Killer Chess Training Review – 2023
Killer Chess Training is an online chess coaching platform where you will get live classes daily. In this blog, we will see a killer chess training review that will help you to decide whether to purchase it or go for there an alternative.
The main coach of killer chess training is Jacob Aagaard and Sam Shankland. We know that Jacob is a founder of Quality chess publication, which is doubted to be the greatest chess book publication house in chess history. Apart from this, Jacob is also a great chess author who wrote a legendary series Grandmaster Preparation.
Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned player, read on to discover if Killer Chess Training is the right fit for you.
What is Killer Chess Training?
Killer chess training’s main aim is to provide live classes by expert teachers and chess coaches who are international masters and grandmasters.
They also teach you various techniques and chess principles that help you in achieving success.
They have a lot of students who are IMs or GMs. But their main target audience is any player who is 1200 to 2700.
According to the info provided on their website, the following are some statistics.
- customer satisfaction in the latest members’ survey – 9.27/10
- average rating of trainers according to latest members survey – 9.05/10
Apart from this, you get some benefits which we will discuss later. First, let’s the trainers of Killer Chess Training.
Trainers of Killer Chess Training
- GM Jacob Aagaard
- GM Sam Shankland
- GM Ivan Cheparinov
- GM Julen Arizmendi
- GM Michael Adams
- GM Sabino Brunello
- GM Iván Salgado López
- GM Alexander Motylev
- IM Renier Castellanos
- GM Mykhaylo Oleksiyenko
As you can see, all of the chess trainers are also well-known chess trainers. They have also achieved a lot from their chess career.
Pricing of Killer Chess Traning
Killer Chess Training membership is divided into two formats, i.e., Monthly and yearly. They also offer individual chess courses. Let’s see them one by one.
Monthly Membership
The monthly subscription costs €149, around $159 per month. Compare this with chess.com. Chess.com offers a yearly diamond membership for $120. You can read our chess.com membership full review by clicking here.
In monthly membership, you get almost all the same features as yearly membership but for a month.
Yearly Membership
Yearly membership costs €749, which is around $800 per year. You get to attend all live classes for one year, and also members get some discount if they have to attend camps.
This membership fee is the highest compared to any chess membership format. The following list will give you an idea.
- Killer Chess training membership – €749 ($800)
- ChessMood Yearly PRO plan – $758
- Chess.com Diamond Membership – $120
- Pro Chess Training Membership – $500-770
It’s not a correct way to compare the pricing, as different websites have their pros and cons. Below, we will see the comparison table between killer chess training and ChessMood Pro Membership.
Courses
They have recorded camps and courses ranging between €20-300. Most of the courses are paid and not accessible to yearly members.
This is what they really should improvise. When someone pays a membership that costs $800+, they expect to get all the content.
Atleast they should create two membership plans where in one plan, they can give access to only live classes, and in 2nd plan, they can provide live classes and courses for all members.
Features
Let’s see the exact features of Killer Chess Training so that you will get a better Idea
Live Training Classes
These are their basic ideas. They have very strong GMs and IMs on their team. They teach you various chess methods and strategies on a daily basis.
If you miss any live classes, you can always watch their pre-recorded sessions.
In the live class, you can ask any doubts, and the trainer will guide you properly.
Killer Chess Homework
This is a unique feature of killer chess training. They provide members a working sheet including chess puzzles which you can solve and submit to them by sending mail.
They will check all this and send you a reply.
Gold Membership of ChessTempo
Recently they have tied up with chess tempo. You get access to a chess tempo gold membership. Chesstempo is also a chess platform like chess.com
Discount on Camps
You get more than 50% off if you want to enroll in any upcoming chess camps.
Cons and suggestions
Same sessions for every level
They take live chess classes, targeting the 1200-2700 level. This is something I didn’t like. Suppose 1200 players and 2200 attend the same class; either 1200 will not understand anything, or 2200 will get bored. You cannot make a balance and give the best training for this level. One suggestion is that they should start mentioning which live class is targeted for which level.
Upsells
This is not a con but a suggestion for KCT. They should start offering all the camps and courses for free, at least to all the members. Maybe they can create a different type of membership for this or a one-time upsell.
Is Killer Chess Training worth it?
It’s a very tricky question. They say they target 1200-2700 players. Let’s split this rating into categories. Also, they haven’t mentioned the rating is chess.com, lichess, or FIDE rating.
- 1200-1600 – These players need personal attention and dedicated chess courses for that level only. Hence, they can hire a good personal chess trainer or purchase a chess.com or chessmood membership, where they will learn from courses according to their level.
- 1600-2000 – These players can purchase Killer Chess Training Membership without any doubt. They have a good knowledge of openings, middlegames, and endgame positions. They are also able to cope with high-quality chess training material.
- 2000-2300 – Again, this category is tricky. For some chess players, Killer Chess Training is important. Some players who are looking forward to getting norms and titles should preferably go with a personal chess trainer. These players can save a lot of money by purchasing a quality chess Grandmaster Preparation series for less than $200 and can score norms.
- 2300-2700 – Most of them who achieved this level know what they have achieved and what they want to achieve. They can self introspect themselves and choose what works best for them.
Overall, you can think of purchasing their membership if you are between a 1500-2100 rating. Other players can visit the website, maybe try for a month and then make their decision.
Killer Chess Training Alternatives
There are various alternatives to Killer Chess Traning, which are quite cheap and provide some amazing features. Let’s see one by one.
ChessMood
Chessmood is a website founded by GM Avetik Grigoryan. Currently, ChessMood offers various training courses according to a different levels.
Chessmood offers two essential plans and pro membership. You can read our entire review of chessmood membership by clicking the below button.
Let’s compare killer chess training features and chessmood features to understand better.
Chess.com
Chess.com is the world’s best and leading chess website. They recently acquired Play Magnus group. Chess.com offers three types of memberships, i.e., Gold, Platinum, and Diamond.
There pricing starts for a diamond membership is just $10 per month if you buy annually.
Quality Chess Books
This is another exciting option. Quality chess published so many chess books on middlegame and endgames that you can purchase many books. The price of each book is around $30-35.
You can buy 5-7 books yearly for less than $200 and start studying from them. If you are a teen or adult chess player, this is the best way to learn and improve by saving a lot of money.
Modern Chess
Get bored with chess books? No issue, you can use Modern Chess as an alternative for chess books, and they have a vast library. The courses usually cost $15-50 after the discount. You can buy 2-3 chess courses and start studying the books.
We have a special partnership with Modern Chess where you will get flat 45% off on all Modern Chess products. Use code nikhil45 at checkout to get a flat 45% off
Conclusion
There are various chess resources available in the market. To learn advanced techniques, you need to pay somewhere. Although you can find many chess courses on youtube, it will take some time to find them.
Before paying anywhere, opt for their free trial, use it, and then only start using it.
