Meet the Coach

Take a look at my journey from a semi-pro junior player to an International Master and in the last 15 years to a successful chess coach.
How I gained knowledge as a junior at European and World championships and how I learned to pass it forward to others.
How I reinvented my game, became an International Master  and went from 2330 to 2480 FIDE ELO in a year after I became "my own coach".
How approaching my game from a different angle gave me the confidence to teach passionate adults and super talented youngsters.

About me

Jure Zorko

International Master

FIDE Trainer

FIDE Profile
My name is Jure Zorko, I am an International Master with a current FIDE rating of 2463. I'm based in the heart of Europe, a beautiful, small country, called Slovenia. 

My path to chess coaching led me from a successful junior chess player to reinventing myself as a senior player in my 20s and 30s.

Coaching took me all over the globe, I've been a resident chess coach in Slovenia, Austria and United Arab Emirates. I've travelled to places like Russia, UAE and Singapore as an Official Chess Coach of clubs and federations.

Internet made chess coaching so much easier and I've been lucky to have great students from all over the world, including Europe, Middle East and USA.

Most importantly, I enjoy my students grow from adult enthusiasts to tournament players and from talented youngsters to best players in the world in their respective age groups.


15

years of experience

100+

happy students

20+

national champions

3

world & eu champions

Playing experience

Junior section highlights
Multiple National Championship Medal Winner
Shared 10th place at World Chess Championship U14, Spain (101 players)
Silver medal on 1st board at Youth Olympiad U16, Ukraine
Senior section highlights
3rd board for Slovenian National Team at Mitropa Cup, Switzerland 2010
1st place, National Rapid Championship (2010, 2017), 1st place, National Blitz Championship (2014, 2015)
38th place (600 players), European Blitz Championship, Tallin 2016
2500+ performance on 1st board in Slovenian League, 2024
  • When I first started chess lessons with Jure, I had only been playing chess with friends for a few months. I had one friend who would win consistently and it was a rare for me to be able to win. After several chess lessons with Jure, my game improved quite a bit and I started beating my friend consistently! My friend didn't know happened. I highly recommend Jure for anyone looking to take their game to the next level. He is an excellent teacher.
    Joe
    Kansas, USA

Coaching experience

With extensive experience as an official coach of Slovenian Chess Federation and multiple successful chess clubs at European, Asian and World chess championships, I can offer first hand knowledge.

I have a very strategic and pragmatic approach to my own chess games and I use the same approach with my students. My goal is to teach students chess understanding not just learn moves by heart.
Many junior players barely ranked in top 10 or lower in their youth categories, ended up becoming National Champions
Many of the adult students took their ratings from 1300 to 1800+ and some even higher in 6 month
Some of the more advanced adult students took their level from 2000 to 2200+ in less than a year after years of stagnation
Most advanced semi-pro players advanced from 2100 to 2300 and some even to 2400 FIDE ELO