18440 N. 7th ST # 8
Phoenix AZ 85022
602-402-4985
Fitness for your Brain
Welcome
PHOENIX CHESS ACADEMY teaches Chess all over the Phoenix Valley in a
fun and educational environment. We teach Private Elementary Schools,
Homeschooling Programs, Advanced Group Lessons, Private Lessons, and
Online Lessons. We work with all ages and all levels, adjusting to each
student’s needs.
In addition to concentration and discipline, trained Chess Players learn to
maximize their strengths and minimize their weaknesses, learn how to
stay focused when they are winning, and how to try even harder when
they are losing. They learn to play every move, yet keep their mind open
to creative solutions. Chess builds confidence because playing Chess
really makes you smarter.
And best of all, the more you learn about Chess the more you can
appreciate the beauty and wonder of a well played-game, and you’ll
understand why Chess is enjoyed by over a billion people, and has been
the world’s most popular game for more than a thousand years.
Our Philosophy
We became Chess Instructors not only because we love the game, but
because we believe that Chess greatly improved our lives. The discipline
of Chess gave us focus and self-confidence that led to success in all areas
of our lives.
We believe that Chess instruction benefits students of all ages and
experience levels, so we create an individual training plan for everyone of
our students. Whatever their goals and aspirations are, we think every
student can have their lives enriched with the right Chess Training.
Questions: Email Coach Liulia: lcardona@phoenixchessacademy.com
$20/2 hours
Thursday Online Tactical Training
for Competitive Players
6:00 pm- 7:00 pm
GAME 30 CHALLENGE
GAME 40 CHALLENGE
02/18/2023
02/04/2023
18440 N. 7th ST # 8
Phoenix AZ 85022
602-402-4985
Fitness for your Brain
Questions: Email Coach Liulia: lcardona@phoenixchessacademy.com
Academies
Our Chess Academies offer a convenient and cost-effective way to get
personalized training for students who are serious about improving their
Chess. The Academies focus on tactical training, clock training, middlegame
strategies, endgames, and developing an opening repertoire.
1 hour of work out and 1 hour of playing time (Game/15, Game 30, or Blitz
tournament).
Our pay-as-you-go method lets you work around busy schedules without long-
term commitments.
IN PERSON and ONLINE
FRIDAY
TRAINING
K-12 Intermediate
(Under 1200)
5:30 pm-7:30 pm
$20/2-hour class
$15/1-hour class
IN PERSON
SUNDAY TRAINING
K-12 Intermediate
(Under 1200)
2:30 pm-3:30 pm
$15/1-hour class
$20/2-hour class
IN PERSON
SUNDAY TRAINING
K-6 Beginner
1:20 pm-2:20 pm
$15/1-hour class
(We don’t teach the
rules in this training. If
needing to learn the
rules, please text
602-402-4985)
IN PERSON
SUNDAY BLITZ TRAINING
K-12 Intermediate
(Under 1200)
3:30 pm-4:30 pm
$15/1-hour class
IN PERSON
WEDNESDAY
TRAINING
K-12 Intermediate
(Under 1200)
5:30 pm-6:30 pm
$15/1-hour class
ONLINE
THURSDAY TACTICAL
TRAINING
5:30 pm-6:30 pm
$15/1-hour class
IN PERSON
WEDNESDAY
TRAINING
K-6 Beginner
5:30 pm-6:30 pm
$15/1-hour class
For Competitive players
of any level
IN PERSON
SUNDAY TRAINING
K-12 Advanced
(Over 1200)
3:30 pm-5:30pm
$15/1-hour class
$20/2-hour class
18440 N. 7th ST # 8
Phoenix AZ 85022
602-402-4985
Fitness for your Brain
Questions: Email Coach Liulia: lcardona@phoenixchessacademy.com
In Person Academy Training
This training is designed for kids who
only know the basic rules of the game.
(How to move the pieces and
Check Mate).
Format:
30 minutes of instruction and
30 minutes of playing time with
tournament conditions. (G/15
using the clock and writing the moves
down).
Cost: $15/1 hour
This Training is for kids rated Under
1200 or with some experience.
Format:
30 minutes of instruction and
30 minutes of playing time with
tournament conditions. (G/15
using the clock and writing the moves
down).
Cost: $15/1 hour
Sunday Training $20 if
bundled with Blitz Training.
This Training is for kids rated Under
1200 or with some experience.
Format:
60 minutes of Game Review and
60 minutes of playing time with
tournament conditions. (G/30 using
the clock and writing the moves
down).
Cost: $15/1 hour
$20/2 hours
This Training is for kids rated
1200-2000.
Format:
60 minutes of Blitz Tournament and
60 minutes Lecture/Advanced Training.
Cost: $15/1 hour
$20/2 hours
18440 N. 7th ST # 8
Phoenix AZ 85022
602-402-4985
Fitness for your Brain
Questions: Email Coach Liulia: lcardona@phoenixchessacademy.com
In Person Beginner Basic Program
This is a 6-week program for K-12 students who
need to learn the basics of the game. Limited to
the first 20 registered.
Cost: $120
18440 N. 7th ST # 8
Phoenix AZ 85022
602-402-4985
Fitness for your Brain
Questions: Email Coach Liulia: lcardona@phoenixchessacademy.com
In Person Sunday Blitz Training
1 hour of Blitz Tournament. The winner will get a mini trophy. Once 10 mini trophies are collected,
a huge Trophy Tower will be prized.
A look at the positive effects of Blitz (by former World Champion Gary Kasparov):
1. Blitz helps you make quick decisions. The results come with practice: the more you force yourself to find a good move fast,
the stronger those moves eventually become. Practicing some Blitz also helps you move faster physically by improving your
hand motions. Finally, by making judgment calls in real life, your analytical skills will be honed to make those decisions faster.
2. Blitz helps you learn to use your time wisely. As the time on your clock ticks away, you need to readjust the time you spend
on each move while also paying close attention to your opponent’s time, as the only way to win on time is to play faster than
your opponent.
3. Blitz helps you try out new openings and ideas without being affected by the result.
4. Blitz helps you enjoy chess, which will make you want to learn more. There is so much excitment from the fast-paced
action that kids, especially, fall much more in love with chess than they were before trying Blitz. Plus, the enjoyment kids get
from playing in a Blitz Tournament is unparalleled- even comparedto regular events.
5. Blitz helps you gain confidence because you have more chances to beat tougher opponents. When a 500-700 points upset
occurs in a Blitz Tournament, often the winners are so enthusiastic that momentum alone carries them another 50 rating
points up in the next tournament.
6. Blitz helps you learn to focus as positions change rapidly and opportunities come up every few seconds. The need to focus
and understand positions quickly trains tactical vision, which will become veryimportant in regular play. Focus is a key learning
problem for youngsters, and early training helps improveoverall performance in school.
7. Blitz allows you to test your knowledge in a short period of time as you can play a full Blitz Tournament in two to three
hours. After a month studying a new middlegame tool, you can try it on real people in a Blitz Tournament to see which
positions give you trouble and weather you work with thesetools is helping your play.
8. Blitz allows you to practice lots of chess without going to a serious tournament. Practice is very important, as any athlete
will tell you. Being able to pack 50 games into one day allows you to test out allyour prepared ideas and thinking tools quickly.
18440 N. 7th ST # 8
Phoenix AZ 85022
602-402-4985
Fitness for your Brain
Questions: Email Coach Liulia: lcardona@phoenixchessacademy.com
Combo Training Formula
Our coaching experience has shown us that the best results of our students have happened
after following the COMBO TRAINING FORMULA, which includes attending to a private
lesson, an Academy class, and a tournament every week. These three activities make the
perfect training for students to get their rating up very quickly.
Private lessons
provides the individual attention needed to improve, learning from the
mistakes played in tournament games. Also, student will receive a personalized training
plan based on weaknesses that need to be erradicated.
Academy group class
will focus on tactics, strategies, endgames, and opening ideas, but
most importantly, it will provide the opportunity to play other students under tournament
conditions and get the practice needed to perform better at the competitions. During this
time, students will practice how to handle the chess clock in different time controls and
coaches will be paying attention to their behavior during playing time.
Chess tournaments
are the best way for studetns to practice everything they have learned.
Don’t expect getting better without playing in many tournaments. Practice is the most
important part of a chess training if your goal is to get your rating up. If time doesn’t allow
to play a tournament every week, at least try playing one tournament a month.
Student rating
progress after Combo
Training Formula
18440 N. 7th ST # 8
Phoenix AZ 85022
602-402-4985
Fitness for your Brain
Questions: Email Coach Liulia: lcardona@phoenixchessacademy.com
Private Lessons
Our philosophy of a private lesson goes beyond than just teaching chess strategy.
For each student we develop a personalized training program that includes one-on-one
instruction, as well as developing a regular practice regimen. Working with a student
individually gives us the opportunity to increase their rate of progress by looking at
psycological factors like motivation, overconfidence, underconfidence, and emotional
control in various situations.
One-One at Academy: $50/1h
One-One online: $50/1h
To schedule a private lesson contact Coach Liulia at lcardona@phoenixchessacademy.com
18440 N. 7th ST # 8
Phoenix AZ 85022
602-402-4985
Fitness for your Brain
Questions: Email Coach Liulia: lcardona@phoenixchessacademy.com
Chess Camps
Labor Day Chess Camp
18440 N. 7th ST # 8
Phoenix AZ 85022
602-402-4985
Fitness for your Brain
Questions: Email Coach Liulia: lcardona@phoenixchessacademy.com
Tactical Training for Competitive Players
Why are Tactics important?
Tactics are 99% of Chess! Learning to identify and play tactics is a crucial skill for every
Chess Player. Tactical excercises, along with playing, are the most important ways of
practice for those who want to improve their rating and performance in Chess
Tournaments.
In this 1 hour Tactical Training the students will:
1- Study Tactical Patterns (motifs).
2- Expand their Tactics Vocabulary.
3- Develop their Tactical Awareness.
4- Fine-tune their Calculation Method.
5- Improve their Chess Vision.
The training is open for ALL Competitive Players rated Under 2000.
18440 N. 7th ST # 8
Phoenix AZ 85022
602-402-4985
Fitness for your Brain
Questions: Email Coach Liulia: lcardona@phoenixchessacademy.com
Coaches
FIDE Chess Master Liulia Cardona was born in Cuba. In 2006 she came to the USA with her father and settled in
Miami. In 2005, she was rated second in Cuba with an Elo of 2305. She began playing master level chess in
international competitions when she was 14 years old and around that time she was Scholastic National Champion in
Cuba.
While in Miami, she played on the Miami Dade College Chess Team which captured third place in the 2006 Pan
American Intercollegiate competition; beating out the long time winners, Harvard and Yale.
Her current USCF rating places her among the top women players in the USA!!!
Coach Liulia started her career as a Trainer when she was 19 years old. In less than 5 months, she was asked to
work as a Chess Coach at the Chess School of Havana City, where the best K-12 students will recieve an intense 4h
training every day. In her first year, one of her students became National Champion of the 11-12 years old Section
and this got Liulia promoted to work as a Coach at the National School of Chess, where the best K-12 students of
the country received a daily 6h training . Many of the students under this Training Program went to become
International Masters and Grand Masters, and have been part of the STRONG pre-selection of the team that
represents Cuba at the Olympiads.
In 2008, Liulia moved to Phoenix, Arizona to start her career as a Chess Coach in the US. Since then, she has taught
thousands of students with amazing individual and team results. Many of her School teams and individual students
have won State and National Championships
Best Training Skills: Tactics and Middle Game Strategies
Contact Coach Liulia at lcardona@phoenixchessacademy.com
FIDE Chess Master Maritza Valdes Hernandez was born in Cuba. In 1992 she moved to Portugal with her family and
settled in Lisbon. While in Cuba, she played many National Championships and was part of the Pre-Selection of
the Team that represented Cuba in different Chess Olympiads. She won the National Championship of Portugal in
1993 and represented that country in the European Team Championship.
Coach Maritza started her career as a Trainer when she was 18 years old. She taught Chess in many Elementary
Schools in Havana City. Her dedication and patience took her teams to be State Champions multiple times.
While in Portugal, she continued her strong passion for teaching Chess and made some Elementary School Teams
State Champions of Lisbon. As she spent more than 20 years of her life in this country, she had the time to do
individual training with the consistency needed, and many of her students became Masters, National Champions
of Portugal, and represented this country in different Olympiads, European Championships, and World
Championships.
Best Training Skills: Openings and Endgames
Contact Coach Maritza at mvaldes@phoenixchessacademy.com
18440 N. 7th ST # 8
Phoenix AZ 85022
602-402-4985
Fitness for your Brain
Questions: Email Coach Liulia: lcardona@phoenixchessacademy.com
February 11th 2023
2:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Only for players Under 1000
Entry Fee: $25 by Wed; $30 by Fri; $35 same day
4 Rounds Swiss Game in 25/5d
Trophy for Top 5 in each section
Trophy for top 3 School Teams
At Phoenix Chess Academy
18440 N. 7th ST #8
Phoenix AZ 85022
Rounds Time:
R1- 2:00 PM; R2- 3:05 PM; R3- 4:10 PM
R4- 5:15 PM; Ceremony: 6:30 PM
USCF Membership required
Scholastic Chess Tournament
Designed for beginners
and players with a short
playing experience!
Playing the first Tournament?
What to expect?
Need to get or renew USCF Membership?
Sections: Open, K-12 U600, K-3 U500, K-3 U200
Trophy for every Kindergarten
18440 N. 7th ST # 8
Phoenix AZ 85022
602-402-4985
Fitness for your Brain
Questions: Email Coach Liulia: lcardona@phoenixchessacademy.com
June 13th-17th 2022 and July 11th-15th 2022
Summer Camps
9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Early drop off (8:00 AM) and late pick up (5:00 PM) available
At Phoenix Chess Academy
18440 N. 7th ST #8 Phoenix Arizona 85022
18440 N. 7th ST # 8
Phoenix AZ 85022
602-402-4985
Fitness for your Brain
Questions: Email Coach Liulia: lcardona@phoenixchessacademy.com
WHAT TO EXPECT AT YOUR FIRST TOURNAMENT
So your child knows the rules of chess and is confident enough to play in a competitive environment. Parents, you are probably wondering what to
expect and how to prepare your child for his first tournament. First, children should understand that their primary aim is to play their best, not
necessarily to win. The players who ultimately excel at chess are those that do not get too low after a defeat, or too high after a win. Parents should
expect to console their children when they lose and encourage good sportsmanship regardless of the results.
In general, parents and coaches are required to stay out of the room where their children play their games (in a few tournaments, parents may be able
to watch games from an observation area, but this is rare).
The Tournament Director
You will probably see a tournament director (known as the "TD"). The TD makes the pairings each round, announces the start of each round, and
settles any sort of dispute that arises during a game. Children should understand that if they disagree with their opponent or have a question during
the game, they should not argue with their opponent. Instead, they should raise their hand and ask the TDs to make a ruling. TDs often rule on claims
of time forfeiture, draws and illegal moves. TDs have the authority to punish bad behavior or other rules violations by adding or subtracting time from
a player, or by forfeiting a game.
Most TDs welcome questions from parents and are available to explain how the tournament works. However, children are not well served by having
parents argue about pairings, game results or rulings with the tournament staff.
The Swiss System
Most chess tournaments are known as "Swiss System" events. This means that players are paired against others with similar scores. The pairing
system is quite complicated and usually performed by a computer program, so this leaves the TD almost no room for discretion. Although
experienced TDs will review the pairings for accuracy (even the best program has a few glitches), the TD never arbitrarily makes changes in the
pairings the computer assigns.
The TD will post a sheet with pairings before each round. Parents should find their child's name on the pairings sheet, note the board number where
he or she will be playing and whether he or she will be playing black or white, and then escort their child into the playing area. Parents are usually
welcome to help younger children set up their boards, clocks and notation sheets, but will be asked to leave prior to the beginning of each round.
The Point System and "Byes"
Sometimes, if there is an odd number of players in a section, the bottom player will not play a round. In such cases, the player will be awarded a “full-
point bye,” meaning that the player receives a point, as if he or she won a game. A player receiving a full-point bye will see “Please Wait” written
across from his name on the pairing sheet. No player receives more than one bye per tournament. Sometimes, the player receiving the bye will be
paired against someone else, who either is not enrolled in the tournament or is enrolled in a different section that also has an odd number of players.
In a rated tournament, the game will count for ratings, but the players both receive a point for the tournament.
Players earn one point for winning, a half point for drawing, and no points for losing a game. In each round after the first round, the players compete
with others who have the same number of points. Players never compete against the same opponent twice in a tournament, and efforts are made to
alternate the color of the pieces the player uses each round. Nobody is eliminated in a Swiss System tournament. All players are expected to compete
all of the way through the tournament.
If your child has to miss a particular round, he or she can request a “half-point bye.” This second type of bye awards a player the same score as a
draw. In most tournaments, half-point byes must be requested before the player begins to play in the event and are not available for the final round.
They are most often taken in the first round, when a player cannot get to the tournament by the time it begins.
If a player becomes ill during a tournament, he or she can withdraw. The withdrawing player will receive zero points for that round, and his or her
opponent will receive a point by default (the game will not count toward ratings, however). In case of an emergency when a player cannot complete
the tournament, a parent or coach must inform the tournament director that the player will not attend the next round. It is unfair to other players to
leave without telling the director, as it means that at least one other player will not get to play a game (or the withdrawing player's opponent will have
to sit and wait during the round for the requisite amount of time before declaring a win by forfeit). Of course, parents and coaches should discourage
players who wish to withdraw merely because he or she is upset about losing games. Players who leave because they lose are missing some of the
greatest benefits of the game. Learning to come back after a defeat is very important in much more than just chess.
