Julia and JJ tackle the question of why competitive and amateur chess players alike make such a big deal out of quitting. What does it mean to 'quit chess' if it's still a part of your life? What could 'recreational chess play' look like?

Julia and JJ talk about how you're probably using twitter wrong but why it's not your fault. Ft. Omar aka @chessvondoom, who is definitely using twitter right.

Julia and JJ talk about their experiences in chess and life as two individuals with adhd, talk a bit about what neurodivergency is and why it matters from a psychological perspective for chess players.

JJ and Julia are joined by Julia's "name twin" @omgjulia, a podcaster, poet, narrator, writer, and, most importantly, non-chess player who has been mistakenly tagged in twitter posts intended for "Dr. Cool Chess Julia." Hilarity ensues as JJ and DCCJ attempt to talk to somebody who doesn't play chess for what sounds like the first time in either of their lives.

Julia and JJ interview the Alireza of twitter trolls: Mr Dodgy. They discuss different types of trolling, and how to be a clown on the internet without getting sucked into the fray or going off the deep-end.

Julia and JJ solve the problem of time trouble during OTB play.

Julia and JJ solicit controversial opinions from their listeners on twitter, and proceed to debate the merits of these ideas.

Julia and JJ meet up in person to talk about goal-setting, the assumptions that go into goal-setting, and what all of you are doing wrong.

Floridian Sam Sharf joins JJ and Julia to discuss getting back into chess after coming out as trans, gaining 1400 uscf rating points in under a year, her experiences and hopes for a more inclusive chess future, and her struggles in closing out the big one .

NSFW. NM Gopal Menon joins JJ and Julia to address the most important question for anybody building an opening repertoire: which openings f**k?

JJ and Julia are not feeling it this week. And by 'it,' we mean playing chess. They take this opportunity to ask what the best way to overcome this fizzle is, and how this relates to related phenomena of burnout and tilt that plague many casual chess players.

Why do so many chess players obsess over their ratings? What does this obsession look like, why is it often an impediment to progress, and what can we do to get over ourselves?

Julia and JJ question whether there is a connection between an aggressive style of play over the board and aggressively alienating personalities off the board. And, even worse, can aggression still improve your chess even if there is?

Jon Mackenzie of The Chess Pit podcast joins Julia and JJ to discuss his ambivalence towards chess and chess fandom and explore the ways it can change and how it is already changing.

What would therapy for a tournament chess player look like? JJ and Julia explore this question by doing therapy on JJ, attempting to get to the root causes of the psychological blocks they encountered during their most recent up-and-down tournament.

We're all obsessed with blitz, but could it actually be addictive? Julia weighs in as a clinical psychologist and assesses whether JJ's blitz behavior meets criteria for an addiction. Follow along and see if you do, too.

JJ convinces Julia to start a podcast about chess and psychology. Julia explains what people mean when they say they're interested in "the psychology of chess," and what they're missing. JJ explains why this should be called a prequel, not the first episode. Julia's not having it.

chessfeels episode 1 drops March 15th. Beware the Ides of Julia's half-birthday! Leave us a five-star review and be entered into a drawing for a chance to win three free months of LiChess Premium.