A piece goes in one move
The position looked fine. One move later a piece was left unprotected, and it was gone.
Never Miss a Winning Move Again.
You know the forks, the pins, the skewers. What slips in real games is the calculation: which moves to check, how your opponent will answer, and where a line really ends. This camp trains that process, one session at a time.
Launch price₺8.790Regular price: ₺10.98020% off
- Live online lessonsOn Zoom, from home
- 1 week · 5 lessonsIntensive and focused
- Mergen panelDuring the camp and 30 days after
- Final assessmentEnd-of-camp parent report
Sound familiar?
Three moments that cost points
The winning move slips by
It shows up in the post-game analysis: the winning combination was on the board, but nobody saw it during the game.
The advantage disappears
A won game turns into a draw, or a loss, after a few hurried moves.
All three share one root: there is no steady calculation process before the move.
The real cause
It isn't knowledge that's missing. It's the process.
Most students recognise tactical motifs. The hard part is using that knowledge in the right order while the clock is running.
What most students already know
- Forks
- Pins
- Skewers
- Discovered attacks
- Basic mating patterns
What falls apart during a game
- Choosing the candidate moves worth calculating
- Anticipating the opponent's strongest reply
- Judging the position at the end of a line correctly
- Calculating deep enough to trust the move
The loop the camp teaches
- 01
Candidate moves
Which moves are worth calculating?
- 02
Opponent's reply
What is the opponent's best answer?
- 03
Evaluation
Who stands better at the end of the line?
Every position in the camp is solved with this loop, until the loop becomes a habit.
Serkan SoysalInternational Master, FIDE
The better you calculate, the better you play.
- FIDE title, awarded in 2017
- IM
- FIDE title, awarded in 2017
- rated players in Turkey, 2019
- TOP 20
- rated players in Turkey, 2019
- peak FIDE rating
- 2431
- peak FIDE rating
His students include national team players, national medalists and Turkish champions.
I've played competitive chess for close to twenty years and coached for the last ten. With players of every level, I keep seeing the same thing: they study opening lines, traps and memorised ideas instead of calculation.
It works for a while. They surprise an opponent in the opening and win a pawn. Then the first difficult position arrives, they can't calculate it, and the advantage is gone in a few moves.
Opening knowledge can get you an advantage. Calculation is what turns it into a result.
How the camp works
The same clear structure, every day
Each of the five live lessons follows the same flow, so every day the student understands a little better what they are doing and why.
Entry assessment
A short assessment before the camp measures each student's calculation level, and groups are formed from it.
One goal for the day
Each lesson focuses on a single skill, stated in one plain sentence. The student knows what they are training that day.
Live explanation
The coach shows the idea step by step on positions taken from real games.
Positions solved together
Students say their moves and the coach asks for the reasoning. A wrong idea is refuted on the board.
Practice on the panel
After the lesson, a puzzle set for that day's topic opens on the Mergen panel, to be solved before the next lesson.
Final assessment
The final-day assessment is compared with the entry result, and parents receive a short progress report.
Ideas from earlier days come back in mixed positions later in the week, so students learn to notice for themselves which skill a position calls for.
Mergen Chess Training Panel
After the live lesson, keep going on the panel.
During the camp and for 30 days after it, students solve puzzles on the Mergen panel in four different modes. Each camp topic has its own set on the panel. Explore the sample view, and solve the first puzzle yourself.
Hi! White to move. Can you find the best move?
Puzzle 1 / 3
Your rating
1240
White to move
Find the best move.
Drag a piece, or click a piece and then a square.
Sample view; figures are illustrative.
A separate panel set for every camp topic
- 1Unprotected pieces
- 2Candidate moves
- 3Forcing moves
- 4Thinking patterns
- 5Visualisation and decision
Camp programme
Five skills in five days
The skills build on each other; each day starts where the previous one left off.
- Day 1
Unprotected pieces
Seeing the loose pieces, targets and threats on both sides before calculating anything.
- Day 2
Candidate moves
Finding the moves worth calculating, discarding weak ones for a concrete reason, and narrowing them to a short list.
- Day 3
Forcing moves
Looking at checks, captures and threats, and the opponent's possible replies, first, without forgetting quiet moves.
- Day 4
Thinking patterns
Recognising recurring ideas at first glance, even in positions they have never seen.
- Day 5
Visualisation and decision
Holding a line three or four moves deep, comparing the remaining lines, checking the conclusion and knowing where to stop.
The entry and final assessments are part of the camp: progress is measured, not guessed.
Why isn't solving more puzzles enough?
95%Most games at beginner and amateur level are lost to an unprotected piece, a missed threat or an unseen mate.An observation from IM Serkan Soysal's coaching experience, not a scientific study.
What you can already find for free
- Unlimited puzzles: Lichess and similar sites
- Explanations of forks, pins and skewers: YouTube and books
- Practice done alone, in no particular order
In the Calculation Camp
- A step-by-step thinking method to follow in every position
- A coach who corrects thinking errors live, in the lesson
- Puzzle sets ordered by topic, continuing on the panel
- Progress measured by an entry and a final assessment
The camp lasts a week. The method stays.
The Calculation Camp is short and intensive. The goal is for students to leave at the end of the week with a method they can use on their own.
One intensive week
A live lesson every day for five days, so each topic leads into the next before it fades.
30 more days on the panel
For 30 days after the camp, the topic sets, Woodpecker, Storm and Marathon stay open.
A clear road map
The final assessment and parent report make clear what to focus on after the camp.
Save your place at the launch price.
A price for the launch period only. One payment; no subscription, no renewals.
Calculation Camp
One-week live online camp
Regular price ₺10.980
Launch price
₺8.790
Save ₺2.190 · 20% off
One-time payment · No subscription
Enrol now
Complete your enrolment online, secured by iyzico; camp dates and lesson details are sent to you after payment.
What's included
- 5 live online lessons (Zoom)
- A calculation programme designed by IM Serkan Soysal
- Positions solved together with the coach in each lesson
- A separate Mergen panel puzzle set for every topic
- Mergen Puzzle, Woodpecker, Puzzle Storm and Puzzle Marathon
- Panel access during the camp and for 30 days after
- Entry and final assessments, plus a parent progress report
Private one-to-one lessons and our weekly training programmes are not included; they are offered separately.
- Live and interactive
- Join from home
- Titled coach
Who is it for?
Is this camp right for your child?
A good fit if your child…
- Knows how the pieces move and the basic tactical motifs
- Drops pieces or misses winning moves in games
- Needs a steady method rather than random puzzles
- Can join a lesson every day for a week and practise on the panel
Not the right fit if…
- Your child is still learning the rules of chess
- You're looking for a long-term weekly programme (see our training programmes)
- You expect a guaranteed rating jump within a week
Frequently asked
Questions you may have
The questions we hear most often before enrolment.
Puzzle sites give you positions; they don't teach you how to think about them. In the camp the method is taught first, live, and the puzzles then reinforce it in topic order. The coach listens to the student's reasoning, not only to the move.
One week from now, see the board differently.
Enrol
Enter the student and parent details at checkout and complete your enrolment online, secured by iyzico.
Join the live lessons
Learn the calculation method step by step in a live lesson every day for a week.
Keep going on the panel
Reinforce each topic with puzzles on the Mergen panel, for 30 more days after the camp ends.