This podcast includes an interview with Braden Laughlin, 23, from Canada. Braden is working really hard on his chess and aims at NM. As you can see on his rating graph he is taking steps in the right direction each month.

The interview focus on his most recent tournament and how it went, and the lessons learned.

Last year I also lost two 20+10 games against Braden, which we briefly talk about during the podcast (I need a rematch soon).

We also talk about John Nunn’s Puzzle Book. Braden is currently working on it. I have previously written an article based on the difficulty of the book (it is hard!), and if it is beneficial to solve really hard tactics vs. solving easier tactics.

Braden is also documenting his OTB games on his YouTube channel, which I can recommend following and subscribing to. Here is his first-ever OTB game:

I hope you will enjoy the episode, and if you have any questions for Braden please ask in the comment section:

/Martin

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit saychess.substack.com