Best GM Jesse Kraai Podcasts (2025)

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EP 449- GM Jesse Kraai on Confronting Tournament Fears, Mental and Physical Fitness, and What’s Next for Him and ChessDojo 1:01:49

7d ago1:01:49

1:01:49

ChessDojo’s GM Jesse Kraai is always one of my favorite people to talk chess with, yet somehow it had been five years since his last visit to the pod. Jesse returned at a great time, having been both studying and competing actively, and recently achieving his goal of qualifying for the 2026 U.S. Senior Closed Championship. His recent over-the-board…

1
EP 164 | Hikaru Goes To The Farm 1:01:02

15h ago1:01:02

1:01:02

The Dojo (GM Jesse Kraai, IM David Pruess, IM Kostya Kavutskiy) discuss Hikaru Nakamura's path to the candidates, along with who they'd like to see qualify for the 2026 FIDE Candidates tournament. Join the Dojo - https://chessdojo.club Watch Live - https://twitch.tv/chessdojo Play Chess - https://go.chess.com/chessdojo Merch - https://www.chessdojo…

1
EP 448- NM Max Farberov on Beating Plateaus, Springing Opening Surprises, and Why Speed Chess Matters 1:01:43

14d ago1:01:43

1:01:43

NM Max Farberov is a 27-year-old chess instructor, Chessable author, and online speed-chess specialist with a Chess.com blitz rating north of 2600. He joined me after a busy chess summer that included his first European open and one of his best OTB results to date: winning clear first in the Under-2300 section of the Washington International. As Ma…

1
EP 163 | Blitz Specialists 1:07:35

17d ago1:07:35

1:07:35

This Dojo Talks explores what makes some players stronger at blitz than others, contrasting calculation-based vs. intuitive styles, online vs. over-the-board skills, and the role of premoves, time management, and tricky opening repertoires. The sensei also discuss the rise of a “blitz generation,” handling tilt, and David’s quest to reach a 2600 bl…

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EP 447: Going Pro at 57- GM Alex Fishbein on How New and Challenging Training Methods Fueled an Upset win at the US Senior Invitational 1:04:45

21d ago1:04:45

1:04:45

Going Pro at 57: `GM Alex Fishbein on How New and Challenging Training Methods Fueled an Upset win at the US Senior Invitational At 57 years old, Tennessee-based Grandmaster and Author, Alex Fishbein, has built an impressive chess résumé, with 12 state-championship titles across four states and multiple appearances in U.S. Championship events. But …

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EP 162 | Underdog Story: How GM Fishbein Became the U.S. Senior Chess Champion 1:28:11

22d ago1:28:11

1:28:11

GM Alexander Fishbein shares how he won the 2025 U.S. Senior Championship by relying on stamina, heavy tournament practice, and deep training methods such as solitary chess and analyzing old annotated games. This Talks also highlights generational contrasts in chess culture, from preparation styles to the evolving rules on draw offers. Join the Doj…

1
EP 161 | Ranking the Top 10 Chess Countries 1:23:03

24d ago1:23:03

1:23:03

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. Join the Dojo - https://chessdojo.club Watch Live - https://twitch.tv/chessdojo Play Chess - https://go…

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EP 446- IM Greg Shahade on The State of Professional Chess, Why He Loves the Daily and Classical Formats & Adult Improving at Trivia 1:09:11

28d ago1:09:11

1:09:11

IM Greg Shahade was the very first guest of Perpetual Chess and has remained a frequent and insightful contributor ever since. A former youth national champion, Greg has subsequently been involved in the chess world in an array of capacities —founder of the US Chess School (which provides free training to top American juniors), creator of the now-d…

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EP 160 | Jesse's Heresy 57:29

1M ago57:29

57:29

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. Join the Dojo - https://chessdojo.club Watch Live - https://twitch.tv/chessdojo Play Chess - https://go.chess.com/chessdojo Merch - https…

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EP 445- “It Worked So Well That I Stopped Doing It”: Adult Improver Nicholas Sloan on Dealing with Burnout After a Rapid Rating Rise 58:48

1M ago58:48

58:48

Nicholas Sloan is a Wisconsin-based Network Engineer, a dad of 4, and an extremely motivated chess improver. Usually. But after an incredible run of gaining 500+ rating points in two years, fueled by consistent hard work and a unique study approach, Nick hit a wall. He gave back 150 rating points, and lost his motivation to work hard on chess. That…

1
EP 159 | How To Turbo Charge Your Tactics w/ GM Mykhaylo Oleksiyenko 1:10:30

1M ago1:10:30

1:10:30

Join the Dojo - https://chessdojo.club Watch Live - https://twitch.tv/chessdojo Play Chess - https://go.chess.com/chessdojo Merch - https://www.chessdojo.club/shop Check out GM Mykhaylo Oleksiyenko at https://www.oleksiyenko.com Want to support the channel? Patreon - https://patreon.com/chessdojo Donate - https://streamelements.com/chessdojo/tip Fi…

1
EP 444 – Dr. Benjamin Balas on Chess Streaks, Blunders, and Brain Science 53:11

1M ago53:11

53:11

Dr. Benjamin (Ben) Balas is an MIT-educated professor of psychology at North Dakota State University, where his research focuses on visual recognition. He’s also a passionate chess player who blogs frequently about the intersection of science and chess. On his popular LiChess blog, Ben (aka NDPatzer) has explored topics like whether streakiness exi…

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EP 443- GM Jan Gustafsson on Building Opening Repertoires, Freestyle Chess, Father Time, and the Usual Array of Nonsense 1:14:36

2M ago1:14:36

1:14:36

Opening expert, Twitch streamer, former Team Magnus member, and longtime friend of the pod, GM Jan Gustafsson is back for another fun and far-reaching interview! We talk about the origins of his new Chessable course on the Austrian Defense, how his approach to repertoire building has evolved, and get his take on the recent Freestyle Chess drama in …

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EP 442- GM Johan Hellsten: Why Defending Is So Difficult — And How to Improve At It 1:07:18

2M ago1:07:18

1:07:18

EP 442- GM Johan Hellsten: Why Defending Is So Difficult — And How to Improve At It GM Johan Hellsten returns to Perpetual Chess for a deep dive into one of the most overlooked yet essential chess skills: defense. Johan is the 2006 Swedish National Champion, and a renowned author and coach, best known for his Mastering Chess series. In this intervi…

1
EP 158 | Do Chess and Philosophy Mix? 49:11

2M ago49:11

49:11

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. Join the Dojo - https://chess…

1
EP 441- WCM Hannah Sayce: The 24-year old Twitch Streamer on the Key Factors Behind Her Rapid Rise to the WCM Title 43:12

2M ago43:12

43:12

In just a few years, 24-year-old Australian Twitch streamer Hannah Sayce went from playing casual online games during lockdown to earning the Woman Candidate Master (WCM) title and competing in international tournaments. Her post-lockdown rise has taken her from below 1000 to a 2300 Chess.com blitz rating. In this conversation, Hannah shares the hi…

1
EP 157 | Will Hans Niemann Become World Champion? 1:01:47

2M ago1:01:47

1:01:47

Join the Dojo - https://chessdojo.club Watch Live - https://twitch.tv/chessdojo 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 …

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EP 440- GM Alexandr Fier: “I Blunder a Lot” – One of the World’s Most Active Grandmasters on Intuition, Endgame Studies, and Maintaining His Love For the Game 1:07:24

3M ago1:07:24

1:07:24

GM Alexandr Fier is a 5 time champion of Brazil and 9 time chess Olympian. He also recently qualified for the FIDE World Cup for the 8th time by finishing tied for first at the American Continental tournament. But aside from all of his impressive accomplishments, what interests me most about GM Fier is how frequently he competes. Last year alone, h…

1
EP 156 | Who Will Be Top -10 in June 2026? 52:50

3M ago52:50

52:50

Episode note: the recording froze around the 31 minute mark, so you may hear a short piece cut out. Join the Dojo - https://chessdojo.club Watch Live - https://twitch.tv/chessdojo Play Chess - https://go.chess.com/chessdojo In this episode, the sensei review their previous top 10 predictions for June 2025, evaluating their accuracy against the actu…

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EP 439 — Samuel Sonning (Founder of NoctieAI): The Instructive Value of Memorizing Games, the Benefit of Losing Rating Points, and a Deep Dive on Chess and AI 50:32

3M ago50:32

50:32

This week’s guest is Samuel Sonning, a Swedish computer scientist, former Google engineer, and founder of NoctieAI—a user-friendly chess platform featuring rating tests and bots designed to play like humans. In our conversation, Samuel discusses his unique improvement philosophy as an adult learner, including how memorizing famous games helped him …

1
EP 155 | What Made Norway Chess So Good? 43:22

3M ago43:22

43:22

Join the Dojo - https://chessdojo.club Watch Live - https://twitch.tv/chessdojo 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 …

1
EP 438- Tony Ballard: Chess, Freedom, and Lessons Learned From 26 Years in Prison 1:06:02

3M ago1:06:02

1:06:02

In this memorable episode of Perpetual Chess, we welcome back Tony Ballard, who spent 26 years incarcerated and credits chess with helping him change the course of his life. When we last spoke in Episode 289 (2022), Tony was still in a minimum-security facility. Now fully free, he’s making the most of his second chance. He’s working full-time at th…

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EP 154 | Is Chess an eSport? 1:05:23

3M ago1:05:23

1:05:23

Join the Dojo - https://chessdojo.club Use Code DOJO before June 15th 2025 to get 40% off your first month at the Dojo! IM Kostya Kavutskiy, IM David Pruess and GM Jesse Kraai question if chess is an E-Sport. What do you think? Watch Live - https://twitch.tv/chessdojo Play Chess - https://go.chess.com/chessdojo Merch - https://www.chessdojo.club/sh…

1
EP 437- Coach Jay Stallings and NM Adam Weissbarth talk Chess Teaching, Chess in the Movies and The Challenges and Rewards of Running a Chess Business 1:25:42

3M ago1:25:42

1:25:42

This two-part episode of Perpetual Chess features two of the most impactful figures in American chess education: Coach Jay Stallings and Adam Weissbarth. First up, Coach Jay shares insights from his decades of experience teaching over 30,000 students,and also discusses his recent work consulting on the chess scenes in the new Hollywood blockbuster …

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EP 153 | How To Improve Your Positional Play w/ GM Aagaard 1:22:44

3M ago1:22:44

1:22:44

Join the Dojo - https://chessdojo.club Watch Live - https://twitch.tv/chessdojo Play Chess - https://go.chess.com/chessdojo 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 …

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EP 436- Adult Improver Torkil Jara Bårdsgjerde on How Workplace Trash Talk Sparked a Lifelong Passion for Chess 1:16:31

3M ago1:16:31

1:16:31

EP 436- Adult Improver Torkil Jara Bårdsgjerde on How Workplace Trash Talk Sparked a Lifelong Passion for Chess In this inspiring and relatable installment of the Adult Improver Series, we meet Torkil Jara Bårdsgjerde, a 39-year-old father of two, from Norway who discovered competitive chess after a bit of playful banter with a workplace rival. Tha…

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EP 435- IM Alex Ostrovskiy on Opening Prep, Norm Tournaments, and His Core Chess Improvement Advice & 1:03:23

4M ago1:03:23

1:03:23

IM Alex Ostrovskiy is a former Scholastic National Champion, New York State Champion, and accomplished coach who has earned one GM norm, and reached a peak USCF rating of 2560. In addition to his coaching work, Alex is a regular commentator on GM Hikaru Nakamura's Twitch channel, and a tournament organizer who runs frequent invitational tournaments…

1
EP 152 | Visualization and Aphantasia 55:26

4M ago55:26

55:26

Join the Dojo - https://chessdojo.club Watch Live - https://twitch.tv/chessdojo Play Chess - https://go.chess.com/chessdojo 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/…

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EP 434- GM Mauricio Flores Rios: The Acclaimed Chess Structures Author on How to Approach Different Chess Imbalances, Chess & A.I., and The Missing Ingredient in Freestyle Chess 56:44

4M ago56:44

56:44

GM Mauricio Flores Rios' first book, Chess Structures, is a modern classic which is seemingly recommended on a weekly basis on Perpetual Chess. After nine years of work, Mauricio has recently released its follow-up, Chess Imbalances: A GM Guide. Like Chess Structures, it is a highly instructive book with a beautiful selection of games and useful gu…

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EP 433- GM Kenneth Rogoff: From the World Juniors to the World Bank. Dr. Rogoff on His Remarkable Transition from Top Young Chess Talent to Renowned Economist. 1:09:02

4M ago1:09:02

1:09:02

Dr. Kenneth Rogoff has undoubtedly had one of the highest-profile and most interesting careers of any Grandmaster working outside of chess. He is an author and Harvard professor who was once singled-out by none other than Bobby Fischer, as a player who had shown remarkable chess improvement. As a young chess star, Dr. Rogoff actually dropped out of…

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EP 432- NM Dana Mackenzie: The 5 Steps to Becoming a Chess Master & Other Chess Stories and Advice 1:07:50

4M ago1:07:50

1:07:50

NM Dana Mackenzie is a former math professor turned science writer who has maintained a passion for chess throughout his life and career changes.He is a USCF Life Master and was the 2 time state champion of North Carolina. Dana had a long running and popular chess blog which has now been turned into a book Did You Come Here to Play Chess or Have Fu…

1
EP 431- GM Mihail Marin:The Award-Winning Author shares Chess Wisdom from Across the Generations 1:12:47

5M ago1:12:47

1:12:47

GM Mihail Marin is a prolific and popular author, trainer, and 3-time Romanian national champion. He has made numerous contributions to the chess canon but is probably best known for the book Learn from the Legends, published in 2005, which received high praise from GM Daniel Naroditsky, IM Jeremy Silman, and many others. In 2025, its much-anticipa…

1
EP 151 | Teaching Chess To Kids 52:10

5M ago52:10

52:10

Join the Dojo - https://chessdojo.club Watch Live - https://twitch.tv/chessdojo Play Chess - https://go.chess.com/chessdojo Merch - https://www.chessdojo.club/shop GM Jesse Kraai, IM David Pruess, and IM Kostya Kavutskiy are joined by NM Matan Prilletensky to discuss the details of how to teach chess to children, and what people should know when th…

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EP 150 | DOJOVERSARY 5 - Origin Story 44:17

5M ago44:17

44:17

Join the Dojo - https://chessdojo.club Watch Live - https://twitch.tv/chessdojo Play Chess - https://go.chess.com/chessdojo Merch - https://www.chessdojo.club/shop IM Kostya Kavutskiy, IM David Pruess, and GM Jesse Kraai celebrate 5 years of ChessDojo with episode 150! ChessDojo's first video launched on March 14, 2020. The sensei talk about how th…

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EP 430: GM Susan Polgar on Perseverance and Empowering the Next Generation 1:05:41

5M ago1:05:41

1:05:41

GM Susan Polgar is a World Chess Hall of Famer and former Women’s World Champion. She is also the holder of numerous records, including being the first female “triple crown winner” and the first woman to earn the Grandmaster title by norms and rating. She is also an author, and Chessable author. Her latest book, Rebel Queen: The Cold War, Misogyny …

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EP 149 | The Chess Revolution w/ Peter Doggers 1:00:31

5M ago1:00:31

1:00:31

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 IM Kostya Kavutskiy, IM David Pruess, and GM Jesse Kraai talk about the book The Chess Revolution with guest journalist Peter Doggers on today's episode of Dojo Talks, the Ch…

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EP 429- Omar Mills: Chess and Life Lessons Learned from Not Improving as Much as He Expected 1:03:11

5M ago1:03:11

1:03:11

The Adult Improver series returns to Perpetual Chess to welcome Omar Mills (aka ChessvonDoom) to the podcast. Omar fell in love with chess during the pandemic and has learned some unexpected lessons through the thousands of games he has played in subsequent years. He learned that chess improvement and maintaining a disciplined study routine is much…

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EP 148 | State of Scholastic Chess with WFM Elizabeth Spiegel 51:13

5M ago51:13

51:13

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 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…

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EP 428- IM Danny Rensch of Chess.com: Combating Cheats and Charting Chess's Future 1:10:49

5M ago1:10:49

1:10:49

IM Danny Rensch is a former child prodigy turned Chief Chess Officer of Chess.com, the largest chess website in the world. Danny rejoined me 8 years after his first visit to the podcast (Episode 18) to discuss all that is new with Chess.com. Inevitably, this means a detailed discussion of online cheat detection, and whether Chess.com thinks that th…

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EP 147 | FIDE Ratings & The Stats of Cheating (ft. Dr. Kenneth Regan) 1:05:35

6M ago1:05:35

1:05:35

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

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EP 427- Key Chess Improvement Principles with GM Noël Studer: The Fallacy of Accuracy Scores, Leaky Roofs & Information Overload 58:21

6M ago58:21

58:21

GM Noël Studer is a two time Swiss National Champion turned blogger, course creator and chess trainer. Noël is also a regular guest on the podcast, and as an avid reader of his blog, I always have plenty of questions for him. This particular interview tackles questions like the following: What has training for a marathon taught Noël about chess? Do…

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Book Recap #38- Discussing 100 Tactical Patterns You Must Know with Kevin Scull 24:47

6M ago24:47

24:47

The Perpetual Chess Book Review series, Chess Books Recaptured is back, to discuss a new tactics primer that has been getting a lot of buzz, 100 Tactical Patterns You Must Know by FM Frank Erwich. My guest co-host is Kevin Scull, the host of the Chess Journeys podcast, and a dedicated student of the game. Kevin wanted to discuss this book because h…

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EP 426- NM Oleksandr Prokhorov on Sustaining and Growing Ukrainian Chess During the War 51:22

6M ago51:22

51:22

Oleksandr Prokhorov is a Lviv, Ukraine-based chess organizer, trainer, FIDE arbiter and Twitch streamer. Ukraine has a rich chess history and has a vibrant grass roots scene in addition to famous natives such as Vasyl Ivanchuk, the Muzychuk sisters, and GM Ruslan Ponomariov. In recent years, I have marvelled at the persistent passion for chess in U…

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EP 146 | Is Chess 99% Tactics? 56:54

6M ago56:54

56:54

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 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 podc…

1
EP 425- IM Willy Hendriks: The Award-Winning Author on Nimzowitsch’s Ego, Tarrasch’s Tenets and What Their Rivalry Means for Modern Chess. 58:14

6M ago58:14

58:14

IM Willy Hendriks is an award-winning chess author, historian and chess trainer. He has just released his fourth book, The Philosopher and the Housewife:Tarrasch, Nimzowitsch and the Evolution of Chess. This book is the completion of a trilogy which casts a new light on chess history and looks at the evolution of chess ideas. Willy’s newest book fo…

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EP 145 | Does Freestyle Chess Have A Future? 57:22

6M ago57:22

57:22

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 Jo…

1
EP 424- GM Wojciech Moranda: Visualization, Pattern Recognition and the 5 Elements of Calculation 1:03:06

6M ago1:03:06

1:03:06

GM Wojciech Moranda is a high-level trainer, author and 2600+ rated player who has worked with the Polish youth national team and IM Levy Rozman among many other students. I often recommend his books for ambitious advanced players, so I was excited to welcome him back to discuss his new Chessable Course, The Moranda Method: How to Calculate Like a …

1
EP 144 | Online vs. OTB Chess 59:11

7M ago59:11

59:11

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…

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EP 423- FM Nate Solon on The Right Way to Learn Openings, the Fundamental Flaw of Chess Puzzles and What He Is Working on and Planning for 2025. 1:01:01

7M ago1:01:01

1:01:01

FM Nate Solon is a data scientist, Chessable author, New in Chess Magazine columnist and the creator of the popular and insightful newsletter, Zwischenzug. Nate joined me shortly after we played in a tournament together to share his latest chess-improvement related thoughts and to reflect on recent lessons he has absorbed. We focused on a few theme…

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EP 143 | Who Will Qualify for the 2026 FIDE Candidates? 38:15

7M ago38:15

38:15

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…

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GM Jesse Kraai Podcasts

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