Ep. 116: The Truth About Bishops & Knights for the Club-Level Chess Player (Game Analysis #10)
Release Date: 06/30/2024
Ep. 132 (S8 Finale): Chess Teaching, Part 2: Materials, Resources, & Essential Concepts
The Chess Angle
This episode is our Season 8 Finale! Neal will be taking an extended end-of-year break and will return with Season 9 in January 2025. This week, we continue our discussion on chess teaching with a focus on materials, resources, and essential concepts for developing players. Referenced Resources and Materials: Chess.com Chessable Practical Chess Exercises The Amateur's Mind Winning Chess Tactics Winning Chess Strategies Jeff Coakley books (red and green) Pandolfini's Endgame Course Openings: Starting Out series by Everyman Chess Referenced Chess Concepts for Developing Players: General board...
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Ep. 131: Thoughts on Chess Teaching, Part 1: Philosophy & Structure
The Chess Angle
What are the qualities of a good chess coach? How can one become a chess teacher? How should lessons be organized and scheduled? This episode is Part One of Two about chess teaching from both the teacher and student point of view. This week we focus more on the former. We also cover the following topics: Annotating your own games Is there a "rating ceiling" no matter how hard one works to improve? Can you take notes during an OTB tournament game? How to find time to play OTB games as a busy adult Referenced: (Amazon) 📧 If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail...
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Ep. 130: Online Chess Cheating
The Chess Angle
This week, we share our thoughts about online chess cheating. We believe it is rampant, while the online servers seem to downplay the amount of cheating taking place. We hypothesize that cheaters are using specific methods in an attempt to avoid detection, and we created nicknames for these players. We discuss the following cheating personalities and more: Larry "Long Pause" Sal "Smooth Moves" Oliver "Obvious Recapture" Donald "Decoy Move" Peter "Perfect Attack" Orlando "Only When Needed" David "Deliberate Early Blunder" Referenced: (instructional videos for busy adult club players - still...
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Ep. 129: Seven Attacking Tips for Club-Level Chess Players
The Chess Angle
This week, Neal discusses attacking play for the amateur player. Arguably, club players should approach attacks differently than titled players. This episode is divided into three segments: Listener Mailbag (elderly advice, withdrawing from tourneys, improvement realities) Does US Chess appreciate its local tournament directors? (opinion piece) 7 attacking tips for the club player Referenced: (Amazon) (Amazon) 📧 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 purchases...
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Ep. 128: Boosting Your Chess Rating & Higher-Rated Opponents (Game Analysis #12)
The Chess Angle
Beating or drawing higher-rated opponents stems from winning the psychological game, since attempting to outplay them based solely on chess skill usually fails. We also discuss the following: Stop doing THIS and your rating will increase Opening choices Queenside castling: many forget to follow up with THIS move Why the Queen's Indian Defense is so powerful at the club level The "correct" time to consider offering a draw Playing & directing in the same event Game Referenced: 2013 vs. Neal (G/90;d10) 1. c4 b6 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. d4 Bb7 4. a3 e6 5. Bg5 Be7 6. e3 O-O 7. Nf3 Ne4 8. Bxe7 Qxe7 9....
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Ep. 127: Chess Study Plans & Formulas, the Club-Level Thought Process, Tournament Strategy & More feat. James Nidds
The Chess Angle
James Nidds is a 58-year-old amateur player and LI Chess Club regular rated 1808 (US Chess) at the time of this recording. He offers a great deal of advice and perspective on chess improvement as an adult. Talking points include the following & more: Beginners should focus on these THREE things The FOUR characteristics all good players possess How to handle opponents who play aggressively Why the 2000 Kasparov-Kramnik match changed James' approach permanently A sample chess study regimen James' belief that electronic training tools are more effective than books Why the idea that amateurs...
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Ep. 126: Should You Ever Withdraw From a Chess Tournament?
The Chess Angle
🎯 Please SUBSCRIBE to our ! After much planning and preparation, you're excited to play in a 6-round weekend event, but find yourself 0-3 heading into round 4 and feeling frustrated and dejected. Should you finish out the tournament or withdraw? We take a look at this and more. Topics covered: Weekend vs. club events Why tournament conditions favor stronger players Should you play "up?" The "sunk cost fallacy" and tournament psychology How to respond to "tilt" Referenced: The instructional videos below are from the which is in the early stages. All videos feature positions from...
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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:
info_outlineThis 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 Rxd1 25. Rxd1 Kf8 26. Rd4 Ne6 27. Rd2 Rd8 28. Rxd8+ Nxd8 29. Nd4 Nb7 30. Nb3 Nd7 31. f3 exf3 32. gxf3 Ndc5 33. Nxc5 Nxc5 34. Bb5 Ke7 35. b4 Ne6 36. Kg3 Kd6 37. Bc4 c6 38. f4 f6 39. e4 axb4 40. cxb4
c5 41. Bxe6 Kxe6 42. bxc5 bxc5 43. Kf3 c4 44. Ke3 g5 45. fxg5 hxg5 46. Kd4 c3 47. Kxc3 Kd6 48. a5 Kc5 49. a6 Kb6 1-0
📧 If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at [email protected].
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