Ep. 107: Check, Mate, Cheat: Unveiling the Dark Side of Chess Tournament Shenanigans
Release Date: 04/28/2024
Ep. 125: Are Adult Improvers "Good" at Chess?
The Chess Angle
🎯 Please SUBSCRIBE to our ! What are the qualifications to be a "good" chess player? This week's episode is a reaction to the Reddit post We cover the following and more: Should you tell your opponent he forgot to press his clock? How to play against kids The dangers of "coffee house" chess Is it the hours you put in or what you put in the hours? Referenced: (chess.com forum) (lichess study) 📧 If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at . 🎯 Our Links:
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Ep. 124: Are Amateur Players Qualified to Coach Chess?
The Chess Angle
This week's offering is a dedicated Listener Mailbag episode. We cover the following and more: Using "inflection points" to improve Does using a chess engine "turn off your brain?" Should you study with an amateur chess coach? Is rating deflation real? 📧 If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at . 🎯 Our Links:
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Ep. 123: The Most Confusing Chess Concepts for Developing Players
The Chess Angle
This week's episode is a response to the Reddit post At the time of this recording, there were over 150 responses. The following concepts, among others, were frequently cited as being difficult to understand: Pawn play En passant Rook and pawn endings K & Q vs. K & R Initiative vs. material Piece coordination When to fianchetto Piece sacrifices 📧 If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at . 🎯 Our Links:
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Ep. 122: Online Blitz Chess and Adult Improvement
The Chess Angle
Most players agree that slower time controls are beneficial for chess growth, but what about blitz chess? Can online blitz chess help you improve? Are certain blitz time controls better than others? Should you always play with an increment? What about bullet chess? In this episode, Neal shares the results of an informal online chess experiment where he played several blitz games at various time controls. Referenced: 📧 If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at . 🎯 Our Links: The Amazon links above are affiliate links. Qualifying...
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Ep. 121: Avoiding "Panic Moves" in Chess (Game Analysis #11)
The Chess Angle
Your opponent has a better position or plays a move that catches you by surprise. Rather than keep your composure while patiently analyzing, you become frustrated, despondent, and convince yourself your position and/or your opponent's apparent threat is worse than it is. As a result, you bang out an unnecessary (and weakening) defensive move. Sound familiar? You just played a "panic move." This week we take a look at this common chess ailment. Game Referenced: 1900 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. b3 d6 11....
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Ep. 120: Fix Your Chess Mistakes! (Review of "The World's Most Instructive Amateur Game Book")
The Chess Angle
For club-level chess players and adult improvers, an argument can be made that amateur games are significantly more instructive than Grandmaster games. Amateur games feature themes, ideas, mistakes, and erroneous thought processes that are highly instructive, while the ideas in Grandmaster games are often esoteric and difficult to process. Simply put, amateur games are ripe with instructional value. This week's episode is a review of (Amazon) by NM Dan Heisman. It is a collection of 30 deeply annotated amateur games. The written prose and explanations are outstanding. We cover the...
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Ep. 119: Ineffective Chess Study Habits
The Chess Angle
Developing tournament players are often told the following: study tons of Master games, drill tactics, review mate-in-one puzzles, and do not spend more than 10% of your study time on openings. Is this advice accurate, somewhat accurate, or misguided? This week, we take a look at the pros and cons of common chess study activities. We cover: Offense-only exercises Playing vs. studying: What's the correct ratio? Analyzing with a chess engine Opening study: How much is required? Scaffolding GM game collections Online chess Referenced: (Amazon) (Amazon) 📧 If you have a question or topic...
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Ep. 118 (S8 Premiere): Chess Improvement Realities (Also, The King’s Indian Attack Opening System)
The Chess Angle
Welcome to Season 8! Neal begins by discussing the state of the podcast and some harsh truths about chess improvement that are arguably not mentioned enough. The final segment is a discussion of the King's Indian Attack, an easy-to-learn, theoretically sound system-opening for White after 1. Nf3 or 1. e4. It can be played against any Black defense, but is particularly effective against the French, Sicilian, and Caro-Kann. Referenced: Sample Lines: 1.e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.Ngf3 Nf6 5.g3 Nc6 6.Bg2 Be7 7.0-0 0-0 8.Re1 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.g3 d5 3.Bg2 c6 4.d3 Bg4 5.O-O Nbd7 6.Nbd2 1.Nf3 d5...
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Ep. 117 (S7 Finale): Online Chess "Doomsday Feature" to Stop Your Losing Streak
The Chess Angle
This week's episode is our Season 7 Finale (Season 8 coming soon...). In this light, laid-back, rapid-fire episode, Neal reacts to the enjoyable chess.com article by Pedro Pinhata, a Sr. Digital Content Writer for chess.com. Mr. Pinhata's 7 Hot Takes: Stalemate Being A Draw Is Awesome Chess.com Should Come With A Doomsday Device Online Chess Is Better Than Over-The-Board People Who Play 1+0 Bullet Are Not OK 1.d4 Is Better Than 1.e4 The London Is The Best Chess Opening You Should Never "Never Resign" 📧 If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at . 🎯...
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Ep. 116: The Truth About Bishops & Knights for the Club-Level Chess Player (Game Analysis #10)
The Chess Angle
This week, Neal discusses another instructive tournament game. We cover the following and more: "Frustration" moves Attacking the fianchetto pawn structure When those h3/h6 pawn moves are good (or bad) Moving the same piece twice early on Useless one-move attacks Bishop vs. Knight Game Referenced: Neal vs. 1697 (G/90;d10) 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 e6 3. e3 b6 4. h3 Bb7 5. Nf3 d6 6. Be2 Be7 7. O-O O-O 8. Nbd2 Nbd7 9. c3 Re8 10. a4 a5 11. Qc2 Rc8 12. Qd1 h6 13. Re1 Bf8 14. Bh2 e5 15. dxe5 dxe5 16. Nc4 Bxf3 17. Bxf3 e4 18. Be2 Nc5 19. Ne5 Qxd1 20. Rexd1 Bd6 21. Nc6 Bxh2+ 22. Kxh2 Re6 23. Nd4 Rd6 24. Nf5...
info_outlineThis 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 [email protected].
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