chessfeels: conversations about chess, psychology & mental health

Julia and JJ question whether there is a connection between an aggressive style of play over the board and aggressively alienating personalities off the board. And, even worse, could aggression still improve your chess even if there is? JJ laments that many of their students describe clarifying, forcing, but ultimately simplifying moves as "aggressive." Julia explains how different conceptualizations and types of aggression can map onto chess in different ways. They then dunk on GM Reuben Fine's psychobabble from the 1950s about chess and psychology, and close on a conversation about how misconceptions of aggression within a game of chess can alienate marginalized groups of people within the chess space more generally. 

Jon Mackenzie of The Chess Pit podcast (and Tifo football analytics?) joins JJ and Julia to discuss what he describes as his own ambivalence towards the game of chess. Why is it that chess differs from other sports fandoms in terms of its focus on improvement? What is it about chess that can inspire such unique emotional pitfalls? Could JJ and Julia beat the Chess Pit guys in a fight? 

What would therapy for a tournament chess player look like? During a "therapy" session, Julia helps JJ unpack a number of questions that plagued them throughout a frustrating tournament where JJ kept running into familiar problems. Why do we sometimes get fixated on a single, unnecessary variation that costs us precious time on the clock? Is there anything we can do at the board to reset our nervous system when panic sets in? Sit in and listen to our trusty duo as they attempt to get to the root causes of the psychological blocks JJ encounters within and beyond the 64 squares.

We're all obsessed with blitz, but could it actually be addictive?  Our resident clinical psychologist explains why playing online chess might actually be addicting and assesses whether JJ's blitz behavior meets criteria for an addiction. Follow along and see if you do, too,  just in time to learn more about possible interventions for your blitz-addicted loved ones. JJ and Julia question what mechanisms chess websites use to promote addictive behavior and explore how we could use blitz in a way that fosters chess, and life, improvement.

JJ convinces Julia to start a podcast about chess and psychology.  Julia explains what people mean when they say they're interested in "the psychology of chess," and what they're missing. They explore more fruitful ways to reframe discussions about emotions and psychology in chess. Then, we learn how JJ and Julia first met, how they each got into chess, and why Julia does not have imposter syndrome. Finally, our hosts introduce future themes such as addiction, impulse control, and the "adult disprover."