The Chess Cognition Podcast

In this episode, we dive deep into the world of Chessable with an expert guest, Benner, a Danish chess player with above 2000 ELO rating otb and Chessable superuser with over 1700 study streak days and five published courses.

Benner moved from 700 to 2200 ELO (online) in only 5 years by extensively studying Chessable courses! Benner shares valuable insights on how to navigate Chessable, discussing the MoveTrainer technology, spaced repetition, and how to best use Chessable for both openings and general chess improvement.

He also gave good tips on studying strategy courses and which Chessable study settings are best suited for those courses. He showed us all the good tools on Chessable that maximize learning and make learning intentional.

In this episode, I'm joined by the legendary chess coach Andras Toth for a deep dive into improving your chess thinking process. We discuss the key questions you should ask during a game to sharpen your decision-making. Andras and I cover essential topics like identifying threats, calculation techniques, and positional decisions.

These questions encourage us to explore different strategies, recognize patterns, and develop a deeper understanding of the game while aiding practical decision-making. Depending on your weaknesses and playing style, some questions may be more relevant for you than others.

03:15 What would they play if I did not make a move right now?

In this episode, we explore the age-old debate: Is Blitz chess good for improvement? Joining me is FIDE Master Nate Solon, a chess coach and Chessable author, to discuss Blitz chess's benefits and potential drawbacks.

We discuss how Blitz can be a powerful tool for developing chess intuition, sharpening opening repertoire, and quickly identifying recurring mistakes through high-volume play. Nate highlights the advantages of quick feedback loops and how Blitz can be an integral part of a balanced training regimen.

However, we also delve into the opposing viewpoint: the risks of Blitz creating bad habits, especially for beginners. We discuss the importance of deliberate practice, focusing on slower, more thoughtful games to solidify essential chess processes like deep calculation, positional understanding, and endgame technique.

00:00 Introduction02:58 Nate’s Argument: Benefits of Blitz Chess07:16 Counterargument: What You CAN NOT Do Properly in Blitz Chess09:20 Consistency and Accuracy FIRST Before Speed (Lessons from Other Domains)10:41 Benefits For Different Rating Ranges14:45 How to Analyse Our Blitz Games23:30 Listing Recurrent Mistakes 27:26 Tilt and Breaking the Tilt31:36 Did Blitz Help Nate and His Students?36:24 Grandmasters Playing Blitz46:00 Knowing What I Do NOT Know48:27 How To Steer the Chess Engine For Analysis52:21 Should Chess Improvement be Fun?55:35 Deliberate Practice01:01:31 Mindset