088 Like many chess subjects, knowing what to study for strategy is a bit murky. Especially if you’re a semi-confused club player like myself. So, who better to chat with about this topic than an author who has written three books on the subject? Welcome today’s guest: IM Thomas Willemze. Over the past six years, Thomas has published three popular books and several courses on the subject of strategy, all specifically aimed at the club player. In this episode, we discuss: Why it’s helpful to...

087 Rarely have I publicly reflected on my experiences from running this podcast. Or what I’ve learned from talking to so many titled players, coaches, and commentators. But it’s been a little over two years since the show’s launch. And it has recently crossed 250K downloads (woohoo!) To top it off, we’ve delivered eighty guest interviews and counting. So, I figured a little reflection was due. In this episode, I share insights on the improvement, insights on the chess community, and a few...

Quick update: No full episode this week. But we'll return on 4/16/24. Wanna tell me how your chess journey is going? Or have any feedback for the podcast? You can send me a message here. Also, I asked my Twitter followers what their answer would be to my frequently asked pod question below.  Send me your answer and I may read it on next week's solo pod! "If a chess genie existed and could grant you one chess wish, what would you wish for?" Send your answer through my website or reply...

086 She’s a rock star of chess accomlishments. WIM Natasha Regan has represented England in two chess Olympiads.  She’s co-authored two award-winning chess books with GM Matthew Sadler. And, in recent years, Natasha has co-created three Chessable courses on strategy. Even outside of chess, Natasha impresses. She earned a degree in mathematics from Cambridge University, has had a career as a professional actuary, and is an accomplished Go player. In this episode, we cover: Three strategies...

085 GM Noël Studer is a fountain of superb chess advice. Many folks loved his first appearance on the show (Ep. 67.) And that’s why he’s here a second time! It’s rare and special to have a Grandmaster working hard to help club players improve their game. And, now, he even helps beginners. A former Swiss chess champion and the youngest GM ever from Switzerland... Noël has just released a comprehensive course to help beginner players (links are below.) In this episode, we discuss: Three...

084 Hungary has a rich history of producing chess stars. Even at the adult improver level, you have the impressive accomplishments of our guest, Kincső Toth. She’s already reached 1900 FIDE and is gunning for the Woman FIDE Master (WFM) title - which requires a 2100 rating plus norms. And she does this all while earning her computer engineering degree in Budapest. Kincső infuses even more chess into her life by moderating online events for Chess.com and running a Twitch channel with...

The life of a chess player is often emotional. There can be huge wins and the joy of learning, but also painful losses and sluggish improvement. Helping me gain new insights into how to address these challenges is clinical psychologist and co-host of the ChessFeels podcast, Julia Rios. Julia combines her professional knowledge with her chess experience to offer some brilliant insights into “chess psychology.” In this episode, we discuss: Does chess offer more emotional challenges than other...

082 Many adult improvers ask this question at least once: Should I get a chess coach? This episode is designed to help you figure out what to look for in a coach and how to maximize the experience. Helping me discuss this topic is IM Yuriy Krykun. Yuriy is a well-known course creator with Chessable, and a superb coach who’s helped countless students. In this episode, we cover:  What are some of the qualities you should look for in a chess coach?Do you need to work towards a specific goal...

Renowned chess coach and co-founder of the Chess Dojo, IM Kostya Kavutskiy, returns to the podcast! Previously, we talked mostly about how to read annotated game books (Episode 17). This time, we cover a wide variety of topics. Including: What new insights the Chess Dojo has learned on helping adult improvers from running their online membership, called “Training Program.”Kostya’s recent OTB tournament experiences and how he chooses which ones to attend.His improvement approach for his...

080 What can you learn from a year of coaching from one of the world’s best chess coaches More than can ever be packed into a single podcast episode! BUT we cover the top five lessons I learned from IM Andras Toth - with Andras doing a deep dive into each one. Andras is an extraordinary chess coach. He has a YouTube channel full of entertaining videos on powerful chess improvement help. Plus, he has a wide variety of Chessable courses on essential topics every adult club player should...

079 Sometimes a passion for chess runs so deep you want to make it your life. That’s the story of South Africa’s WIM Charlize van Zyl. While she earned the WIM at just age 13, she didn’t fully realize her passion for the game until she left it for five years and then returned to it as an adult. From there, she earned her way to multiple Chess Olympiads and is now gunning for the WGM title. Plus, she has a chess business and recently became a reporter for FIDE’s most elite tournaments. We...

 078 Dedicating three years of your life to chess as an adult is huge.  Especially when it includes OTB classical tournaments and running a chess YouTube channel.  That’s been the story of Sam Canciobello. Inspired by the Queen’s Gambit, her passion for chess - now in its fourth year - has been consistent and impressive. In this episode, we cover the different stages of her chess life, her long-term goals, and lessons she’s learned along the way. We also discuss: Was it worthwhile for her...

077 Part of being a chess player is losing many games. But what if those experiences didn’t have to be so painful? To that end, I solicited advice on how to deal with the most difficult losses. I received feedback from the adult improver community on social media, a handful of chess coaches, and a dash of my insights. Then, I collected what I felt was the most helpful advice, categorized them, and put them into a 5-step process. It can be used anytime you endure a particularly emotional or...

Just a 30-second update on this week's episode schedule (and topic)! Don't wanna leave ya wondering!

076  Jennifer Shahade returns to the podcast! 2023 was a major one for her, and we discuss the major milestones of her year. If you’re not familiar, Jennifer is a 2-time US Women’s Chess Champion, author of 4 chess books (including the recent hit Chess Queens), and a long-time advocate of making the chess community a better place for women and girls. In this episode, we talk about: A recent, fun chess experience she’s had on Jeopardy.Her new tactics book, Play Like a Champion, that features...

075 NM Dan Heisman is a world-renowned chess coach and author. He’s on the verge of publishing his thirteenth, and perhaps final, chess improvement book. In this episode, we take a retrospective of some of Dan’s best books and offer improvement advice relevant to each book. It’s an honor to celebrate Dan’s amazing multi-decade career as a chess author and his third appearance on the podcast. Some tips we discuss: Surprising advice from Dan on the #1 principle that should guide your study...

074  Many great women players deserve more attention. Consider that even the games of women's world champions are rarely studied. This shouldn't be the case any longer since their chess is instructive, and their personal lives are rich and inspired. Thankfully, WIM Luciana Morales (along with co-author NM Bryan Tillis) shines a light on the first five women world champions in a new and unique course. Not only does it contain a hefty dose of chess improvement lessons for club players... But...

A second visit to the pod from chess coach & author, FM Nate Solon! In recent years, Nate has become a well-known chess educator. He’s co-authored the highly-praised book, Evaluate Like a Grandmaster. In 2023, he released his first Chessable course on the Reti opening for White. Plus, Nate regularly publishes a popular e-newsletter on improvement advice called, Zwischenzug. (Links to all these are below!) In this interview, we discuss: Preparation and performance lessons learned...

072 She’s been making a splash in the chess world. Not only is WIM Fiona Steil-Antoni a regular commentator for top-level tournaments...she’s also become a key commentator for Hikaru’s Twitch channel while he competes at the Candidates and other key events. Plus, this year she’s created video instruction for two Chessable courses. One is for the Scotch opening. The other covers tactics. Both courses are aimed at us: club players. This speaks to her strength of making complex chess easy to...

Not many chess resources are aimed directly at helping the adult improver. But the superb new book by well-known chess podcast host, Ben Johnson, does exactly that. Released this fall, it’s called Perpetual Chess Improvement. The book covers a broad range of topics for not only boosting your chess abilities but also answering difficult questions like: “Do you need to study endgames?” “How should you approach rating plateaus?” Ben’s book is pure gold for us adult improvers. Each page is...

This is a brief 1-minute update on the state of the podcast. Don't worry - we'll return soon!

070 A small number of chess players make remarkably quick progress. Perhaps even fewer of those are adults. Which is why the achievements of this week’s guest, Kamryn Hellman, are so remarkable. She started playing chess for the first time as an adult. And, in just a little over a year, Kamryn rose to a 2000 Rapid rating on Chess.com.   Because progress this fast is rarely seen by adults, we explore her journey and how she achieved it. We discuss: Her top three “difference makers” for...

For two decades, IM Dean Ippolito has been one of America’s top coaches. Throughout his career, he’s coached several scholastic talents to national titles. Plus, he’s authored six chess books. Dean’s own chess journey is just as impressive. He was a rising child star and competed professionally for a few years after high school. Today, he runs a successful coaching business called Dean of Chess Academy, which offers online classes and camps. In this episode, we also discuss the scourge of...