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In Episode 280, I converse with Peter Doggers, Director of Content at Chess.com. Peter is one of the world’s biggest experts on the world of chess, having written about the game for almost two decades. He recently wrote a book The Chess Revolution: From the Ancient World to the Digital Age, in which he explores chess as a cultural phenomenon from its earliest beginnings in ancient India to its biggest stars and most dramatic moments to the impact of the internet and AI.

We speak about the Chess Museum in Amsterdam, journalism, our 91st Podcast Guest Judit Starzay's tournament at the Annual Chess.com meet up, the Carlsen- Niemann drama, Fischer Random/Freestyle chess, thoughts on the Liren-Gukesh World Championship match, mindset and more. 

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In Episode 279, I converse with Neha Sharan, Founder of Girls4Chess. Girls4Chess (501(c)(3) non-profit organization) is dedicated to empowering young girls to excel in chess by providing them with the resources, training, and support they need to grow and succeed. Neha is also a certified tournament director.

We speak about ways to get more women and girls into chess, her mentorship from our 91st Podcast Guest Judit Starzay, Director of Chess Club Relations at Chess.com, the founding of her non-profit, the upcoming Saint Louis Chess Conference, in which I am co-presenting "Chess in the Business World" with our 154th Podcast Guest Jim Egerton, Author of Business on the Board, and our 233nd Podcast Guest Vishnu Warrier, Sr. Technology Consultant at EY & Author of The Chess Bible, and more. 

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In Episode 278, I converse with Jenny Ingber Ph.D, CEO of Chess in the Schools, one of our favorite charity partners. Jenny Inberg started as CEO at Chess in the Schools in June 2023, after her predecessor Debbie Eastburn, our 117th Podcast Guest, stepped down.

Jenny Ingber has a Bachelor of Science in Biology, Chemistry and Secondary Education from University of Miami, MA in Teaching Chemistry from New York University and a PhD in Science Eduacation from Teachers College, Columbia University. Before working at Chess in the Schools.

We speak about the benefits of chess, inspiration from children, the Annual Chess in the Chess Park Rapid Open, Title 1 schools, employee retention, hands-on leadership, tips for fundraising, successful alumni, the upcoming Saint Louis Chess Conference, which we are both speaking at, and more. 

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In Podcast Episode 277, I converse with Gunnar Bjornsson, President of the Icelandic Chess Federation. In addition to serving as the President of the Icelandic Chess Federation, Gunnar hosts the annual Reykjavik Open, which is coming up again, April 9-15, 2025. Furthermore, he is a Vice President of the European Chess Union. Our 131st Podcast Guest International Master Yaacov Norowitz earned one of his norms there in 2013. Gunnar also worked many years in financial services at Landsbanki.

We speak about his thoughts on the ongoing Olympiad, the World Corporate Chess Championships, where we met, the Icelandic Chess Culture, the legacy of the 1972 Fischer-Spassky World Championship Match, Queen's Gambit, streamers and more.



 

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In Episode 276, I have the pleasure of conversing with Joel Dick, who is a Data Engineer at Tempered AI and adult improver. He hails from Toronto, home of our 14th Podcast Guest Mike Ivanov, who recently became an International Master. As a frum (observant) Jew, Joel has 8 kids.

Joel studied in Israel with two our former podcast guests, International Master Yaacov Norowitz and Rabbi Mendy Brukirer.

Joel has 13+ years of experience in both technology and finance.

We speak about the relationship of chess and Judaism, tips for improvement, our Long Island Instructor Candidate Master Brian Karen's Chess Book Collectors Facebook group, community, the importance of tournaments, the influence of Sammy Reshevsky, his experience participating in the Chess Dojo and more.

 

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In Premier Chess Podcast Episode 275, I converse with National Master Mikhail Sher, PhD., Associate Professor of Management at Monmouth University. Dr. Sher’s main research interests lie in the areas of inventory control and supply chain management. He has a Bachelors of Science from Carnegie Mellon University, Masters of Science from Columbia University and Ph.D. from Drexel University.

He is a national master and the son of the late Grandmaster Miron Sher, and WGM Alla Grinfeld, who both taught me as a child.

We speak about Miron's legacy, Miron's book Dream Moves, which was posthumously published, the 20% rule, various chess careers, the late National Master Bruce Alberston, confidence, artificial barriers, parallels between chess, leadership and poker and more. 

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In Episode 274, I have the honor of conversing with Captain Zoe Marks, Director of Overseas Operations at Yatar Israel. Zoe Is A Former IDF Officer (2018-2021) And Active Reservist Who Served With Distinction, In The Etzion Region. Zoe Joined YATAR In September 2023 After Working For Nearly Two Years For El Al Airline Security In JFK And Dubai. She Is committed to ensure that Yatar can carry out its mission of protecting Israel and Its people from terrorist threats.

We speak about saving lives, conversations, unity, fundraising, her experience learning chess a kid and more. 

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In Episode 273, I have the pleasure of conversing with Davorin Kuljasevic, Grandmaster and FIDE trainer, rated 2539 FIDE. Davorin was born in Zagreb, Croatia and currently lives with his wife International Master Iva Videnova and daugther in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

Davorin's career highlights include winning 4th place in World Youth U16 in 2002 and winning first place in the SPICE Spring 2011, Zupanja 2011, Mediteran 2011, Split 2013 and Castelfranco 2014.

He has a a Bachelor of Arts in Finance and Operations Management from University of Texas at Dallas and a Masters in Finance from Texas Tech University.

We speak about Chessable, teaching chess in Dubai, chess couples, the full stack approach to chesss improvement,  the rise and comeback of World Champion Ding Liren, tournament pressure, his thoughts on the upcoming Liren- Gukesh World Championship match, his books How to Study Chess on Your Own: Creating a Plan that Works… and Sticking to it! and Ding Liren's Best Games: A Chess Biography of the World Champion and more. 

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In Episode 272, I converse with Mark Herschberg, Author of The Career Toolkit: Essential Skills for Success That No One Taught You and Fractional CTO/CPO. He has a lot of experience in cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence, healthcare, adtech, and marketplaces.

He has a Bachelor of Science and Masters Degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

As a seasoned executive and cybersecurity expert, he often bridges the divide between business and technology. He has started, grown, and fixed startup companies spanning over a dozen different verticals as well as helped two Fortune 500 companies with their internal startup initiatives, and helped create educational programs at MIT and Harvard Business School. He is an experienced board member.

In addition to working as a Fractional CTO/CPO, he is often a professional speaker on careers, leadership, negotiations, networking, and media.

We speak about his childhood lessons from our 131st Podcast Guest Fide Master Sunil Weeramantary, foresight, the Amateur Team East, common career mistakes, learning from co-workers, networking, negotiation, rules versus guidelines, thought process, our Summer 2024 Quad Series and more.   

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In Episode 271, I converse with Candidate Dane Zagar, who won first place in the 2024 Chicago Open U-2100 section, despite dealing with the distractions of his 4th round opponent Stan Halstead being thrown out of the tournament for cheating and escorting his friend to the hospital.

Dane is a chess and math tutor and serves as the President of The Chess Castle of Minnesota, one of the most active clubs in the Midwest.

Dane has a BS in Mathematics and Computer Science and previously served as the Minnesota State Chess Association Treasurer.

We speak about identifiying cheaters, what to do when there is a problem at a tournament, suggested policies to prevent cheating, time management, mindset under pressure, playing one's own section, the Chess Scene in Minnesota, consistency, improving tips, book recommendations and more.