The Chess Angle

Ep. 199 (S11 Finale): You're Doing Chess Puzzles All Wrong

This episode is our Season 11 Finale. We'll be taking a break and will be back soon. Chess puzzles can be one of the most effective ways to improve, but only if you're

Ep. 198: Move Noise: The Mental Clutter Costing You Games

Sometimes the problem isn't that we aren't thinking enough at the chessboard — it's that we're thinking about too much. In this episode, we explore "move noise": the unne

Ep. 197: Chess Openings and the Law of Diminishing Returns

Many adult club players don't study too little opening theory - they study too much. In this episode, we explore the trap of diminishing returns in opening study, why und

Ep. 196: Rook Slides, Queen Slides, & Other Chess Blind Spots

Many chess blunders aren't caused by poor calculation - they're caused by visual blind spots. In this episode, we explore why certain types of moves consistently escape o

Ep. 195: Why Your Chess Rating Swings So Much

Your chess rating can easily swing 100 points or more, but it doesn't necessarily mean you've become a better or worse player. In this episode, we react to a fascinating

Ep. 194: Are You a Chess Improver... or a Course Collector?

In engineering, a single point of failure is the one weak component capable of bringing down an entire system. Chess improvement often works the same way. In this episode

Ep. 193: The Yellow Zone: Where Adult Chess Improvement Actually Happens

If you're holding off until you're fully rested, completely focused, and free from distractions before playing or studying chess, you may be waiting a very long time. Mos

Ep. 192: Zapp Chess: The One App That Hooked Me

I break my long-standing rule about not playing chess on my phone to talk about Zapp Chess, a listener-recommended app that surprised me. It blends fast, gamified play wi

Ep. 191 (Midseason Finale): Is YouTube Actually Better For Adult Chess Improvement Than Chessable? feat. Steve Rosenblatt

In this midseason finale episode, Neal talks with Long Island Chess Club regular Steve Rosenblatt for a wide-ranging conversation on adult chess improvement. The two deba

Ep. 190: Boost Your Chess Rating by Checking Your Ego

Most adult chess players are not held back primarily by calculation or opening knowledge. They are held back by ego: the need to look smart, play "real chess," attack bea

Ep. 189: The Amateur's Mind (Chessable Version) - Still the Most Important Chess Book for Adult Players

This week, we revisit The Amateur's Mind by IM Jeremy Silman, this time through the Chessable edition. We've long argued this is the most important book for adult improve

Ep. 188: Why Study Beats Play for Chess Improvement

Most adult players default to playing more games when they want to improve, but that instinct is often backwards. In this episode, we argue that structured study is the r

Ep. 187: The 2200 Myth: Why Most Adult Chess Players Won't Make Master

Most adult amateurs quietly carry the same goal: reach Master. In this episode, we take an honest look at why that milestone is so elusive: time constraints, training dem

Ep. 186: GM Daniel Gormally on "Untold: Chess Mates," the Netflix Special About the Magnus/Hans Cheating Controversy

GM Daniel Gormally returns to the pod to unpack Netflix's Untold: Chess Mates, the documentary covering the Magnus Carlsen - Hans Niemann controversy. We separate the sig

Ep. 185: The Adult Amateur's Guide to Defeating Chess Prodigies

In this episode, we react to a recent article on how to beat chess prodigies and what adult amateurs tend to get wrong when facing underrated kids. We break down practica

Ep. 184: Real Talk on Chess Improvement for Adults feat. Nick Visel

Fellow chess amateur and blogger Nick Visel returns to the pod to talk about the nuts and bolts of improving as an adult player. We cover endgames, openings, and the psyc

Ep. 183: Online Chess Has a Clock Problem

Time delay or an increment has become the norm in over-the-board tournaments, but online chess still largely ignores it. In this episode, we break down why using an incre

Ep. 182: Chess Ratings and the Luck Factor

We like to think chess is pure skill, but at the amateur level, luck plays a bigger role than most players realize. In this episode, we break down how blunders, pairings,

Ep. 181: Why "Just Playing a Lot" is a Chess Improvement Myth

Many adult chess improvers start with the same plan: just play a lot of games and the rating will climb. At first, that actually works - until it doesn't. In this episode

Ep. 180: My Complete Switch to Lichess

This week, Neal discusses why he recently made a full switch to lichess.org for playing his online games and why the platform works better for his day-to-day chess routin