PREDICTIONS for CHESS in 2026 | GM Felix Blohberger | PODCAST

2025 has been a wild year in chess: huge events, big drama, and an insane level of play. So I sat down with GM Felix Blohberger — Austrian Champion, commentator, and content creator — to recap the year and look ahead to 2026. We talk about the dominance of the young generation, the biggest trends in modern chess, and the key events of 2025 — including the World Cup, the Grand Swiss, and the 2026 Candidates. Felix shares his thoughts on the top Candidates favorites and whether Gukesh will keep his crown. As always, we finish with a blitz game — featuring my favorite King’s Gambit. Happy New Year, and enjoy!

Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/mustreader

My X: https://x.com/mustreader

Collabs: mazdrid@gmail.com

Felix's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@febloh

Felix's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/felixblohberger/

Felix's X: https://x.com/gmblohberger

Links to what's discussed in the podcast:

Felix’s course — King’s Indian: A Complete Repertoire for Black: https://shop.chessbase.com/en/products/blohberger_kings_indian_repertoire_vol1_and_2?ref=RF5-TYB55LUOVF

Rook endgames series (start here): https://youtu.be/EEESoSw164w?si=zULJ6Ur3_ianQCWi

Many thanks to my Patreon supporter: Sarterus

00:00 — Intro

01:29 — What this episode is about

02:08 — Felix’s breakout results: what changed?

04:41 — What separates a GM from a super-GM?

08:28 — Why the new generation dominates

13:06 — Are endgames more important now?

14:03 — Deep prep or broad repertoire?

18:46 — Top GMs are so flexible in openings

20:32 — How many openings do you need as Black?

21:52 — And as White?

22:25 — Mind games in the opening

23:23 — Will 2026 be a draw-fest?

24:57 — Faster formats reduce draws

27:00 — The Candidates lineup surprises

28:42 — Is the rating system broken?

30:20 — Bluebaum: a surprise?

31:30 — Esipenko: the most underrated?

32:14 — Sindarov: the dark horse?

33:13 — Wei Yi: potential world champ?

34:40 — The "Chinese style" in chess

35:42 — Fabi and Giri?

37:32 — Is Hikaru even trying to peak?

40:54 — Isn’t Pragg the best choice?

43:02 — Alireza, Keymer, Abdusattorov, Arjun

45:50 — Will Gukesh lose the title?

49:44 — Name this segment in the comments!

50:34 — Does Felix even like bullet?

51:14 — Secret accounts for openings?

52:28 — Does online blitz help your chess?

53:58 — Blitz vs Felix Blohberger

PREDICTIONS for CHESS in 2026 | GM Felix Blohberger | PODCAST

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My name is Greg Mustreader, I am a Candidate Master in chess, an entrepreneur and host of several podcasts.

On the Chess with Mustreader channel, I interview top chess players, play against chess AIs, analyze the most interesting chess games and combinations of today and of the past, as well as show you my path in chess and the way I work on my chess improvement (including recaps from the tournaments I play).

I live in Almaty, Kazakhstan and travel the world extensively (been to 50 countries). I'm 32 years old, I have a girlfriend, three dogs and four cats. I speak English, Russian, German, and a bit of French and Chinese.

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