Hi, I'm Junta
Let's take your chess to the next level
About me
IM JUNTA IKEDA
I've spent the last 25 years competing in tournaments, reaching a FIDE rating of 2460 and representing Australia at the Chess Olympiad.
For the last 15 years I've helped players of all levels, from beginners to advanced players aiming for titles.
As a playerAfter successes as a junior including Silver Medal on Board 2 at the World Youth U/16 Olympiad 2007 and becoming the Australian Junior Champion 2008, I became a FIDE Master in 2010 and International Master in 2014 at age 22, representing Australia at the Chess Olympiad.
Classical tournament victories include:
- Vikings Weekender (2005, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2019, 2022, 2023)
- Japan Open 2006
- Australian Capital Territory Championships (2007, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)
- Surfer's Paradise Open 2010
- New South Wales Open (2011, 2018, 2019, 2021)
- Japanese Championships 2013
- Australian National University Open (2016, 2022, 2023, 2024)
- Balaton GM 2017 (GM norm)As a coach
I started coaching in 2008 at the local junior club. Since then I've taught dozens of students privately and many more in groups, including for the Australian Junior Elite Training Squad and Japan Chess Federation.
Student successes include improvements from FIDE 1500 to 2200, playing at the Chess Olympiad as a teenager and beating IMs in classical.
I've also been writing articles, creating videos on and streaming chess since 2023 in English and Japanese.Chess has given me many things in life, and my mission is to help players improve their chess and confidence through having more clarity and building better habits both on and off the board.
work with me
Get better at chess without the guesswork
REAL-TIME SESSIONS
a) Live 1:1 coaching
$100 / 60 minutesSend me your games before the session and I'll
- diagnose your chess,
- pinpoint key areas and blind spots to work on
- provide exercises tailored to these key areas and
- provide a plan for training and study that move the needle.Best for:
Players who want a clear plan. Great if you want me to look at your chess closely and work together towards your goals.
b) Training games & review
$85 / 60 minutesWe play training games together, then I break them down on the spot.Best for:
Players who learn best by doing. If you want to play against a master and understand the areas you can improve, this is for you.
OFFLINE
Offline game review
$85 for one game or $500 for 10 gamesSend me a PGN file or link to
a) 1 game and I’ll send back an annotated game plus a video on the key ideas and turning points.
b) 10 games and I'll annotate all of them + summarise your key areas to work on and give you a training plan in a document within 2 weeks.Best for: Players who prefer to learn from a master at their own pace.
find me here
For business and sponsorship enquiries, please fill out this form
COURSES
The 10-Habit Chess Improvement System
Stop studying chess randomly.
Build a system that tells you exactly what to work on next.
The 10-Habit Chess Improvement System is practical course for serious chess improvers who want to turn games into lessons, lessons into training and training into long-term progress.
✅ 25 videos
✅ 2+ hours of lessons
✅ Downloadable templates and resources
✅ Taught by an International Master
✅ Designed for ambitious players roughly 1200+
You may not need more chess content
Many players already solve tactics, watch videos, read books and play regularly. But improvement still feels messy.You study many things but struggle to connect them.
You review games without learning much.
You finish tournaments unsure what to work on next.
You lose confidence after bad results and start questioning everything.The problem often isn’t effort.
It’s having no system.
A stronger improvement process
Many players already solve tactics, watch videos, read books and play regularly. But improvement still feels messy.You study many things but struggle to connect them.
You review games without learning much.
You finish tournaments unsure what to work on next.
You lose confidence after bad results and start questioning everything.The problem often isn’t effort.
It’s having no system.
This course is for you if...✅ You are roughly 1200+
✅ You already know the basics
✅ You play serious games online or over the board
✅ You feel your training lacks structure
✅ You want your study to connect directly to your own games
✅ You are interested in long-term improvement, not quick tricksThis course may not be ideal if:❌ You are completely new to chess
❌ You only want opening memorisation
❌ You are looking for shortcuts
What you'll learn
Inside this course, you'll build a practical system around ten habits. Rather than trying to improve everything at once, you’ll learn how to create a repeatable process that keeps guiding your improvement long after the course ends.
By the end of this course
You'll have a clear and repeatable system for turning serious games into targeted improvement.Instead of studying random openings, tactics and videos without direction, you'll learn how to review your games honestly, extract useful lessons, turn those lessons into focused training and carry one clear improvement goal into your next game.The aim is not short-term rating spikes.
The aim is building a process that gives you clarity, structure and confidence in what to work on next.