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/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

Friday Aug 15, 2025

EP 161 | Ranking the Top 10 Chess Countries

Friday Aug 15, 2025

In this episode of Dojo Talks, Jesse, David, and Kostya each reveal and debate their top 10 chess countries of all time—based on world champions, cultural contributions, and historic achievements—before combining their lists into a final ranking.

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04:57 – Jesse’s #10 pick
09:44 – David’s #10 pick
13:01 – Kostya’s #10 pick
14:04 – Kostya’s #9 pick
15:24 – David’s #9 pick
18:51 – Jesse’s #9 pick
20:33 – Jesse’s #8 pick
21:37 – David’s #8 pick
25:16 – Kostya’s #8 pick
27:12 – Kostya’s #7 pick
28:31 – David’s #7 pick
30:13 – Jesse’s #7 pick
32:19 – Jesse’s #6 pick
33:54 – David’s #6 pick
36:28 – Kostya’s #6 pick
37:39 – Kostya’s #5 pick
38:34 – David’s #5 pick
42:12 – Jesse’s #5 pick
44:51 – Jesse’s #4 pick
46:24 – David’s #4 pick
49:04 – Kostya’s #4 pick
50:26 – Kostya’s #3 pick
52:43 – David’s #3 pick
59:29 – Jesse’s #3 pick
1:02:48 – Jesse’s #2 pick
1:05:50 – David’s #2 pick
1:09:45 – Kostya’s #2 pick
1:10:37 – Kostya’s #1 pick
1:11:41 – David’s #1 pick
1:12:42 – Jesse’s #1 pick

Tuesday Aug 05, 2025

EP 160 | Jesse's Heresy

Tuesday Aug 05, 2025

Jesse questions the usual way of learning chess, suggesting that copying moves can be as useful as deep strategy. The sensei discuss if playing blitz and checking with a computer can help players improve quickly.

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00:00 – Jesse’s heresy revealed
01:26 – Hendriks: chess is learned by copying
04:17 – Copying in openings is valid
06:06 – Blitz + engine as a training method
08:56 – How kids get strong fast today
13:38 – Comparing blitz to Dojo sparring
21:29 – Words vs instinct in learning chess
27:14 – Chess960 and the limits of imitation
38:08 – Engines changed how we see tactics
46:50 – Ideas help memory and understanding

Monday Aug 04, 2025

EP 159 | How To Turbo Charge Your Tactics w/ GM Mykhaylo Oleksiyenko

Monday Aug 04, 2025

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Check out GM Mykhaylo Oleksiyenko at https://www.oleksiyenko.com

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Tuesday Jul 08, 2025

EP 158 | Do Chess and Philosophy Mix?

Tuesday Jul 08, 2025

In this DojoTalks, the sensei explore whether chess and philosophy intersect, discussing three levels of chess philosophy, how personal beliefs shape play, and how computers challenge traditional ideas, while also examining deeper questions about why people are drawn to chess and what the game represents in human life.

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00:00 – Introduction: Is Philosophy in Chess Possible?
01:08 – Three Levels of Chess Philosophy
02:56 – Chess Values and Philosophical Frameworks
14:25 – Computers, Truth, and Modern Chess Philosophy
22:28 – What is Chess? Exploring Deeper Meanings
33:42 – Chess as Wellness, Culture, and Ego
42:42 – Blitz, Escapism, and Personal Motivations

Saturday Jun 28, 2025

EP 157 | Will Hans Niemann Become World Champion?

Saturday Jun 28, 2025

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00:00– Introduction
02:02 – Hans’s World Champion Goal
03:10 – Chances and Predictions
06:06 – Tough Competition
08:32 – Top 10 Players Discussion
14:10 – Paths to Candidates
16:41 – Hans’s Rating Plateau
21:17 – Coaching and Support
33:50 – Qualities of a Champion
46:02 – Future Possibilities

Friday Jun 20, 2025

EP 156 | Who Will Be Top -10 in June 2026?

Friday Jun 20, 2025

Episode note: the recording froze around the 31 minute mark, so you may hear a short piece cut out.

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In this episode, the sensei review their previous top 10 predictions for June 2025, evaluating their accuracy against the actual FIDE rankings. They also make new predictions for June 2026, highlighting rising stars like Gukesh and Arjun while debating the future potential of players like Firouzja, Niemann, and Nakamura.

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00:00 – Introduction
01:17 – June 2025 FIDE Top 10
03:09 – Firouzja Correctly Predicted to Enter Top 10
04:20 – Decline of Nepomniachtchi, So, and Anand
06:43 – Misses on Abdusattorov and Other Juniors
07:50 – Firouzja’s Struggles and Unfulfilled Potential
12:38 – Start of 2026 Top 10 Predictions
14:41 – Controversial Pick at #10
25:04 – Will Magnus Stay Ranked with Minimal Games?
33:32 – Debating the Top 5: Naka, Gukesh, Arjun, Fabi
46:59 – Final Dojo Composite Top 10 List for 2026
53:03 – Wrap-Up & Patreon Support Appeal

Thursday Jun 12, 2025

EP 155 | What Made Norway Chess So Good?

Thursday Jun 12, 2025

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Monday Jun 09, 2025

EP 154 | Is Chess an eSport?

Monday Jun 09, 2025

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IM Kostya Kavutskiy, IM David Pruess and GM Jesse Kraai question if chess is an E-Sport. What do you think?

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00:03 – Chess joins Esports World Cup
00:52 – Event format & prize money
01:39 – Impact on Magnus Tour
02:55 – Saudi Arabia controversy
03:55 – Top 12 participants listed
05:00 – Wildcard qualifiers
07:07 – Ethics vs esport debate
17:09 – Magnus’s business motives
30:20 – Is chess a video game?
37:08 – Audience split: old vs new
43:14 – Support for freestyle chess
48:08 – FIDE’s relevance at risk
53:25 – Ambassadorship ethics
59:46 – LGBTQ & inclusivity issues
1:04:24 – Final thoughts & viewer poll

Tuesday May 27, 2025

EP 153 | How To Improve Your Positional Play w/ GM Aagaard

Tuesday May 27, 2025

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0:00 Intro
1:51 How to improve your positional play
6:05 Book recommendations
8:18 Recognizing weaknesses in positional play
12:22 How to work with a coach
15:48 Killer Chess Training Camp
20:15 How Aagaard learned positional play
24:12 Certainty of action vs. certainty of outcome
26:06 Working with Sam -Shankland
29:58 Improving specific aspects of positional play
31:52 Certainty of action vs. certainty of outcome
35:16 How much should adult improvers play classical?
39:35 Micro-pains
45:46 How Renier Castellanos made GM
50:11 What's the best process for reviewing your games?
56:10 Solving simple tactics vs. difficult problems
57:28 What is calculation
1:05:17 Simple tactics vs. difficult problems
1:11:56 The #1 rule of training
1:14:00 The cycle of improvement
1:19:08 Whats next for Killer Chess Training

Check out GM Aagaard at https://killerchesstraining.com!

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Thumbnail photo: Eric Rosen

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Thursday May 15, 2025

EP 152 | Visualization and Aphantasia

Thursday May 15, 2025

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IM David Pruess has long been famous for reaching a high level in chess while having aphantasia. We talk about how this could be and what it says about visualization in chess.

Visualization test - https://aphantasia.com/study/vviq/

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