ChessKid Coach Spotlight: FM Carlos Mena

2024 Update:  We've teamed up with Magnus Chess Academy to offer live small-group lessons with experienced chess coaches. Find out more at ChessKid Coaching, or  Join Magnus Chess Academy today.  Individual coaches mentioned in this article may not be available. 
 
ChessKid coaches are the best of the best. Every single coach who offers lessons on ChessKid goes through an extensive background check to make sure they're not just great chess players, but also great people.
 
This new article series spotlights some of these special individuals. Prepare to meet some of the best coaches on ChessKid, starting with this month's superstar: FM Carlos Mena!
 
Read on to learn more about Coach Carlos, get some helpful tips to improve your skills, and try some fun puzzles that he gives to his students.
 

 

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

I started playing chess around 5 years old. Back in Cuba, my grandfather used to play very often at home, so one day I asked him to teach me how to move the pieces and played my first game against his friend.

I'm not sure if he let me win, but I was very happy to win my first match. Later when I was 7, I joined an after-school chess club where I really started my chess education.

FM Carlos Mena coaching a group of young chess players.
Coach Carlos in the middle of an in-person coaching session with ChessKid users.

 

What is your first vivid memory from chess?

Since chess was played at my house very regularly, I have very early memories about it. My grandfather had many sets and books which I recall seeing as early as 4 years old!

Later on, when I was 7 and joined the after-school chess club, it was also a great experience when we were travelling to other schools or to tournament venues.

Beating older kids was always a big achievement, and making close friends at the chess club was also a big thing for me.

FM Carlos Mena with GM Garry Kasparov.

Carlos shaking hands with legendary GM Garry Kasparov.

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

Throughout my chess journey I had three coaches: Adolfo Pernas from 7 to 10 years old, FM Pablo Guerra from 12 to 13, and FM Angel Perez from 13 to 24.

My early coach, Adolfo Pernas, was always stressing how important it is for kids to play exciting attacking chess in order to develop your calculation and imagination. All the games he showed were aggressive-style games with a lot of tactics.

When travelling to tournaments, he was also making sure that we were going to bed very early and stayed quiet and relaxed in between games. A common mistake is to do too much physical activity, and then when you get to the next game you are hyperactive!

FM Pablo Guerra started giving a taste of what more mature chess is. Which is that aside from being a good attacking player, you also need to know how to strategize and play defense as well. He introduced me to strategy and endgame books.

My third coach taught me how important it is to have an opening repertoire. High-level players spend a huge amount of time creating opening files to make sure they don't get surprised on the opening. If they do get surprised, they have a file to go back and check in order to improve.

FM Carlos Mena with GM Magnus Carlsen.

The world champions keep on coming! Here's Carlos with GM Magnus Carlsen.

How would you describe your approach to chess coaching?

Teaching chess in New York for more than 10 years has shaped the way I approach chess coaching a lot.

When I first arrived to New York from a very homogeneous country like Cuba, I had a formula which I thought would work well everywhere... but then I was teaching kids from so many cultures with their own ways of learning, and that actually taught me that I shouldn't have a formula but I should adapt to the kids' needs.

This is impossible to do in group lessons but is good and necessary for private coaching. If a student likes attacking chess, we pick openings that are aggressive. If a student likes strategy and defense, we adjust to that.

Carlos has been truly brilliant and inspirational for my son on his chess journey. He got him engaged straight away and improved his level quickly and significantly.
 
He also has been amazing with me, explaining my son's progress and kindly guided me each step of the way. I am very grateful for all his hard work and commitment and happy to recommend him to any parent wishing to take their child to the next level in chess.
 
— A ChessKid parent sharing her feedback on Carlos.
 
What is a piece of advice that you give students that you think young chess players reading this article could benefit from?
 
My main advice would be to use the available technology to get better at chess in every possible way. Twenty years ago we didn't have a website like ChessKid where you can play other kids without having to go to a physical chess club, or a book with unlimited puzzles like we have on ChessKid.
 
We didn't have the available resources to watch online lessons and later test your knowledge by doing exercises or having the games you played on a digital scoresheet where your coach can analyze it anytime, just to name a few features.
 
There's a direct relationship between the hours my students spend on ChessKid and how good they get!
 

Can you share some of your favorite chess puzzles?

 Letting Him Promote:

 
Semi Stalemate:
 
 
 A Knight Sacrifice to Promote a Passed Pawn:
 
 

Thanks to FM Carlos Mena for his great answers, and thanks to you for reading them! Do you have an amazing chess coach who deserves to be put in the spotlight? Get in touch and let us know!
 
To book a lesson with any of the other amazing Magnus Chess Academy coaches, click here