Ep. 152: Grinding Out Endgame Wins at the Club Level (Game Analysis #14)
Release Date: 05/11/2025
Ep. 172: Your Online Chess Cleanup Plan
The Chess Angle
In this episode, we discuss how to play online chess in a way that actually helps your over-the-board results. Neal shares his simple, practical method for structuring online sessions so you train with intention instead of just clicking moves. If you’ve ever felt like your online grind isn’t translating to real improvement, this one’s for you. 📧 If you have a question, comment, or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at . 🎯 Our Links:
info_outline
Ep. 171: Adult Chess Improvement Q & A
The Chess Angle
It’s another listener mailbag episode! We answer your questions about adult chess improvement, balancing study with real life, and everything in between. Plus, we share a few listener comments that hit close to home for the club player grind. 📧 If you have a question, comment, or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at . 🎯 Our Links:
info_outline
Ep. 170: The Colle System (The Working Adult’s Opening)
The Chess Angle
Between work, family, and everything else, who has time to learn 20 moves of opening theory? The Colle System offers a solid, low-maintenance way to get a good game every time. Learn the basic plans, the Colle–Zukertort twist, and why this simple setup still scores at the club level. Referenced: 📧 If you have a question, comment, or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at . 🎯 Our Links:
info_outline
Ep. 169: The Nimzo-Indian Defense, Junior Opponents, & More (Game Analysis #15)
The Chess Angle
In this episode, we tackle two very different challenges for club players: the Nimzo-Indian Defense and facing those fearless, fast-moving, and sometimes poorly behaved junior opponents at tournaments. Game Referenced: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Bd2 Bxc3 5. Bxc3 Ne4 6. Bb4 d6 7. Qc2 f5 8. e3 b6 9. f3 Nf6 10. Bd3 Nc6 11. Bc3 O-O 12. Nh3 Bb7 13. Ng5 Qd7 14. e4 fxe4 15. fxe4 e5 16. dxe5 Nxe5 17. O-O-O h6 18. Nf3 Nxd3+ 19. Qxd3 Bxe4 20. Qe3 Bh7 21. Ne5 Qe6 22. g4 dxe5 23. g5 Qf5 24. Kd2 Rad8+ 25. Ke2 Ng4 26. Qg3 Qe4+ 0-1 📧 If you have a question, comment, or topic idea for a future...
info_outline
Ep. 168: How "Find a Better Move" Ruined My Chess
The Chess Angle
You’ve heard the quote: “When you see a good move, look for a better one.” Sounds smart - until it makes you overthink every position. In this episode, we talk about why perfectionism hurts amateur chess improvement and how to play more practical, confident moves. Referenced: (chesscom blog) 📧 If you have a question, comment, or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at . 🎯 Our Links:
info_outline
Ep. 167: The Casuals Strike Back: How to Beat Chess Diehards
The Chess Angle
They study eight hours a day - you study between work meetings and bedtime. They’ve memorized the entire Najdorf - you’ve memorized your kids’ soccer schedule. In this episode, we talk about how to take on the true chess diehards with solid fundamentals, smart preparation, and the right mindset. Referenced: (Reddit) (chesscom article) 📧 If you have a question, comment, or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at . 🎯 Our Links:
info_outline
Ep. 166: The Busy Adult's Guide to Chess Success
The Chess Angle
Early release! This week we share some thoughts on chess improvement while "adulting." Referenced: (First segment: LICC origin story) (Mailbag Segment: starting a chess club) 📧 If you have a question, comment, or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at . 🎯 Our Links:
info_outline
Ep. 165: Why I (Probably) Will Never Play in a Weekend Tournament Ever Again
The Chess Angle
This week we discuss the dark side of weekend chess tournaments in the US. 📧 If you have a question, comment, or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at . 🎯 Our Links:
info_outline
Ep. 164: Why Is My 900-Rated Opponent Playing Like a Master?
The Chess Angle
So your opponent is rated "only" 900 or "only" 1200 but is playing extremely well. He's not hanging anything or falling victim to tactical traps and is also demonstrating a working knowledge of positional and strategic ideas. Welcome to modern tournament chess! This episode is a response to this . 📧 If you have a question, comment, or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at . 🎯 Our Links:
info_outline
Ep. 163: Adult Chess Improvement & Content Creation From a Gen-Z Perspective feat. Anthony Arena
The Chess Angle
This week's episode features Anthony Arena, a 27-year-old data analyst, amateur player, content creator, and Long Island Chess Club regular. Our conversation focused on chess improvement in the digital era, tournament play, and more. Links for Anthony Arena: 📧 If you have a question, comment, or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at . 🎯 Our Links:
info_outlineThis 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 analyze is below. We reference the highly recommended book The Survival Guide to Competitive Chess (Amazon) by GM John Emms, who was a previous guest on the pod (Episode #40).
1. Nf3 b6 2. g3 Bb7 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. c4 e6 5. O-O Be7 6. Nc3 O-O 7. d3 c5 8. e4 d6
9. Nd2 Nc6 10. f4 Qd7 11. g4 Nd4 12. g5 Ne8 13. Nf3 Nxf3+ 14. Bxf3 Nc7 15. Be3
d5 16. Bf2 dxc4 17. dxc4 Qxd1 18. Raxd1 Rad8 19. Kg2 f6 20. h4 fxg5 21. hxg5 Bc6
22. Rxd8 Rxd8 23. Rd1 Rxd1 24. Bxd1 Kf7 25. Be3 Bd6 26. Bf3 g6 27. e5 Bxf3+ 28.
Kxf3 Be7 29. Bd2 Ne8 30. Kg4 Kg7 31. Ne4 Kh8 32. Be3 Ng7 33. Bf2 Nf5 34. b3 h5+
35. gxh6 Nxh6+ 36. Kf3 Kg7 37. Ng5 Bxg5 38. fxg5 Nf5 39. Ke4 Kf7 40. Kd3 Ke7 41.
Ke4 Kd7 42. a4 Kc6 43. Kd3 Kb7 44. Kc3 a5 45. Kd3 Ne7 46. Ke4 Nc6 47. Be3 Ne7
48. Bf2 Nc6 49. Kd3?? Nxe5+ 50. Ke4 Nf7 51. Bg3 Nxg5+ 52. Kf4 Nf7 0-1
📧 If you have a question, comment, or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at info@thechessangle.com.
🎯 Our Links:
The Amazon link above is an affiliate link. Qualifying purchases help support the podcast at no additional cost to you.