Dojo Talks: A Chess Podcast

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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

Tuesday Nov 11, 2025

EP 174 | Dark Squares: How Chess Saved Danny Rensch's Life

Tuesday Nov 11, 2025

The sensei discuss Danny Rensch’s memoir, Dark Squares, exploring how a traumatizing cult upbringing and early chess success shaped his life, career, and the wider evolution of the chess world.

Check out Dark Squares and pick up a copy here: https://amzn.to/4pyW2yt

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Podcast: https://chessdojotalks.podbean.com
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00:03 – Book overview
03:22 – Ear injury & setbacks
12:24 – Shelby School & cult
24:55 – Trance & hierarchy
36:34 – Separation & trauma
55:34 – Chess world’s shift
1:13:24 – Media angle & Hans

Monday Nov 03, 2025

EP 173 | The State of US Chess 2025

Monday Nov 03, 2025

A wide-ranging recap finds US chess robust—shaped by Caruana’s four-peat and sharp prep, Woodward’s surge and Mishra’s uneven form, a stronger women’s field led by Carissa Yip’s GM push, players coping with the Naroditsky tragedy, India vs. USA depth debates, and the St. Louis Chess Club’s expansion cementing a national hub.

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00:55 Impact of Naroditsky news on players
03:57 Caruana’s sustained edge and title streak
10:21 Mishra’s stall after breakthrough
11:30 Woodward’s rise and dynamic style
20:02 Caruana’s fresh opening ideas and defense
25:05 U.S. depth with seven 2700s and India comparison
31:06 Carissa Yip’s GM trajectory and tougher women’s field
48:00 St. Louis Chess Club reopening and U.S. chess hubs

Monday Oct 27, 2025

EP 172 | Justice for Daniel Naroditsky

Monday Oct 27, 2025

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Sunday Oct 26, 2025

EP 171 | Nootropics

Sunday Oct 26, 2025

Jesse and Sam dive into how legal, common nootropics might boost chess performance by improving focus, stress-resilience, and brain health, and question where the line lies between smart optimization and unfair advantage.

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00:03 — Why nootropics in chess
02:06 — Common nootropics people already use
06:05 — Sam’s experience with brain supplements
11:36 — How nootropics support brain function
17:19 — Stress, alcohol, and brain decline
20:05 — Different thinking demands in chess
23:48 — Stronger focus boosters
31:50 — Cheating or smart advantage?
48:17 — Key brain-health ingredients
56:30 — Growth of nootropics industry

Tuesday Oct 21, 2025

EP 170 | Remembering Daniel Naroditsky

Tuesday Oct 21, 2025

David, Kostya, and Jesse share their memories of Danya, reflecting on his early talent, kindness, intelligence, humor, and lasting impact on the chess community.

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00:06 Remembering Danya and why this talk matters
01:20 Early years in Bay Area chess and family support
05:37 First games, world title, and early talent
13:33 His humor, kindness, and impact on others
33:05 Closing thoughts

Sunday Oct 19, 2025

EP 169 | Total Chess World Championship Tour

Sunday Oct 19, 2025

The Dojo crew debates Norway Chess’s new “Total Chess World Championship Tour,” comparing it to past innovations, Magnus Carlsen’s influence, FIDE’s involvement, and the growing clash between classical, freestyle, and online chess circuits.

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00:00 Introduction to the Total Chess World Championship Tour
03:20 Norway Chess vs. St. Louis Chess Club
07:10 Format Innovations and Fast Classical Debate
17:00 Magnus, Freestyle Chess, and Competing Circuits
23:30 FIDE, Chess.com, and the Future of World Titles

Friday Oct 03, 2025

EP 168 | 2025 Junior Draft Update

Friday Oct 03, 2025

The sensei recap last year’s junior-draft results and rating swings, then run a snake draft to add three new juniors and two girls each—keeping graduated players for tracking, debating drops and Christopher Yoo’s suspension/return, and highlighting prospects like world junior champion Pranav V, Lu Miaoyi, and even a risky 10-year-old.

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00:00 — Intro & format
02:18 — Rating swings & scouting
06:01 — Team breakdowns
10:42 — Draft rules & order
13:19 — Round 1 picks
19:42 — Round 2 picks
25:24 — Round 3 picks
35:44 — Girls’ draft (Round 1)
42:08 — Girls’ draft (Round 2)
49:23 — Closing thoughts

Saturday Sep 20, 2025

EP 166 | 2025 Grand Swiss

Saturday Sep 20, 2025

The 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss thrilled fans with Anish Giri’s win, Matthias Blubaum’s surprise Candidates spot, and dramatic clashes between rising juniors and veterans, sparking debate on how to create more high-stakes events like it.

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00:06 – First impressions of the Grand Swiss
01:34 – Why this tournament felt special
03:02 – Calls for more events tied to the World Championship
06:12 – Stakes and qualification systems in chess
09:26 – How FIDE co-opted the Isle of Man tournament
14:06 – Tournament winners: Giri and Bluebaum
20:00 – Evaluating Bluebaum’s chances in the Candidates
28:34 – Giri’s ambitions and old-school endgame play
33:45 – The gap between 2600s and 2700s
42:26 – Who might miss the Candidates and future prospects

Wednesday Sep 17, 2025

EP 167 | What Does 3700 ELO Mean?

Wednesday Sep 17, 2025

In this DojoTalks, the sensei argue that 3700 Elo engines are so far beyond humans that they beat elite GMs even while spotting queen/rook/knight odds. They discuss that this gap reframes odds chess, preparation, and training, showing how much headroom remains in human understanding.

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00:05 Humans compared to machines in chess strength
01:14 Purist view of chess vs. odds traditions
02:06 GMs losing to Leela even with material odds
03:37 Notable results Naka Fabi Nepo against Leela
10:35 Odds games as a learning tool vs. engines
17:18 What an 800-point gap from Magnus really means
28:47 Computers proving drawish positions still hold winning chances
39:09 Engine Elo progress and the question of a plateau

Monday Sep 15, 2025

EP 165 | 2025 Maia Open Recap

Monday Sep 15, 2025

In this Dojo Talks, Kostya recaps his trip to Portugal for the Maia Open with three chess streamers—Matthew, Rachel, and Anushka—along with David, discussing their experiences with tournament preparation and their performance. They highlight how sparring and collective training were crucial to their success, helping them feel more confident and prepared for their games, and they share their different feelings about the pressure of a big tournament.

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00:00 Introduction to the Maya Open tournament recap
01:19 Players share how they feel after the tournament
02:28 Player backgrounds and chess experience
04:19 The role of sparring in their training
13:04 The players' approach to pre-game preparation
20:16 How tournament goals changed their training