The Chess Angle

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 

The Chess Angle is sponsored by Chessable. Check out a list of our favorite courses!In this solo episode, Neal shares some thoughts on a number of topics related to tournament chess. Talking points include: Non-resigning in overwhelmingly worse positions with no time-pressure issues Queen trade blunders Are online ratings legit or a sham? The Jobava London System (1. d4 2. Nc3 3. Bf4) Resources for the Jobava London: The Jobava London System by GM Simon Williams (Amazon paperback) The Jobava London System by GM Simon Williams (Chessable  course) Ginger GM Simon Williams' YouTube Page Our links: Website Twitter YouTube Facebook Support the Show E-mail: info@thechessangle.com

Nick Figorito is a member of the Long Island Chess Club who recently earned the title of National Master (USCF 2200). In this episode, Nick shares his journey to Master, busts some common chess improvement myths, and offers some additional insight. Nick can be reached at nfigorito@ymail.com. Some of our talking points include: Is there a "formula" or systematic study plan to achieve a Master rating? Can anyone make Master? Nick's surprising viewpoint on opening theory Why he hates the Najdorf Sicilian Chess improvement while working full-time Nick's belief that simply "not blundering" may boost your rating more than any other strategic or tactical approach 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! Fide Master Carsten Hansen is a prolific writer who has authored an astounding 46 chess books and is a #1 best selling author on Amazon. Recently published books include The Anti-Alapin Gambit  and The Chess Wizardry of Wotawa, co-authored with Cyrus Lakdawala. Carsten is also an active chess coach and trainer. In addition, he is working to achieve an IM title, and does all this while holding down a full-time day job, so his work ethic is quite impressive. In this episode, Carsten offers some outstanding insight on the opening phase of the game for amateur players. Some of our talking points include: Carsten's quest to achieve an IM title How club players should approach openings How to beat higher-rated opponents Should you play gambits? A full assessment of Neal's opening repertoire Theory vs. themes Dealing with nerves and avoiding time pressure Carsten's chess coaching philosophy The one glaring weakness with many opening courses  Links for FM Carsten Hansen: Website Amazon Author Page Twitter Chessable Our links: Website Twitter YouTube Facebook Support the Show E-mail: info@thechessangle.com

This episode is a primer on the Nimzo & Queen's Indian Defenses for adult improvers and club-level players. These two openings can be used as a complete system against 1. d4. Fighting for control of the e4-square is a major theme. Lines discussed include the following: NIMZO-INDIAN: Rubenstein Variation with 4...b6: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 b6 5. Bd3 Bb7 (5. Nge2 Ne4!) 6. Nf3 Ne4! Classical Variation with 4...0-0: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 0-0 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 Ne4! 7. Qc2 f5 Leningrad Variation: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Bg5 h6 5. Bh4 c5 6. d5 d6 Samisch Variation with 4. a3: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. a3 Bxc3 5. bxc3 and Black can begin an attack on the weak c4-pawn (...Nc6-a5, ...b6, ...Ba6, etc.) QUEEN'S INDIAN: Main Line:  1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 Be7 6. 0-0 0-0 7. Nc3 Ne4! 8. Qc2 Nxc3 9. Qxc3 (9. Ng5?? Nxe2! 10. Qxe2 Bxg2 11. Qh5 h6 -+) c5 (9...Be4 is also good in the main line) Petrosian System with 4. a3:  1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. a3 Bb7 5. Nc3 d5! (stopping 6. d5 by White) Errata: When discussing odds & ends,  I mentioned that you can sometimes trick your opponent into playing the French Defense after 1. d4 e6! 2. e4 d5. I said 2. ...e5 by mistake (though I suspect most of you knew what I meant).  RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: Starting Out: The Nimzo-Indian (Amazon) Starting Out: The Queen’s Indian (Amazon) The Fierce Nimzo-Indian by WFM Maaike Keetman (Chessable) 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 commission on qualifying purchases. This helps support the podcast at no additional cost to you.

Candidate Master and renowned chess educator Brian Karen returns to the podcast to discuss the chess cheating crisis as it relates to the amateur player, among other topics. Some of our talking points include: How the prevalence of chess cheating is affecting amateur events Why the Carlsen/Niemann controversy has become irritating & tiresome Are cheat detection algorithms legitimate? Chess coaching philosophies Why do many players drop out of tournaments after losing just one game? Are large cash prizes hurting the Royal Game? Is bullet chess harmful or helpful? Is solving extremely difficult chess puzzles really beneficial? ♟This podcast is sponsored by Chessable. Check out a list of our favorite courses!♟ Our links: Website Twitter YouTube Facebook Support the Show E-mail: info@thechessangle.com

Neal discusses the dangers of playing chess too literally or "inside the box." Sometimes deviating from conventional chess principles is a smart play. ♟This podcast is sponsored by Chessable. Check out a list of our favorite courses!♟ Our links: Website Twitter YouTube Facebook Support the Show E-mail: info@thechessangle.com

Analyzing your tournament games with a computer program such as Fritz or Stockfish is perhaps the most important component of any improvement plan. However, using a chess engine can sometimes be confusing at the amateur level. In this episode, we review some tips on how club players can use an engine effectively to improve. Some of our talking points include: Why +/=  or  =/+  is really the same as  = Identifying inflection points in your game A technique to avoid repeating a mistake in future tournament games Avoiding the mindset of "I don't need to review the game - I know where I went wrong"  Our links: Website Twitter YouTube Facebook Support the Show E-mail: info@thechessangle.com

💻Be sure to subscribe to our new YouTube channel!💻 We have preview clips for select episodes and are gradually adding content. Please join our community! This season's first solo episode is divided into two main segments with some additional subtopics thrown in. First, Neal argues that "waiting" moves or "passive" moves can sometimes be very effective and possibly the best choice in certain situations. Next, he shares his thoughts on the chess podcasting space. Our links: Website Twitter YouTube Facebook E-mail: info@thechessangle.com