095 GM Alex Colovic is an exceptional course creator and an engaging writer on all things chess. He returns to the pod to discuss some intriguing subjects from his weekly newsletter. I hand-picked three topics Alex wrote about that I found fascinating. We dive deep into each one:

• Why pro chess players (outside the Top 50) can't make a living competing anymore?
• Can you create a certainty of winning before the game begins that helps you play better?
• How can you ensure you bring a fighting spirit to each game you play?

Finally, we discuss his latest opening courses for White that have been released on Chessable, and why it may be worth learning to play 1.e4 and 1.d4.

More From Alex:

• Weekly Newsletter
• Chessable Courses
• Twitter
• Website & Blog

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094 Kaja Snare, a pro chess broadcaster, has been leading chess into a new and more accessible era of live coverage. Gone are the days of top-level chess being watchable only for the most dedicated to the game. With her co-hosts, GM David Howell and WGM Jovanaka Houska, Kaja anchored one of the most popular live chess broadcasts our sport has ever seen.

And for good reason…

At Chess24, Kaja was part of a team that worked hard to make chess more accessible and more exciting for the general public with its live coverage.

In our chat, Kaja shares how they helped move chess into era with greater reach and relatability.

We also discuss:

• Hilarious stories Kaja shares from her interviews with Hikaru, Magnus, and Ivanchuk.
• How Kaja went from covering sports to focusing exclusively on chess - even as someone who originally knew very little about the game.
• A behind-the-scenes look at how the now-famous Chess24 broadcast team was assembled with Kaja, David, and Jovanaka.

More From Kaja:

• Twitter
• Instagram

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093 An exciting new chess coach has hit the scene. NM Robert Ramirez has seen a huge growth in popularity in the past several years. Already, his YouTube channel has grown to 140K subscribers at the time of this episode. He’s launched two Chessable opening courses in the past year alone...

And his coaching advice and videos are being shared all over Chess Twitter.

As you watch his videos and listen to Robert speak, it’s no surprise.

His advice is extremely helpful (he may have solved my time trouble woes in this episode alone.)

And he has a calm, assuring charisma.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How he uses simplicity to balance his chess life with his work/home life.
• A powerful strategy to solve your time trouble issues if you play too slow.
• Why the Stonewall opening can be an aggressive surprise against your opponents if you’re a club player.

More From Robert:

• YouTube channel
• Chessable courses
• Website
• Twitter

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092 It’s rare to see an adult chase a title and work full-time as a chess content creator. With passion and confidence, that’s exactly what this week’s guest, Elaynah, is doing with her chess life.

It's an inspiring journey because, only two years ago, she was an absolute beginner who was beaten easily by her cousin at a Christmas party.

Now?

She’s rated 1800 Chess.com Rapid and has 22K followers for her chess Twitch channel - with both of those numbers quickly rising!

In this episode, we chat:

• Her interest in getting chess media to focus more on adult improvers.
• What it’s like having IM Kostya Kavutskiy, of the Chess Dojo, as her coach.
• Why she expanded her chess content beyond streaming and into podcasting.
• Her plans to reach 2000 Chess.com Rapid this year.

More From Elaynah:

• Twitch
• Twitter
• Instagram
• Podcast

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091 This week’s guest, Emilia Castelao, approaches chess in rare but special ways. First, she’s making chess her career. Though not as a player, coach, or content creator. Instead, she’s pursuing a Ph.D in chess history.

For most folks, that would take up a majority of their waking hours. Emila, however, has another major chess ambition.

To improve the chess world for women.

To that end, she recently co-founded a non-profit organization called the Women in Chess Foundation. Its goals are 1) to make OTB tournaments safer for women and 2) to help market women’s chess events.

It already has the direct support of Jennifer Shahade, Jovanka Housaka, and the CEO of Chessable.

In our interview, Emilia and I discuss her two chess endeavors, plus how her journey with the game led to these unique projects.

More From Emilia:

• Women in Chess Foundation
• Twitter - Emilia
• Twitter - Women in Chess

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090 With natural charisma and exceptional chess skills, Dina Belenkaya is perfect for this new era of chess. A serious student of the game all her life, she competed professionally and earned the WGM title in 2016. In 2020, Dina began her new career as a streamer and content creator...

Just two years later, her popularity soared. Dina delivered bold and funny interviews with the world’s top players at the FIDE Grand Prix, and the videos went viral.

Dina has a sharp wit and a sense of joy in her videos that are rarely seen even amongst other chess celebrities.

These days, she focuses on her chess YouTube channel, where she often plays super GMs in trash-talking blitz games. And, this year, she released her first course and online chess community: Russian Chess School.

We chat:

• Will she continue to beat Levy (Gotham Chess) in Titled Tuesday?
• Why her course is unique and groundbreaking in the chess world.
• Her goal of earning the IM title and what she needs to achieve it.

More From Dina:

• Course: Russian Chess School
• YouTube Channel
• Instagram
• Twitch
• Twitter

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089 It’s rare to see an adult club player make a career in chess. This week’s guest, Ono, has done just that. He started like many of us: inspired to dive into the game after watching the Queen’s Gambit. Which progressed into working studiously on his chess.

Then, he embarked upon a chess blog, called The Ono Zono. Not long after the blog gained traction, Ono started coaching beginners.

Since then, he’s developed a roster of students, appeared on several chess podcasts, and continues to create content for the adult improver community.

In this episode, we discuss:

• 3 strategies for managing limited study time as an adult so you can still make progress.
• Why tackling difficult puzzles too early in your chess journey can be a mistake.
• The top trait Ono observed in his most successful chess students.

More From Ono:

• Ono’s Website
• Ono’s Free Coaching Lesson
• Ono’s Blog
• Ono’s Twitter

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088 Like many chess subjects, knowing what to study for strategy is a bit murky. Especially if you’re a semi-confused club player like myself. So, who better to chat with about this topic than an author who has written three books on the subject? Welcome today’s guest: IM Thomas Willemze.

Over the past six years, Thomas has published three popular books and several courses on the subject of strategy, all specifically aimed at the club player.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why it’s helpful to study both master and amateur games to improve your strategy knowledge.
• Why Thomas chose less common strategy ideas for his foundational book on the subject (like exchanging pieces and utilizing your rooks.)
• The benefits of studying the games of the most recent world champions.

More From Thomas:

• Thomas’ Chessable Courses
• Thomas’ Books (Amazon Link)

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