The official podcast of ChessDojo (IM Kostya Kavutskiy, IM David Pruess, & GM Jesse Kraai). Most episodes are streamed live to twitch.tv/chessdojo. 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 Follow ChessDojo here: Website: https://chessdojo.club Twitch: https://twitch.tv/chessdojolive Discord: https://discord.gg/GhKsJtjpFw Twitter: https://twitter.com/chess_dojo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chess_dojo/ Patreon: https://patreon.com/chessdojo Podcast: https://chessdojotalks.podbean.com/
Episodes
5 days ago
5 days ago
1hr 20 min
For our milestone 200th episode of Dojo Talks, we are joined by Grandmaster and long-time second to Magnus Carlsen, Peter Heine Nielsen! The sensei and Peter discuss the upcoming 2026 FIDE Presidential election.
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00:00 - Election Intro
02:54 - FIDE Voting System
07:54 - Secret Ballots & FIFA
18:59 - Two-Term Limit Drama
33:15 - The New Candidates
1:03:47 - Coaching Magnus & Freestyle Chess
Jul 1, 2026
Jul 1, 2026
1hr 13 min
GM Jacob Aagaard joins Dojo Talks for a deep conversation on chess books, AI, coaching, and the future of chess improvement.
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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.
Website: https://chessdojo.club
Twitch: https://twitch.tv/chessdojo
Discord: https://discord.gg/GhKsJtjpFw
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Patreon: https://patreon.com/chessdojo
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Podcast: https://chessdojotalks.podbean.com
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@/chessdojoclips
00:00 Jacob Aagaard's Publishing Journey
07:09 The New Dvoretsky Book Collection
12:18 Are Chess Books Still Relevant?
27:25 Deep Work vs. Digital Learning
39:33 AI, Chess, and the Future of Learning
50:19 Why Great Chess Coaches Still Matter
56:05 Why Beginner Chess Books Are Too Hard
Jun 24, 2026
Jun 24, 2026
53 min
The sensei discuss is the queen really worth 9 points, or should it be valued closer to 10?
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Patreon - https://patreon.com/chessdojo
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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.
Website: https://chessdojo.club
Twitch: https://twitch.tv/chessdojo
Discord: https://discord.gg/GhKsJtjpFw
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Patreon: https://patreon.com/chessdojo
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Podcast: https://chessdojotalks.podbean.com
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@/chessdojoclips
00:05 — Is the Queen Worth 10 Points?
09:38 — Queen vs. Two Rooks
17:41 — When Is the Queen Stronger?
29:56 — Queen vs. Three Minor Pieces
40:10 — How Chess Values Evolve
53:20 — Final Thoughts on Piece Values
Jun 17, 2026
Jun 17, 2026
40 min
Jesse, David, and Kostya discuss slumps. How they happen, why they happen, and how to get out of one.
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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.
Website: https://chessdojo.club
Twitch: https://twitch.tv/chessdojo
Discord: https://discord.gg/GhKsJtjpFw
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Patreon: https://patreon.com/chessdojo
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Podcast: https://chessdojotalks.podbean.com
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00:06 What is a Slump?
02:08 Why Slumps Happen
07:36 Rating Milestones & Tougher Competition
10:06 Confidence & The Junior Slump
19:20 Hard Work & Fitness
22:58 Changing Your Mindset
Jun 12, 2026
Jun 12, 2026
52 min
In this episode of Dojo Talks, the sensei revisits how rapid advancements in AI are shaping everyday life and changing the way chess players train, coach, and spar.
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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.
Website: https://chessdojo.club
Twitch: https://twitch.tv/chessdojo
Discord: https://discord.gg/GhKsJtjpFw
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Patreon: https://patreon.com/chessdojo
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Podcast: https://chessdojotalks.podbean.com
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@/chessdojoclips
00:00 — Introduction: Revisiting AI and Chess
01:00 — AI's Impact on Everyday Life & The Economy
03:33 — The Reality of AI Chess Coaches
07:34 — The "Glazing" Problem & Human Accountability
10:42 — LLMs, Position Descriptions, and Stories
21:01 — Why Human Expertise Beats AI Motivation
29:45 — AI Sparring Bots and the Future of Training
Jun 3, 2026
Jun 3, 2026
1hr 13 min
The Dojo Sensei review last year’s predictions, debates which rising stars and veterans will make the cut, and reveals their picks for the chess world’s Top 10 players in 2027.
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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.
Website: https://chessdojo.club
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Podcast: https://chessdojotalks.podbean.com
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0:00 Intro & Last Year’s Results
2:18 Hits, Misses & Surprise Picks
6:55 What Happened to Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa?
10:25 The Best Prediction of the Year
15:31 Building the 2027 Top 10 List
23:17 Dark Horses and Comeback Candidates
39:34 Top 5 Predictions & Final Rankings
May 29, 2026
May 29, 2026
48 min
Should you play up in chess tournaments? The sensi discuss tournament rating sections, strategy, and best methods for improvement.
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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.
Website: https://chessdojo.club
Twitch: https://twitch.tv/chessdojo
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Podcast: https://chessdojotalks.podbean.com
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0:00 Should You Play Up?
0:55 Play Your Own Section
2:23 The Ego Trap
5:29 What About Juniors?
9:32 If Everyone Plays Up
17:15 Tournament Problems
22:27 Playing Stronger Opponents
29:09 Don't Play for a Draw
38:04 Confidence Matters
44:08 Enjoy the Challenge
May 20, 2026
May 20, 2026
57 min
Jesse, David, and Kostya discuss the opening revolution caused by powerful cloud engines and modern analysis and it's impacts on the state of current chess at all levels.
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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.
Website: https://chessdojo.club
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Podcast: https://chessdojotalks.podbean.com
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0:00 The Opening Revolution
1:18 New Engine Evaluations
4:15 How Computers Think About Chess
7:12 Why This Is a Big Deal
11:16 More Openings Are Playable
14:12 The Blumenfeld Debate
20:23 Expanding Opening Theory
29:42 The Return of the Dragon
36:39 Weird Moves That Work
48:34 Humans vs Engine Evaluations
56:30 The Future of Opening Prep
May 15, 2026
May 15, 2026
1hr 2 min
The sensei discuss the rise of young players Yagiz Erdogmus and Faustino Oro and the next generation of players and training.
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Patreon - https://patreon.com/chessdojo
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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.
Website: https://chessdojo.club
Twitch: https://twitch.tv/chessdojo
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Patreon: https://patreon.com/chessdojo
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Podcast: https://chessdojotalks.podbean.com
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0:00 Intro
1:23 Erdogmas Breaks 2700 at 14
5:20 Proving Himself Against Elite Competition
10:42 Is This a New Era of Chess Talent?
16:17 Engines, Neural Networks, and Human Limits
22:57 How AI Changed Modern Chess Training
32:55 Fearless Juniors and the New Generation
46:11 Fino Oro Becomes GM at 12
56:29 Blitz Monsters and the Future of Chess
Apr 29, 2026
Apr 29, 2026
1hr 3 min
GM Kraai is joined by Dojoer Vlad Ghita to discuss the new ChessDojo Rating Converter. They break down the differences between Chess.com, Lichess, USCF, and FIDE ratings.
Join the Dojo - https://chessdojo.club
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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.
Website: https://chessdojo.club
Twitch: https://twitch.tv/chessdojo
Discord: https://discord.gg/GhKsJtjpFw
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Patreon: https://patreon.com/chessdojo
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Podcast: https://chessdojotalks.podbean.com
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@/chessdojoclips
00:00 Why a Rating Converter
05:11 New Table Overview
09:39 FIDE Compression
15:50 Online vs OTB
20:28 Lichess vs Chess.com
29:21 Global Rating Issues
38:53 Update Frequency
58:21 Future Predictions