January at Modern Chess Academy launches the new year with a deeply structured training month focused on planning, calculation, pawn play, and modern opening trends. Our complete educational ecosystem continues with Strategy Wednesday, Tactical Thursday, Guided Practice, Opening Radar, the Mentorship Program, and the interactive project Inside Your Games.
Coach: Ioannis Papaioannou
Dates: 14.01.2026 and 28.01.2026
In January, GM Papaioannou addresses one of the most decisive skills in chess improvement: finding the right plan. Many players calculate well but struggle to choose the correct direction. This camp provides a clear methodological framework for identifying plans based on structure, piece coordination, and long-term imbalances.
You will learn how strong players think beyond individual moves, how plans are formed, when they must change, and how to avoid aimless manoeuvring in quiet or complex positions.
Program Schedule
14.01.2026
17:30 – 19:00 | 11:30 – 13:00 – How to Find the Right Plan – Part 1
19:30 – 21:00 | 13:30 – 15:00 – How to Find the Right Plan – Part 2
28.01.2026
17:30 – 19:00 | 11:30 – 13:00 – How to Find the Right Plan – Part 3
19:30 – 21:00 | 13:30 – 15:00 – How to Find the Right Plan – 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
Event link:
https://www.modern-chess.com/
Coach: Swapnil Dhopade
Dates: 15.01.2026 and 22.01.2026
January’s Tactical Thursday connects strategy with calculation. GM Dhopade shows how strong players calculate only what matters, guided by positional cues and attacking potential. The second half of the camp is dedicated to attacking combinations — not as memorized motifs, but as logical outcomes of superior coordination and initiative.
Program Schedule
15.01.2026
17:30 – 19:00 | 11:30 – 13:00 – Strategic Calculation – Part 1
19:30 – 21:00 | 13:30 – 15:00 – Strategic Calculation – Part 2
22.01.2026
17:30 – 19:00 | 11:30 – 13:00 – Attacking Combinations – Part 3
19:30 – 21:00 | 13:30 – 15:00 – Attacking Combinations – 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
Event link:
https://www.modern-chess.com/
Coach: Siegfried Baumegger
January’s Guided Practice is fully dedicated to pawn play — the strategic backbone of every position. IM Baumegger presents a four-stage training program that teaches how pawns create dynamics, restrict the opponent, generate targets, and decide endgames.
Training Stages
09.01 – Stage 1: Creating Dynamic Possibilities
Learn how pawn moves open lines, create tension, and generate initiative.
16.01 – Stage 2: Restricting the Opponent’s Pieces
Understand how pawn structures limit mobility and dictate piece activity.
23.01 – Stage 3: Attacking the Opponent’s Pawn Formation
Identify weaknesses, fix targets, and launch structural attacks.
30.01 – Stage 4: Pawn Play in the Endgame
Master pawn decisions that decide simplified positions.
02.02 – Video Lessons Release
Participants receive:
• Weekly training positions
• In-depth explanations
• Video summary lessons
• Final PGN collection with full annotations
Coach: Ivan Cheparinov
A major addition to the Academy: GM Ivan Cheparinov joins Modern Chess Academy and prepares the January Opening Radar.
Opening Radar delivers cutting-edge opening analysis, modern trends, and clear practical guidance based on elite-level practice.
Format:
• Video-based theoretical overview
• Model games and key novelties
• Answers to member-submitted questions
Submit your questions to: academy@modern-chess.com
The interactive monthly project continues.
Inside Your Games places your own games at the center of the learning process. GM Papaioannou selects 15 anonymized games submitted by Academy members and analyzes them in depth, highlighting typical thinking errors across rating levels.
Submission Guidelines
• Members with an active January membership may submit up to 2 PGN games
• Send games to: academy@modern-chess.com
• Submission deadline: January 2026 (date announced separately)
Publication includes:
• 15 deeply analyzed games
• Test positions from real mistakes
• Summary lessons by GM Papaioannou
Free access for all Academy members.
The Mentorship Program continues with personalized guidance and long-term development.
How it works:
• Fill out the mentorship form
• Submit 20 recent games
• Get assigned a mentor
• 30-minute kickoff session
• Monthly 30-minute follow-ups
• Continuous progress tracking
• Live GM-led lectures every Wednesday and Thursday
• Weekly structured training via Guided Practice
• Modern opening insights through Opening Radar
• Personalized improvement via the Mentorship Program
• Inside Your Games – learn from real mistakes by real players
• Full access to recordings, PGNs, and digital products
• A complete, professional training system built for long-term growth
January 2026 sets the tone for the year ahead — clarity in planning, precision in calculation, mastery of pawn play, and elite-level opening insight. Join the Academy and keep improving with structure, purpose, and consistency.