In 2015, at age 21, Rhys Cumming was rated 2115 but gained only 40 points over the next three years. He has since reached 2360, gained the FM title and his first IM norm. Rhys's approach to chess improvement is very much his own but is equally applicable to anyone looking to make serious strides.

A late night recording sees the guys go full rabbit hole as topics as diverse as clay court tennis players, chess pieces eating themselves, and the logistics of hybrid chess tournaments get attacked.

The boys are back with their latest witterings, including but not limited to the 1978 World Chess Championship, distracting one's opponent, and centrist dads.

This week we ponder how successful a 3-1-0 scoring system would be in chess tournaments, celebrate Cuban footballers not being recognised, and wonder how much room there is in the chess world for commercial interests.

This week we wonder which items of clothing should be thrown at professional chess players, consider how England's ageing Olympiad team can regenerate, and evoke 80s TV shows in the quiz.

This week we celebrate chess variants, chess-themed burgers, and ask whether the pandemic will undermine the integrity of the FIDE rating system.

This week the guys round up the Candidates, discuss Nepo’s chances in the title match, and wonder what the Candidates field will look like in 2023.

It's been a big day for chess in Yekaterinburg so Jon and Phil recap Rounds 10-12 of the Candidates and preview what's left to come.

The Candidates has resumed, so we give our initial impressions on Rounds 8-10. We also mark the brief distraction of the European Super League by discussing the Professional Chess Assocation and the twin World Chess Championships from 1993-2006.

The Candidates resumes on Monday so naturally the boys ask which of the chess elite would be favourite in a cage match. May also include sofa fury.