This week's episode is our Season 7 Finale (Season 8 coming soon...). In this light, laid-back, rapid-fire episode, Neal reacts to the enjoyable chess.com article 7 Hot Takes That Are Just True by Pedro Pinhata, a Sr. Digital Content Writer for chess.com. Mr. Pinhata's 7 Hot Takes: Stalemate Being A Draw Is Awesome Chess.com Should Come With A Doomsday Device Online Chess Is Better Than Over-The-Board People Who Play 1+0 Bullet Are Not OK 1.d4 Is Better Than 1.e4 The London Is The Best Chess Opening You Should Never "Never Resign" ? If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode ..read more

This week, Neal discusses another instructive tournament game. We cover the following and more: "Frustration" moves Attacking the fianchetto pawn structure When those h3/h6 pawn moves are good (or bad) Moving the same piece twice early on Useless one-move attacks Bishop vs. Knight Game Referenced: Neal vs. 1697 (G/90;d10) 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 e6 3. e3 b6 4. h3 Bb7 5. Nf3 d6 6. Be2 Be7 7. O-O O-O 8. Nbd2 Nbd7 9. c3 Re8 10. a4 a5 11. Qc2 Rc8 12. Qd1 h6 13. Re1 Bf8 14. Bh2 e5 15. dxe5 dxe5 16. Nc4 Bxf3 17. Bxf3 e4 18. Be2 Nc5 19. Ne5 Qxd1 20. Rexd1 Bd6 21. Nc6 Bxh2+ 22. Kxh2 Re6 23. Nd4 Rd6 24. Nf5 ..read more

This week, Neal begins by diving into the listener mailbag. This is followed by an instructive analysis of a recent OTB tournament game. We cover the following and more: A common piece of chess coaching advice that is often more idealistic than realistic The Pirc Defense (1. e4 d6) Play in the center Queen's Indian Defense Exchange sequences Rook and pawn endings The OTB thought process Game Referenced: 1831 vs. Neal (G/90;d10) 1. d4 e6 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. Nc3 Ne4 8. Qc2 Nxc3 9. Qxc3 Be4 10. Nd2 Bxg2 11. Kxg2 d5 12. e4 c5 13. cxd5 exd5 14. dxc5 Bxc5 15. Nb3 ..read more

Like it or not, the clock is just as much a part of tournament chess as the board and pieces. Poor clock management is a consistent problem for many players. We cover: Why clock management is essential for tournament success Common causes of time-trouble (and how to avoid it) The dangers of perfectionism and obsessing over the "best" move An interesting trick you can use to get your opponent into time trouble Referenced: Ep. 16: "Chess for Tigers" Ep. 29: "The Seven Deadly Chess Sins" Chess for Tigers (Amazon) The Seven Deadly Chess Sins (Amazon) ? If you have a question or topic idea for ..read more

You hang one pawn, then eight moves later you hang another, and then your opponent easily wins the game while you're still processing where you went wrong. This is all too common at the club level. In addition, Neal dives into the Listener Mailbag. Game Referenced: Neal vs. 1490 (G/90;d10) 1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 Bf5 3. e3 e6 4. Bd3 Bd6 5. Bg3 Nf6 6. Bxf5 exf5 7. Qf3 Qd7 8. Bxd6 Qxd6 9. c3 Qd7 10. Qe2 O-O 11. Nf3 Nc6 12. O-O Rfe8 13. Qc2 Qd6 14. Qxf5 Ne7 15. Qc2 Ng6 16. Nbd2 Ng4 17. Rae1 Re6 18. h3 Nf6 19. c4 c5 20. cxd5 Qxd5 21. b3 Ne4 22. Nxe4 Rxe4 23. Qxc5 Qd8 24. Rc1 h6 25. Rc2 b6 26. Qc7 Qe7 27 ..read more

National Master Nick Panico returns to the pod for some "chess coffee talk" and shares his insights from the tournament scene. We cover: Developing a tournament routine Playing while distracted What to do when the guy next to you won't stop coughing Our thoughts on caffeine consumption as a chess player Preparing for OTB play ? If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at info@thechessangle.com. ? Our Links:  Website Twitter (X) YouTube Patreon Buy Me a Coffee ..read more

This week we take a deep dive into the psychology of draw offers for the club-level player. Strategically offering or accepting a draw can add quite a number of points to your rating. We break this down in detail. Referenced: Ep. #40: Tournament Strategy feat. GM John Emms Ep. #53: NM Rob Guevara on Why He Declines All Draw Offers Ep. #57: GM Alex Lenderman on Adult Improvement, Chess Cheating, & More The Complete Book of Chess Strategy (Amazon) The Survival Guide to Competitive Chess (Amazon) ? If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at info@thechessangle.co ..read more

This podcast recently crossed the half-a-million download mark! Thank you all for your support of The Chess Angle. This week's guest is International Master Michael Rahal. Michael is a professional trilingual chess coach, content creator, and FIDE Press Officer. In this jam-packed episode, he provides thoughtful insight on the challenges of improving at chess as an adult and why there's not always a positive correlation between chess study and tournament results. Michael also details his experiences interviewing some of the world's most elite players including Magnus Carlsen. He then shares hi ..read more

This week's pod is an updated and revised version of Episode 12: Chess Improvement Hacks for Busy People. Neal offers some practical time-saving hacks for busy adults with limited study time and argues that social media overload may harm your chess progress.   If you're enjoying the pod, please consider telling your chess playing friends about us and giving us a 5-star review on your podcast app of choice. We appreciate your support! Referenced: 12 Apps We Can't Stop Using, for Better or Worse (WSJ article) Episode #43: Are Electronic Notation Devices Legit?  ? If you have a q ..read more

Happy New Year! For our first episode of 2024, Neal answers some questions from our listener mailbag and shares his chess study plan for 2024.  Chapters: (00:00) - Intro (01:20) - Neal's 2024 Study Plan (09:57) - Are YouTube Videos Helpful? (14:43) - Chess Club Attendance (34:37) - Sicilian vs. Caro-Kann (41:33) - Aggressive vs. Timid Opponents (48:02) - Outro Referenced: Practical Chess Exercises (Amazon) ? Support the Show:  Patreon  Buy Me a Coffee ? If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at info@thechessangle.com. ? Our links: Website Twitt ..read more