US and the Americas. Annual membership is $1,199 per year (with a six-month option at $594), and the institute also runs in-person summer camps in Katy, Texas for intermediate to advanced players. The coaching roster also includes GM Andrey Gorovets, GM Gilberto Hernandez, GM Elshan Moradiabadi, GM Nadezda Kosintseva, and GM Rafael Leitao.