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...
Oct 06, 2024•50 min
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 Jam...
Sep 29, 2024•46 min•Ep. 127
🎯 Please SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube Channel ! 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 in...
Sep 22, 2024•47 min•Ep. 126
🎯 Please SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube Channel ! What are the qualifications to be a "good" chess player? This week's episode is a reaction to the Reddit post When Can You Tell Someone You Are Good at Chess? 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: The World's Most Instructive Amateur Game Book (chess.com forum) The Worl...
Sep 15, 2024•51 min•Ep. 125
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? Leave a voicemail message! 🎙 📧 If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at [email protected] . 🎯 Our Links: Website Twitter (X) YouTube Buy Me a Coffee...
Sep 08, 2024•40 min•Ep. 124
This week's episode is a response to the Reddit post What are some of the most advanced and incomprehensible concepts in chess? 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 u...
Sep 01, 2024•35 min•Ep. 123
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: Simple Chess (Amazon) Winning Chess Strategies (Amazon) Ep. 113: Stop Dropping P...
Aug 25, 2024•36 min•Ep. 122
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...
Aug 18, 2024•26 min•Ep. 121
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 The World's Most Instructive Amateur Game Book (Amazon) by NM ...
Aug 11, 2024•46 min•Ep. 120
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...
Aug 04, 2024•36 min•Ep. 119
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: Why Play the King's Indian Attack? How to Play the King's Indi...
Jul 28, 2024•33 min•Ep. 118
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 7 Hot Takes That Are Just True 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 Ope...
Jul 07, 2024•22 min•Ep. 117
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...
Jun 30, 2024•43 min•Ep. 116
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 ...
Jun 23, 2024•40 min•Ep. 115
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 ...
Jun 16, 2024•39 min•Ep. 114
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 ...
Jun 09, 2024•36 min•Ep. 113
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 [email protected] . 🎯 Our Links: Website Twitter (X) YouTube Buy Me a Coffee...
Jun 02, 2024•44 min•Ep. 112
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 (Amazo...
May 26, 2024•46 min•Ep. 111
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 experie...
May 19, 2024•58 min•Ep. 110
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 (WS...
May 12, 2024•31 min•Ep. 109
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 [email protected] . 🎯 Our Links: Website Twitter (X) YouTube Patreon Buy Me a Coffee...
May 05, 2024•32 min•Ep. 108
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 ...
Apr 28, 2024•55 min•Ep. 107
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 Ch...
Apr 21, 2024•58 min•Ep. 106
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 you...
Apr 14, 2024•35 min•Ep. 105
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 - P...
Mar 24, 2024•35 min•Ep. 104
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.or...
Mar 17, 2024•49 min•Ep. 103
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...
Mar 10, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 102
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, & Mo...
Mar 03, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 101
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...
Feb 25, 2024•43 min•Ep. 100
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 Mi...
Feb 18, 2024•37 min•Ep. 99
