December at Modern Chess Academy brings another month of elite training designed to strengthen your strategic thinking, tactical precision, and practical decision-making. Our well-established learning framework continues with Strategy Wednesday, Tactical Thursday, Guided Practice, Opening Radar, the Mentorship Program, and the interactive project Inside Your Games.
Coach: GM Ioannis Papaioannou
Dates: 10.12.2025 and 17.12.2025
This month, GM Papaioannou reveals one of the most important and least-understood aspects of modern chess: transitioning from the opening to the endgame with purpose.
You will learn how strong players steer openings toward favourable structures long before the endgame begins. GM Papaioannou demonstrates when to simplify, how to evaluate long-term imbalances early, and which exchanges improve or harm your winning chances.
By understanding the types of endgames each opening can lead to, you will develop a concrete framework for making better decisions from move one.
10.12.2025
17:30 – 19:00 | 11:30 – 13:00 – Transition from the Opening to the Endgame – Part 1
19:30 – 21:00 | 13:30 – 15:00 – Transition from the Opening to the Endgame – Part 2
17.12.2025
17:30 – 19:00 | 11:30 – 13:00 – Transition – Part 3
19:30 – 21:00 | 13:30 – 15:00 – Transition – Part 4
21:00 – 21:30 | 15:00 – 15:30 – Q&A Session
Participants receive:
• Full recordings of all lectures
• A complete PGN version of the camp 2–3 weeks after the event
• Access to the final digital product
• Free access for Academy members
Coach: GM Swapnil Dhopade
Dates: 13.12.2025 and 18.12.2025
December’s Tactical Thursday is dedicated to sharpening your calculation skills in simplified positions and mastering the method of elimination — one of the fastest and most accurate thinking techniques in practical play.
GM Dhopade will guide you through essential calculation patterns in pawn endings, minor-piece endings, and simplified rook endings, showing you how strong players convert complexity into clarity through structured reasoning.
13.12.2025
17:30 – 19:00 | 11:30 – 13:00 – Endgame Calculation – Part 1
19:30 – 21:00 | 13:30 – 15:00 – Endgame Calculation – Part 2
18.12.2025
17:30 – 19:00 | 11:30 – 13:00 – Method of Elimination – Part 3
19:30 – 21:00 | 13:30 – 15:00 – Method of Elimination – Part 4
21:00 – 21:30 | 15:00 – 15:30 – Q&A Session
Participants receive:
• Full recordings of the lectures
• A complete PGN version 2–3 weeks after the event
• Access to the final digital product
• Free access for Academy members
Coach: IM Siegfried Baumegger
December’s Guided Practice uncovers the typical mistakes that club players make in calculation, positional judgement, transformation decisions, and endgames. IM Baumegger provides a structured training system built around identifying and correcting these recurring errors, helping you build strong, practical thinking habits.
05.12 – Stage 1: Calculation
Learn to avoid common calculation errors and build disciplined thinking patterns.
12.12 – Stage 2: Positional Judgment
Understand how to evaluate key structural and strategic factors.
19.12 – Stage 3: Transformation of the Position
Master the critical decisions behind simplifying, changing structures, or entering favorable endings.
26.12 – Stage 4: Endgames + Video Examples
Study typical endgame mistakes amplified by practical examples.
02.01 – PGN + Video Summary Release
Participants receive:
• Weekly training content
• Summary video lessons
• Final PGN collection with full explanations
Format: GM Grigor Grigorov and GM Petar Arnaudov analyze the latest opening trends and answer member-submitted questions.
Submit your questions to academy@modern-chess.com
30.12 – Opening Radar Video Release
Featuring fresh opening ideas, model games, and expert evaluations.
The interactive monthly project continues.
Inside Your Games places your own games at the center of the learning experience. GM Papaioannou selects 15 instructive games submitted by Academy members, fully anonymizes them, and analyzes them in detail to reveal the thinking errors behind typical mistakes at various rating levels.
Members with an active December membership may submit up to 2 PGN games.
Send games to: academy@modern-chess.com
Submission deadline: 20 December 2025
The December edition of Inside Your Games will be released in the second week of January 2026 and will include:
• 15 deeply analyzed games
• Test positions from the examples
• Summary lessons by GM Papaioannou
Free access is granted to all Academy members active in December.
The Mentorship Program continues with personalized training, game analysis, and monthly check-ins.
How it works:
• Fill mentorship form
• Submit 20 recent games
• Receive your assigned mentor
• 30-min kickoff session
• Monthly 30-min follow-up
• Long-term progress tracking
• Live GM-led lectures every Wednesday and Thursday
• Weekly structured training via Guided Practice
• Interactive opening insights through Opening Radar
• Personal guidance through the Mentorship Program
• Inside Your Games – learn from real mistakes by real players
• Access to recordings, PGNs, and digital products
• A complete, professional training system designed for long-term improvement
December 2025 offers another month of high-level instruction, practical training, and interactive learning. Join us and keep building mastery, one structured step at a time.