Episodes 133
Avg. Duration 58m
Activity Dormant
Since Jan 2022
Latest Episode Apr 2025

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Weekly
Format
Episodic
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feeds.buzzsprout.com

About This Podcast

Chess improvement as an adult is harder than it should be. Plus, the journey can sometimes feel too stressful and serious. This show aims to fix that by 1) interviewing experts who can offer clarity on the best ways to improve; and 2) giving you a heap of fun with “chess entertainment” shows that discuss chess culture, events, movies, etc. Most episodes feature a guest, but sometimes I'll do a solo show on a topic. This is all brought to you by me, Daniel Lona. I’m a dedicated chess amateur and the owner of Adult Chess Academy. After listening to this podcast, I want you to have a clearer idea of how to improve, and have a more fun, dynamic chess experience. Please follow the show so you don’t miss an episode!

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Recent Episodes

Pod Update: Brief Break

Apr 29, 2025 0m

The podcast is taking a short break for the month of May 2025. It will return in early to mid-June. We'll be back soon! If you want to contact me in the meantime about an episode or anything…

CM Can Kabadayi: How to Prevent Blunders and Why He’s a Top Coach for Club Players

Apr 23, 2025 1h 7m Transcript

123 He went from beginner to 2150 FIDE in just four years. And that’s without receiving any coaching! Later, he became one of Chessable’s most popular course creators, recently winning Author of the…

Are There Too Many Drawbacks to OTB Tournaments? A Chat w/ FM Nate Solon

Apr 08, 2025 54m Transcript

122 You hear the positives of competing in OTB classical events all the time (including from me on this podcast). And their improvement benefits are undeniable. However, they have some serious…

GM Arturs Neiksans: From Late-Blooming GM Who Reached 2600+ to a Premier Coach & Course Creator

Apr 01, 2025 1h 4m Transcript

121 Latvian GM Arturs Neiksans earned his Grandmaster title relatively late. At age 28. But that didn’t stop him from becoming a force in the chess world.Not only did he climb to an impressive 2631…

Bishops, Bullet, and Bobby Fischer: Daniel Lona Interviewed By Omar Mills, Part II

Mar 25, 2025 52m Transcript

120 Daniel Lona is interviewed by guest host Omar Mills, fellow club player, in the second part of a special episode celebrating The Chess Experience podcast's third anniversary.Three years ago,…

Schedule Update: Sick Delay, Part II of Anniversary Interview, & GM Arturs Neiksans

Mar 20, 2025 0m

A quick schedule update. Alas, no episode this week due to being very sick :( But we'll return on Tues, March 25th with the second part of me being interviewed by Omar Mills for the 3rd anniversary…

Behind the Mic: Daniel Lona Interviewed By Omar Mills on 3 Years of The Chess Experience - Part I

Mar 11, 2025 54m Transcript

119 Daniel Lona celebrates the third anniversary of hosting The Chess Experience by sitting in the guest chair, interviewed by previous guest and adult club player Omar Mills.Three years ago, Daniel…

GM Susan Polgar: A Chess Legend on How She Broke Barriers & Elevated the Game

Mar 04, 2025 58m Transcript

118 GM Susan Polgar is a once-in-a-lifetime talent. She became the first-ever woman to earn the GM title by rating and norms. By age 15, she became the highest-rated female chess player on the…

Updates: Schedule Update & Video Pod Episodes

Feb 25, 2025 2m Transcript

News updates for this week: 1) GM Susan Polgar is coming to the show very soon! 2) You can submit a question for Susan by joining my Patreon membership (deadline to submit Q is 2/27 at 1pm CT.) 3)…

How to Build Attacking Intuition w/ WGM Thalia Cervantes Landeiro

Feb 19, 2025 1h 8m Transcript

117 Hailing from Cuba, and now one of the top American women players, WGM Thalia Cervantes is a chess powerhouse. For the past four years, she’s been invited to and played at the elite US Women’s…

GM Boris Avrukh: How to Play Better Defense, Coaching Fabi, & Playing Against Tal

Feb 11, 2025 1h 2m Transcript

116 What a chess career! GM Boris Avrukh cracked the World Top 50 in 2005  and achieved a peak rating of 2668. He has coached the world’s best players like Fabiano Caruana, Vladimir Kramnik, and…

Nigerian Star Uses Chess to Improve Others’ Lives & Her Own w/ WFM Perpetual Ogbiyoyo

Feb 04, 2025 39m Transcript

115 She learned the game at 19. The next year she became a titled player with an 1800+ FIDE rating. Then, several years later, WFM Perpetual Ogbiyoyo founded an organization to spread chess to girls…

Adult Improver Pod: Nicholas Sloan - A 400+ Rating Rise in 2 Years (& Chasing the NM Title)

Jan 28, 2025 1h 2m Transcript

114 Leaping 400 rating points in classical, rated chess as an adult in just two years? That requires a huge effort and rare dedication. Two qualities that describe well this week’s guest, fellow…

GM Josh Friedel - Common Middlegame Mistakes & Coaching Insights

Jan 21, 2025 51m Transcript

113 Rarely do grandmasters focus on helping club players and beginners. But when they do it’s rare and exciting. Their extra skill and understanding of the game deliver insights that even other…

Adult Improver Pod: Sydney Strauss - Moving to NYC to Chase Her Chess Dreams

Jan 14, 2025 1h

112 Would you move to a new city for chess? Few have that level of commitment to the game. But our guest this week did exactly that. Adult improver Sydney Strauss moved to New York City this past…

WIM Svitlana Demchenko - Insights on Imbalances and Her Dynamic Chess Life

Jan 08, 2025 42m

111 She does it all. WIM Svitlana Demchenko is a course creator, coach, streamer, and high-level chess competitor. Born in Ukraine and a long-time Canadian citizen, Svitlana proved herself early in…

WGM Maria Gevorgyan - 5x-Armenian National Champion & Chess Coach

Dec 18, 2024 43m

110 Today’s guest is the inspiring and talented WGM Maria Gevorgyan. Few have managed to become a national chess champion, let alone do it five times. But Maria has! In addition to becoming the…

Schedule Update for December '24

Dec 04, 2024 1m

A quick update on this month's (12/24) release schedule. The holidays make it a little more difficult to schedule guests, so I'll be only releasing two episodes this month. The next will be on…

Ding vs. Gukesh - World Championship Preview w/ FM Carsten Hansen

Nov 22, 2024 1h 4m Transcript

109 The upcoming World Championship should be a fascinating one! GM Ding Liren is the reigning world champ. While he’s an extraordinary talent, his rating and performance have backslid this past…

Aggressive Openings & Innovative Strategies for Club Players w/ FM Midas Ratmas

Nov 19, 2024 50m Transcript

Our guest this week is a self-taught FIDE Master, coach, and popular course creator hailing from the Netherlands: Midas Ratmas.Midas has built his chess career around helping club players and…

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does The Chess Experience have?

The Chess Experience has published 133 episodes since January 2022, covering topics in Education, Games.

Is The Chess Experience still active?

The Chess Experience is currently dormant with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 58m.

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