Chess Journeys: Tales of Adult Improvement

This week on Chess Journeys, I’m joined by Pascoe. After solving chess as a child, Pascoe returned to chess as an adult improver. This week Pascoe shared his story of improvement over an 8 year span. We discussed his different rating gains which he attributes to a fleshed out opening repertoire and endgame study. We also discussed his love hate relationship with some of Jeremy Silman’s most lauded books. Pascoe recommends Reassess Your Chess, Silman’s Complete Endgame Course, 100 Endgames you must know, and Move First, Think Later. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Chess Journeys, I had the pleasure of talking to someone in the middle of a ratings gain. Max Farberov recently went 5-0 in a tournament, sending his rating over 2000 USCF. Max provided a tournament report for his inspiring success. We discussed Max’s approach to improvement which focuses mainly on analyzing his own games. We also talked about Max’s thoughts on videos, books, and other tools such as Chessable, and Chessbase. If you are looking to support the show financially, please visit https://www.patreon.com/ChessJourneys Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Chess Journeys, I chat with the legendario himself, IM Andras Toth. Coach Andras and I discussed a wide range of topics such as his decision to teach primarily adults, his relationship with chess improvers and the chesspunks community, his favorite video series, and many other improvement tips. In other news the show now has a patreon page at: https://www.patreon.com/ChessJourneys Please do not feel obligated to donate! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Chess Journeys, I spoke with Ono. We discussed the challenges of fitting chess into a full and busy adult life. Ono talked about creating long term goals based on learning rather than rating. He provided books and videos that have helped him. Ono also discussed his process of mostly improving by playing rapid games and examining them without an engine. Something that I aspire to but struggle to do. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Chess Journeys, I had the pleasure of talking to Nate Solon. Nate is a data scientist and a high level chess player (FIDE Master). We talked about Nate’s approach to chess improvement and how it has changed from his childhood years to improving as an adult. We covered a wide range of topics such as how data can affect improvement and whether structure has the positive effect that we think it has. Be sure to check out Nate’s newsletter at: https://zwischenzug.substack.com/. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Chess Journeys, I talked with Omar’s about his experiences as a player recently picking up chess. We chatted about his initial dreams of becoming a GM and drawing Magnus to the reality check of his first tournament. Omar shared his over the board experiences, giving newer players great insights into the highs and lows of these experiences. We also discussed his improvement plans. Be sure to check out Omar at https://www.instagram.com/chess_chronicles/channel/. Lately, I’ve been streaming Alekhine’s Best games at https://www.twitch.tv/tinygrimes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Chess Journeys, Fionn and I talked about different types of chess learners. Despite having a PhD, Fionn is very much a video oriented learner. We also discussed social vs. lone learners, book vs. video, and active vs. passive learning. We compared some of our favorite video content creators that bring out our active learning side. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Chess Journeys, Sophie and I discussed her transition from teenage scholastic player to adult improver and the new balance that needs to be struck. We discussed the transition from playing against kids to playing against adults. But primarily we focused on the psychological aspects of chess. We explored topics such as the perils of having our identity tied to success and improvement. Sophie also reflected on her unique method of breaking out of ratings plateaus by caring less and playing a lot of blitz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Chess Journeys, I spoke with David. He’s in his twenties and has been playing for several years. We focused primarily on his method for working out of rating plateaus. He successfully navigated a year-long pause at 1500 and is currently stuck at 1900. We also discussed interesting topics such as the plague that is online cheating, how we process it, and randomness in chess. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Chess Journeys I bring in Kirk. Kirk and I talked about his systematic approach to juggling work, family, and chess improvement. We also discussed the issue of working through rating slumps and stagnation. Kirk suggested that not focusing on improvement was the answer for him. Kirk also suggested blending a variety of types of content to help improvement.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices