About Phil
Phil Makepeace is an experienced and highly regarded coach who has been teaching chess full-time since 2013. He was England Under 18 Captain in 2007 having played in his first tournament at age 6. Phil is known as a combative, tactical player who loves a sacrifice.
Outside of chess, Phil is a long-suffering Wycombe Wanderers supporter and thinks egg sandwiches are a sin.
Since moving to London in 2009, Phil has taught chess in over twenty primary and secondary schools. His students have achieved tournament successes both individually and representing their schools.
Qualifications
- 2025 Certified by Wandsworth Council on completion of Safeguarding Children in Education course
- 2024 First Aid trained with St John's Ambulance
- 2014 ECF Accredited Coach
Chess Achievements
Netflix Thursday Murder Club
Chess consultant for the Netflix adaptation of The Thursday Murder Club
Beat a Grandmaster
Beat a Grandmaster in a slowplay game for the first time
England Junior Squad
Represented the England Junior Squad in Lithuania, Czech Republic, Poland, USA and Ireland
Phil has held a peak ECF rating of 2231 (2219 as of March 2026) and peak FIDE rating of 2129 (2122 as of March 2026).