EP 142 | Kostya's Heresy

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.

Website: https://chessdojo.club 
Twitch: https://twitch.tv/chessdojo 
Discord: https://discord.gg/sUUh8HD 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/chessdojo 
Patreon: https://patreon.com/chessdojo 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chessdojo 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chessdojo 
Podcast: https://chessdojotalks.podbean.com 
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@/chessdojoclips 

#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.