The Chess Angle

The week, Neal dives into the listener mailbag to discuss the parallels between music and chess, handling losses, and dealing with frustration at the chessboard. This is followed by an open and candid discussion about mindset and attitude at the chessboard during OTB tournaments. There's definitely an emphasis on chess psychology for this episode.

Chapters:

(00:00) - Intro

(00:48) - Chess and Music

(07:38) - Dealing with Losses

(17:00) - Frustration at the Chessboard

(22:49) - The Chess Mindset (what to avoid)

(49:42) - Outro

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• Buy Me a Coffee

📧 If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at [email protected]. 🔗 Our links:

• Website
• Twitter (X)
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This week's guest is National Master Daniel Lowinger, a high school Chinese teacher who cut his teeth playing chess on the New York scene. Dan offers some thoughtful and philosophical ideas about amateur chess improvement, titles, being honest with oneself, and much more.

Chapters:

(00:00) - Intro

(03:48) - Dan's Beginnings

(06:24) - Thoughts on Chess Titles

(23:44) - Honesty with Oneself

(29:43) - Adult Improvement

(44:18) - 3...Qd8 Scandinavian Defense

(55:29) - Opening Originals: Strong Sidelines for Club Cats

(58:37) - Outro

Links for NM Daniel Lowinger:

• The 3...Qd8 Scandinavian: Simple and Strong
• Opening Originals: Strong Sidelines for Club Cats
• Facebook

🎯 Support the Show:

• Patreon
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📧 If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at [email protected]. 🔗 Our links:

• Website
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• YouTube

Our guest this week is English Grandmaster Daniel Gormally. Daniel is a professional chess player and coach who has written several books on the game. He is also the author of a 3-part Chessable series entitled Sharp Middlegames. In addition, Daniel has represented England in the European Team Championship and is a two-time winner of the English Rapid Play Championship. He earned his final GM norm in 2005 in a tournament where he scored a 2693 performance rating. Chapters: (00:00) - Intro (01:32) - English Chess Scene (10:25) - Computers, AI, & Engines (21:24) - Chess Cheating Epidemic (33:15) - Adult Improvement & Daniel's Instructional Content (58:59) - Outro Links for GM Daniel Gormally:

• Mating the Castled King (Amazon)
• Pandemic Shark: A Journey Through the World of Chess Improvement (Amazon)
• Play Chess Like the Pros (Amazon)
• Sharp Middlegames (Chessable)
• Facebook
• Twitter (X)

🎯 Support the Show:

• Patreon
• Buy Me a Coffee

📧 If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at [email protected]. 🔗 Our links:

• Website
• Twitter (X)
• YouTube

This week we discuss how to analyze your chess games with an engine to increase learning, avoid mistakes, and explore your thought process. Neal addresses some listener mail and then reviews one of his OTB games where he was having an off night. There were miscues from both players throughout which is typical at the club level. Referenced:

• Ep. 45: The Truth About Chess Engines for Club Players
• Bellon vs. 1630:

1. d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 d6 3. e3 Nbd7 4. Nf3 e6 5. Be2 Be7 6. h3 b6 7. c4 Bb7 8. Nc3 d5 9. cxd5 Nxd5 10. Nxd5 Bxd5 11. O-O O-O 12. Rc1 c5 13. dxc5 Nxc5 14. b3 Bd6 15. Bxd6 Qxd6 16. Qd4 Rfd8 17. Rfd1 Qe7 18. Qf4 Bb7 19. Ne5 f6 20. Nc4 e5 21. Qh4 Rxd1+ 22. Rxd1 Rd8 23. Rxd8+ Qxd8 24. Qg4 Nd3 25. Qe6+ Kf8 26. Nd6 Qe7 27. Qxe7+ Kxe7 28. Nxb7 Nc1 29. Bf3 Nxa2 30. Kf1 f5 31. Be2 Nb4 32. Ke1 Kd7 33. Kd2 Kc7 34. Kc3 a5 35. Nxa5 bxa5 36. Kc4 Kb6 37. f3 f4 38. exf4 exf4 39. Kd4 Nc2+ 40. Ke4 g5 41. Bc4 Ne1 42. Kf5 h6 43. Kg6 Nxg2 44. Kxh6 Kc5 45. Bf7 Kb4 46. Kxg5 a4 47. bxa4 Kxa4 48. h4 Nxh4 49. Kxh4 1-0

Chapters: (00:00) - Intro (01:36) - Opening Repertoire (Listener Mailbag) (09:10) - Puzzle Rush and Skill Retention (Listener Mailbag) (17:58) - Using a Chess Engine (1:03:10) - Outro 🎯 Support the Show:

• Patreon
• Buy Me a Coffee

📧 If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at [email protected]. 🔗 Our links:

• Website
• Twitter (X)
• YouTube

Happy New Year! For our first episode of 2024, Neal answers some questions from our listener mailbag and shares his chess study plan for 2024. Chapters: (00:00) - Intro (01:20) - Neal's 2024 Study Plan (09:57) - Are YouTube Videos Helpful? (14:43) - Chess Club Attendance (34:37) - Sicilian vs. Caro-Kann (41:33) - Aggressive vs. Timid Opponents (48:02) - Outro Referenced:

• Practical Chess Exercises (Amazon)

🎯 Support the Show:

• Patreon
• Buy Me a Coffee

📧 If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at [email protected]. 🔗 Our links:

• Website
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♟The Amazon links above are affiliate links which earn us a small commission on qualifying purchases. This helps support the podcast at no additional cost to you.

Happy Holidays! This week, Neal shares a brief holiday message. Thank you to everyone for supporting the show. We saw a major uptick in downloads in 2023. We'll be taking an extended holiday/end-of-year break and will resume on Sunday, January 14, 2024. If you're a new listener, now is a great time to binge and catch up. We hope you win your next game! 🎯 Support the Show:

• Patreon
• Buy Me a Coffee

📧 If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at [email protected]. 🔗 Our links:

• Website
• Twitter (X)
• YouTube

Many club-level players consistently have trouble facing 1. d4. This week, we explore why that is, and offer some practical and philosophical advice. Chapters: (00:00) - Intro (01:40) - 1. d4 General Thoughts (07:00) - Social Media and 1. d4 (12:12) - 1. d4 vs. 1. e4 (15:10) - Nimzo & Q. Indian Defenses (22:30) - Fighting the London System (26:54) - Fighting the Catalan Opening (34:05) - Outro Referenced: Ep. 48: The Nimzo & Queen's Indian Defenses: A Complete System Against 1. d4 🎯 Support the Show:

• Patreon
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📧 If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at [email protected]. 🔗 Our links:

• Website
• Twitter (X)
• YouTube

The Botvinnik System is a solid opening choice for White that is easy to learn. We also discuss system openings generally and how they can benefit club players with limited study time. **Errata: In the episode at (23:31), it should be 8. d3, not e3. Please refer to the .pgn below. Chapters: (00:00) - Intro (00:37) - System Opening Benefits (15:54) - Botvinnik System (24:26) - Outro Referenced:

• Silman Article
• Chess Openings: How to Play the English Opening! (YouTube)
• Win with The Botvinnik System in The English Opening (YouTube)
• Ep. 37: The London System for Club Players
• Botvinnik System Main Line: 1. c4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. e4 Nf6 6. Nge2 O-O 7. O-O d6 8. d3 Ne8

🎯 Support the Show:

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📧 If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at [email protected]. 🔗 Our links:

• Website
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• YouTube

This week we take a deep dive into some of the most common thematic mistakes that club players make on a regular basis. Most of them have to do with misguided tournament strategies and mishandling your opponent, rather than a lack of chess theory. Chapters: (00:00) - Intro (04:08) - The 3 Most Missed Moves (08:19) - Misreading Defensive Moves (11:20) - Brain Fog (13:40) - Matching (16:45) - "Temper Tantrum" Chess (20:34) - Punishing (25:29) - Chess Theater (30:27) - "Active" Moves (33:33) - Early Pawn Overextensions (36:06) - Clock Management (42:02) - Accepting Disruptive Behavior (47:07) - Outro 🎯 Support the Show:

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📧 If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at [email protected]. 🔗 Our links:

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FM Alex King returns to the podcast to share his journey from NM to FM. In addition, we discuss some practical improvement topics that club players of all levels should find useful. Check out Episode #23 if you missed Alex's first appearance on the pod. Alex resides in Memphis, TN and is an active player, coach, and writer. Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 26:54 - Rating Deflation 35:42 - Backsplaining 42:55 - Null Move Strategy/Hypothesis 59:36 - Outro 📚 Referenced:

• Winning
• Grind Like a Grandmaster

Links for FM Alex King:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• lichess
• Null Move article

🎯 Support the Show:

• Patreon
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📧 If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at [email protected]. 🔗 Our links:

• Website
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• YouTube