Top chess coaches in Colombia: 10 Grandmasters & Titled Coaches accepting students
Colombian chess is on a real upswing. A national program that keeps sending teams to the Olympiad, and a wave of young masters grinding hard for GM norms, have thickened the coaching pool right along with it. Almost all of them teach online, in Spanish.
The problem, as ever, is signal. Who's actually strong, who genuinely teaches, who has room for a new student this month. Here are 10 titled Colombian coaches taking students now, ranked with teaching credentials weighed alongside raw strength.
9 elite titled coaches
#1GMA Grandmaster who plays for Colombia's Olympic team and now coaches its Olympic players too, with more than a decade of teaching across every level. Three-time national champion, and by his own account a specialist in the Sicilian Dragon and in endgame technique.
Still a teenager and already an International Master, with a classical FIDE around 2394 and a run at the 2025 World Cup in Goa behind him. He's honest about his method: no universal formula, just relentless focus on a student's specific weak points.
#3IMAn International Master with GM norms and a certified FIDE Trainer — Pan-American champion at under-16, under-18 and under-20, and a five-time Olympian who has faced Carlsen and Nakamura over the board. The trainer badge is the real signal for a coaching hire.
International Master and software engineer, twice an Olympian for Colombia in 2014 and 2018, who now coaches regional teams and private students alike. He teaches with method and patience, and he means the patience part.
An IM since 2012 who played the 2014 Tromsø Olympiad and once held a 2700-rated Grandmaster to a draw straight out of his own preparation. Opening prep and repertoire building are his calling card.
A peak FIDE around 2427 with a GM norm, and 26 years spent coaching everyone from novices to elite players. His training runs structured and periodized, with a real emphasis on the mental game.
#7IMAn International Master with 25 years in the game and a national vice-championship in 2016, now based in Argentina. He plans his coaching in micro- and macro-cycles, a proper training-calendar approach rather than lesson-by-lesson drift.
#9FMA FIDE Master and self-styled specialist in creative, off-beat play, with 21 years of experience and a base in Spain. If your game feels too predictable, that's squarely his pitch.
#10FMThe most credentialed pure teacher on this list. He has spent 22 years coaching, trained IMs and GMs from several countries, works as performance coach for the Bogotá Chess League, and wrote a book on Olympic-captain planning. A FIDE Instructor with his own science-based training method.
How to actually pick one
Goal first, then level — Put both in your opening message and you'll get a far more useful reply.
🎯 Goal first, then level
Put both in your opening message and you'll get a far more useful reply.
📜 Weight the teaching credentials
A FIDE Trainer badge or a long teaching record can outrank a few rating points. You're hiring someone to teach, not to play your games.
⚡ Do a trial lesson. Always
One session tells you more than any bio ever will. What you're really testing is whether the two of you click.
🌎 Use the language fit
Everyone here teaches in Spanish, a couple also in English. Learning in your first language speeds everything up, especially for kids.
📅 Settle homework and cadence up front
The lesson is an hour. The improvement happens in the days between.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a chess coach cost in Colombia?
It varies by title and demand. The coaches above run from roughly $10 to $50 an hour, several offer discounts for monthly blocks of lessons, and group sessions come in below one-to-one.
Do online lessons actually work?
Yes. Almost everyone here teaches online with a shared board, so you're not limited to whoever lives near you. You get the whole country's coaching pool.
How do I check a coach is really titled?
Every coach here holds an official FIDE title you can verify at FIDE Ratings Database. Ask for the FIDE ID if you want to be sure.
Ready to find your coach?
Chess with Masters connects you straight to titled coaches — Grandmasters like the ones above — taking students right now.
Browse coaches and book a trial lesson →Are you a titled coach? Get featured and start receiving students →