The Chess Angle

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 f...

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...

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, T...

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...

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 becau...

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....

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...

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 ratin...

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....

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! Class...

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 coachin...

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 a...

💻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 sit...

💻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 podcast is sponsored by Chessable . Check out a list of our favorite courses! ♟ Electronic Notation Devices (ENDs) offer a convenient way for players to keep score during chess tournaments. No more messy scoresheets or missing  moves. EN...

💻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 podcast is sponsored by Chessable . Check out a list of our favorite courses! ♟ We've all heard of players who study several hours a day. Nice work if you can get it, but that's not viable for most adult improvers who have responsibiliti...

♟This podcast is sponsored by Chessable .  Chessable uses science-backed learning and the concept of spaced repetition to ensure retention. Check out their courses today! ♟ For this Season 3 Premier, Neal spoke with IM Justus Williams. Justus is featured prominently in the 2012 chess documentary Brooklyn Castle , which chronicles the famous chess team from Intermediate School 318 in Brooklyn, NY....

🎤Follow us on Twitter: @TheChessAngle ♟This podcast is sponsored by Chessable .  Chessable uses science-backed learning and the concept of spaced repetition to ensure retention. Check out their courses today! ♟ Grandmaster John Emms is a distinguished chess professional. He is one of the UK's top players, as well as a prolific writer, educator, and chess coach. The bulk of our conversation focuse...

🎤Follow us on Twitter: @TheChessAngle ♟This podcast is sponsored by Chessable .  Chessable uses science-backed learning and the concept of spaced repetition to ensure retention. Check out their courses today! ♟ This episode is a discussion of common endgame ideas, themes, and mistakes at the club level. Mentioned: Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman (Amazon) Recommended Resources: Silman's Com...

🎤Follow us on Twitter: @TheChessAngle ♟This podcast is sponsored by Chessable .  Chessable uses science-backed learning and the concept of spaced repetition to ensure retention. Check out their courses today! ♟ This episode explores possible reasons why your rating is not increasing. It may have little to do with study time or knowledge of chess theory. Our links: Website Twitter Facebook E-mail:...

🎤Follow us on Twitter (X): @TheChessAngle The London System has become one of the most popular openings for White. While it's a staple at amateur events, many top players use it as well, including GMs Magnus Carlsen, Gata Kamsky, Simon Williams, and Anish Giri. The London System is easy to learn, yet very sound and solid. It can lead to slow positional play or dynamic attacking play. The London c...

🎤Be sure to follow us on Twitter: @TheChessAngle ♟This podcast is sponsored by Chessable .  Chessable uses science-backed learning and the concept of spaced repetition to ensure retention. Check out their courses today! ♟ The French Defense (1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5) is one of the most respected openings for Black, and is particularly effective at the amateur level. This is recommended as a complete rep...

🎤Be sure to follow us on Twitter: @TheChessAngle ♟This podcast is sponsored by Chessable .  Chessable uses science-backed learning and the concept of spaced repetition to ensure retention. Check out their courses today! ♟ This week I spoke with my friend Jay Kleinman, a fellow chess amateur and social worker in NY. Jay recounted some fascinating experiences from the amateur tournament scene, and...

🎤Be sure to follow us on Twitter: @TheChessAngle ♟This podcast is sponsored by Chessable .  Check out their courses today!♟ Happy Father's Day to all the chess dads out there! In this episode, I will discuss the chess thought process through the lens of two of my recent OTB games. Some of the talking points include: Confidence against higher-rated opponents Trusting your analysis Playing experien...

🎤Be sure to follow us on Twitter: @TheChessAngle ♟This podcast is sponsored by Chessable . Neal is currently enjoying the course entitled The Agile London System , based on the book of the same name.♟ We've all been there: the opponent who won't sit still or who keeps adjusting every piece. Distracting behavior at the chess board can be so infuriating that it adversely affects your results. In th...