Ep. 153: There is NO Advantage to Having the White Pieces at the Amateur Level
This week is all about chess opening philosophy. We discuss a number of ideas about opening prep and argue that having the White pieces does not provide any meaningful advantage at the club level sinc...
18 Maj 202539min
Ep. 152: Grinding Out Endgame Wins at the Club Level (Game Analysis #14)
This week we discuss endgame strategy for club players and some other stuff as well. Grinding out a win in an "even" endgame is a mixture of patience, stubbornness, and luck. A .pgn for the game we an...
11 Maj 202538min
Ep. 151: You Have 8 Years to Improve, Then It's Game Over: A Discussion & Debate About Adult Chess Improvement feat. NM Tim Mirabile
A number of years ago, GM Andy Soltis claimed that once a chess player becomes serious about the game, there is an 8-year window during which he achieves 90% of his maximum chess potential. Anything b...
4 Maj 202547min
Ep. 150: The Jobava London System: A Chess Opening for Busy Adults
The Jobava London (1. d4, 2. Nc3, 3. Bf4) is an opening system that is easy to learn, yet still has a lot of sting, especially against ...g6 set-ups by Black. It can easily throw off an opponent who's...
27 Apr 202540min
Ep. 149: Build Your Technique, Build Your Rating: The Game-Changer You Need
This episode is a review of the chess.com course "Build Your Technique" by FM Thomas Wolski. This is a highly recommended training module for adult players looking to improve. We also share some chess...
20 Apr 202538min
Ep. 148: Can An Adult Beginner Reach 1600?
This week we discuss ratings and improvement for busy adults. You may wish to check out the Reddit post referenced in this episode. 📧 If you have a question, comment, or topic idea for a future epis...
13 Apr 202538min
Ep. 147: Bird's Opening (1. f4), When to Sac a Piece (and when not to) at the Amateur Level, Material vs. Initiative & More (Game Analysis #13)
This episode is a thematic analysis of an amateur game with takeaways that are instruction rich. Topics covered: Bird's Opening (1. f4) Unnecessary defensive moves Sacrificing pieces Material vs. Ini...
6 Apr 202540min
Ep. 146: Better Tournaments, Better Chess: Creating Ideal Playing Conditions
This episode is a response to FM Nate Solon's excellent blog posts I Don't Like Chess Tournaments and What Would a Fun Chess Tournament Look Like? Neal reacts and shares his thoughts on weekend events...
30 Mars 202536min
