WGM Jennifer Shahade is a 2-time U.S. Women's Chess Champion, former Candidate in the Women's World Cup, a professional poker player, fellow podcaster, and critically acclaimed author of the books "Chess Bitch" and -- most recently -- "Chess Queens". She is also a dear friend of the podcast, and joined me last month to promote "Chess Queens". Purchase "Chess Queens" now on Amazon or at your local bookstore! 64: A Chess Podcast is sponsored by Chessable! CODA: Over the last month I have been insa...
Apr 25, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 12
Tatiana Flores is a chess journalist for Chessbase and Chess.com, and is the current FIDE World Champion for People with Disabilities. On this week's episode of 64: A Chess Podcast, Tatiana shares her story with me -- how chess helped her recover from health problems a few years ago, and how she won the World Championship a few months ago. We also talked about her favorite moments as a chess journalist, and Tatiana shared her thoughts with me about how the chess world can improve the sport for i...
Mar 31, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Season 2Ep. 11
(Newly-minted) FM James Canty III was the very first guest on 64: A Chess Podcast, and on the 1-year anniversary of the podcast, he re-joins the show to update me about his journey towards the GM title, his growth as a Twitch streamer, and the habits which allow him to achieve his goals. FM Canty has an infectious passion for chess, and it really shines through in this episode. James is a true friend of the pod, and it's always great to catch up with him! If you want to support him on his own jo...
Mar 25, 2022•57 min•Season 2Ep. 10
GM Noël Studer is a (2-time) Swiss Chess Champion. He was awarded the grandmaster title when he was 20 years old, making him the youngest person in Switzerland's history to reach GM. During his chess career, he played many top events including the Biel Chess Festival, GRENKE Open, and Gibraltar Masters; he also represented Switzerland in several Chess Olympiads. He started "Next Level Chess", a chess blog, in March 2021, and announced his retirement from professional chess in August 2021 to focu...
Mar 20, 2022•59 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Tarjei Svensen is the most prolific journalist working in the chess world today. Currently writing featured articles on chess24, Tarjei has also written for Chess.com, and many other platforms. With over 21,000 followers on Twitter, Tarjei is also one of my main sources for chess updates + tournament coverage for my own podcast. Tarjei joined me earlier this week to talk about the impact of the Russian invasion on the future of chess. Tarjei shared his thoughts on Sergey Karjakin's future in che...
Mar 14, 2022•45 min•Season 2Ep. 8
It's been almost a month since I recorded an episode of 64: A Chess Podcast, and in that time some cataclysmic events have occurred on our planet. Russia has invaded Ukraine, starting a war that has been internationally condemned by both opponents and allies of Putin. This war has obviously led to a massive loss of live and outflow of refugees from Ukraine, but it has also had consequences on the chess world. Joining me to talk about Ukraine and his own chess career is IM Yuriy Krykun, a Ukrania...
Mar 06, 2022•1 hr 16 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Last weekend, World Champion Magnus Carlsen played for his club Offerspill on 1st board in the top flight of the Norwegian League, and was miraculously held to a draw by Norwegian IM Geir Sune Østmoe. The game made International headlines as Magnus, who is currently pursuing the goal of 2900 Elo, lost all the Elo he gained after winning Tata Steel just a few days prior. IM Østmoe and GM Carlsen were opponents several times in the early 2000s, when both were youth players competing for chess glor...
Feb 10, 2022•59 min•Season 2Ep. 6
This week I'm joined by FM Anna-Maja Kazarian. FM Kazarian, as of recording this episode, has over 23,000 Twitch followers, and is signed to the e-sports organization Alliance as a content creator and competitive chess player. She won the Dutch Online Women's Chess Championship in 2021, and has played in several OTB tournaments, trying to bring her rating back to 2300+. She started streaming a little under two years ago and has cultivated a positive, welcoming community on her one-of-a-kind Twit...
Jan 31, 2022•1 hr 20 min•Season 2Ep. 5
This week I am joined by FM Nate Solon. Away from the board, FM Solon is a data scientist, which informs his work when blogging and writing about chess. Years ago he was a professional poker player, and to this day is a somewhat active chess player. He also works as a consultant for Chessable, a member of the Play Magnus Group. This discussion with Nate, about studying and improving at chess in the context of engines and computers, is one of the most fascinating and deep discussions I've ever ho...
Jan 23, 2022•1 hr 11 min•Season 2Ep. 4
This week I am joined by the lads from the Chess Pit Podcast-- Jon, Phil, and Robin. I came on their podcast during the Magnus-Nepo match and discussed the state of the chess media-sphere ( you can check out that episode here ). We continued that discussion on this episode of 64: A Chess Podcast, and also gave our thoughts on the perils of being hyperfixated on immediate and stark chess improvement. Talking with the Chess Pit guys made me feel like I was sitting on my couch talking sports with m...
Jan 17, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Season 2Ep. 3
This week on 64: A Chess Podcast, I was joined by GM Ruslan Ponomariov. GM Ponomariov was the youngest GM in history when he obtained the title, won the 2002 FIDE World Championship at 18 years old, and has played & won many elite tournaments, including the Tal Memorial 2006, San Sebastian 2009, and the Ukrainian Championship in 2011 and 2013. He recently played in the FIDE Grand Swiss and is still playing tournaments and coaching the next generation of chess talent. It was wonderful getting...
Jan 13, 2022•1 hr 37 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Happy 2022, everyone! I'm joined this week by Benjamin Portheault ( @BenjiPortheault ), a performance coach for mental athletes who has worked with chess players across a wide range of ratings -- from tournament players to someone (anonymous) who was trying to qualify for the Candidates. This was a lovely discussion that covered a bunch of topics, from the 2021 World Championship to sleep deprivation (!!!!). I'm grateful to Benji for coming on the show and hope to have him again! I've opened a Y...
Jan 08, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 1
On 64: A Chess Podcast's final episode of 2021, I spoke to NM Sophie Morris Suzuki, who took 5th place at the U.S. Junior Women's Championship earlier in 2021 while on a gap break from college. We had actually recorded an episode together back in July, but for some reason Zoom did not record my audio while we taped the episode and as a result I could not actually release the episode. I'd been waiting to tape an episode with Sophie for months and I'm glad we could end 2021 on a high note, reflect...
Dec 31, 2021•46 min•Season 1Ep. 27
IM Greg Shahade is the commissioner of the PRO Chess League. Along with his sister Jennifer (who was on my podcast a few months ago!), Greg was a talented junior player in his youth who has worked on growing chess in the United States for his entire career, both as an educator and as an organizer of chess events. Among many other achievements, he has one GM norm, and was awarded the Samford Fellowship in 1999. He also founded the New York Masters and the U.S. Chess League (the predecessor to the...
Dec 08, 2021•1 hr 25 min•Season 1Ep. 26
Tai Pruce-Zimmerman ( @chessnumbers ), also known as "Chess by the Numbers", has been running a chess blog for many years. Fueled by statistical analysis and intense attention to trends in the chess world, he has reported about everything from the rise of chess prodigies to probabilities of tournament results. His work has also fueled a lot of the discussion that I've had about certain storylines in top-flight chess. With the World Chess Championship just days away and with a certain teenager ca...
Nov 24, 2021•1 hr 29 min•Season 1Ep. 25
NM Jeremy Kane is the Curriculum Director for Chess.com. He won the Wisconsin State Championship in 2007 and has worked as a chess teacher/coach/mentor for many years. He last made an appearance on the podcast in July, where he teased a book called "The Next to Last Mistake" which he had been writing for several years. Next month, the book will be released! I invited Jeremy back on the show for a deep dive into the thoughts that went into writing the book. We also talked a bit about the atmosphe...
Nov 17, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 24
lularobs is a chess streamer from Jersey, UK. She started playing chess almost a year ago, when "The Queen's Gambit" was capturing the attention and imagination of audiences all over the world. She started streaming shortly after -- since then, she's gained 3,500 followers on Twitch, and recently became a partner streamer with Chess.com. A few days ago, she won the second edition of the Dragon Masters tournament on Chess.com -- her first ever tournament! Her chess skills have progressed rapidly ...
Nov 10, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Season 1Ep. 23
FM Michiel Abeln is a chess author, best known for his critically acclaimed book "The Anand Files" which details the games and stories surrounding Viswanathan Anand's three World Championship titles. Michiel has recently published a Chessable course on the Leningrad Dutch, a dynamic response to 1.d4 which is aimed towards adult improvers. Long-time listeners know that I adore "The Anand Files". It is a unique book; part game collection, part journalism, part narrative storytelling, painting a vi...
Nov 02, 2021•1 hr 31 min•Season 1Ep. 22
Martin Justesen is a published chess author from Denmark. Martin's books are aimed for adult improvers like him, across all levels. He recently adapted Jose Raul Capablanca's classic "Chess Fundamentals" into algebraic notation so that newer players would be able to tap into his vast knowledge. He's also written books on blindfold endgame calculation, "headachingly hard" mate-in-two puzzles, and even an opening journal for recording OTB ideas in openings. Because Martin is Danish, we also talked...
Oct 19, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 21
NM Ben Johnson is the host of the Perpetual Chess Podcast, which recently joined the Blue Wire Podcasts family. Perpetual Chess has 1,000,000+ streams in over 100 countries and, since its inception five years ago, has been the gold standard for chess podcasts. Ben has interviewed everyone from competitive tournament players to World Champions (Anand and Kramnik) of the game. Ben's podcasting empire has expanded well beyond traditional interviews with GMs and other figures in the chess world. Wit...
Oct 03, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 20
64: A Chess Podcast is back, after a brief hiatus! On this episode I was joined by British National Master Dan Gallagher. Dan experienced a lot of success in their youth as a tournament chess player. Dan recently claimed their National Master title and is currently grinding for the FM title, looking to play in the British League and in Hastings this year. Outside of chess, Dan is finishing a philosophy degree at the University of Cambridge. NM Gallagher is also an active coach who is always look...
Sep 25, 2021•53 min•Season 1Ep. 19
IM Kostya Kavutskiy has basically done it all in the chess world. He is an active tournament player, has written for chess magazines, authored a book on the Open Sicilian, and has coached many, many students across all skill levels. He is also an accomplished streamer who has been at it on Twitch for a few years! Last year, IM Kavutskiy created the "Chess Dojo" as a means of gathering chess improvers and improvement resources under one virtual roof. The results have been electrifying -- along wi...
Sep 05, 2021•1 hr 22 min•Season 1Ep. 18
WGM Jennifer Shahade is a two-time US Women's Champion, an all-star commentator for top-flight chess events, an avid podcaster for both chess and poker, a published author, and an icon for gender equality in our game. In fact, had I not watched Jennifer (along with GMs Maurice Ashley, Yasser Seirawan, and Cristian Chirila) commentate the St. Louis Rapid and Blitz 2017 with such enthusiasm and insight I might have never become a chess player myself! On this episode of 64, WGM Shahade and I talk a...
Aug 28, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 17
WGM Dina Belenkaya is an active tournament player, chess commentator, and streamer. As a player, she has won the St. Petersburg Chess Championship four times, and has played in several European Championships and World Cups (including in 2021!). As a commentator, she has provided commentary for the Online Olympiad, Corporate Chess Championship, and even official commentary for the FIDE broadcast of the 2021 Women's World Cup. She also streams chess on Twitch with her sister Asya, and their channe...
Aug 09, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Geert van der Velde is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of Chessable and Vice President of Content at the Play Magnus Group (NOTE: Play Magnus Group owns Aimchess which sponsors this podcast). Before working full-time as a chess company executive, Geert experienced some notable success in the music world as the vocalist of the metalcore band Shai Hulud in the late 90s and early 00s. Over the last few years, Geert has turned his passion for chess, along with his love for Chessable as a fan of the ...
Jul 24, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 15
NM Jeremy Kane is the Curriculum Director on Chess.com, the largest chess website in the world. He has worked with top grandmasters and chess personalities on curating and developing lessons which millions of users have utilized to improve their chess. Jeremy is also a chess coach, an alumnus of the University of Chicago, and a one-time alternate player for the Chicago Blaze, which played in the short-lived (but never forgotten) U.S. Chess League, a pre-cursor to the Pro Chess League. I was deli...
Jul 21, 2021•36 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Aaron Thompson is the Director of Outreach for Chess in Slums, a volunteer-driven non-profit started by Tunde Onakoya to enrich the lives of children in Nigeria who face economic adversity. He spent several years as a tournament director in the United States, but is working with Chess in Slums to promote their initiatives and to attract their sponsors. I was introduced to their work a few months ago on Twitter and hope I can do my part in sharing their stories and goals as they continue to grow ...
Jul 13, 2021•58 min•Season 1Ep. 13
In May 2021, WIM Jesse February won the Women's African Individual Championship, just the second South African player to win the tournament ever. Taking first place in this tournament means that Jesse will be awarded the Woman Grandmaster (WGM) title if she reaches 2100 rating. In just a few days, Jesse will compete for the World Cup in Sochi, Russia. She also streams with WCM Rebecca Selkirk on their Twitch channel, HashtagChess, which has grown very quickly over the last year. I am very gratef...
Jul 06, 2021•43 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Based in Boston, MA, GM Eugene Perelshteyn has done it all in the American chess world. He has competed in virtually every major tournament in the United States (World Open, U.S. Open, etc.), even finishing in 4th place at the 2008 US Championship. He has coached many students, from relatively new players to titled players. He is a published chess author, writing a complete repertoire for White and Black with Lev Alburt and Roman Dzindzichashvili. He also has created content online for chess imp...
Jul 03, 2021•1 hr 29 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Max Farberov is an USCF expert-level chess player from New Jersey. He has been coaching chess for several years and is trying to grind towards the National Master title. On this episode of 64, I spoke to Max about his recent tournament success at the Cherry Blossom Classic. We talked broadly about chess improvement and about OTB chess, including things that any player can do to start making gains in rating. Max is currently taking students and has a YouTube channel (ChessGainz) where he provides...
Jun 22, 2021•48 min•Season 1Ep. 10
