Dojo Talks: A Chess Podcast

In this episode of Dojo Talks, the crew debates the classic chess saying “Long Think, Wrong Think,” explores the dangers of overcalculating, and breaks down lessons from Gukesh and other top players

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00:00 Long Think, Wrong Think?
03:10 Long Variation, Wrong Variation
06:00 The Dangers of Overthinking
11:48 Deep Calculation and Gukesh
18:43 Time Management Mistakes
22:31 The 10-Minute Rule
27:32 Mistakes Come in Pairs
38:08 Improving Your Time Management

The Chess Dojo's annual Junior Draft is back! Jesse, David, and Kostya review last year's results, debate the world's most promising young chess talents, and draft their picks for 2026.

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00:00 – 2025 Draft Results
09:27 – Biggest Winners and Disappointments
14:25 – Jesse's Winning Strategy
29:47 – The 2026 Junior Draft Begins
43:12 – Drafting the Top Female Juniors
54:28 – Betting on Young Talent
1:04:29 – Trades and Roster Changes
1:18:13 – Final Teams and Predictions

Jesse, David, and Kostya preview the 2026 Chess Olympiad, breaking down the top contenders, Team USA, dark horses, board orders, and the notable players missing from the event.

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00:00 – Olympiad Predictions
09:00 – The Top Contenders
18:00 – India’s Big Challenge
27:00 – Breaking Down Team USA
36:00 – Dark Horses to Watch
45:00 – Board Order Strategy
55:59 – Why Top Players Are Skipping
1:02:33 – Final Thoughts & Predictions

The ChessDojo sensei reconnect after a busy summer to recap recent tournament runs, European travels, behind-the-scenes FIDE election politics, and updates across the Dojo.

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00:00 - Summer Catch-Up
01:35 - Tournaments & Prodigy Records
06:40 - US Senior Championship
13:50 - European Tour & FIDE Politics
19:57 - The GM Quest Reality
23:42 - 45-Minute Classical Time Controls
26:15 - 2700 Blitz Peak & Dojo Camp

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

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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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

The sensei discuss is the queen really worth 9 points, or should it be valued closer to 10?

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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

Jesse, David, and Kostya discuss slumps. How they happen, why they happen, and how to get out of one.

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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

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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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

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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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

Should you play up in chess tournaments? The sensi discuss tournament rating sections, strategy, and best methods for improvement.

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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

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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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

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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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

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.

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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

Jesse, David, and Kostya discuss the recent Netflix documentary on the story behind Magnus, Hans, and Chess.com.

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00:00 The Magnus–Hans Story Revisited
02:36 Take Take’s Shock Move vs Chess.com
03:28 Netflix Doc: First Impressions
09:38 Who Looks Worst in the Documentary?
12:32 The Hans Ban Timeline Explained
17:33 Why the Doc Feels Formulaic
22:51 Magnus vs Chess.com – What Really Happened
45:56 Take Take, Lichess & the Future of Chess Platforms

The Dojo (GM Jesse Kraai, IM David Pruess, IM Kostya Kavutskiy) recap the 2026 FIDE Candidates, including the historic run the young Javokhir Sindarov. They look back at their original predictions to see who came closest, who surprised, and who disappointed.

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00:00 Sindarov wins the Candidates
02:05 Is this a new generation of chess?
07:02 The turning point vs Fabi
12:33 Who disappointed (Fabi, Naka, Prague)
17:19 Biggest winners (Sindarov, Giri, others)
28:23 Predictions, future outlook, and world title implications

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At the halfway mark of the 2026 Candidates, one storyline has taken over: Sindarov is dominating the field. But is this a historic breakthrough—or just a heater that the rest of the players will adjust to?

We break down his incredible run, from elite opening prep to relentless time pressure and confident decision-making. Is anyone capable of catching him? Or is it already over?

We also dive into Fabi’s quietly strong performance, the psychology of players falling out of contention, and what to expect in the second half of the tournament.

Drama, collapse potential, and one big question: is this inevitability… or just the beginning?

00:00 Candidates Midway Overview
00:21 The Sindarov Story
01:44 How He’s Winning (Openings & Clock Pressure)
04:09 Best Games So Far
06:39 Opponents Start Adjusting?
10:32 Risky Style & Confidence Boost
12:49 Can Anyone Catch Him?
13:57 Fabi’s Chances
23:14 Motivation & Tournament Psychology
27:50 Problems with Candidates Format

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In this Dojo Talks episode, we explore blitz chess with NM Jeremy Kane—what it takes to improve, how time management and openings matter, and whether blitz actually helps your classical game.

Featuring insights from his work at Chess.com, plus real lessons from blitz rating climbs and practical training advice.

If you want to get better at blitz (and understand its limits), this one’s for you.

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00:00 What Makes Someone Good at Blitz
00:40 Jeremy Kane’s Blitz Journey
03:00 Climbing from 2400 to 2800+
06:00 Blitz Quests & Rating Volatility
09:15 Using the Clock as a Weapon
13:30 Openings and Simplifying for Blitz
18:00 Does Blitz Improve Classical Chess?

The 2026 Candidates Tournament is right around the corner, and this field might be one of the most competitive we’ve ever seen. In this episode of Dojo Talks, we break down every player’s chances, compare our picks to the betting odds, and debate who’s truly a contender.

From rising young stars to established elite players, we dig into form, consistency, and what it actually takes to win a Candidates.

Who do you think will come out on top?

We’re running a 2026 Candidates Fantasy Contest—and this is your chance to prove you actually know what you’re talking about.

Pick your players, lock in your rankings, and compete against the Dojo community to see who can best predict how the tournament unfolds. With such a wide-open field, this might be the hardest (and most fun) Candidates to call in years.

🏆 Prizes:

1st Place: Free Dojo membership + exclusive coaching session
2nd Place: Free Dojo membership
3rd Place: Dojo merch bundle

Make your picks here: https://tinyurl.com/2026Candidates

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 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
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

0:00 Intro & Candidates overview
1:30 Why this field is so competitive
3:00 Early picks & lowest seeds
10:30 Breaking down the bottom contenders
19:45 Giri & Wei Yi chances
32:10 Nakamura discussion
38:15 Prague’s form & upside
46:15 Young players & Sindarov
53:30 Top contenders debate
1:01:25 Final thoughts & betting vs reality

In this episode of Dojo Talks, we explore how having children impacts chess performance, from real examples of world champions to personal experiences as chess dads. With Hikaru Nakamura entering the Candidates as a new father, the question is more relevant than ever.

We break down the short-term dip (sleep, focus, hormones) vs long-term recovery—and what it could mean for top players like Magnus Carlsen.

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 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
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

00:00 Do Kids Hurt Your Chess?
00:25 Why Hikaru’s new baby matters
02:35 World champions and parenthood
06:13 Naka, Magnus, and motivation
10:26 How kids changed their own chess
17:51 The science: sleep, hormones, and focus
28:54 Can top players avoid the dip?
33:02 Long-term benefits of parenting?
42:50 The dip is real, but varies
51:22 Final verdict on kids and chess