A podcast dedicated to the journey of adult chess improvement. Each week a guest will join me to discuss what has worked for them, what hasn't worked as well, and the status of their journey.
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Ep. 22 Zach (1700 Chess.com Rapid)
This week on Chess Journeys, I spoke with Zach, a former Magic the Gathering player who has returned to his first love chess! We talk about his origin story and his time as first board for his high school team. Zach outlines his process for improvement, which features 6 week focused studies. Zach recommends a lot of books and Chessable courses including Yusupov’s orange books, Kostya’s Endgame Studies course, and a number of tactics courses. We also talked about the psychology of “official” tournaments and whether or not OTB chess is “real” chess. As always you can support the show at https://www.patreon.com/ChessJourneys. Also, thanks to Chessable for sponsoring this episode, you can check them out at chessable.com/chessjourneys.
Ep. 21 Jeremy Kane (NM 2300 USCF)
This week on Chess Journeys, I spoke with NM Jeremy Kane. We spoke about the challenges of pursuing chess improvement while raising a family, especially with an infant! Jeremy shared his thoughts on books that helped him, annotated game collections, and the reality of studying chess as a non-professional. We also discussed his forthcoming book The Next to Last Mistake. We focused on the challenges of remaining vigilant and resilient in the face of difficult or even losing positions. As well as, the process of writing a book without an IM or GM title. As always you can support the show at https://www.patreon.com/ChessJourneys. Be sure to check out Jeremy’s book! https://www.amazon.com/Next-Last-Mistake-Improve-Determination/dp/057883829X
Ep. 20 Neal Bruce (2100 Lichess)
This week I’m joined by the one and only Neal Bruce. Neal is well known for his propensity to murder books and turn them into notecards. Today, we talked about his past, present, and future chess journeys. We talked about how much time he has for chess, how small habits have transformative power, and his chess goals. We also talked about the creation of the #chesspunks community on Twitter. As always, you can support the show at https://www.patreon.com/ChessJourneys.
Ep. 19 Luca / Chessatlas (2000 Lichess)
This week on Chess Journeys, I spoke with Luca, author of the blog Atlas (https://chessatlas.net/atlas/). We spoke about his adult improvement journey. We discussed his regime before his current work sabbatical and what he is doing with his extra time. Luca laid out his approach including working through Yusupov’s chess books, the Woodpecker method, and playing longer games. You can support the show at https://www.patreon.com/ChessJourneys.
Ep. 18 Kostya Kavutskiy (IM International Master 2469 USCF)
This week on Chess Journeys, I spoke with IM, coach, and content creator Kostya Kavutskiy. We discussed his journey as an adult improver, his recommendations, and the Chess Dojo. Kostya provided a wide range of helpful advice including how to play through annotated games, the secret recipe to chess improvement, and the best way to learn endgames. Be sure to check out Kostya’s recently released Chessable Course: Endgame Studies 101. Also, be sure to catch the regular streams and videos released by the Chess Dojo.
Ep. 17 Kevin J. (1500 USCF)
This week on Chess Journeys, I spoke with another Kevin. We discussed how he uses his 10 hours a week of study time. We had a discussion about the value of opening plans over lines. Kevin also shared with me his Woodpecker style tactics project as well as his newest notecard project. We also discussed his first over the board experiences and what it’s like living in the St. Louis chess capital of the U.S. If you'd like to support the show you can head over to https://www.patreon.com/ChessJourneys.
Ep. 16 Daniel Lona (1400 Chess.com Rapid)
This week on Chess Journeys, I spoke with Daniel. After playing in middle school and a 27 year hiatus, Daniel was inspired by the Queen’s Gambit to return to chess. Daniel is dedicated to chess, putting in 3-4 hours daily. Over the last 10 months, he’s raised his rapid rating from 1000-1400. We discussed his return, his habits, OTB chess, and the value of coaches. Daniel recommends Chessable, Irving Chernev's Chess: Move by Move and several of Dan Heisman's books.
Ep. 15 Pascoe (1800 USCF)
This week on Chess Journeys, I’m joined by Pascoe. After solving chess as a child, Pascoe returned to chess as an adult improver. This week Pascoe shared his story of improvement over an 8 year span. We discussed his different rating gains which he attributes to a fleshed out opening repertoire and endgame study. We also discussed his love hate relationship with some of Jeremy Silman’s most lauded books. Pascoe recommends Reassess Your Chess, Silman’s Complete Endgame Course, 100 Endgames you must know, and Move First, Think Later.
Ep. 14 Max (2000 USCF)
This week on Chess Journeys, I had the pleasure of talking to someone in the middle of a ratings gain. Max Farberov recently went 5-0 in a tournament, sending his rating over 2000 USCF. Max provided a tournament report for his inspiring success. We discussed Max’s approach to improvement which focuses mainly on analyzing his own games. We also talked about Max’s thoughts on videos, books, and other tools such as Chessable, and Chessbase. If you are looking to support the show financially, please visit https://www.patreon.com/ChessJourneys
Ep. 13 IM Andras Toth
This week on Chess Journeys, I chat with the legendario himself, IM Andras Toth. Coach Andras and I discussed a wide range of topics such as his decision to teach primarily adults, his relationship with chess improvers and the chesspunks community, his favorite video series, and many other improvement tips. In other news the show now has a patreon page at: https://www.patreon.com/ChessJourneys Please do not feel obligated to donate!
Ep. 12 Ono (1100)
This week on Chess Journeys, I spoke with Ono. We discussed the challenges of fitting chess into a full and busy adult life. Ono talked about creating long term goals based on learning rather than rating. He provided books and videos that have helped him. Ono also discussed his process of mostly improving by playing rapid games and examining them without an engine. Something that I aspire to but struggle to do.
Ep. 11 Nate Solon (FM - FIDE Master)
This week on Chess Journeys, I had the pleasure of talking to Nate Solon. Nate is a data scientist and a high level chess player (FIDE Master). We talked about Nate’s approach to chess improvement and how it has changed from his childhood years to improving as an adult. We covered a wide range of topics such as how data can affect improvement and whether structure has the positive effect that we think it has. Be sure to check out Nate’s newsletter at: https://zwischenzug.substack.com/.
Ep. 10 Omar (1000)
This week on Chess Journeys, I talked with Omar’s about his experiences as a player recently picking up chess. We chatted about his initial dreams of becoming a GM and drawing Magnus to the reality check of his first tournament. Omar shared his over the board experiences, giving newer players great insights into the highs and lows of these experiences. We also discussed his improvement plans. Be sure to check out Omar at https://www.instagram.com/chess_chronicles/channel/. Lately, I’ve been streaming Alekhine’s Best games at https://www.twitch.tv/tinygrimes.
Ep. 9 Fionn (2050 Lichess Rapid)
This week on Chess Journeys, Fionn and I talked about different types of chess learners. Despite having a PhD, Fionn is very much a video oriented learner. We also discussed social vs. lone learners, book vs. video, and active vs. passive learning. We compared some of our favorite video content creators that bring out our active learning side.
Ep. 8 Sophie (2200 NM)
This week on Chess Journeys, Sophie and I discussed her transition from teenage scholastic player to adult improver and the new balance that needs to be struck. We discussed the transition from playing against kids to playing against adults. But primarily we focused on the psychological aspects of chess. We explored topics such as the perils of having our identity tied to success and improvement. Sophie also reflected on her unique method of breaking out of ratings plateaus by caring less and playing a lot of blitz.