116 What a chess career! GM Boris Avrukh cracked the World Top 50 in 2005  and achieved a peak rating of 2668. He has coached the world’s best players like Fabiano Caruana, Vladimir Kramnik, and Wesley So. And he even got to be the last person to ever play the legendary Mikhail Tal.

Of course, Boris has had an exemplary competitive career representing Israel in six chess Olympiads and winning the World U12 Championship in 1990.

In addition to years of coaching the world’s best and club players alike, Boris has also written countless opening books and published five Chessable courses.

Boris and I talk at length about his course called “Resourceful Chess: Defense & Counterplay,” which will give you some excellent advice on how to play better defense.

We also discuss:

• Why it’s important to recognize key defensive patterns.
• His experience coaching Fabiano Caruana.
• Why Boris choose to highlight Hans Niemann for defensive play in his course (and whether he did so knowing he’d be controversial.)

More From GM Boris Avrukh

• Chessable Courses
• Website
• YouTube
• Twitter

Daniel's Twitter account to follow for the giveaway.

How You Can Support the Pod:

Join this show’s Patreon called “Podcast Perks” and get benefits like: 

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Click here to join the Patreon for The Chess Experience.

Or you can…

>>Support this pod by grabbing a chess.com membership which will help you improve your chess & defeat your enemies. A small portion will fund this pod - and every bit helps! Just click this link.

>> Neither? How about checking out Daniel's chess.com profile? Witness his countless, embarrassing blitz losses. He even accepts some friend requests. (Ad)

115 She learned the game at 19. The next year she became a titled player with an 1800+ FIDE rating. Then, several years later, WFM Perpetual Ogbiyoyo founded an organization to spread chess to girls and women throughout Nigeria.  Now, she’s expanded her connection to the chess world by moving to New York City. In this episode, we talk about her incredible journey, including: 

• How she rose from complete beginner to Woman FIDE Master in one year.
• A window into the culture and community of chess in Nigeria.
• Why she created the organization Promoting Queens and its mission to empower girls everywhere through chess.
• Her aspiration to become the first Nigerian woman Grandmaster.

How You Can Support the Pod:

You can greatly help this pod with a donation. Much time and expense goes into creating this show. And, I’d be very grateful if you could support this endeavor which aims to give you the best in chess interviews. Leave a brief note with your donation and I’ll respond personally to you. Donate here.

Or you can…

>>Support this pod by grabbing a chess.com membership which will help you improve your chess & defeat your enemies. A small portion will fund this pod - and every bit helps! Just click this link.

>> Neither? How about checking out Daniel's chess.com profile? Witness his countless, embarrassing blitz losses. He even accepts some friend requests. (Ad)

More From WFM Perpetual Ogbiyoyo

• Promoting Queens website
• Twitter

114 Leaping 400 rating points in classical, rated chess as an adult in just two years? That requires a huge effort and rare dedication. Two qualities that describe well this week’s guest, fellow adult club player, Nicholas Sloan. Specifically, in a relatively brief period, Nick went from 1400 USCF to 1849 USCF.

And it’s all part of his plan to earn the National Master title - something that he wants to prove is possible for us adults.

But exciting progress doesn’t come easy. Nick advocates consistency, discipline, and a willingness to face your chess weakness.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The top 3 reasons Nick was able to make such massive and fast progress in his USCF rating.
• Why he doesn’t believe “one size fits all” training programs are that effective.
• Why he has preferred self-guided learning to studying under a coach.

More From Nick:

• YouTube Channel
• Substack Newsletter
• Bluesky
• Twitter
• Instagram

How You Can Support the Pod:

Join this show’s Patreon called “Podcast Perks” and get benefits like: 

• Submitting questions to guests
• A shout-out of your name on the pod
• Vote on future topics/guests 
• Exclusive behind-the-scenes updates about the show
• DM me any month for a brief chat on chess or episodes

Click here to join the Patreon for The Chess Experience.

Or you can…

>>Support this pod by grabbing a chess.com membership which will help you improve your chess & defeat your enemies. A small portion will fund this pod - and every bit helps! Just click this link.

>> Neither? How about checking out Daniel's chess.com profile? Witness his countless, embarrassing blitz losses. He even accepts some friend requests. (Ad)

113 Rarely do grandmasters focus on helping club players and beginners. But when they do it’s rare and exciting. Their extra skill and understanding of the game deliver insights that even other titled players may not possess. That’s what GM Josh Friedel offers as a course creator and coach. And it can be heard throughout this interview.

Of course, Josh has had an impressive chess career. Competitively, he tied for 6th place at the US Chess Championship in 2009 and competed at the World Cup.

He has passed along this hard-earned chess knowledge for decades by coaching club players.

And for nearly as long, he’s been creating courses, most recently for Chessable on common mistakes in the opening and middlegame.

In this episode, we chat:

• Common middle-game mistakes and how to avoid them.
• Josh’s unique qualities as a coach that separate him from the pack.
• Why is it so difficult to convert a won position - and how to get better at it.

GIVEAWAY: To win Josh’s Chessable course on avoiding middlegame mistakes, follow Daniel Lona on Twitter for details and updates (for the week of 1/21/25 only.)

More From Josh:

• Chessable courses
• Twitter
• YouTube

How You Can Support the Pod:

Join this show’s Patreon called “Podcast Perks” and get benefits like: 

• Submitting questions to guests
• A shout-out of your name on the pod
• Vote on future topics/guests 
• Exclusive behind-the-scenes updates about the show
• DM me any month for a brief chat on chess or episodes

Click here to join the Patreon for The Chess Experience.

Or you can…

>>Support this pod by grabbing a chess.com membership which will help you improve your chess & defeat your enemies. A small portion will fund this pod - and every bit helps! Just click this link.

>> Neither? How about checking out Daniel's chess.com profile? Witness his countless, embarrassing blitz losses. He even accepts some friend requests. (Ad)

112 Would you move to a new city for chess? Few have that level of commitment to the game. But our guest this week did exactly that. Adult improver Sydney Strauss moved to New York City this past year to pursue her relatively new passion for chess.

After learning the game just two years ago, she fell in love with it and began studying and playing every day.  The following year, Sydney knew she wanted to take her pursuit to the next level and be fully immersed in chess through clubs, tournaments, and friends.

New York City, with its venerated Marshall Chess Club and thriving chess scene, provided her with that experience.

In a brief time, Sydney has now reached an inspiring FIDE rating of 1581.

This episode explores her story, why chess has impacted her life so greatly, and what her future ambitions may be within the game.

Plus: will she get a chess tattoo? 

Connect with Sydney Strauss:

• Twitter
• Instagram
• Twitch
• Bushwick Chess Club IG

How You Can Support the Pod:

Join this show’s Patreon called “Podcast Perks” and get benefits like: 

• Submitting questions to guests
• A shout-out of your name on the pod
• Vote on future topics/guests 
• Exclusive behind-the-scenes updates about the show
• DM me any month for a brief chat on chess or episodes

Click here to join the Patreon for The Chess Experience.

Or you can…

>>Support this pod by grabbing a chess.com membership which will help you improve your chess & defeat your enemies. A small portion will fund this pod - and every bit helps! Just click this link.

>> Neither? How about checking out Daniel's chess.com profile? Witness his countless, embarrassing blitz losses. He even accepts some friend requests. (Ad)

111 She does it all. WIM Svitlana Demchenko is a course creator, coach, streamer, and high-level chess competitor. Born in Ukraine and a long-time Canadian citizen, Svitlana proved herself early in chess, becoming a five-time Canadian girls champion. In more recent years, she’s competed in the Chess Olympiad three times as part of the Canadian women’s team.

She’s also published several fantastic opening and strategy courses for ChessBase. And, each week, she streams chess on Twitch.

Finally, rounding out her chess activities, is a regular video show called Smart Moves, where Svitlana coaches an amateur player. In the process, she focuses on key topics that’ll help any club player improve their chess.

In this episode, we discuss: 

• The undervalued topic of imbalances in chess and why club players should probably spend more time on this concept.
• How Svitlana juggles her pursuit of a medical career and a robust chess life.
• Her chase for the WGM title. 
• Her thoughts on the World Championship event and Gukesh as the new champ.

More From Svitlana:

• Courses on Chessbase
• SmartMoves YouTube Playlist
• Twitch
• Twitter
• Instagram

------

How You Can Support the Pod:

Join this show’s Patreon called “Podcast Perks” and get benefits like: 

• Submitting questions to guests
• A shout-out of your name on the pod
• Vote on future topics/guests 
• Exclusive behind-the-scenes updates about the show
• DM me any month for a brief chat on chess or episodes

Click here to join the Patreon for The Chess Experience.

Or you can…

>>Support this pod by grabbing a chess.com membership which will help you improve your chess & defeat your enemies. A small portion will fund this pod - and every bit helps! Just click this link.

>> Neither? How about checking out Daniel's chess.com profile? Witness his countless, embarrassing blitz losses. He even accepts some friend requests. (Ad)

110 Today’s guest is the inspiring and talented WGM Maria Gevorgyan. Few have managed to become a national chess champion, let alone do it five times. But Maria has! In addition to becoming the women’s chess champion of Armenia multiple times…

Maria is now taking all that she’s learned from her competitive career and helping her students as a chess coach.

These days, she is the head coach at the Abu Dhabi Chess Academy for women and girls.

In this interview, we discuss:

• Is blitz a helpful tool for improvement or just a fun way to play the game?
• How an accidental illegal move by Maria was missed at the tournament where she earned her the WGM title!
• The #1 book recommendation that Maria believes every club player should read. 

More From Maria:

• Twitter
• Instagram
• Coaching with Maria (DM her about lessons)
• Book recommendation: My System by Aaron Nimzowitch 

How You Can Support the Pod:

Join this show’s Patreon called “Podcast Perks” and get benefits like: 

• Submitting questions to guests
• A shout-out of your name on the pod
• Vote on future topics/guests 
• Exclusive behind-the-scenes updates about the show
• DM me any month for a brief chat on chess or episodes

Click here to join the Patreon for The Chess Experience.

Or you can…

>>Support this pod by grabbing a chess.com membership which will help you improve your chess & defeat your enemies. A small portion will fund this pod - and every bit helps! Just click this link.

>> Neither? How about checking out Daniel's chess.com profile? Witness his countless, embarrassing blitz losses. He even accepts some friend requests. (Ad)

A quick update on this month's (12/24) release schedule. The holidays make it a little more difficult to schedule guests, so I'll be only releasing two episodes this month. The next will be on Tuesday, December 17th. The other will be on the 31st. But if you'd like to hear me share a little more detail (and a fun teaser at the end) play the 90-second update :)  

We'll be back to the normal, weekly episodes starting the first week of January. Thank you SO much for your support of the podcast!

109 The upcoming World Championship should be a fascinating one! GM Ding Liren is the reigning world champ. While he’s an extraordinary talent, his rating and performance have backslid this past year. And, sadly, Ding has been struggling with psychological issues...

Meanwhile, India’s brightest chess talent and Ding's opponent, GM Gukesh Dommaraju, will be the youngest player to ever compete in the World Championship at 18 years old.

Gukesh, though he’s been stellar in his recent competitive performances, will have to face a lack of experience at the highest level.

To help explore and illuminate the different issues at play, FM Carsten Hansen returns to the podcast for another World Championship preview.

Carsten is one of the most prolific chess authors around we discuss the unique challenges for each player, whether their styles will be a factor, and clues to look for in the early games to help you know who may win the match.

The event begins on November 25th, 2024…

BUT…this episode will be worth listening to even several days later to help understand the match and gain some fascinating chess insights.

More From FM Carsten Hansen: 

• Carsten’s co-authored book: A Century of Chess
• Carsten’s chess books 
• Carsten on Twitter

How You Can Support the Pod:

Join this show’s Patreon called “Podcast Perks” and get benefits like: 

• Submitting questions to guests
• A shout-out of your name on the pod
• Vote on future topics/guests 
• Exclusive behind-the-scenes updates about the show
• DM me any month for a brief chat on chess or episodes

Click here to join the Patreon for The Chess Experience.

Or you can…

>>Support this pod by grabbing a chess.com membership which will help you improve your chess & defeat your enemies. A small portion will fund this pod - and every bit helps! Just click this link.

>> Neither? How about checking out Daniel's chess.com profile? Witness his countless, embarrassing blitz losses. He even accepts some friend requests. (Ad)

Our guest this week is a self-taught FIDE Master, coach, and popular course creator hailing from the Netherlands: Midas Ratmas.

Midas has built his chess career around helping club players and beginners.

As such, he’s developed a special talent for teaching chess to players at this level.

Midas has already published over a dozen Chessable courses covering areas like the opening, tactics, and strategy - with many more on the horizon.

In this episode, we talk about:

• The 3 ways he makes opening courses more accessible and easier for club players to manage. 
• Why beginners - and maybe even club players - should learn the strategies that stem from each of the individual chess pieces. 
• How he plans to achieve his goal of earning the IM title.
• Straightforward advice on endgames & calculation from his upcoming courses.

Midas’s Chessable course page

How You Can Support the Pod:

Join this show’s Patreon called “Podcast Perks” and get benefits like: 

• Submitting questions to guests
• A shout-out of your name on the pod
• Vote on future topics/guests
• Exclusive behind-the-scenes updates about the show
• DM me any month for a brief chat on chess or episodes

Click here to join the Patreon for The Chess Experience.

Or you can…

>>Support this pod by grabbing a chess.com membership which will help you improve your chess & defeat your enemies. A small portion will fund this pod - and every bit helps! Just click this link.

>> Neither? How about checking out Daniel's chess.com profile? Witness his countless, embarrassing blitz losses. He even accepts some friend requests. (Ad)