EP 459- GM Maurice Ashley on Pursuing Excellence, Seeking Novelties, and His Extraordinary Chess Journey

Nov 18, 2025

Maurice Ashley, the first African American Grandmaster turned commentator, author, and educator, reflects on his late start and climb to the top. He discusses pursuing excellence over quick gains, mentoring rising star Brewington Hardaway, organizing Millionaire Chess, salsa’s role in discipline, puzzle composition, and memorable “pinch-me” moments from barefoot beginnings to TED Talks.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

ADVICE

Prioritize Discipline Over Speed

Do focus on disciplined, passionate work rather than speed when pursuing mastery.
Avoid shortcuts and ask what steps are required, not how quickly you can succeed.

INSIGHT

Engines Don't Build Calculation Muscle

Digital tools are essential but can create lazy habits if you lean on engines for answers.
Deep, independent calculation practice still trains the brain for real-game pressure.

ANECDOTE

Brewington's Serendipitous Start

Maurice recounts Brewington Hardaway stumbling into chess while sitting with his sister at age four.
Brewington then improved rapidly, beating strong players young and rising toward elite levels.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

This week’s guest is U.S. Chess Hall of Famer GM Maurice Ashley. Maurice will forever be known as the first African American to earn the Grandmaster title, yet he has gone on to build a varied and distinguished career across all facets of the game. He is a popular author and highly regarded Chessable creator, a teacher, an organizer, and a frequent commentator for major chess events, often from the St. Louis Chess Club. Maurice and I discussed:

His perspective on chess improvement, as a rare late-starter who began tournament play at fourteen and still reached the Grandmaster level
What we can learn from the ascent of GM Brewington Hardaway, who recently became the second African American GM at age fifteen
The difference between being competitive and striving for excellence

We also touched on the lessons Maurice learned from organizing the “Millionaire Chess” tournaments, his passion for salsa dancing and puzzle composition, and whether he has experienced any “pinch me” moments on his journey from “walking barefoot to school in Jamaica” to giving TED Talks and teaching chess to Will Smith. I have long looked forward to interviewing Maurice, and the conversation did not disappoint.

0:00- Check out Maurice’s popular and highly reviewed courses here:

https://www.chessable.com/author/GMAshley/

0:03- Maurice’s chess improvement advice- why people shouldn’t focus on doing things “quickly.”

Mentioned: New York Times article about the Raging Rooks

https://www.nytimes.com/1991/04/26/nyregion/harlem-teen-agers-checkmate-a-stereotype.html

Maurice’s Chessable Q & A-

https://www.chessable.com/discussion/thread/1187730/ask-maurice-ashley-anything-special-qa-/

Cover Stories with Chess Life Interview:

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-sskej-f237dc?download=1

10:30- Maurice’s observations about young GM Brewington Hardaway, who recently became the 2nd ever African American GM, at age 15.

Mentioned: You can read Maurice’s article about GM Hardaway here:

https://new.uschess.org/news/inside-story-long-time-coming

17:00- Patreon mailbag question:

Maurice’s siblings are kickboxing and boxing champions. What did they do to cultivate such achievement?

20:00- Which chess player got GM Maurice Ashley into salsa dancing?

23:00- Patreon mailbag question: ‘What are Maurice’s reflections on the Millionare Chess tournaments that he founded?”

28:30- What is the vision for Maurice’s “Clutch Chess,” which took place recently at the St. Louis Chess Club?

32:00- Is commentating still Maurice’s favorite professional activity?

36:00- Maurice’s passion for designing chess puzzles and courses

Mentioned: The puzzle that (temporarily) stumped MVL is here:

https://x.com/MauriceAshley/status/1609261621247086592?s=20

42:00- Has Maurice ever had a “pinch me” moment?

45:00- Maurice’s struggles after earning the GM title

49:00- The origins of Maurice’s communication skills

52:00- What does Maurice want his chess legacy to be?

54:00- Maurice’s next projects

59:00- Thanks to Maurice for joining me! Here is how to keep up with his many activities:

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mauriceashleychess/?hl=en

Chessable:

https://www.chessable.com/author/GMAshley/

X/Twitter:

https://x.com/MauriceAshley?lang=en

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices