Imagine learning basketball from an NBA player.
Imagine taking batting lessons from a Major League Baseball player.
Now imagine sitting across a chessboard from someone who has reached one of the highest levels in chess—and having that person study your game, your decisions, your mistakes and your potential.
That’s the experience available to students at Azeri Chess Academy.
For many chess players, a Grandmaster is someone they watch online, study in books, follow in tournaments or analyze through famous games.
At Azeri Chess Academy, a Grandmaster can be your coach.
Meet Grandmaster Ulvi Bajarani
GM Ulvi Bajarani isn’t simply someone who understands chess theory. He has lived competitive chess at an elite level.
He is the 2014 Azerbaijan Champion, 2021 Texas Superfinals Champion, and has reached a peak FIDE rating of 2551 and peak USCF rating of 2585. Today, he is the founder of Azeri Chess Academy in Houston and provides both in-person and online instruction.
Think about what that means for a student.
When Ulvi looks at a position, he isn’t simply repeating something he learned in a chess book. He brings years of high-level competition, preparation, calculation and decision-making to the board.
And when he looks at your game, he’s seeing things you may not see yet.
Why did you really lose that position?
Was your opening actually the problem—or did the mistake happen ten moves later?
Did you miss a tactic?
Did you have the wrong plan?
Were you spending too much time on easy decisions and then rushing when the position became critical?
These are the kinds of questions that can separate simply playing more chess from actually becoming a stronger chess player.
It’s Like Getting a Backstage Pass to Chess
There’s something different about learning directly from someone who has already accomplished what so many competitive chess players aspire to achieve.
You aren’t just learning what move to make.
You have an opportunity to learn how a Grandmaster thinks.
How does he evaluate the board?
What does he notice first?
Which candidate moves does he consider?
Which threats matter—and which ones only look dangerous?
How does he prepare for an opponent?
How does he recover from a mistake?
How does he approach a tournament when the games actually count?
That’s where Grandmaster coaching becomes more than another chess lesson.
It’s access.
It’s mentorship.
It’s the opportunity to see the game through the eyes of someone who has competed at a level most chess players will never personally experience.
And Azeri Chess Academy doesn’t limit that experience to advanced players. Its current programs serve students from complete beginners through advanced tournament competitors, with private and group coaching available.
Then Comes the Real Test: Competition
Lessons are where you prepare.
Tournaments are where you find out what you’ve learned.
And this October, Azeri Chess Academy is bringing a major competitive opportunity to Houston.
The 1st Azeri Chess Academy Open
October 5–10, 2026
Houston Chess Studio
250 Patton Street, Suite H
Houston, Texas
This isn’t designed as a casual weekend chess event.
The 1st Azeri Chess Academy Open will be a nine-round, over-the-board Swiss tournament, dual-rated FIDE Classic and USCF Regular, with a G/90 + 30-second increment time control. The field is capped at 68 players.
And there is serious money—and serious opportunity—on the board.
The tournament features a $13,000 guaranteed prize fund, including a $5,000 guaranteed first prize, along with 150 USCF Grand Prix points and conditions designed to provide opportunities for GM/WGM norms.
For the serious tournament player, that changes the conversation.
You’re no longer simply asking:
“How do I get better at chess?”
You’re asking:
“How do I prepare to perform when the clock starts?”
Learn. Prepare. Compete.
That’s what makes the Azeri Chess Academy experience particularly interesting.
The pieces connect.
You can learn from Grandmasters and International Masters.
You can receive coaching based on your own level and goals.
You can prepare for competitive chess.
And then you can sit down at a real tournament board and put that preparation to work.
AzerI Chess Academy’s current curriculum includes private and group coaching covering opening repertoire, middlegame tactics and endgame mastery, while its tournament program provides regular rated competitive play.
That’s an ecosystem for chess development—not simply a lesson.
What Would a Grandmaster See in Your Game?
That’s the question every developing chess player should ask.
Maybe you’re closer to your next breakthrough than you realize.
Maybe one recurring mistake is costing you game after game.
Maybe you’ve been studying the wrong things.
Maybe your opening isn’t the problem at all.
Or maybe you’re preparing for your next tournament and want someone who has actually competed at the Grandmaster level to help you see what you’re missing.
You can keep guessing.
Or you can put your game in front of someone who knows what to look for.
Learn from a Grandmaster. Prepare like a competitor. Play with purpose.
KNOW YOUR GAME. KNOW YOUR NEXT MOVE.
Train with Grandmaster Ulvi Bajarani and Azeri Chess Academy, and if you’re ready to put your preparation to the test, join the chess community in Houston for the 1st Azeri Chess Academy Open, October 5–10, 2026.