The Chess Angle

This week, Neal begins by diving into the listener mailbag. This is followed by an instructive analysis of a recent OTB tournament game. We cover the following and more: A common piece of chess coaching advice that is often more idealistic than realistic The Pirc Defense (1. e4 d6) Play in the center Queen's Indian Defense Exchange sequences Rook and pawn endings The OTB thought process Game Referenced: 1831 vs. Neal (G/90;d10) 1. d4 e6 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. Nc3 Ne4 8. Qc2 Nxc3 9. Qxc3 Be4 10. Nd2 Bxg2 11. Kxg2 d5 12. e4 c5 13. cxd5 exd5 14. dxc5 Bxc5 15. Nb3 d4 16. Qc4 Qe7 17. Nxc5 bxc5 18. f3 Nd7 19. b4 Rac8 20. bxc5 Qxc5 21. Qxc5 Nxc5 22. Ba3 Rfd8 23. Bxc5 Rxc5 24. Rad1 Kf8 25. Rd2 Ke7 26. Rfd1 Ke6 27. f4 f6 28. Kf3 Ra5 29. Rxd4 Rxd4 30. Rxd4 Rxa2 1/2-1/2 📧 If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at info@thechessangle.com. 🎯 Our Links:  Website Twitter (X) YouTube Buy Me a Coffee

Like it or not, the clock is just as much a part of tournament chess as the board and pieces. Poor clock management is a consistent problem for many players. We cover: Why clock management is essential for tournament success Common causes of time-trouble (and how to avoid it) The dangers of perfectionism and obsessing over the "best" move An interesting trick you can use to get your opponent into time trouble Referenced: Ep. 16: "Chess for Tigers" Ep. 29: "The Seven Deadly Chess Sins" Chess for Tigers (Amazon) The Seven Deadly Chess Sins (Amazon) 📧 If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at info@thechessangle.com. 🎯 Our Links:  Website Twitter (X) YouTube Buy Me a Coffee The Amazon links above are affiliate links. Qualifying purchases help support this podcast at no additional cost to you.

You hang one pawn, then eight moves later you hang another, and then your opponent easily wins the game while you're still processing where you went wrong.. This is all too common at the club level. In addition, Neal dives into the Listener Mailbag. Game Referenced: Neal vs. 1490 (G/90;d10) 1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 Bf5 3. e3 e6 4. Bd3 Bd6 5. Bg3 Nf6 6. Bxf5 exf5 7. Qf3 Qd7 8. Bxd6 Qxd6 9. c3 Qd7 10. Qe2 O-O 11. Nf3 Nc6 12. O-O Rfe8 13. Qc2 Qd6 14. Qxf5 Ne7 15. Qc2 Ng6 16. Nbd2 Ng4 17. Rae1 Re6 18. h3 Nf6 19. c4 c5 20. cxd5 Qxd5 21. b3 Ne4 22. Nxe4 Rxe4 23. Qxc5 Qd8 24. Rc1 h6 25. Rc2 b6 26. Qc7 Qe7 27. Qxe7 Rxe7 28. Rfc1 1-0 📧 If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at info@thechessangle.com. 🎯 Our Links:  Website Twitter (X) YouTube Buy Me a Coffee

National Master Nick Panico returns to the pod for some "chess coffee talk" and shares his insights from the tournament scene. We cover: Developing a tournament routine Playing while distracted What to do when the guy next to you won't stop coughing Our thoughts on caffeine consumption as a chess player Preparing for OTB play 📧 If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at info@thechessangle.com. 🎯 Our Links:  Website Twitter (X) YouTube Buy Me a Coffee

This week we take a deep dive into the psychology of draw offers for the club-level player. Strategically offering or accepting a draw can add quite a number of points to your rating. We break this down in detail. Referenced: Ep. #40: Tournament Strategy feat. GM John Emms Ep. #53: NM Rob Guevara on Why He Declines All Draw Offers Ep. #57: GM Alex Lenderman on Adult Improvement, Chess Cheating, & More The Complete Book of Chess Strategy (Amazon) The Survival Guide to Competitive Chess (Amazon) 📧 If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at info@thechessangle.com. 🎯 Our Links:  Website Twitter (X) YouTube Patreon Buy Me a Coffee The Amazon links above are affiliate links. Qualifying purchases help support this podcast at no additional cost to you.  

This podcast recently crossed the half-a-million download mark! Thank you all for your support of The Chess Angle. This week's guest is International Master Michael Rahal. Michael is a professional trilingual chess coach, content creator, and FIDE Press Officer. In this jam-packed episode, he provides thoughtful insight on the challenges of improving at chess as an adult and why there's not always a positive correlation between chess study and tournament results. Michael also details his experiences interviewing some of the world's most elite players including Magnus Carlsen. He then shares his thoughts on the chess content creation space and previews his upcoming Chessable and YouTube projects. Links for IM Michael Rahal: Twitter/X YouTube Instagram 📧 If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at info@thechessangle.com. 🎯 Our Links:  Website Twitter (X) YouTube Patreon Buy Me a Coffee

This week's pod is an updated and revised version of Episode 12: Chess Improvement Hacks for Busy People. Neal offers some practical time-saving hacks for busy adults with limited study time and argues that social media overload may harm your chess progress.   If you're enjoying the pod, please consider telling your chess playing friends about us and giving us a 5-star review on your podcast app of choice. We appreciate your support! Referenced: 12 Apps We Can't Stop Using, for Better or Worse (WSJ article) Episode #43: Are Electronic Notation Devices Legit?  📧 If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at info@thechessangle.com. 🎯 Our Links:  Website Twitter (X) YouTube Patreon Buy Me a Coffee

This week, Neal shares some tips, tricks, and harsh realities he learned from playing in chess tournaments over the years. 📧 If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at info@thechessangle.com. 🎯 Our Links:  Website Twitter (X) YouTube Patreon Buy Me a Coffee

This week, Neal puts on his tournament director hat to discuss rule violation scenarios using real examples from amateur chess tournaments. We also include common mishaps and misunderstandings at the club level regarding rules and procedures. Amateur players of all levels should find this episode both informative and entertaining! Special thanks to Pat Barron, friend of the pod and fellow TD from Pennsylvania whose correspondence was the basis of this episode. 📧 If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at info@thechessangle.com. 🎯 Our Links:  Website Twitter (X) YouTube Patreon Buy Me a Coffee

This week's guest is Australian Grandmaster Max Illingworth. Max is a coach, author, and blogger who has lots of experience working with adult chess improvers and a sincere interest in helping them get better. His chess.com blog is instruction rich and formed the basis of our conversation. Max shared his thoughts on why many adult players have trouble improving, including the erroneous thought processes and approaches that hinder progress. As a reminder, you can become a Patreon member of The Chess Angle. For just $2 a month, you can support the show while receiving a few perks including access to a members-only blog, Neal's personal episode notes/outlines, priority consideration for questions/topic suggestions, and early access to select episodes. If you're interested in a single donation, we also have a Buy Me a Coffee page, where you can buy us a "virtual" coffee as a one-off contribution. We appreciate your support of the pod! Links for GM Max Illingworth: Chess.com Blog Twitter/X YouTube Dismantling the Sicilian (Amazon) Coaching inquiries: Email illingworthchess@gmail.com or DM at https://m.me/max.illingworth.16 📧 If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at info@thechessangle.com. 🎯 Our Links:  Website Twitter (X) YouTube Patreon Buy Me a Coffee

Welcome to Season 7! As a reminder, you can become a Patreon member of The Chess Angle. For just $2 a month, you can support the show while receiving a few perks including access to a members-only blog, Neal's personal episode notes/outlines, priority consideration for questions/topic suggestions, and early access to select episodes.  If you're interested in a single donation, we also have a Buy Me a Coffee page, where you can buy us a "virtual" coffee as a one-off contribution. We appreciate your support of the pod! This week, we discuss how to "Marie Kondo" your chess study plan if you're rated about 800-1200 and you're looking to break the 1400 barrier. You don't need to buy 100 chess books, 25 courses, and join seven different online training programs. A streamlined collection of chess study materials covering each phase and theme of the game combined with lots of OTB experience is probably all you need for quite some time. In this episode, we cover: Why playing is just as crucial as studying How much study material do you need? How often should you study? Using chess study materials appropriately What NOT to study  Putting it all together Referenced: Ep. 99: How to Approach Chess Study as a Beginner or Advanced Beginner The Amateur's Mind Chess for Tigers Starting Out: The Caro-Kann Winning Chess Strategies Pandolfini's Endgame Course Silman's Complete Endgame Course How to Study Chess on Your Own Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual Introduction to Tactics Endings, Openings, A Taste of the Middle 📧 If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at info@thechessangle.com. 🎯 Our Links:  Website Twitter (X) YouTube Patreon Buy Me a Coffee ♟Some of the links above are affiliate links which earn us a small commission on qualifying purchases. This helps support the podcast at no additional cost to you.♟  

This episode is our Season 6 finale. We'll be taking a short break and will return with Season 7 on April 14, 2024. This week, we discuss ten common reasons why players at the club level lose games: 1 - Non-processing 2 - Rushing against odd opening moves 3 - Neglecting development/premature attacks 4 - Misplaying castling 5 - Rook posing 6 - Too much French pastry 7 - Trading down to a losing King and pawn ending 8 - Trying too hard to win 9 - Being cavalier against lower-rated opponents 10 - Poor clock management 🎯 Support the Show:  Patreon  Buy Me a Coffee 📧 If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at info@thechessangle.com. 🔗 Our links: Website Twitter (X) YouTube  

This week's guest, Tim Just, is a major figure in tournament directing and chess administration. He is a National TD, editor of the 5th-7th editions of the US Chess Rulebook, author, and columnist. When it comes to directing amateur chess tournaments, he's done it all and seen it all. In this episode, Tim shares a number of wild and entertaining anecdotes from the amateur chess scene. You can't make this stuff up! Links for Tim Just: My Opponent is Eating a Doughnut Just Law Rules | US Chess.org (“Just the Rules” column) A Guide to Scholastic Chess 🎯 Support the Show:  Patreon  Buy Me a Coffee 📧 If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at info@thechessangle.com. 🔗 Our links: Website Twitter (X) YouTube ♟The Amazon links above are affiliate links which earn us a small commission on qualifying purchases. This helps support the podcast at no additional cost to you.♟

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 Twitter/X. You may be interested in subscribing to Nick's Substack where he shares book reviews, analysis of his OTB tournament games, and more. This week, Nick joined Neal for a candid conversation about chess improvement, the ups and downs of playing at the club level, and how the amateur chess scene has changed over the years. We cover: Is online blitz helpful or hurtful? Openings The psychology of facing lower and higher-rated players Ratings & improvement Study plans Tactics vs. positional play And more... Links for Nick Visel: Twitter/X Substack New York 1924 Review 🎯 Support the Show:  Patreon  Buy Me a Coffee 📧 If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at info@thechessangle.com. 🔗 Our links: Website Twitter (X) YouTube

In this jam-packed episode, return guest Grandmaster Daniel Gormally discusses the upcoming 2024 Candidates Chess Tournament: the players, controversies, history, and more. The winner of this event will challenge Ding Liren for the title of World Chess Champion. The Candidates begins on 4/3/24 in Toronto, Canada. Links for the Candidates Tournament: Chess.com Article  FIDE Article Links for GM Daniel Gormally: Ep. 96: GM Daniel Gormally on Adult Chess Improvement, the Cheating Epidemic, & More Mating the Castled King (Amazon) Pandemic Shark: A Journey Through the World of Chess Improvement (Amazon) Play Chess Like the Pros (Amazon) Sharp Middlegames (Chessable) Facebook Twitter (X) 🎯 Support the Show:  Patreon  Buy Me a Coffee 📧 If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at info@thechessangle.com. 🔗 Our links: Website Twitter (X) YouTube    

Welcome to our 100th episode! Be sure to check out our new and improved website. 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 Defense) Hippopotamus Defense 1…e6  1…b6  1…Nc6  Referenced: 10 Black "Opening Systems" (ThePawnSlayer chess.com blog) The Amateur’s Mind Winning Chess Strategies Simple Chess 🎯 Support the Show:  Patreon  Buy Me a Coffee 📧 If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at info@thechessangle.com. 🔗 Our links: Website Twitter (X) YouTube

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 beginners and advanced beginners should focus on and provide a number of suggested resources to get you started. Suggested Books: Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess How to Win at Chess: The Ultimate Guide for Beginners and Beyond (Levy Rozman) The Amateur’s Mind (Jeremy Silman) Winning Chess Strategies (Yasser Seirawan) Winning Chess Tactics (Yasser Seirawan) Pandolfini’s Endgame Course Suggested Online Lessons from Chess.com: Basic Checkmates and More Essential Checkmate Patterns Introduction to Tactics A Kaleidoscope of Openings Pawn Endings: Beginner to Expert (good for ALL levels) Rook and Other Endgames (a little advanced, but very thorough and good for ALL levels) 🎯 Support the Show:  Patreon  Buy Me a Coffee 📧 If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at info@thechessangle.com. 🔗 Our links: Website Twitter (X) YouTube

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 chessboard during OTB tournaments. There's definitely an emphasis on chess psychology for this episode. Chapters: (00:00) - Intro (00:48) - Chess and Music (07:38) - Dealing with Losses (17:00) - Frustration at the Chessboard (22:49) - The Chess Mindset (what to avoid) (49:42) - Outro 🎯 Support the Show:  Patreon  Buy Me a Coffee 📧 If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at info@thechessangle.com. 🔗 Our links: Website Twitter (X) YouTube

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 oneself, and much more. Chapters: (00:00) - Intro (03:48) - Dan's Beginnings (06:24) - Thoughts on Chess Titles (23:44) - Honesty with Oneself (29:43) - Adult Improvement (44:18) - 3...Qd8 Scandinavian Defense (55:29) - Opening Originals: Strong Sidelines for Club Cats (58:37) - Outro Links for NM Daniel Lowinger: The 3...Qd8 Scandinavian: Simple and Strong Opening Originals: Strong Sidelines for Club Cats Facebook 🎯 Support the Show:  Patreon  Buy Me a Coffee 📧 If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at info@thechessangle.com. 🔗 Our links: Website Twitter (X) YouTube

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 has represented England in the European Team Championship and is a two-time winner of the English Rapid Play Championship. He earned his final GM norm in 2005 in a tournament where he scored a 2693 performance rating.  Chapters: (00:00) - Intro (01:32) - English Chess Scene (10:25) - Computers, AI, & Engines (21:24) - Chess Cheating Epidemic (33:15) - Adult Improvement & Daniel's Instructional Content (58:59) - Outro Links for GM Daniel Gormally: Mating the Castled King (Amazon) Pandemic Shark: A Journey Through the World of Chess Improvement (Amazon) Play Chess Like the Pros (Amazon) Sharp Middlegames (Chessable) Facebook Twitter (X) 🎯 Support the Show:  Patreon  Buy Me a Coffee 📧 If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at info@thechessangle.com. 🔗 Our links: Website Twitter (X) YouTube