ChessMood Podcast

Traveling nonstop for eleven months, walking eight days by the Narmada River with no phone or money — this is a small part of Sagar Shah’s journey. In this talk with GM Avetik, he speaks about the books that opened new paths for him, the balance between love and discipline, and Magnus Carlsen’s unique approach. He also shares how ChessBase India became a spiritual journey, why he created the Templ...

From reaching a 2700 rating and being among the world’s top 20 players, to helping both Vladimir Kramnik and Magnus Carlsen in World Championship matches… From classic board preparation to modern engine work — our guest is GM Laurent Fressinet. In this honest conversation with GM Avetik, he opens up about: – Working with legends like Kramnik and Carlsen – The emotional and mental challenges of eli...

In this raw and powerful conversation, GM Levon Aronian opens up about the truths he avoided — and the price he paid for it. From missing his chance at the World Championship to learning the hard lessons about discipline, ambition, and self-awareness, Levon shares insights few Grandmasters ever admit publicly. You’ll hear about his journey through crisis and reinvention, why real growth begins wit...

In this special episode of the ChessMood Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Rao Srikumar — bestselling author, TED speaker, and former professor at some of the world’s top business schools. Known as the “FedEx guy” for delivering timeless wisdom in modern language, Dr. Rao has mentored thousands of elite entrepreneurs and thinkers. In this deep, honest, and often surprising conversation with GM Avetik,...

Champions, our guest today is Grandmaster Noel Studer! After retiring from professional chess, he started NextLevelChess, where he shares his experience and insights to help others improve their game. Noel’s website https://nextlevelchess.com/ Over 200 articles https://nextlevelchess.com/articles/ His course on how to study chess https://courses.nextlevelchess.blog/courses/simplified-chess-improve...

Champions, our guest today is the European Champion 2024, Grandmaster Aleksandar Indjic. In this episode, we explore his approach to winning tournaments, managing setbacks, and using pressure as a tool for success. He also shares stories about his legendary coach GM Velimirovic, insights from working with Super Grandmaster Morozevich, and other fascinating experiences from his chess journey. There...

GM Georg Meier has trained with the world’s best – Carlsen and Kasparov. The latter even predicted that GM Meier would break the 2700 elo barrier. He was living the dream of a professional chess player. But then, he left his chess ambitions behind to follow a new path. Why did he do it? In his chess career, what did he learn from his interactions with five world champions? What advice does he have...

Our guest is the inspiring Soulaima Gourani, who went from experiencing homelessness and dropping out of school to reaching a level where she would fly on private jets, receive numerous awards, including '40 under 40,' and Top 100 Women, and build successful businesses. In conversation with GM Avetik, she talks about building an excuseless mindset, the key to finding lasting happiness, goal settin...

When his father was diagnosed with cancer, GM Kevin Goh Wei Ming knew he had limited time to fulfill his dream of becoming a Grandmaster. Despite being the CFO of a major startup, Kevin pushed himself and earned his GM title! At 36! Then Kevin quit his comfortable job to become the CEO of the Singapore Chess Federation, determined to make Singapore a chess country. And now, the upcoming 2024 World...

Amy Morin, a renowned psychotherapist and the international bestselling author of “13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do”, joins GM Avetik as a guest on this episode of the ChessMood podcast.  They talk about the list of things mentally strong chess players don’t do, how to get over painful defeats and how chess players can master mental strength. Check out Amy’s work here: Visit her webs...

On Today's Episode, our guest is NM Ben Johnson, host of the famous Perpetual Chess podcast. Apart from chess improvement and his book about it, we discuss: - How he built the discipline to record a new episode every week for over seven years - What he did when his motivation waned - How he overcame his fears - and many other things that you’ll find helpful for your chess journey. Navigate to a pa...

On Today's Episode the Smiley Grandmaster Bassem Amin shares: - How he became an FM at 11, IM at 16, and GM at 18 - Why he decided to study medicine and why he returned to professional chess - Gratitude lessons he learned from the army - How he changed his training to reach a 2,700 rating - How he got into the top 50 in the world and what his next goal is - His No.1 advice for aspiring chess playe...

On Today's Episode, one of the most loved chess streamers - IM Eric Rosen, shares: - How he overcame the plateau by working on his mindset and how he became an international master - How he learned to deal with defeats - How he fuels his journey with passion by learning new things - Why he doesn’t set long-term goals - How he finds the balance between being competitive and collaborative - And much...

What can chess players learn from the world of biohacking? In this episode of the ChessMood podcast, our host and founder GM Avetik Grigoryan interviews Ben Greenfield, one of the world’s top biohackers, to share his insights. Ben’s also the author of thirteen bestselling books covering health, biohacking, fitness, and brain optimization. He has worked with many top athletes, CEOs, some of the top...

In this episode of the ChessMood Podcast, our guest is James Altucher, a man who has turned his life around multiple times and achieved tremendous success in many fields! James is a serial entrepreneur, investor, bestselling author, stand-up comedian, blogger, podcaster, and also a chess master! From building a fortune by selling his first company to hitting rock-bottom and even contemplating suic...

Multiple times Olympic and World Champion, elite chess Grandmaster Vladimir Akopian with 2700+ peak rating, shares the stories behind his remarkable career, including the advice he got from Botvinnik before winning his 1st World Championship, his matches with Garry Kasparov and how he was arrested on his way to chess Olympiad.

If you take care of your inner being and keep it healthy, you’ll elevate not only your chess performance, but also the quality of your life. People around you will be better. The world will be better. Today’s guest is one of the brightest, smartest, deepest and happiest persons alive. He constantly wins both games — the outer game, what the society calls success, and the inner game that we need to...

How to stop underperforming and play at your peak? Peak performance coach Todd Herman, who has worked with hundreds of Olympians and Elite Athletes like Kobe Bryant, Cristiano Ronaldo and Rafael Nadal, shares how we, chess players, can enhance our performance by creating alter egos and with other techniques.