Perpetual Chess Podcast EP 496: Kyle Boddy on His Continued Journey from Sub-1000 to 1550 USCF
The Adult Improver Series returns to welcome back an accomplished guest. Kyle Boddy is the founder of Driveline Baseball, an influential company that provides training and performance guidance for professional and aspiring baseball players. Despite the demands of running a company and raising a family, Kyle values chess as a hobby and makes plenty of time for it.
When I first interviewed Kyle in 2022, he was rated below 1000 USCF, but was working diligently and had a long-term hope of reaching USCF 2000. Four years later, he has stuck with it and made considerable progress, recently reaching a new peak of nearly 1550 USCF.
In this follow-up, we discuss:
Why he still loves openings, and how studying them deeply has given him a competitive advantage against many higher-rated opponents.
How he combines old-school, analog training methods with sophisticated uses of AI and chess technology.
The parallels he sees between improving at physical pursuits like baseball and improving at chess.
The immense value he gains from being part of a vibrant chess community in the Pacific Northwest.
It is inspiring to see Kyle’s continued dedication to chess, and I look forward to following his continued progress in the coming years.
0:00- Intro
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Spotify Playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/75Uoqz2BoRt2IiTCeOfuky?si=8fda103624514126
Website:
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04:22 Kyle Boddy joins
06:05 What keeps Kyle playing and improving?
07:36 Switching to 1.e4 and open games
Mentioned: Anand-Nunn 1990
https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1018185
08:43 Why Kyle still loves studying openings
10:45 How Kyle actually studies openings
12:12 Studying games blindfolded
16:00 How Kyle uses AI for chess
18:19 Engines, Maia Chess and practical preparation
20:34 Kyle’s tournament routine
24:19 How he trains tactics
26:48 Building a new opening repertoire
29:42 Daily chess habits
30:49 The importance of a chess community
34:17 Tournament chess in Seattle and beyond
35:20 Aging and adult chess improvement
37:45 Kyle’s path toward 1800-2000
40:11 Improving at endgames
42:50 Understanding vs. memorizing openings
44:35 The Joey Votto chess bet
45:33 Chess’s popularity among pro athletes
47:05 How much Kyle studies chess
Can Adults Improve at Chess by NM Todd Bryant
https://www.chess.com/article/view/can-adults-improve-at-chess
50:22 Blogging, AI and hiding your prep
52:53 Baseball vs. chess improvement
55:46 Will Kyle still be playing at 50?
56:00- Thanks to Kyle for joining and sharing his inspiring progress- follow his blog here:
https://www.kyleboddy.com/blog/
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