Episodes

Nick Visel is a dedicated club player with a long term goal of achieving the title of National Master. He is well known in the adult improver community and is very popular on . You may be interested in subscribing to Nick's where he shares book...

In this jam-packed episode, return guest Grandmaster Daniel Gormally discusses the upcoming : the players, controversies, history, and more. The winner of this event will challenge Ding Liren for the title of World Chess Champion. The Candidates...

Welcome to our 100th episode! Be sure to check out our . Same address, updated look. This week, we explore five universal responses for Black. These can be played against any first move by White.  In this episode: Listener Mailbag 1…g6 (Modern...

Chess improvement can be overwhelming and daunting for beginners looking to reach the intermediate level and beyond. This is especially true for busy adults with limited study time. In the episode, we provide a general overview of what we believe...

The week, Neal dives into the listener mailbag to discuss the parallels between music and chess, handling losses, and dealing with frustration at the chessboard. This is followed by an open and candid discussion about mindset and attitude at the...

This week's guest is National Master Daniel Lowinger, a high school Chinese teacher who cut his teeth playing chess on the New York scene. Dan offers some thoughtful and philosophical ideas about amateur chess improvement, titles, being honest with...

Our guest this week is English Grandmaster Daniel Gormally. Daniel is a professional chess player and coach who has written several books on the game. He is also the author of a 3-part Chessable series entitled Sharp Middlegames. In addition, Daniel...

This week we discuss how to analyze your chess games with an engine to increase learning, avoid mistakes, and explore your thought process. Neal addresses some listener mail and then reviews one of his OTB games where he was having an off night. There...

Happy New Year! For our first episode of 2024, Neal answers some questions from our listener mailbag and shares his chess study plan for 2024.  Chapters: (00:00) - Intro (01:20) - Neal's 2024 Study Plan (09:57) - Are YouTube Videos Helpful?...

Happy Holidays! This week, Neal shares a brief holiday message. Thank you to everyone for supporting the show. We saw a major uptick in downloads in 2023. We'll be taking an extended holiday/end-of-year break and will resume on Sunday, January 14,...

Many club-level players consistently have trouble facing 1. d4. This week, we explore why that is, and offer some practical and philosophical advice. Chapters: (00:00) - Intro (01:40) - 1. d4 General Thoughts (07:00) - Social Media and 1. d4 (12:12)...

The Botvinnik System is a solid opening choice for White that is easy to learn. We also discuss system openings generally and how they can benefit club players with limited study time. **Errata: In the episode at (23:31), it should be 8. d3, not e3....

This week we take a deep dive into some of the most common thematic mistakes that club players make on a regular basis. Most of them have to do with misguided tournament strategies and mishandling your opponent, rather than a lack of chess theory. ...

FM Alex King returns to the podcast to share his journey from NM to FM. In addition, we discuss some practical improvement topics that club players of all levels should find useful. Check out if you missed Alex's first appearance on the pod. Alex...

Andy Ansel is a devoted chess enthusiast who is well known for his impressive book collection which features over 15,000 items. He also has an extensive tournament background with a peak rating of USCF 2100. His playing experience includes games...

David MacEnulty is a legendary chess coach best known for his work with disadvantaged children at Community Elementary School #70 in the South Bronx in New York City. He took them from beginning players to national scholastic champions, an astonishing...

For this season's first interview episode, Neal spoke with Xilin Chen, a 24-year old student at Stonybrook University and a Long Island Chess Club regular. Xilin described his chess improvement activities: lots of 3-0 and 1-0 online games, analyzing...

There's a lot of chess advice out there, but is all of it sound? Will these suggestions really help you, especially if you're an emerging player looking to get to the intermediate level?  While this episode is primarily aimed at players rated...

This week we continue our discussion of IM Jeremy Silman. Some are critical of his method, and while Neal considers Silman's system to be essential for improvement, he shares a few nitpicks of his own in the spirit of thoroughness....

Welcome to Season 6! Sadly, renowned chess educator IM Jeremy Silman passed away recently. Many consider his content to be essential for amateur improvement. He is probably best known for his system of imbalances and its application to the middlegame....

This episode is our Season 5 Finale. Season 6 coming soon! Our guest this week is Brian  Karen, a Candidate Master, chess educator, historian, and regular contributor to the podcast. We discussed the evolution of chess clubs and the amateur...

In this episode, we unravel the English Opening from Black's point of view for club players and adult improvers. We tackle the unfamiliarity and anxiety that comes with confronting 1. c4 and share three variations that will boost your confidence as...

Ready to shake up your chess game with some unconventional openings? In our latest episode, we make a case for occasionally adding complexity to your game. By getting higher-rated opponents out of their comfort zone early on, you can create an...

Did you know that the world of chess ratings can be as intriguing and mysterious as the game itself?  How significant are tactics, game analysis, and a consistent opening repertoire for players rated below 1800? We go a step further, shedding...