Remote Chess Academy

Remote Chess Academy is an online chess education platform founded by GM Igor Smirnov, a Ukrainian Grandmaster who earned his IM title at 14 and his GM title at 21. Smirnov won the Kasparov Cup in 2009 and reached a peak FIDE rating of 2505 before shifting his focus entirely to coaching. Since launching Remote Chess Academy in 2009, he has trained over 75,000 students across 125 countries.

The platform is built around structured video courses covering openings, middlegame strategy, endgame technique, tactical calculation, and the psychological side of competitive chess. Flagship courses include "The Grandmaster's Secrets," "The Grandmaster's Positional Understanding," and "Calculate Till Mate." The Super Pack bundles all premium courses into a single offering for players who want the full curriculum.

Smirnov also runs one of the largest chess education channels on YouTube, with over 870,000 subscribers. His teaching style focuses on practical thinking systems and pattern recognition rather than memorization. Student results include 200-300 point rating gains, state championships, a World Amateur Championship win, and multiple titled players. Remote Chess Academy is available at chess-teacher.com.