Tactics On Point: Meet One Of The Internet's Rising Chess Coaches

DaVaun Williams, known to many of his students as H1Chess, is making a big impact on the online chess teaching scene through his YouTube (Chess Knowledge With H1), Twitch, and TikTok content.

He focuses on teaching beginner and intermediate students more about chess in an exciting and accessible way, and his high-energy delivery has helped thousands of people improve their skills.

Find out more about DaVaun's approach to coaching, the lessons he learned from chess legends like GM Yasser Seirawan and IM Josh Waitzkin, and get his best tips to bump up your Elo rating.

Want to book a lesson with the man himself? Contact DaVaun via his Chess.com profile or book a one-on-one lesson directly here.

At what age were you introduced to chess, and who introduced you?

I was introduced to chess at nine years old, and my big brother brought me to a chess club to learn. I remember being excited to learn something new again, and I was a very competitive person, too. So, I wanted to someday beat my older brother in chess. I remember spending countless nights studying chess in a game called "Chessmaster" on the PlayStation 2.

Which coaches were helpful to you in your chess career, and what was the most useful knowledge they imparted to you?

Well, I didn't have an official coach, but I learned mostly from IM Josh Waitzkin and GM Yasser Seirawan. They both taught me positional chess and it helped me surpass a long plateau between 1200-1600 Elo. Yasser Seirawan and Josh Waitzkin have two things in common: They're both great storytellers, and after the lesson, I always felt like I completely understood the concept taught. 

What is your favorite or the best game you ever played?

This is one of the games I played online recently, and all the tactics were on POINT.

How would you describe your approach to chess coaching?

I want to teach you as much as possible, but I don't want to bore you to death. My responsibility as a chess coach is to help the student reach their goal, but the student still has to put in the effort to get a positive result.

What is a piece of advice that you give your students that more chess players could benefit from?

I tell my students all the time to focus on forcing moves. This could benefit any chess player tremendously if they actually consider all the checks, captures, and threats.

What is a puzzle you like to show to your students?

I share this position with my students to see how much chess prowess they have. It's somewhat difficult to figure out the best move, which is 1...Nd4 for Black, because you're sacrificing your f7-pawn with check to eventually gain more material. Tactics play a big factor in solving this puzzle.

What do you consider the most valuable training tool that the internet provides?

Chess.com, Chessable, and AimChess are the best tools I used recently. Antichess can also be useful to players who blunder pieces all the time. It forces the player to see all captures.

Which under-appreciated chess book should every chess player read?

The Tao of Chess is a very underrated book I still have to this day. The chess principles I read in there are something every chess player should follow, and I would say it had a huge impact on my game. I definitely went up a few hundred Elo after reading it!

You have a Chessable course on opening traps. What's your favorite opening trap, and why?

My favorite trap in my Chessable course is with my Catalan opening repertoire because sometimes you can catch chess players off-guard in blitz, but if the opponent plays the correct move, then you can still play a solid game.

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