Andrea Romero

I started playing chess at 8 years old. I was a very shy kid, so chess suited me perfectly: a game of strategy that didn't require much talking, but still let me meet new people. I learned fast, started competing and traveling around Venezuela, and eventually ranked among the top three junior players in the country.

Why the emotional side of chess is part of the lesson

But I had a pattern that kept repeating: I'd be winning, get excited, and in that moment of euphoria I'd make a mistake that cost me the game. Emotionally, it was devastating. I kept competing anyway — until a tournament where I was playing for second place and lost that decisive game. That blow, combined with the fact that neither my parents nor my coach (excellent at teaching chess, but without the tools to support the emotional side) knew how to help me process it, made me quit chess completely. I didn't play again for 15 years.

I want to be clear about what this is and isn't. I'm a chess teacher, not a therapist, and I don't try to be one. What I do is pay attention to the fact that a player's mind is part of the position — fear changes what you're willing to calculate, frustration changes what you notice, and confidence (or the loss of it) changes what you're willing to attempt. Teaching chess without acknowledging that leaves out something real.

How I teach

In between, I studied coaching and personal development. When I came back to chess, this time as a teacher, I started recognizing in my students exactly what I had lived through: fear of losing, fear of disappointing their parents, refusing to play unfamiliar openings, avoiding White out of fear of "taking a risk," or avoiding Black out of feeling at a disadvantage.

That's when I started weaving what I knew about personal development into my lessons. And I noticed something: when a child learns to regulate their emotions after a mistake on the board, that skill carries over into other areas of their life. Mental clarity doesn't come only from calculating better — it comes from being able to think with a clear head after messing up.

Today, with more than 8 years of teaching chess, I combine technique (openings, middlegame, endgames, tactics, and strategy) with this emotional lens, which to me is just as important as knowing how to move the pieces.

Background

• Former regional junior champion of Venezuela (national top 3)
• 8+ years teaching chess to children, teens, and adults