The Short Answer
Quick answer: The coach you pick doesn't decide how strong it plays. Chess.com says its star coaches give the same advice, each with its own personality, and you set the strength separately. So pick the voice you enjoy, then choose a level near your rating. Basic members get one coach game a month.
If you want extra practice games between coach sessions, you can play our chess bot at a strength you pick.
What I Checked
I read Chess.com's help pages on the coach, the bots and the membership plans. I also read three Chess.com announcements about the coach from 2025.
Then I checked Google's search suggestions to see what people ask. I read Reddit threads from the past year, too.
I didn't play coach games for this post. Where I describe how the coach plays, I quote Chess.com or the players who wrote about it.
Who the Coaches Are
Every member starts with the same coach. Chess.com's wording is plain: "All members have Coach David selected by default."
A Chess.com news post lists the star coaches. They're GMs Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura, IMs Levy Rozman and Danny Rensch, WFM Anna Cramling, and the Botez sisters, WFMs Alexandra and Andrea.
The help page now counts "four unique coaches and twelve celebrity coaches, each with a distinct speaking voice." That's more names than the news post gives. So the list likely grew after it went up.
Every Coach Gives the Same Advice
This is the part most people miss. When Chess.com added six stars in August 2025, it said, "These new coaches give the same great chess advice as always, but they do it with their own unique dash of personality and flair."
So the advice itself doesn't change from coach to coach. What changes is the voice, the face and the way each tip is worded.
Strength is a separate setting. Chess.com's coach news says that "regardless of who you choose, you can adjust their playing strength." Picking Magnus won't give you a stronger opponent.
So Which Coach Is Best?
The best coach is the one you'll keep listening to. Since the advice matches, the choice comes down to taste.
- Pick a streamer you already watch, if their style keeps you playing.
- Try Coach David if you'd rather skip the celebrity voices.
- Mute the voice if you only want the text and arrows.
- Switch whenever you like, since nothing locks you in.
Google's suggestions show people searching for the best coach voice. They also search for coaches by name, such as David and Mae. No source I found ranks the voices, so that part is up to you.
How to Change Your Coach
Chess.com gives two routes. You can tap the coach's picture, or open the Coach Settings page.
Your pick then follows you around the site. Chess.com says the coach appears in Game Review, Puzzles, Lessons and Play Coach. It talks out loud when your sound is on.
The help page adds that you can switch coaches at any time and mute the voice. In Puzzles, you can also turn on goals, mistake feedback and chat hints.
How Play Coach Works
Play Coach is a game against your coach, with teaching built in. Chess.com launched it in June 2025 as a way to "Play unlimited games against your new virtual teacher."
The help page describes each game. "Move by move, your coach will guide you with useful tips, highlight strategic ideas, and point out your mistakes."
You pick White, Black or a random color. If you leave in the middle, "The game will resume exactly where you left it." Games save on their own once each side moves, and you can turn that off on the web.
Setting the Coach's Strength
Before a game, you choose a level. Chess.com's help page says, "Each level shows an approximate rating to help you choose the right challenge."
The launch post made a big promise. "From new players to chess masters, Coach can adapt to provide just the right challenge."
Reddit posts mention levels with names like novice and intermediate. Start with a level near your own rating. If you win most games, move up one step. If every game ends fast, step down.
Hints, Undo and the Arrows
The coach gives two kinds of help during a game.
- Hint shows what you should aim for, or it highlights pieces. Tap it again to see the best move.
- Undo takes back your last move, so you can try again.
The settings add more. You can switch Suggestion Arrows, Threat Arrows, the Evaluation Bar and Move feedback on or off.
Leave them on while you learn a new idea. When you want a real test of what you know, turn them off.
Coach vs Regular Bots
Chess.com has a second set of opponents, the bots. They're easy to mix up with the coach, but they work differently.
The bots help page says there are "over 100 different bot personalities", all powered by Komodo. Bot games "are always unrated". Some bots are adaptive, so they "adjust their strength during the game".
The main levels follow a rating range.
- Beginner has 15 bots, rated 250 to 850.
- Intermediate has 15 more, from 1000 to 1400.
- Advanced holds 20 bots, between 1500 and 2100.
- Master has 10, from 2200 to 2450.
An engine setting goes from 250 all the way to 3200.
Where Komodo Comes From
Komodo is a chess engine, a program that picks moves by searching ahead. Chess.com bought it in May 2018, according to Wikipedia's page on the Komodo engine.
That explains how one engine can wear so many faces. The bot's picture and chat change, while Komodo does the thinking underneath.
If you play both sites, our post on Chess.com bots vs the Lichess computer compares the two setups.
Crowns Show How Much Help You Used
Beat a bot, and Chess.com hands out crowns. The count depends on the help you took.
- Winning with no help at all earns three crowns.
- One to three hints or undos drops it to two.
- Four or more leaves you with one.
That's a handy way to track progress. A three crown win is a fair sign you're ready for the next level.
Why the Coach Can Feel Harder
Players report that a coach and a bot with the same number don't always feel the same. In August 2026, a player in r/chessbeginners wrote, "I can beat a 1600 bot, but the 1600 coach destroys me."
Other players do well against a coach set above their rating. In October 2026, a player in the same forum wrote, "Played my highest accuracy game ever against the Magnus coach bot set at 1200 ELO." They added that their rapid rating was only 940.
These are single games. Still, don't expect a coach level and a bot rating to match exactly.
What You Get for Free
Basic members get a taste of the coach, not the full thing. The help page says, "Basic members can play one game per month against the Coach. For unlimited access, you'll need a Gold or higher membership."
Chess.com's membership page shows the same split. Basic gets "One game against the Coach per month" and bots with "20+ distinct personalities". Gold and above get unlimited coach games.
For regular free practice, the bots are your option. Some of them are locked for Basic members, though. Our post on Gold vs Platinum vs Diamond compares the paid plans.
Why Some Players Like the Coach
For some people, the coach is about comfort as much as teaching. In December 2025, a player in r/chess wrote, "I like playing against advanced coach on chess.com." The same post said it "allows me to abruptly stop the game without guilt."
That's fair. A coach game has no rating to lose and no person waiting on the other side.
It can confuse a beginner, though. In October 2026, a player rated around 200 asked why a move the coach liked showed a lower win chance in the analysis. No source I read explains that gap. So check key moves in a full review afterward.
Getting the Most From Coach Games
A few habits make coach games count for more.
- Raise the level a step once you win most games.
- Play one opening for a week, so the tips build on each other.
- Save hints for moves where you're truly stuck.
- Review the game afterward, not just the live comments.
- Test what stuck in rated games against people.
Our guide on beating 1500 rated bots has more tips for games against a computer.