The Chess Angle

This podcast discusses study plans, training programs, and improvement for amateur and club chess players. Topics include analyzing tournament games with an engine, clock management, opening repertoire, simple defense, and recommended chess training resources.

This episode is a review of The Complete Book of Chess Strategy (Amazon) by IM Jeremy Silman. This is an excellent all-in-one reference book for improvers and club players, covering all phases of the game as well as practical matters (blunders, time pressure, chess psychology, etc.).  Neal shares his thoughts on how the concepts in this book apply to the amateur tournament scene. Talking points include the following: The "cat and mouse" technique Opening principles and the correct way to develop your pieces Understanding the imbalances of a position Pawn structures Middlegame basics The minority attack The battle of the minor pieces Are the Lucena and Philidor endgame positions really a priority for most improvers? The reality of most endgames at  club-level tournaments Draw offers Have a question or topic for consideration in a future episode? E-mail us at info@thechessangle.com. Our links: Website Twitter YouTube Facebook E-mail: info@thechessangle.com The Chess Angle is sponsored by Chessable. Check out a list of our favorite courses! The Amazon links above are affiliate links which earn us a small commission on qualifying purchases. This helps support the podcast at no additional cost to you.

This episode explores the psychology of facing a lower-rated opponent who is playing really well. This is often highly frustrating for tournament players. Many times, however, it's more about your own mindset than your opponent's abilities. Conversely, this episode will explain the "ratings walk" phenomenon when facing a higher-rated opponent. Have a question or topic for consideration in a future episode? E-mail us at info@thechessangle.com. Mentioned: Chess for Tigers  (Amazon) The Survival Guide to Competitive Chess  (Amazon) Our links: Website Twitter YouTube Facebook E-mail: info@thechessangle.com The Chess Angle is sponsored by Chessable. Check out a list of our favorite courses! The Amazon links above are affiliate links which earn us a small commission on qualifying purchases. This helps support the podcast at no additional cost to you.

This week I spoke with National Master Nick Panico. Nick is a fellow educator with a background in science and has also been active as a storm chaser. Nick shared his vast experience from the amateur chess scene and our conversation went in a lot of interesting directions. Some of our talking points include the following: Tips for improvers The amateur tournament scene Should you play gambit openings? Cheating & sandbagging Bishop & knight mate Nick's journey to NM Online vs. OTB chess Our links: Website Twitter YouTube Facebook E-mail: info@thechessangle.com The Chess Angle is sponsored by Chessable. Check out a list of our favorite courses!

To kick off Season 4, Neal spoke with Grandmaster Alex Lenderman. Alex resides in Brooklyn, NY where he was a member of the famous chess team at Edward R. Murrrow HS that won multiple national high school titles. This was depicted in the 2007 book The Kings of New York (retitled Game of Kings) by Michael Weinreb (Amazon). Alex was the winner of the 2021 US Open and is active as a chess coach for both children and adults. Some of this episode's talking points include the following: Why many adults have difficulty improving Chess psychology The chess cheating epidemic Alex's experience playing at local clubs Teaching chess Links for GM Alex Lenderman: Email  Chess.com Facebook Our links: Website Twitter YouTube Facebook E-mail: info@thechessangle.com The Chess Angle is sponsored by Chessable. Check out a list of our favorite courses! The Amazon link above is an affiliate link which earns us a small commission on qualifying purchases. This helps support the podcast at no additional cost to you.

The Chess Angle is sponsored by Chessable. Check out a list of our favorite courses! This week's episode is our Season 3 Finale and features International Master Jay Bonin, a legend of the New York chess scene. He is one of the most active tournament players ever, having amassed an estimated 30K - 40K rated OTB games, sometimes playing over 700 games in one year. As such, he is known as the "Iron Man of Chess." Neal spoke with Jay recently via phone where he shared his experiences and knowledge. The basis of this conversation is his 2016 book, Active Pieces (Amazon) which discusses Jay's approach to chess with explanatory prose and annotated games. Some of the talking points in this episode include the following: Why Jay feels draw offers are best made when capturing a piece The influence of Bobby Fischer Winning with the "rope-a-dope" method Jay's strong friendship with fellow NY chess legend Asa Hoffmann The "Bonin-Kann" opening (1...c6, 2...a6!?, holding back ...d5, which often throws the opponent off balance) Thoughts on mate with the bishop and knight Playing Queenless middlegames His win against chess giant GM Samuel Reshevsky How Jay adapts his style and openings for specific opponents Links for IM Jay Bonin: Active Pieces (Amazon) Facebook Chess.com: Boninknights Mentioned: Bellon - Bonin (2008) 1/2-1/2 Season 4 of The Chess Angle coming soon! Our links: Website Twitter YouTube Facebook Support the Show E-mail: info@thechessangle.com The Amazon links above are affiliate links which earn us a small commission on qualifying purchases. This helps support the podcast at no additional cost to you.

The Chess Angle is sponsored by Chessable. Check out a list of our favorite courses! This week's episode features WFM Maaike Keetman. We covered a number of important topics for adult improvers and amateur players. Maaike is the VP of Content for Chessable and is active with the ChessQueens Foundation which promotes the game of chess for women and girls in the Netherlands. Her Chessable course, The Fierce Nimzo-Indian, is designed for amateur players and is highly recommended. Some of our talking points include the following: Inducing errors from your opponent Why the Catalan may be the most dangerous opening at the amateur level The Nimzo-Indian defense for improvers Why most amateur games are decided by tactics Maaike's success despite little endgame study How Tal influenced Maaike's style Maaike's quest for the WIM title Grinding out wins in even positions How improvers should approach openings Links for WFM Maaike Keetman: The Fierce Nimzo-Indian (Chessable Course)  Maaike on Twitter: @MaaikeKeetman Our links: Website Twitter YouTube Facebook Support the Show E-mail: info@thechessangle.com

The Chess Angle is sponsored by Chessable. Check out a list of our favorite courses! This episode offers some practical advice and insight for improvers and emerging tournament players. Some of the talking points include: How many games a year do you need to play to increase your OTB rating? Should you get up from the board during your game? How tournament pairing rules often make increasing your rating difficult A common pawn blunder to avoid Book study vs. digital/online study Mentioned: The Amateur's Mind by IM Jeremy Silman (Amazon) Our links: Website Twitter YouTube Facebook Support the Show E-mail: info@thechessangle.com The Amazon link above is an affiliate link which earns us a small commission on qualifying purchases. This helps support the podcast at no additional cost to you.

The Chess Angle is sponsored by Chessable. Check out a list of our favorite courses! Offering or accepting a draw is often a critical decision in a chess game and is the subject of much discussion and debate.  Our guest this week, National Master Robert Guevara, is a tenacious player who declines virtually every draw offer thrown his way. He explains his reasoning for doing so, and it's not because of an obsession with winning. His thought process is highly instructive. We covered some other areas including: The dangers of perfectionism Achieving NM despite not entering the tournament scene until age 25  Draw offer stories from actual OTB games Dealing with time pressure Persistence and the fighting spirit Our links: Website Twitter YouTube Facebook Support the Show E-mail: info@thechessangle.com

The Chess Angle is sponsored by Chessable. Check out a list of our favorite courses! This episode is dedicated to all of the school teachers out there.  Our guest this week, Dr. Stephen Wefer, is an adult improver (USCF 1691), HS science teacher, and Long Island Chess Club regular. He has also worked as an adjunct professor. We spoke about academia, chess improvement, tournaments, and a lot more. Some of our talking points include the following: Applying an academic mindset to chess improvement Stephen's tips for balancing work, family, and chess study/play Chess openings philosophy Rating goals Facing underrated opponents Playing speculative sacrifices Is there a limit to one's chess improvement past age 45? Links for Dr. Stephen Wefer: YouTube channel: Cool Chess Stuff with Stephen E-mail: shwefer@gmail.com Instagram: @bio_explained, @coolchessstuff Our links: Website Twitter YouTube Facebook Support the Show E-mail: info@thechessangle.com