"I simply could not afford very good coaches of Vidonyak's level" — Alexey Sarana

Alexey Sarana

Serbia's No. 1

“In total, I spend about 6 to 8 hours a day on chess. Although these are not serious training sessions. I would like to be able to study for 5 hours a day without being distracted by phone, YouTube, Instagram, and all that.

I do not have a coach now. I partly regret that I did not think about it earlier. Sometimes I think about how feasible it is. At tournaments, I sometimes had assistants. I think it makes sense.

Sometimes I think about a coach, but it is very difficult to understand how feasible it is. I sometimes hire seconds — specifically for opening work at tournaments. But overall, I work independently.

Now all very good coaches are quite expensive. And you think: ‘Is it worth spending half of your earnings on training? How effective is it?’

I simply could not afford very good coaches of Vidonyak’s level. There are good coaches who cost less, but even with them, you think about how feasible it is.

Less well-known coaches cost from 500 euros minimum per day. And really good ones probably cost 1000 euros per day. That is already beyond reach.

I sometimes think about another option. You can find a not very strong chess player, but very talented in openings. He may not be so expensive, but such a person still needs to be found. And you need to communicate very well, find a connection. You also need to like this person.

Those who have found such a coach are very lucky.”