EP 451: GM Elshan Moradiabadi on Intuition, Coaching, and Why Fun Is Vital for Chess Improvement

Sep 16, 2025

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North Carolina–based trainer and author Elshan Moradiabadi has won over 25 tournaments and was the 2001 National Champion of his native Iran. Despite his many accomplishments, Elshan is deeply reflective about the proper role chess should play in one’s life. While he has no regrets about the sacrifices he made, his experiences have given him valuable lessons to share, including:

Why you should keep chess enjoyment as your North Star
The importance of intuition, and the nine cues for evaluating a position
The tradeoffs that come with pursuing excellence
How chess parenting has changed since his own youth

We also touch on the professional chess landscape, and make a few predictions about the FIDE Grand Swiss (a tournament which is now over, but hadn’t started when we recorded on September 1). Whether you’re a chess hobbyist, parent, or coach, you’ll find plenty of wisdom and inspiration in this wide-ranging conversation. Timestamps of topics discussed are below.

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0:02- Welcome Elshan to the pod- we begin by discussing a poignant post Elshan wrote about what chess has given him, and what is has taken away:

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1EExhz3qbC/

Prior interview with Elshan, Episode 58-

https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2018/2/6/episode-58-gm-elshan-moradiabadi

0:09- Why Elshan has grown to love the English language as a non-native speaker

Mentioned: Cover Stories with Chess Life Episodes #44 and #48

https://new.uschess.org/news/cover-stories-chess-life-44-gm-elshan-moradiabadi

https://new.uschess.org/news/cover-stories-chess-life-48-gm-elshan-moradiabadi

0:11- Elshan’s typical day of coaching