chessfeels: conversations about chess, psychology & mental health

JJ talks about their year in chess that was and wasn't, which turns into a conversation with Julia about grief, loss, and self-knowledge. JJ references their essay on substack, which begins here: https://substack.com/home/post/p-180266870 Buy our really good merch Tell us you love us by following us on twitter Show us you love us by giving us some money

do you hear that? the board is trying to talk to you. Buy our really good merch Tell us you love us by following us on twitter Show us you love us by giving us some money

The gang gets a phone call. 

We're back! JJ and Julia have made several recordings in the past year, and are finally ready to start rolling them out. Here's the first one, it's about humility.  Buy our really good merch Tell us you love us by following us on twitter Show us you love us by giving us some money

The teacher (JJ) becomes the student when their coach (CM Vjekoslav Nemec, aka @Chessentials_ ) joins JJ and Julia to talk about the emotional highs and lows of playing competitively, particularly when one's identity is wrapped up with being a chess player. Then the coach (Vjeko) becomes the patient when their (unofficial) therapist (Julia) gets to the bottom of why their lows feel so low. Check o...

It's been a while! JJ and Julia check in to tell everyone where they've been and where we (you! and us!) are going next.  Buy our really good merch Tell us you love us by following us on twitter Show us you love us by giving us some money

JJ and Julia return to a fan favorite topic: adhd. This time, instead of hyperfocusing on their personal experiences with adhd, they hyperfocus on adhd testing, diagnosing, and, of course, what your opening choices say about your neurodiversity. Listen to our original adhd episode Buy our really good merch Tell us you love us by following us on twitter Show us you love us by giving us some money

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JJ and Julia interview Maya Marlette, a student of JJ's with a really cool chess backstory and an even cooler day job. Buy our really good merch Tell us you love us by following us on twitter Show us you love us by giving us some money Listen to Maya's podcast, Twilight Phase

Julia and JJ switch hats now that JJ is cured. They discuss how to find and keep motivation for chess studying when time and energy are in short supply. Buy our really good merch Tell us you love us by following us on twitter Show us you love us by giving us some money

Julia and JJ interview their old family friend, Isaac "Ike" Haxton. They catch up on Haxton's illustrious poker career, his less illustrious chess career, and everything in between. About Isaac: "Born in New York City, the young-looking 32-year-old Haxton (who bears a slight resemblance to Harry Potter) was raised in Syracuse by his psychiatrist mother and English professor father. His father intr...

A true festivus! (We have a lot of problems with you people!) We also miss you terribly. Today Julia and JJ explore the very depths of h3ll (US chess tournaments). 

We're back! Very proud. We respond to a number of questions from our dedicated fans, solving both chess and mental health in the process. Also, re audio quality, Julia didn't have her mic on her, which somehow meant that JJ's audio quality was worse. It will be better next time and we're going to start releasing episodes every two weeks.  Buy our really good merch Tell us you love us by following...

You already know. Check out our recommended courses on chessable Buy our really good merch Tell us you love us by following us on twitter Show us you love us by giving us some money

Happy one year anniversary of Julia and JJ starting a podcast! To celebrate, we dig deep into the archives and share the prodigal return of the "convince me" series. Listen as the dynamic duo discuss: Mittens, the dumbest rules in chess, chessboxing, human chess coaches, and whether you're underrated. Check out our recommended courses on chessable Buy our really good merch Tell us you love us by f...

Julia and JJ talk about one of their favorite chess books, as well as what makes a good chess book and how to read a chess book. Check out our recommended courses on chessable Buy our really good merch Tell us you love us by following us on twitter Show us you love us by giving us some money

Julia and JJ are joined by the most wholesome man in chess content creation. Try to keep up as the trio talks about everything from the evolution of John's career as an educator to his dating life to his teaching philosophy to his own pet openings. An example of JB-approved patience from one of JJ's recent games John Bartholomew's Chess Fundamentals series John Bartholomew's 1. d4 Repertoire on Ch...

Julia and JJ are pleased to invite you to the first ever Stouffers' Masters' tournament, modeled off of the...idiosyncratic...Airthings Masters' double elimination format across multiple divisions. You can register here , but spots are limited, so make your application SHINE. You can bribe us for spots or beneficial pairings here .

Julia and JJ revisit an earlier conversation about the dangers of setting results-oriented goals, such as the 'annual rating goal' that plagues chess improvement circles every January. Then, Julia helps JJ set a ratings goal for the year in a way that avoids these traps. Check out our recommended courses on chessable Buy our really good merch Tell us you love us by following us on twitter Show us...

See our full gift guide on JJs substack Check out our recommended courses on chessable Buy our really good merch Tell us you love us by following us on twitter Show us you love us by giving us some money Book lessons with JJ

What do chess teaching and practicing therapy have in common? It sounds like a joke, and probably is, but you'll have to listen if you want to find out the actual answer. Check out our recommended courses on chessable Buy our really good merch Tell us you love us by following us on twitter Show us you love us by giving us some money Book lessons with JJ

Julia and JJ are joined by WGM and multi-hyphenate US chess champion, poker pro, and author Jennifer Shahade to talk about the future (and past) of social media, the mental side of chess, and the open Sicilian. Purchase Jennifer's book, Chess Queens! Check out our recommended courses on chessable Buy our really good merch Tell us you love us by following us on twitter Show us you love us by giving...

You're studying openings bad and you should feel bad! In the first podcast to ever feature two of the four highest rated chess players in the state of Nebraska, Omaha-based FM Nate Solon joins Julia and JJ to talk about how he studies openings and why that makes him better than other people. He also talks about his new book, "Evaluate like a GM," co-authored with GM Eugene Perelshteyn, and why 'ev...

Julia and JJ solicited scary and "scary" stories from listeners and compiled them for a very spooky episode. Check out our recommended courses on chessable Buy our really good merch Tell us you love us by following us on twitter Show us you love us by giving us some money Book lessons with JJ

Julia and JJ continue their conversation about how anxiety can impact your chess. They talk about how to notice when your thoughts turn from 'observational' to more 'reactive' or 'evaluative,' and how annotating your own (slow) chess games can be a great way to practice these observational skills. JJ mentions the chess dojo training program which is really good Check out our recommended courses on...