⭐⭐⭐ Take 10 minutes to read and improve your chess game ➡️ : This article was first published on, and is Copyright of Chessquestions.com

Imagine a place whose sole purpose is to help you raise your chess rating. 

As you enter, you can learn tactics, openings, middlegames, endgames, reducing blunders, saving hopeless positions, and many other things from Grandmasters. 

You even see how a GM would apply what you’re learning in real-time when they play live against real players! 

And if you have any questions, a friendly community of strong chess players is happy to help you along. 

Fortunately, such a place exists on the internet. It’s called – ChessMood. How does ChessMood help you improve your game? How much does it cost? Is it worth investing in it?

Hopefully, this article gives you all the things you need to know before you become a part of ChessMood.

SKIP THE FLUFF AND GO STRAIGHT TO CHESS MOOD

The main goal of ChessMood

Founded in 2018 by GM Avetik Grigoryan, ChessMood is a chess education platform that helps players improve their game in the most time-efficient way.

They do this by offering GM courses, live streams, quizzes, community support and many other things – all of which can be unlocked for a small monthly subscription fee.

Everything that ChessMood offers

ChessMood is like Netflix, with a monthly subscription, you unlock access to their entire library. 

Along with that, the monthly subscription also unlocks: 

  • Events like live streams, webinars, 1-1 blitz games with a GM.
  • A forum and a closed community 
  • 1-1 call with a GM

…and many other things that help you improve at chess. 

Let’s have a look at them in more detail:

Chess Courses

I noticed all their courses are prepared by Grandmasters. And they cover the most important aspects of chess like:

  • Openings
  • Middlegames
  • Endgames
  • Tactics
  • Reducing Blunders (never knew they made courses for this)
  • Defense
  • Classics

With a free ChessMood account, one can watch all the ‘Unlocked’ videos of the courses. To access the complete course, you either need a subscription or buy the course. 

It seems the first few videos of all the courses are unlocked. 

What I think about their courses:

After binging on their courses, I discovered they offer a great mix of theory and practice.

  • Short, sweet and catchy: Before I knew it, I had already binge-watched 20 episodes of the Scotch Game from their WhiteMood openings. Every video focuses on 1 concept or a variation and they explain it in as little time as possible. 
  • Clear directions on how to watch the course: In the introduction video, the GM explains how to watch the course, which I found beneficial.
  • Quizzes: Every course has a quiz to test your understanding. It served as a good refresher after I studied the openings and needed to test how much I remembered.
  • Excellent reviews: As you scroll down, you’ll notice the reviews for the courses. They average more than 4.5 ratings out of 5. And from my own experience, I can vouch for that – their quality stands apart. I guess that’s what happens when you have GMs creating courses.
  • Step-by-step opening repertoire: Their opening repertoire courses are labeled serially (1, 2, 3) so that it’s easier to know where to start.

There’s a generalized starter course for White and Black that gives a bird’s eye view of the openings you’ll play. And each opening 1 dedicated course going deep into the theory.   

  • Every course has a purpose: At the time of reviewing, they had some 60 odd courses. What’s baffling was that each of them stands on its own.

Like, there’s only 1 course on tactics, mating patterns, reducing blunders, bishop pair, winning better positions, etc. You won’t find 2 courses on the same topic unless they cater to a different rating group.

At first, I didn’t understand why. Shouldn’t more courses mean better for the business? So I asked a friend who’s a part of their community why they aren’t massing more courses on popular topics? 

According to him, ChessMood’s primary goal is to help the members become better players faster. So in their courses, they want to eliminate any chances of conflicting advice or over information coming from 2 different sources.

Also, lesser courses allows them to focus on quality more.

Model game courses: In these courses, a GM would comment on real games from the openings you’re learning. As a result, it’s much easier to know what you can expect if you play a particular opening and how to plan and execute ideas in real.

Events

They also host events of different kinds – live streams, simuls, 1-1 blitz games against a GM, webinars and events with top chess personalities.

What I think about their Events

  • GM playing with the openings you learn: Imagine seeing a GM play the openings you’re learning. You get to see how the ideas you learned in courses are implemented.

During my research, we came across the story of an adult chess improver who benefitted from these streams. 

He was having a hard time against the 1800 level. But his confidence improved as he saw the GMs play the openings he learned and destroy players in the 2000-2200 level. Eventually, he raised 300 points in some 6 months. Good stuff!

  • Seeing how a GM thinks: During the streams, many things naturally click for the GM. It was a nice sneak-peek into what goes inside a GM’s mind, especially when you see they’re losing but still trick their opponents! 
  • Playing against a GM: Sometimes, you can even play 1-1 blitz games against a GM. I don’t know how often they conduct them, but it’s an excellent way to test your skills against a GM. 
  • Getting advice from a GM: They also host webinars where you can directly ask a GM for advice. 
  • Favorable/Unfavorable Time schedule: Time could be an issue. ChessMood has students all across the globe, so watching the streamings live might not be possible depending on the time zone. It’s still possible to watch the recordings, though.

Forum and Community

Another thing you’ll find on their website is a forum. Here you can ask questions and get answers from their community. 

So if you don’t understand why a specific move is bad in the Sicilian or an opinion on the latest chess happenings, this is the place to ask. 

What I think about the forum

  • Prompt response: It seems their forum is actively moderated. Almost every thread is answered within at least a day. 
  • No spam, trolls: We all know those people who spam links, troll and piss others in an online community. But at the ChessMood forum, I hardly found such a forum thread. It seems anyone causing trouble gets quickly pulled down fast.
  • Genuine, helpful, peaceful community: Many times, members answered the questions. Overall, it felt like a welcoming community where you can quickly end up making new friends and finding training partners. 

Blogs

On their blog, every article is written by a Grandmaster. So you’re guaranteed to find good advice. This also means you’ll come across some advice you’ve never heard of before.

For instance, I learned from their blog that the ideal number of online blitz games one should play daily if they want to improve is 7-9. Their logic made a lot of sense.  

1-1 Consultation Call with a Grandmaster

This one is a big value add. During this call, the GM will help you set a training plan based on your goals and time availability.

In some regards, it’s like going to a ‘chess doctor’ and asking them how to strengthen your game with your current lifestyle choices. Getting a clear direction from the start means you do the right things that will later pump up your rating.

However, the 1-1 call with a GM gets unlocked only on their highest membership tier – Yearly Pro Member. 

Speaking of their memberships, let’s look at them.

ChessMood’s Membership Plans

ChessMood offers 2 subscription-based chess membership plans, each with monthly and yearly options. 

Yearly Membership Plans

Essential Plan 

They say this plan is best for those who have limited time. Here, you only get access to their courses. 

You have 2 options:

Monthly Essential Plan

Pricing: $29/month.

Unlocks:

  • All Video courses and Quizzes
  • Pgns 

Yearly Essential Plan

The yearly Essential plan requires a long-term commitment, but you get 2 months free.

Pricing: $19/month(billed annually) 

Pro Plan

This plan unlocks everything that ChessMood offers.

Monthly Pro Plan

This is their most expensive monthly subscription plan.

Pricing: $49/month.

Unlocks:

  • All Video courses and Quizzes
  • Pgns 
  • Access to all events, including live streams, webinars, and simuls.
  • Access to the special ‘Pro member’ channel in the forum. 

Yearly Pro Plan (Unlocks everything on offer)

This is their best plan, which unlocks everything they offer, including some fantastic bonuses. 

It’s cheaper than paying monthly for the Pro membership – the only catch is you’re billed upfront annually. But as a bonus, you also get to talk 1-1 consultation call with a GM to custom-create your training plan.

Pricing: $39/month(billed annually)

Unlocks: 

  • All Video courses and Quizzes
  • Pgns 
  • Access to all events, including live streams, webinars, and simuls.
  • Access to the special ‘Pro member’ channel in the forum. 
  • 1-1 Call with a GM
  • Personalized Study Plan

In one of their success stories, I came across the story of a gentleman who had just 1 hr day to spend on chess. After discussing this with a GM on the call, he got a study plan based on that. 

But thanks to the study plan and quality chess content, he raised around 200 points in less than 1 year – Quite remarkable, considering he was already rated above 2000! 

Which ChessMood membership should I opt for?

The answer to this question depends on your goal and budget. 

If you’re just looking to learn from their courses and don’t want to bother with the community, live streams where a GM plays the openings you learn, and other events, then an Essential plan is a good fit.

However, if need step-by-step guidance from a GM, with a personalized training plan and support from a community along with access to the courses, a Pro Plan is a great fit!

They also offer a 7-day free trial before you decide to become a paying member. Start your chess improvement journey with ChessMood!

Is ChessMood Yearly Pro membership worth it?

ChessMood’s Yearly Pro Membership is a great fit, especially if your chess.com rating is between 800-2800 and you’re willing to put in the effort to improve your chess. 

The bonus 1-1 call with a GM to craft a personalized training plan has turned out to be a game-changer for some students. 

One of them had just 1 hour to spend on chess every day. But with the right training plan, he could significantly improve his chess, raising over 200 points in less than a year.

Also, it’s cost-effective considering what you get. GMs usually charge more than $50/hr. But here, you’re effectively paying $39/month and talking to a GM coach while unlocking all the chess content.

Do I have to pay separately for the courses after buying ChessMood’s monthly subscription?

No. A membership plan(Essential or Pro) gives you access to all their courses instantly. With a membership, you don’t need to pay anything to unlock their courses. 

Can you try the ChessMood courses for free?

Yes, ChessMood offers a free 7-day trial, and also a 30-day no-questions-asked money-back guarantee. 

This gives you effectively 1-month to try ChessMood and judge if it’s a good fit or not.

Is ChessMood free?

ChessMood operates on a freemium model. 

You can watch some of their unlocked course videos, events, forum threads, and all of their GM-written articles and daily puzzles for free! 

On the other hand, most of their course content, their closed events, Pro member forum threads, 1-1 call with a GM are reserved for only paid members. 

But there’s always an option to try ChessMood for free with a 7-day trial.

Can you buy ChessMood courses individually?

Yes, it’s possible to buy ChessMood courses individually and get lifetime access. However, it’s not the smartest way to go about it financially.

Like, consider you’re deciding whether it makes sense to buy 3 courses from their site – Tactic Ninja ($300), Mating Matador ($125) and Opening Principles ($75) to strengthen your basics. In total, you’ll have to invest $475.

In comparison, if you invest $468 on their yearly Pro membership, you’ll have access to all their courses, events, forums and even a 1-1 call with a GM. The return on your rating (RoyR) with the membership is far greater than what you would have if you had bought the courses.

The Team behind ChessMood

Who are the Grandmasters running the show behind ChessMood?

These gentlemen:

GM Avetik Grigoryan is their founder who also serves as their head coach. 

Other Grandmasters include GM Hovhannes Gabuzyan, GM Hrant Melkumayan, GM Robert Hovhannisyan, GM Samvel Ter Sahakyan, GM Johan Hellsten and GM Zaven Andrasian.

They all have some impressive achievements – World Junior Champion, World University Champion, National Champion to coaches of National Teams, etc.

Clearly, these guys are all well-respected in professional circles and know how to talk chess!

Fundraising

In 2021, they raised $200,000. Some of their investors, Baddredine Ouali(chairman of Vermeg) and Shiong Tan(co-founder of a Pan Asia equity hedge), were students who invested in their company. 

Are ChessMood courses good?

Yes, ChessMood has made a name for itself with high-quality content. Their course reviews speak for the quality and value they give in each course.

There are 2 things that make their courses so good:

  1. They’re prepared by GMs who’ve been helpers of top players.
  2. They offer a good mixture of theory and practical knowledge. 

ChessMood vs chess.com and lichess

ChessMood is a chess improvement platform. It’s like an online university where you go to develop your ‘chess’ skills. 

Chess.com and lichess are playing platforms. They are like a football field where you primarily go to play.

Conclusion

Many people have hit their chess goals by becoming a part of ChessMood – from an IM who became a GM to adult chess improvers who raised around 500 points in less than 1 year! 

I’m sure it will also help you crush your chess goals.

So sign to a ChessMood membership and start your chess improvement journey right now!