Chess Journeys: Tales of Adult Improvement

This week on Chess Journeys, I spoke with Noah. He’s a 23 year old full time student/worker, who carves out time for adult improvement. Noah has had one of those journeys we all aspire to, breaking 1800 after a year of serious chess and not stopping there. We talked about the different phases of his journey and the changes that he made when hitting plateaus. Noah recommended Daniel Naroditsky videos, Silman’s Reassess Your Chess, and other valuable resources. We also talked about the value of coaching and the grueling nature of weekend tournaments. Be sure to check out his stream at https://www.twitch.tv/king_gnomes. As always you can support the show at https://www.patreon.com/ChessJourneys. Also, be sure to check out my Chessable page at www.chessable.com/chessjourneys If you are considering using Aimchess, please use the code drscull30. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Chess Journeys I spoke with Megan. She’s a data engineer and member of the Chesspunk community, those dedicated to adult improvement. We talked about her journey in chess starting in 2015 with a rating around 700 and peaking at over 1900 a few years later. Megan shared with us her approach to chess improvement with a focus on tactics and annotating her games. Megan also talked about the value of having two coaches, and how much they’ve added to her game. We also discussed her frequent over the board events and the larger percentage of children at events since the start of the pandemic. It wasn’t all rating gains for Megan, and she talked about her struggles and rating dips. As always you can support the show at https://www.patreon.com/ChessJourneys. Also, be sure to check out my Chessable page at www.chessable.com/chessjourneys If you are considering using Aimchess, please use the code drscull30. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Chess Journeys I spoke with Simon. He’s an academic with two children, who is trying to find time to improve at chess. We talked about the struggles of wanting to read books but not having the time or energy to do so. Simon talked a lot about his process of watching videos that helped him understand the thinking process of great players. We discussed intuition vs. calculation and the important role that intuition plays. Simon plays one classical game a week, watches a lot of videos, and plays a lot of blitz. This approach has gotten him to 1900 FIDE, including a recent surge of 100 points. As always you can support the show at https://www.patreon.com/ChessJourneys. Also, be sure to check out my Chessable page at www.chessable.com/chessjourneys If you are considering using Aimchess, please use the code drscull30. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Chess Journeys I spoke with Muskee Books. We spoke about his 13 years playing competitive chess. Muskee has endured the ups and downs, and the joys and heartache of chess. Muskee reached a high of 2100 before falling back under 2000. However, recently he won a tournament. We talked about persevering through long plateaus and even rating dips. Muskee talked about his process, which included going over many game collections. As always you can support the show at https://www.patreon.com/ChessJourneys. Also, be sure to check out my Chessable page at www.chessable.com/chessjourneys If you are considering using Aimchess, please use the code drscull30. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Chess Journeys, I spoke with Stacia Pugh. It was an inspiring and fascinating conversation with the most obedient student that I’ve ever met. We discussed her massive ratings gain from 1000 - 1791. But we spent more time on her slide back to 1500, as Stacia rebuilt her game from the ground up. We discussed why she did it, how bad it felt, and how she persevered despite the setback. She is truly a Phoenix who is currently rising out of the flames of that disaster with a goal towards hitting 1800 soon. Stacia provided many resources and tips on how to improve and get the most out of coaching relationships. Be sure to check out her Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn2k14U03rNRHApDIloxOkA As always you can support the show at https://www.patreon.com/ChessJourneys. Also, be sure to check out my Chessable page at www.chessable.com/chessjourneys If you are considering using Aimchess, please use the code drscull30. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Chess Journeys, I spoke with Fruzsina. She’s a WFM with WIM and WGM norms, who streams and teaches chess. We discussed Fruzsi’s chess story including her childhood success, her success as a streamer, and her current decision regarding chasing norms. Fruzsina gave some tips regarding how to best use coaches, how chess helps kids, and some specific book recommendations. We also talked about the difference between learning as a child and an adult. As always you can support the show at https://www.patreon.com/ChessJourneys. Also, be sure to check out my Chessable page at www.chessable.com/chessjourneys  If you are considering using Aimchess, please use the code drscull30. Be sure to visit Fruzina’s stream at: https://www.twitch.tv/szefru Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Chess Journeys, I spoke with Chris Wainscott. He’s 48, an adult improver, co-founder of the Chesspunks Twitter community, tournament director, and prolific writer. We discussed his goal of reaching 2200 and the process he is taking to achieve it. Perhaps most interesting is his up and down rating, which peaked at nearly 1900 before landing today at just over 1700. Chris is an avid Chessable user, and we discussed his streak of 600 days. We also talked about the many resources that Chris has used, and he recommended a myriad of games collections. His favorite being Tal-Botvinnik 1960. You can check out Chris’s Blog at http://ontheroadtochessmaster.com/ As always you can support the show at https://www.patreon.com/ChessJourneys. Also, be sure to check out my Chessable page at www.chessable.com/chessjourneys If you are considering using Aimchess, please use the code drscull30. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Chess Journeys, guest host Neal Bruce interviews me, Dr. Skull. I reflect on my chess origin story and returning to the game a year ago with high expectations. This is a challenging episode for me, as I process the disconnect between spending 500 hours on chess this year and making no ratings gains. Neal does a great job as my therapist, and I hope our conversation is helpful to others struggling with plateaus. We also discussed the resources that I used this year including books, chessable courses, and coaches. As always you can support the show at https://www.patreon.com/ChessJourneys. Also, be sure to check out my Chessable page at www.chessable.com/chessjourneys . If you are considering using Aimchess, please use the code drscull30. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Chess Journeys, I spoke with Andrew. He’s 24, has a career, and is obsessed with chess. Andrew’s had tremendous growth over the last 2 years. He started by getting whomped by his 800 roommate, but now has a current peak of 2300. Impressive stuff indeed! We talked about a wide range of topics such as videos, books, and his love of chess. My biggest takeaway from the interview is that Andrew hasn’t used plans to guide his progress. Instead, Andrew does what he enjoys. Sometimes that means studying, other times that means playing chess. If Andrew isn’t in the mood for chess that day, he doesn’t force it. He isolated two books as having the biggest impact: My System by Nimzowitsch and Silman’s Amateur’s Mind. He also spends a lot of time on Chessable with books such as the Woodpecker Method and 100 Endgames you must know. As always you can support the show at https://www.patreon.com/ChessJourneys. Also, be sure to check out my Chessable page at www.chessable.com/chessjourneys . If you are considering using Aimchess, please use the code drscull30. You can check out Andrew’s informative post on Reddit at https://www.reddit.com/r/chess/comments/qo8odn/improving_as_an_adult_learner/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Chess Journeys I am joined by Tim. In many ways this is a selfish podcast, as I specifically invited Tim to talk about his method of breaking out of a plateau at 1600. Tim and I talked a lot about his journey and the plateaus that he has faced. Tim defends his hot take that reading chess books isn’t necessary until 1600! Tim spends a lot of time working with Chessable for openings and did a thorough Woodpecker Method, which he attributes to a big ratings jump. We discussed other topics such as his thoughts on coaches, the psychology of OTB tournaments, and the importance of calculation.  Chessable Endgame Course is https://www.chessable.com/timeless-technique-strategic-endgames/course/42898/ As always you can support the show at https://www.patreon.com/ChessJourneys. Also, be sure to check out my Chessable page at chessable.com/chessjourneys. If you are considering using Aimchess, please use the code drscull30. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices