Chess improvement as an adult is harder than it should be. Plus, the journey can sometimes feel too stressful and serious. This show aims to fix that by 1) interviewing experts who can offer clarity on the best ways to improve; and 2) giving you a heap of fun with “chess entertainment” shows that discuss chess culture, events, movies, etc. Most episodes feature a guest, but sometimes I'll do a solo show on a topic. This is all brought to you by me, Daniel Lona. I’m a dedicated chess amateur and the owner of Adult Chess Academy. After listening to this podcast, I want you to have a clearer idea of how to improve, and have a more fun, dynamic chess experience. Please follow the show so you don’t miss an episode!
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WGM Maria Gevorgyan - 5x-Armenian National Champion & Chess Coach
110 Today’s guest is the inspiring and talented WGM Maria Gevorgyan. Few have managed to become a national chess champion, let alone do it five times. But Maria has! In addition to becoming the women’s chess champion of Armenia multiple times…Maria is now taking all that she’s learned from her competitive career and helping her students as a chess coach.These days, she is the head coach at the Abu Dhabi Chess Academy for women and girls.In this interview, we discuss:Is blitz a helpful tool for improvement or just a fun way to play the game?How an accidental illegal move by Maria was missed at the tournament where she earned her the WGM title!The #1 book recommendation that Maria believes every club player should read. More From Maria:TwitterInstagramCoaching with Maria (DM her about lessons)Book recommendation: My System by Aaron Nimzowitch >> Join my official FREE club for The Chess Experience on Chess.com<< (PROMOTION)
Schedule Update for December '24
A quick update on this month's (12/24) release schedule. The holidays make it a little more difficult to schedule guests, so I'll be only releasing two episodes this month. The next will be on Tuesday, December 17th. The other will be on the 31st. But if you'd like to hear me share a little more detail (and a fun teaser at the end) play the 90-second update :) We'll be back to the normal, weekly episodes starting the first week of January. Thank you SO much for your support of the podcast!
Ding vs. Gukesh - World Championship Preview w/ FM Carsten Hansen
109 The upcoming World Championship should be a fascinating one! GM Ding Liren is the reigning world champ. While he’s an extraordinary talent, his rating and performance have backslid this past year. And, sadly, Ding has been struggling with psychological issues...Meanwhile, India’s brightest chess talent and Ding's opponent, GM Gukesh Dommaraju, will be the youngest player to ever compete in the World Championship at 18 years old.Gukesh, though he’s been stellar in his recent competitive performances, will have to face a lack of experience at the highest level.To help explore and illuminate the different issues at play, FM Carsten Hansen returns to the podcast for another World Championship preview.Carsten is one of the most prolific chess authors around we discuss the unique challenges for each player, whether their styles will be a factor, and clues to look for in the early games to help you know who may win the match.The event begins on November 25th, 2024…BUT…this episode will be worth listening to even several days later to help understand the match and gain some fascinating chess insights.More From FM Carsten Hansen: Carsten’s co-authored book: A Century of ChessCarsten’s chess books Carsten on Twitter>> Join my official FREE club for The Chess Experience on Chess.com<< (PROMOTION)
Aggressive Openings & Innovative Strategies for Club Players w/ FM Midas Ratmas
Our guest this week is a self-taught FIDE Master, coach, and popular course creator hailing from the Netherlands: Midas Ratmas.Midas has built his chess career around helping club players and beginners.As such, he’s developed a special talent for teaching chess to players at this level.Midas has already published over a dozen Chessable courses covering areas like the opening, tactics, and strategy - with many more on the horizon.In this episode, we talk about:The 3 ways he makes opening courses more accessible and easier for club players to manage. Why beginners - and maybe even club players - should learn the strategies that stem from each of the individual chess pieces. How he plans to achieve his goal of earning the IM title.Straightforward advice on endgames & calculation from his upcoming courses.Midas’s Chessable course page>> Join my official FREE club for The Chess Experience on Chess.com<< (PROMOTION)
Adult Improver Pod - Nick Visel: Pursuing Chess Improvement Without Burnout
107 Few adult club players are as committed to the game as Nick Visel.For years, he’s been racking up countless OTB classical games, poring through books and courses, and sharing his wisdom on Chess Twitter.Currently, Nick stands at 1600 USCF with ambitions of becoming a Class A player and reaching National Master.Nick shares great tips from his earned wisdom, plus how he’s willing to scale back his chess when other areas of his life take priority.In this episode, we discuss:A better way to learn openings beyond just tedious memorization. Why he’s reduced his chess study workload and how it helps him avoid burnout.Why he thinks Karpov would have beaten Fischer had they played in 1975. The importance of a poker face in OTB chessMore From Nick:TwitterNick’s Substack>> Join my official FREE club for The Chess Experience on Chess.com<< (PROMOTION)
Schedule Update For This Week
Just a quick update on why there won't be an episode this week. But we'll be back on November 12th!
WCM Adriana Palao: Pursuing Chess Titles & Movie Magic
106 Adriana is a dynamic titled player, coach, and content creator from Spain. She’s already reached a 2000+ FIDE rating and is working regularly towards her WFM title. This year alone, she’s competed in ten OTB classical tournaments.Adriana also coaches students ranging from beginner up to 1800.Outside of chess, she has a degree in film studies and is pursuing a career in film. Recently, she helped distribute an award-winning short film thriller.As a fun detour, this podcast takes a rare opportunity to chat with Adriana about our favorite movies for a few minutes.As always, we close with questions about her favorite player of all time, her favorite openings, and what her one “chess wish” would be.More From Adriana:YouTubeTwitchTwitterInstagram>> Join my official FREE club for The Chess Experience on Chess.com<< (PROMOTION)
Evaluation: A Vital But Overlooked Skill For Club Players w/ GM Eugene Perelshteyn
105 Today’s guest is a huge help to countless adult improvers.GM Eugene Perelshteyn is a highly regarded coach, author, and course creator.In more recent years, he went beyond helping his private students and extended his chess wisdom to writing a book and publishing courses.His 2022 book, Evaluate Like A Grandmaster, is a huge help to almost every club player. And we discuss at length the benefits of improving your often-overlooked evaluation skills in chess.But this is also a wide-reaching interview…In our chat, we discuss the recent controversy with GM Christopher Woo at the US Chess Championship and why mental health is a critical topic for competitive players (even amateurs!)Plus, we cover: How studying gambits can make you a better chess player.Who is likely to win the World Chess Championship between Ding & Gukesh.Hikaru’s trick to playing better competitively that applies to all players.Follow me on Twitter to win Eugene's "Every Gambit Refuted" Chessable course (and other future giveaways!)More From Eugene:Eugene’s Chessable CoursesBook: Evaluate Like a GrandmasterTwitterWebsite>> Join my official FREE club for The Chess Experience on Chess.com<< (PROMOTION)
Behind The Scenes of Chess Journalism with Vanessa Sun
104 This week’s guest is Vanessa Sun, a former chess journalist. For years, she covered events for US Chess, from major national tournaments like the US Open to local competitions.She was also a tournament director at the famous Marshall Chess Club in New York City. Plus, she’s volunteered for IM Greg Shahade at the US Chess School, which is a nonprofit that offers free chess coaching to the most promising juniors in the country.Beyond her chess experiences, she’s an atmospheric chemist and is currently in a Ph.D program.In this episode, we chat about her chess journey, including:What unique insights about chess she’s gained from covering tournaments and doing interviews as a chess journalist.Why she prefers classical and calls herself a “blitz hater.”Whether there’s any link between playing chess and intelligence.The powerful impact chess can have on people’s lives, even if they don’t make a career of it or work on the game regularly.Find Vanessa on Twitter>> Join my official FREE club for The Chess Experience on Chess.com<< (PROMOTION)
Adult Improver Pod: Dr. Ryan Thomas - Revamping His Approach to Chess Study
103 Our guest is an inspiring adult improver, Dr. Ryan Thomas. Ryan is a surgeon, a cancer researcher, and a father of two. With all that, he’s still highly dedicated to chess improvement and his love of the game. Ryan regularly attends OTB classical tournaments, and his current USCF rating is 958 with a goal of 1200.In this episode, we discuss:Ryan’s journey from casual high school player to avid tournament competitor later in life. How all chess players share common bonds regardless of their skill level.What Ryan did to solve the problems of information overload & inconsistent practice. The courses Ryan revisited to ensure he practiced chess fundamentals. The parallels between chess and medical training, and how each has informed the other in Ryan’s life.Find Ryan on TwitterResources Referenced:FM Paul Giannotos: Everyone’s First Chess Workbook (Chessable)IM Andras Toth: Chess Principles Reloaded: Development (Chessable)GM Artur Yusopov: The Fundamentals 1: Build Up Your Chess (Chessable)>> Join my official FREE club for The Chess Experience on Chess.com<< (PROMOTION)
IM Boroljub Zlatanovic - How Amateurs Can Play Like GMs & Making Chess Principles a Top Priority
102 Learning from a prolific chess author and course creator is always exciting. Today we dive into various chess improvement topics from Serbian International Master, Boro Zlatanovic.Boro has published over two dozen courses and books. And in just five years!And his two most recent courses have been published with Chessable, including Masterpieces of Amateur Play and Conversion in the Endgame.One thing that stands out about Boro, and that I find refreshing, is that while we’re in an era where most published works are focused on openings, Boro prefers to write and teach about strategy, endgames, and chess psychology.In our discussion, we chat about:What you can learn from annotated amateur games, not only master games.The psychology and attitude you ought to have when playing higher-rated opponents. Why you should focus on understanding chess ideas & principles as the guiding star of your chess journey, not just memorization or what engine analysis tells you.More From Boro: Boro’s Chessable coursesBoro’s Books on Amazon>> Join my official FREE club for The Chess Experience on Chess.com<< (PROMOTION)
FM Megan Lee - Achieving New Heights as an Adult in OTB Chess
101 Megan Lee is an inspiration to all of us adult improvers. Even with a busy work life running two businesses, Megan has had an incredible year: reaching her lifetime rating peak (2297 FIDE), earning the FM title, and competing in the US Women’s Championship.In fact, this year will be her third invitation to that prestigious event.Yet she does this all on the side while she juggles a typical but heavy load of adult responsibilities.In this episode, we discuss:Why Megan can achieve more in chess as an adult than she did as a junior.Megan’s experiences competing at the US Women’s Chess Championship (including her prep for this year’s event.)What areas of her game she’ll need to strengthen to achieve the IM title.More from Megan: Snippet Studios (her lifestyle brand business)>> Join my official FREE club for The Chess Experience on Chess.com<< (PROMOTION)
Podcast Schedule Update: Sept 3rd, 2024
A quick update on why the show has been MIA for three weeks (spoiler: COVID.) And when I'll resume...
Sicilian Advice: WIM Tea Gueci, A Top Italian Female Player & Chess Coach
0100 She’s rated one of Italy’s top female players and has coached adult improvers for years. And she is this show’s first Italian guest! WIM Tea Guecci has had an impressive chess career. She broke records by age twelve, becoming the youngest ever to win the Italian Women’s Chess Championship.She’s also played and represented her country in two Chess Olympiads.Recently, she launched her first Chessable course called, “My Secret Sveshnikov: The Sicilian by a Sicilian.”NOTE: To win the full video version of Tea’s course for free, follow me on Twitter for instructions on the giveaway Chessable & I will be doing between 8/14 and 8/19.In this episode, we discuss:The most common mistakes her adult improvers students make (and how to avoid them.)How well can you really learn from reviewing games on your own versus with a coach?What factors to consider in choosing which Sicilian to play.More From Tea:Chessable Course: My Secret Sveshikov: The Sicilian by a SicilianTwitchTwitterInstagram>> Join my official FREE club for The Chess Experience on Chess.com<< (PROMOTION)
Chess Coach, Streamer, & Psychologist: WFM Fruzsina Szente-Varga
099 She’s been awarded “Chess Coach of the Month” by Chess.com. Plus, she has a master’s degree in psychology. Meet WFM Fruzsina Szente-Varga! Hailing from Hungary, Fruzsina has spent the past several years coaching adult club players and beginners.Additionally, she regularly creates excellent chess content through her Twitch & YouTube channels.In this interview, we discuss: How she uses her master’s degree in psychology to help her students.Common mistakes she sees club players making in their improvement journey (and strategies to avoid them.)How to set expectations for an OTB tournament so that you don’t get frustrated or disappointed if the event doesn’t go your way.Why she dislikes when coaches scold their students for mistakes and how it’s harmful to their development as chess players. More From Fruzsina:TwitchLichess Coaching PageChess.com BlogYouTubeTwitterInstagram>> Join my official FREE club for The Chess Experience on Chess.com<< (PROMOTION)