The Chess Angle

In this episode, Neal shares his experience from a recent night at the LI Chess Club, discussing the challenges of tournament conditions and the nature of 'ugly wins.' The conversation transitions into listener questions, covering topics such as the value of attending chess clubs, the etiquette surrounding draw offers, and the effectiveness of coaching for improvement. Neal also discusses various opening systems for White, emphasizing the importance of having a set repertoire while being open to mixing strategies. The final segment is a commentary on the excellent article 10 White Opening Systems. This episode is a follow-up to Ep. 100: The Hippopotamus Defense and Other Chess Opening Systems for Black. Key Takeaways: Not every game will be perfect; some wins are messy. Playing in uncomfortable conditions can affect performance. Online chess serves as a tool rather than a primary focus. Draw offers can be seen as disrespectful if made prematurely. Higher-rated players often won't accept draws against lower-rated opponents. Coaching can provide insights that engines may miss. Mixing up opening strategies can be beneficial. Applying new systems can enhance gameplay without extensive memorization. 📧 If you have a question, comment, or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at info@thechessangle.com. 🎯 Our Links:  Website Twitter (X) YouTube (Chess Angle Podcast) YouTube (LI Chess Club) Buy Me a Coffee

Many club-level players follow a highly structured study plan but have poor tournament results. We explore this phenomenon and offer some possible solutions. Referenced: Reset: How to Change What's Not Working (Amazon) Chess for Tigers (Amazon) 📧 If you have a question, comment, or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at info@thechessangle.com. 🎯 Our Links:  Website Twitter (X) YouTube (Chess Angle Podcast) YouTube (LI Chess Club) Buy Me a Coffee The Amazon links above are affiliate links. Qualifying purchases help support this podcast at no additional cost to you.

Welcome to Season 10! This week we discuss 1...e6, blitz chess, using the King in the endgame, and more. Referenced: Blitz is Screwing Up Your Thought Process Ep. 100: The Hippopotamus Defense and Other Chess Opening Systems for Black 📧 If you have a question, comment, or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at info@thechessangle.com. 🎯 Our Links:  Website Twitter (X) YouTube (Chess Angle Podcast) YouTube (LI Chess Club) Buy Me a Coffee

This is the S9 Finale. S10 Premiere coming soon. In the meantime, check out the Long Island Chess Club YouTube Channel which has instructional videos for busy adult players. We're looking to get the channel fully off the ground and add more content on a consistent basis.  Game Referenced: 1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 e6 3. e3 Nf6 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. c3 Be7 6. h3 O-O 7. Bd3 Ne4 8. Bxe4 dxe4 9. Ne5 Nxe5 10. Bxe5 Bd6 11. Bxd6 Qxd6 12. O-O Rd8 13. Nd2 e5 14. Nxe4 Qe6 15. Qf3 b6 16. Ng5 Qg6 17. Qxa8 Qxg5 18. Qf3 Re8 19. dxe5 Rxe5 20. Rad1 h6 21. Rd2 Bf5 22. Qa8+ Kh7 23. f4 Qg3 24. fxe5 Qxe3+ 25. Rdf2 Bxh3 26. gxh3 Qg3+ 27. Qg2 Qxg2+ 28. Kxg2 c5 29. Rxf7 b5 30. e6 a6 31. e7 b4 32. e8=Q a5 33. Qe4+ Kg8 34. Rf8# 1-0 📧 If you have a question, comment, or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at info@thechessangle.com. 🎯 Our Links:  Website Twitter (X) YouTube (Chess Angle Podcast) YouTube (LI Chess Club) Buy Me a Coffee

In this episode, we dive into the hidden challenges adult players face when returning to chess after a long break, and the powerful mindset shifts that separate those who thrive from those who quit. Whether you’re battling self-doubt, time constraints, or rating plateaus, this episode offers real talk and practical strategies to help you stay motivated, set realistic goals, and rediscover the joy of the game. We also share the "driveway method" to help shake off a tough loss. This Reddit post was referenced in this episode. 📧 If you have a question, comment, or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at info@thechessangle.com. 🎯 Our Links:  Website Twitter (X) YouTube (Chess Angle Podcast) YouTube (LI Chess Club) Buy Me a Coffee

In this Listener Mailbag exclusive, we discuss whether prepping for specific opponents is worth it at the amateur level, and a bunch of other stuff too...  📧 If you have a question, comment, or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at info@thechessangle.com. 🎯 Our Links:  Website Twitter (X) YouTube (Chess Angle Podcast) YouTube (LI Chess Club) Buy Me a Coffee

This week is all about chess opening philosophy. We discuss a number of ideas about opening prep and argue that having the White pieces does not provide any meaningful advantage at the club level since most amateur games are littered with mistakes, thus negating any possible benefit of moving first. The basis of this episode is a response to the excellent article Chess Openings In The Engine Era by NM Jeremy Kane.  📧 If you have a question, comment, or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at info@thechessangle.com. 🎯 Our Links:  Website Twitter (X) YouTube (Chess Angle Podcast) YouTube (LI Chess Club) Buy Me a Coffee

This week we discuss endgame strategy for club players and some other stuff as well. Grinding out a win in an "even" endgame is a mixture of patience, stubbornness, and luck. A .pgn for the game we analyze is below. We reference the highly recommended book The Survival Guide to Competitive Chess (Amazon) by GM John Emms, who was a previous guest on the pod (Episode #40). 1. Nf3 b6 2. g3 Bb7 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. c4 e6 5. O-O Be7 6. Nc3 O-O 7. d3 c5 8. e4 d6 9. Nd2 Nc6 10. f4 Qd7 11. g4 Nd4 12. g5 Ne8 13. Nf3 Nxf3+ 14. Bxf3 Nc7 15. Be3 d5 16. Bf2 dxc4 17. dxc4 Qxd1 18. Raxd1 Rad8 19. Kg2 f6 20. h4 fxg5 21. hxg5 Bc6 22. Rxd8 Rxd8 23. Rd1 Rxd1 24. Bxd1 Kf7 25. Be3 Bd6 26. Bf3 g6 27. e5 Bxf3+ 28. Kxf3 Be7 29. Bd2 Ne8 30. Kg4 Kg7 31. Ne4 Kh8 32. Be3 Ng7 33. Bf2 Nf5 34. b3 h5+ 35. gxh6 Nxh6+ 36. Kf3 Kg7 37. Ng5 Bxg5 38. fxg5 Nf5 39. Ke4 Kf7 40. Kd3 Ke7 41. Ke4 Kd7 42. a4 Kc6 43. Kd3 Kb7 44. Kc3 a5 45. Kd3 Ne7 46. Ke4 Nc6 47. Be3 Ne7 48. Bf2 Nc6 49. Kd3?? Nxe5+ 50. Ke4 Nf7 51. Bg3 Nxg5+ 52. Kf4 Nf7 0-1 📧 If you have a question, comment, or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at info@thechessangle.com. 🎯 Our Links:  Website Twitter (X) YouTube (Chess Angle Podcast) YouTube (LI Chess Club) Buy Me a Coffee The Amazon link above is an affiliate link. Qualifying purchases help support the podcast at no additional cost to you.

A number of years ago, GM Andy Soltis claimed that once a chess player becomes serious about the game, there is an 8-year window during which he achieves 90% of his maximum chess potential. Anything beyond that time frame is just squeezing out the remaining 10%. NM Tim Mirabile returns to the podcast to discuss this theory and a bunch of other chess improvement topics. In this episode we reference this chess.com article and a post on Quora.  📧 If you have a question, comment, or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at info@thechessangle.com. 🎯 Our Links:  Website Twitter (X) YouTube (Chess Angle Podcast) YouTube (LI Chess Club) Buy Me a Coffee

The Jobava London (1. d4, 2. Nc3, 3. Bf4) is an opening system that is easy to learn, yet still has a lot of sting, especially against ...g6 set-ups by Black. It can easily throw off an opponent who's expecting to face a standard London formation. The theory and ideas are fairly simple, making it a great choice for those with limited study time. Much of the info in this episode is referenced from the book The Jobava London System (Amazon) by GM Simon Williams. You may also wish to check out our previous episode on the standard London System: Ep. 37: The London System for Club Players.   📧 If you have a question, comment, or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at info@thechessangle.com. 🎯 Our Links:  Website Twitter (X) YouTube (Chess Angle Podcast) YouTube (LI Chess Club) Buy Me a Coffee The Amazon link above is an affiliate link. Qualifying purchases help support the podcast at no additional cost to you.