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WFM Ailen Mena

Transforming Players into Thinkers! FIDE National Instructor

LocationBuenos Aires Argentina
LanguagesEnglish (US), Español
RatingFIDE: 1883
Hourly rate25usd / hour (includes homework) - Training games available
AvailabilityAccepting students
Active

About me

I am WFM & FIDE National Instructor Ailen Oriana Mena, 25 years old. Youngest WFM of the Netherlands Antilles, 6 -time National Champion, and 5 time Olympic Team Member.

Currently living in Argentina and studying Architecture.

Link to my FIDE profile: ratings.fide.com/card.phtml?event=3902773
My Chess Instagram Page! : www.instagram.com/ailuchess/

Playing experience

I represented Venezuela (where I was born) in different international tournaments, such as Central-Americans and Pan-Americans.

In 2013 I moved to Curaçao (Netherlands Antilles), and achieved some goals, such as:
🏆National Champion for 6 consecutive years (2012-2018)

🏆5 times Netherlands Antilles Olympic Team Member (2014, 2016, 2018) and (2020, 2021 hybrid)
My best tournament was my first Olympiad in Norway 2014, where I scored 7,5/11 points and got my WFM title, becoming the youngest WFM of Curaçao.

My most recent important achievements are:
🥈Runner up in the Women’s Centroamerican and Caribbean Championships in 2018
🏆Winner of the Carifta Championships U-20 in 2019

Teaching experience

Teaching Experience 6+ years

- Online Chess Instructor where I have worked with over 300 students - (2020 - present time)
- Chess Instructor at Club Argentino de Ajedrez (Buenos Aires, Argentina 2023 - present time)
- Online Chess Instructor at Regal Chess School (USA 2024- present time)
- Online Chess Instructor at Stem the Gap Academy (Canada 2021-present time)

Other experiences

I have a twitch channel where I stream the tournaments of my students and analyse their games or do puzzles!

🎬Link to my Twitch channel: www.twitch.tv/ailuchess
🎬Link to my Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/channel/UC35GqAX7OgD3uSX87GPTF1Q

Best skills

-Creating engaging and interactive lessons
-Experience teaching both groups and individuals
-Lesson planning tailored to sudent level and goals
-Flexibility with the schedule
-Patience and adaptability with learners of all ages
-Progress tracking and feedback
-Encouraging critical thinking and self-analysis
-Tournament preparation

Teaching methodology

Google Meet / Discord and lichess.org

What will we cover in our lessons?
✔️Game analysis
✔️Training games
✔️Building an Opening Repertoire that suits your style
✔️Calculation & Visualisation
✔️Tactics homework after each lesson
✔️Middlegames and creation of plans according to evaluation of the positions
✔️Endgame Complete study
✔️Psychological aspects of chess
✔️Preparation before and during Tournaments

Latest blog posts

The Fear of Losing Rating

How to Face It and Why Playing Is Essential

How does chess help with schooling?

I started playing chess when I was eight years old; in my elementary school, chess was a subject, an…

Ailén Mena - Girl Boss Chess Educator of the Month

In March 2022, I was nominated as the Educator of the Month for Girl Boss Chess. In this blog I am s…

Public studies

Mastering Chess Strategy - Basic Concepts of Strategy

189 • WFM Ailu99 •
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  2. Hansen, Cu - Hellsten, J..
  3. Khalifman, A.. - Adams, M..
  4. Lobron, E.. - Dautov, R..
  1. WFM Ailu99