The Chess Experience

055  Quick rating gains. Thousands of new followers on Twitch.  As she revived her love for chess, Jules Gambit has shown an impressive record of improvement. Not to mention she's made a splash in the chess streamer community - all in the same short period of time! In less than a year, Jules has seen a 600+ rating increase. And, at the recent US Amateur Team tournament, she achieved an OTB cl...

054 This episode features one of the three "senseis" of Chess Dojo, IM David Pruess, for a deep dive on a variety of chess topics. Whether it’s discussing if the latest World Championship is worthy of our time, or what he still wanted to contribute to chess after decades of being in the game - you can count on David to bring depth and sharp analysis to our chat.  Plus, as the co-founder...

053 The next World Chess Championship match is around the corner! While there’s no Magnus, there’s still plenty to be excited about. This preview episode is made for the club player or casual chess fan - meaning it’s accessible and easy to follow. I interview FM Carsten Hansen, one of the most prolific chess authors around, and in our discussion, he’ll help you: 1) understand what makes this a rar...

052 How do we grow the game? A major way has been the huge popularity of live-streamed events with star players and world-class commentary. But whether that commentary is engaging and accessible to chess fans is critical to our game’s popularity. So, what should you look for in chess commentary? That’s a major theme that I discuss with GM Jon Ludvig Hammer in this week’s episode. Hammer has been a...

051 Like many areas of chess, it can be difficult to study endgames. There’s an ocean’s worth of books and courses on the subject. But where to begin? To help me simplify this subject for club players, I’m excited to bring IM Yuriy Krykun back on the show. For starters, Yuriy is renowned as one of Chessable’s top course creators (his Dynamic Italian course is one of my favorites!) Plus, from years...

050 We are finally back after a 6-week health hiatus! Today’s guest is the #1 rated woman in Romania: IM Irina Bulmaga. Irina is a professional chess player who is working full-time chasing the GM title as an adult. Another impressive stat? Irina has been in the FIDE Top 100-rated Women in the world since 2012. In a career full of amazing accomplishments, Irina has represented Romania in seven Che...

Sorry for my absence the past few weeks. Here's why. (But I hope to be back very soon.)

049 After 800 hours of chess, you should learn some stuff. That’s roughly the amount of time I spent playing and studying the game in 2022. And, yes, for all that effort, there’s a nagging concern that I should be way better. But I did learn a few things along the way... In fact, 2022 marks my second full year of being a serious student of chess since my middle school days, when I first took the g...

048 Few Grandmasters are as entertaining as Ben Finegold. His blend of humor, truth-telling, and exceptional chess skill are rare in the streaming world. Ben hails from Detroit, Michigan. Raised in a chess family, he ultimately tied as the highest-rated American-born player in the US with a USCF rating of 2662. He now lives in Atlanta, where he streams regularly on Twitch with his wife, Karen The...

This is a brief 3-minute "episode" to announce a brief holiday break and to encourage some reflection on your chess progress.  As described, please let me what you've achieved this year in chess that you feel good about. You can do so by tagging me in a post on Twitter (@Lona_Chess), emailing me   (scroll to the bottom for my address), or sending me a message here . Happy Holidays!...

047 Many chess players fall into a trap. They get too obsessed with chess and their progress. Stress and worry can replace joy and discovery. But not for this week’s guest. Fellow adult improver, Amy Shaw, has found a great balance between striving for consistent improvement and loving the game… And she’s done it without the sometimes unhealthy drive for rating gains that can plague chess players....

046 When you’re in bad position or down material, it’s easy to lose hope. We’ve all been there. But today’s guest, NM Jeremy Kane, explains how and why you should usually keep fighting. His book, The Next To Last Mistake, teaches folks specific strategies needed to hold a draw or even win in losing positions. Plus, we discuss his work building the vast library of fun, unique, and helpful chess les...

045  Have you ever put a ton of energy and work into chess…but your results failed to match your expectations? So, you became frustrated. Dejected. Maybe even disillusioned with the process. This is the potential downside that comes with a passion for chess: Burnout. That happened to my guest, Omar Mills. Omar is my inaugural adult improver guest (it’s about time I feature some fellow adult club p...

044 Few American women in chess are as inspiring as Irina Krush. That may be obvious from the title of this episode alone.  But to listen to Irina tell her story in this interview… To hear her wisdom, strength, and charisma - you get the full measure of why she’s so inspiring to chess players worldwide. No surprise, though from the person who's been an unprecedented 8x US Women’s Champion. AN...

043 Born in Romania. Daughter of two International Masters. The young chess star, WGM Sabina Foisor, moved to America as a young adult and conquered the women’s chess scene by winning the 2017 US Women’s Championship. In this episode, we discuss:  What it’s like growing up in a chess family with high expectations for success. The emotional journey of preparing & competing for the 2017 US Women...

042 The #1 female player in Germany for many years: GM Elisabeth Paehtz. Even beyond her impressive accomplishments as a chess player, which include: Winning the 2018 European Women’s Championship in rapid chess. Representing Germany for the Women’s Chess Olympiad over 10 times. Elisabeth has some refreshing and pleasantly unexpected insights about the game. In this episode, we discuss: Why she ne...

041 You may know her as one of the featured students from the 2012 documentary, Brooklyn Castle.  A superb film that covered a low-income, junior high school’s talented chess team. One of the main students the film explored was the inspiring story of Rochelle Ballantyne. Ten years after its release, Rochelle is now a 3rd-year law student at New York University. She also recently re-committed to he...

040 Few people today are creating as many highly praised chess courses as IM Christof Sielecki. Since the start of this podcast, I’ve looked forward to one day having him as a guest on the show. Now he’s here! His story may resonate with other adult improvers... It wasn’t until age 13 that he began his chess journey in earnest. And it wasn’t until his late 30’s that he strived for his biggest achi...

039 Another chess journey update from your favorite podcast host! Every few months, I serve up a solo show that offers my latest insights and struggles, all from my hard-working path toward improvement. But this isn’t just an audio “chess diary.” I try to bring everything back to lessons we can all use and learn from. Hope you enjoy! In this episode: Why emotions caused an avoidable & heartbre...

038 Yuanling wowed me. Of course, her accomplishments as a chess player are mighty: She’s been the #1 female Canadian player and the youngest Canadian female to earn the WIM title. And, as you’ll hear, Yuanling has a great ability to find meaningful connections between chess and life - a topic we discuss at length in this episode. If that weren’t enough, she has a compassionate heart. In 2009, she...

037 IM Greg Shahade always brings a good time. His charisma and relaxed humor make for a dynamic, fun conversation in every interview he gives. And this one is no different! We cover a range of topics, including the difference between improving at chess versus trivia (it helps explain why chess is so difficult!), his spontaneous approach to life, and: Why blitz can improve your chess if you follow...

036 Jovanka Houska is a bright star. Anyone who’s watched her live can see she imbues her top-notch commentating at Chess24 with a joy for the game. Plus, she helps us club players more easily understand top-level play. Jovanka is, of course, not only a star in the chess commentating world… She’s also conquered the competitive scene as an eight-time British Women’s Chess Champion. And her competit...

035  It’s easy to think of chess improvement as only involving the study of specific areas of the game like strategy or openings. But there are other, critical parts to improvement, as well. Which is why I chat with NM Bryan Tillis and discuss:  The importance of having a WHY for your chess goals How to balance fun with doing what’s necessary to improve Asking whether your training is matching you...

034 Carissa is a shining star. The youngest American woman to earn the IM title. Winner of the 2021 US Women’s Championship. Top-ranked female US player in 2019. If that weren’t enough, Carissa is the youngest female ever to beat a Grandmaster (she did so at age ten.) Even with so many accomplishments, Carissa remains humble and down-to-Earth. And she has a great sense of humor.  In this episode,...

 033 Angelika is rapidly building a name in the chess world as a dynamic coach, streamer, & course creator. Hailing from Ukraine, and now living in Germany, Angelika is a superb chess player with a FIDE rating of 2075 (and on her way to earning the WGM title.) She’s been coaching kids and adults alike for the past 7 years. After years of building a strong following on her Twitch channel, this...