Dojo Talks: A Chess Podcast

https://feed.podbean.com/ChessDojoTalks/feed.xml

The official podcast of ChessDojo (IM Kostya Kavutskiy, IM David Pruess, & GM Jesse Kraai). Most episodes are streamed live to twitch.tv/chessdojolive. Interested in improving your chess? Welcome to the Dojo! A structured plan to hold yourself accountable to and a group to do it with. - https://chessdojo.club/training Follow ChessDojo here: Website: https://chessdojo.club Twitch: https://twitch.tv/chessdojolive Discord: https://discord.gg/sUUh8HD Twitter: https://twitter.com/chess_dojo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chess_dojo/ Patreon: https://patreon.com/chessdojo Podcast: https://chessdojotalks.podbean.com/

Episodes

3 days ago

EP 148 | State of Scholastic Chess with WFM Elizabeth Spiegel

3 days ago

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The ChessDojo sensei GM Jesse Kraai and IM David Pruess sit down with WFM Elizabeth Speigel and talk about the state of scholastic chess in today's episode of Dojo Talks, the ChessDojo podcast.

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Shopping through our link is a great way to support the Dojo. We earn a small affiliate % but at no cost to you.

Website: https://chessdojo.club
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Podcast: https://chessdojotalks.podbean.com
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#chess #chessmaster

CHAPTERS
0:00 Scholastic Chess with WFM Elizabeth Spiegel
15:33 Pedagogical Goals
22:20 Chess as School Subject
26:10 Brooklyn Castle and Bringing Chess Into Schools
32:00 Chess and Deep Thinking
39:13 The Impact of Chess on Children
44:16 Do More Girls Play Chess Than Before?
46:46 Strongest Players from WFM Spiegel's Program

Tuesday Mar 25, 2025

EP 147 | FIDE Ratings & The Stats of Cheating (ft. Dr. Kenneth Regan)

Tuesday Mar 25, 2025

Join the Dojo! https://www.chessdojo.club

The Dojo talks with Dr. Kenneth Regan, who provides an analysis of FIDE ratings since the March 2024 rating boost.

Also discussed is the topic of cheating -- how often it comes up and what it takes to catch one.

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Shopping through our link is a great way to support the Dojo. We earn a small affiliate % but at no cost to you.

#chess

CHAPTERS
0:00 FIDE Rating Change with Dr. Kenneth Regan
11:43 Rating Distortion and Performance Ratings
47:50 Detecting Chess Cheating

Friday Mar 14, 2025

EP 146 | Is Chess 99% Tactics?

Friday Mar 14, 2025

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GM Jesse Kraai, IM David Pruess, and IM Kostya Kavutskiy talk about chess tactics and whether chess is really 99% tactics in today's episode of Dojo Talks, the ChessDojo podcast.

Want to support the channel?
Patreon - https://patreon.com/chessdojo
Donate - https://streamelements.com/chessdojo/tip

Find all of our chess book & supplies recommendations (& more!) on our Amazon storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/chessdojo

Shopping through our link is a great way to support the Dojo. We earn a small affiliate % but at no cost to you.

#chesstactics #chessstrategy

CHAPTERS
0:00 Is Chess 99% Tactics?
14:22 Calculation vs Evaluation
31:10 Strategy and Story
40:52 Strategy vs Positional Play
49:31 100 Tactical Patterns You Must Know
51:37 What's Most Important for Under 1250 Elo?
54:47 Chess and Go

Friday Mar 07, 2025

EP 145 | Does Freestyle Chess Have A Future?

Friday Mar 07, 2025

GM Jesse Kraai, IM David Pruess, and IM Kostya Kavutskiy discuss the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour, and recent and ongoing issues between FIDE and Freestyle Chess in today's episode of Dojo Talks, the ChessDojo podcast!

Get ChessDojo's first book, How to Analyze Your Games, here: https://amzn.to/3Ds5r78

Watch Live - https://twitch.tv/chessdojo
Join the Training Program - https://chessdojo.club
Play Chess - https://go.chess.com/chessdojo
Merch - https://www.chessdojo.club/shop

Want to support the channel?
Patreon - https://patreon.com/chessdojo
Donate - https://streamelements.com/chessdojo/tip

Find all of our chess book & supplies recommendations (& more!) on our Amazon storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/chessdojo

Shopping through our link is a great way to support the Dojo. We earn a small affiliate % but at no cost to you.

#chess #chesstraining

Chapters:

CHAPTERS
0:00 Freestlye Chess, FIDE, and Magnus
2:40 Do Fans Like Freestyle Chess?
8:36 Will Kids Get Into Freestyle Chess?
16:54 Looking at the Data
26:18 Magnus Carlsen and Freestyle Chess
54:40 Wrap-Up

Tuesday Feb 25, 2025

EP 144 | Online vs. OTB Chess

Tuesday Feb 25, 2025

GM Jesse Kraai, IM David Pruess, and IM Kostya Kavutskiy discuss the differences and pros vs cons between Online Chess and Over the Board (OTB) Chess in today's episode of Dojo Talks, the ChessDojo podcast!

Get ChessDojo's first book, How to Analyze Your Games, here: https://amzn.to/3Ds5r78

Watch Live - https://twitch.tv/chessdojo
Join the Training Program - https://chessdojo.club
Play Chess - https://go.chess.com/chessdojo
Merch - https://www.chessdojo.club/shop

Want to support the channel?
Patreon - https://patreon.com/chessdojo
Donate - https://streamelements.com/chessdojo/tip

Find all of our chess book & supplies recommendations (& more!) on our Amazon storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/chessdojo

Shopping through our link is a great way to support the Dojo. We earn a small affiliate % but at no cost to you.

#chess #chesstraining

Chapters:

0:00 Online vs OTB Chess
15:50 Anecdotes
25:21 Using Boards for Online Chess
29:17 Blitz Chess
32:08 Thinking Online vs OTB
42:37 Being Too Online
46:09 Discrepancies Between Online and OTB Chess

Friday Feb 21, 2025

EP 143 | Who Will Qualify for the 2026 FIDE Candidates?

Friday Feb 21, 2025

GM Jesse Kraai, IM David Pruess, and IM Kostya Kavutskiy discuss who will qualify for the 2026 FIDE Candidates cycle in today's episode of Dojo Talks, the ChessDojo podcast!

Get ChessDojo's first book, How to Analyze Your Games, here: https://amzn.to/3Ds5r78

Watch Live - https://twitch.tv/chessdojo
Join the Training Program - https://chessdojo.club
Play Chess - https://go.chess.com/chessdojo
Merch - https://www.chessdojo.club/shop

Want to support the channel?
Patreon - https://patreon.com/chessdojo
Donate - https://streamelements.com/chessdojo/tip

Find all of our chess book & supplies recommendations (& more!) on our Amazon storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/chessdojo

Shopping through our link is a great way to support the Dojo. We earn a small affiliate % but at no cost to you.

#chess #chesstraining

Chapters:
0:00 Who Will Qualify for the 2026 FIDE Candidates Cycle?
1:12 FIDE Candidate Cycle Rating Spot Changes
8:50 FIDE Cycle Results
14:37 Points and Tie-Breaks
18:11 Jesse's List
19:20 Top 6 from the 2024 FIDE Circuit
31:44 This Coming Year in Chess

Wednesday Feb 12, 2025

EP 142 | Kostya's Heresy

Wednesday Feb 12, 2025

The sensei debate Kostya’s controversial claim that all major chess tournaments should switch to rapid, exploring its potential impact on classical chess, player improvement, tournament structure, and fan engagement, ultimately leaving Jesse and David unconvinced.

Get ChessDojo's first book, How to Analyze Your Games, here: https://amzn.to/3Ds5r78

Watch Live - https://twitch.tv/chessdojo
Join the Training Program - https://chessdojo.club
Play Chess - https://go.chess.com/chessdojo
Merch - https://www.chessdojo.club/shop

Want to support the channel?
Patreon - https://patreon.com/chessdojo
Donate - https://streamelements.com/chessdojo/tip

Find all of our chess book & supplies recommendations (& more!) on our Amazon storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/chessdojo

Shopping through our link is a great way to support the Dojo. We earn a small affiliate % but at no cost to you.

#chess #chesstraining

Chapters:
00:00 – Introduction – Discussion on Kostya’s controversial quote about switching major tournaments to rapid.
01:16 – Context of the Quote – Explanation that it was a short Q&A answer, not a detailed proposal.
03:18 – Future of Classical Chess – Kostya argues that classical chess may become obsolete over time.
04:06 – Online Growth vs. OTB Decline – Discussion on why rapid and Blitz are growing online but not in classical tournaments.
06:06 – Opening Preparation Issues – Classical chess demands extensive opening prep, making it less enjoyable for some players.
10:25 – Classical for Beginners, Rapid for Pros? – Kostya suggests longer time controls are useful for improvement but not ideal for elite events.
12:07 – Rapid Chess Popularity – Historical attempts to promote rapid chess and why it hasn’t taken over.
22:49 – World Championship & Classical Chess – Arguments for why classical chess remains the gold standard for top-level competition.
30:55 – Quality of Games in Different Formats – Whether faster time controls lead to better or worse chess quality.
41:23 – Closing Thoughts – Debate recap with Jesse and David still unconvinced by Kostya’s stance on rapid chess.

Thursday Feb 06, 2025

EP 141 | The Psychology of Goals w/ Dr. Joel Sneed

Thursday Feb 06, 2025

Dr. Joel Sneed, a psychologist and dedicated adult chess improver, discusses the challenges of learning chess later in life, his struggles with perfectionism and obsession over openings, and how psychological techniques like ACT and CBT can help manage chess-related anxiety.

Get ChessDojo's first book, How to Analyze Your Games, here: https://amzn.to/3Ds5r78

Watch Live - https://twitch.tv/chessdojo
Join the Training Program - https://chessdojo.club
Play Chess - https://go.chess.com/chessdojo
Merch - https://www.chessdojo.club/shop

Want to support the channel?
Patreon - https://patreon.com/chessdojo
Donate - https://streamelements.com/chessdojo/tip

Find all of our chess book & supplies recommendations (& more!) on our Amazon storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/chessdojo

Shopping through our link is a great way to support the Dojo. We earn a small affiliate % but at no cost to you.

#chess #chesstraining

Chapters:
00:00 – Introduction to Dojo Talks; guest Dr. Joel Sneed's background in psychology and chess.
00:38 – Discussion on Sneed’s chess journey, starting late and reaching a 2000+ rating.
01:54 – Sneed’s transition from Freudian psychoanalysis to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and ACT therapy.
03:49 – Adapting to new technology as an older adult and learning struggles.
05:57 – Comparison between changes in psychology and changes in chess over time.
13:54 – Sneed’s crisis moment: forgetting opening prep in a Blitz game and quitting chess.
17:11 – The frustration of learning but failing to apply knowledge in real games.
33:15 – Dealing with an "action crisis"—considering quitting chess and reevaluating goals.
53:16 – Focusing on process-oriented goals instead of rating-based goals.
1:16:35 – Sneed’s new goal: playing more tournament games and prioritizing enjoyment over rating.

Friday Jan 31, 2025

EP 140 | Should There Be A SuperGM Title

Friday Jan 31, 2025

The sensei debate whether FIDE should introduce an official Super-GM title, discussing its potential requirements, the impact of rating inflation, and how chess titles should evolve to reflect modern competitive standards.

Get ChessDojo's first book, How to Analyze Your Games, here: https://amzn.to/3Ds5r78

Watch Live - https://twitch.tv/chessdojo
Join the Training Program - https://chessdojo.club
Play Chess - https://go.chess.com/chessdojo
Merch - https://www.chessdojo.club/shop

Want to support the channel?
Patreon - https://patreon.com/chessdojo
Donate - https://streamelements.com/chessdojo/tip

Find all of our chess book & supplies recommendations (& more!) on our Amazon storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/chessdojo

Shopping through our link is a great way to support the Dojo. We earn a small affiliate % but at no cost to you.

#chess #chesstraining

Thursday Jan 23, 2025

EP 139 | Who Decides The World Championship? ft. GM Jacob Aagaard

Thursday Jan 23, 2025

The sensei are joined by GM Jacok Aagaard to discuss who decides the world championship.

Get ChessDojo's first book, How to Analyze Your Games, here: https://amzn.to/3Ds5r78

Watch Live - https://twitch.tv/chessdojo
Join the Training Program - https://chessdojo.club
Play Chess - https://go.chess.com/chessdojo
Merch - https://www.chessdojo.club/shop

Want to support the channel?
Patreon - https://patreon.com/chessdojo
Donate - https://streamelements.com/chessdojo/tip

Find all of our chess book & supplies recommendations (& more!) on our Amazon storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/chessdojo

Shopping through our link is a great way to support the Dojo. We earn a small affiliate % but at no cost to you.

#chess #chesstraining

Chapters

[00:00] - Introduction
[01:06] - Historical Tradition
[02:19] - 1990s Split Era
[04:54] - Kasparov vs. FIDE
[07:49] - Counting World Champions
[15:37] - Importance of Qualification
[28:46] - Reunification Match (2006)
[36:28] - Critique of Recent Cycles
[45:22] - Who is a World Champion?
[56:01] - Modern Challenges in Defining Champions
[1:08:22] - Expiration of Lineage
[1:37:07] - Ding Liren and Nepomniachtchi Match Issues
[1:55:26] - Freestyle Chess World Championship
[2:00:05] - Conclusion