The Chess Cognition Podcast
A deep dive into the world of chess through the lenses of cognitive science, psychology, and teaching. Join the leading players, coaches, and scholars as they explore the intricacies of chess and the mental processes that drive success on and off the board.
Why Building Chess Habits May Matter More Than Learning More Tips
0:00 Chess Advice Disappearing During Games
0:30 What Is a Chess Habit?
1:13 Turning Chess Advice Into Thinking Habits
2:46 Why Knowledge Fails Under Pressure
3:52 Triggers and Questions
4:35 Blunder-Check Habits and CLAMP
5:04 Habit Installment Architecture
5:25 Why Complicated Checklists Fail
7:07 Which Habits You Should Install First
8:45 How Long Does Habit Formation Take?
10:27 The 8–12 Week Chess Habit Challenge
10:56 Process Goals vs. Rating Goals
11:35 Stop Collecting Ideas. Start Building Habits.
You watch chess lessons, study chess strategies, and understand the advice, but when a critical moment arrives in your games, that knowledge su...
How to Make Chess Puzzle Training Work in Real Games
0:00 Why Chess Puzzles Don't Always Transfer to Real Games
01:02 Solution Patterns vs. Tactical Triggers
2:19 Why Triggers Matter for Working Memory
3:04 Puzzle 1: Find the Trigger
4:05 Learning to Recognize Loose Pieces
6:15 Puzzle 2: Same Trigger, Different Position
8:25 Puzzle 3: Missed Chance in Carlsen - Kaymer
10:34 Why You Must Study Near Misses
10:59 The Greek Gift Sacrifice: When It Fails
12:49 The Greek Gift Sacrifice: When It Works
15:11 A Four-Step Method for Training Chess Tactics
16:18 The Most Important Question After Every Puzzle
17:11 Connecting Tactical Triggers to CLAMP
Have you solved hundreds of...
Prof. Ben Balas - The Science of Chess Blunders: Insights from Visual Cognition
Prof. Ben Balas' blog: https://lichess.org/@/NDpatzer/blog
Ben's Substack: https://benbalas.substack.com/?utm_source=sidestack.io&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=directory
Follow Ben Balas on X: https://x.com/bjbalas
https://www.ndsu.edu/centers/cvcn/labs/balas/people.php
Calculating Sharpness in Chess: https://lichess.org/@/jk_182/blog/evaluating-sharpness-using-lc0s-wdl/EXZ3pRoy#:~:text=The%20basic%20idea%20behind%20the,winning%20and%20losing%20probability%20increase.
The Psychology of Chess by Fernand Gobet: https://amzn.to/4flnp9y
00:00 Intro
01:38 Prof. Benjamin Balas' Chess History
04:23 The Limits...
FM Tarık Selbes - GM Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş: How a Future World Champion Is Being Built
Contact FM Tarik Selbes here: https://lichess.org/@/nuagesgris
The article featuring Yagiz, Tarik, and Romanov: https://www.chess.com/news/view/12-year-old-erdogmus-breaks-polgars-historic-rating-record
Tarik's chess history blog 'Cafe Chigorin': https://tinyurl.com/yp9hhmyz
00:00 Intro
02:23 Enters Tarik Selbes
05:42 The Puzzle Grind That Built Monster Calculation Skills
12:23 The Importance of Calculation in Chess
15:36 His Work with GM Evgeny Romanov
22:15 Positional Play and Dorfman's Influence
27:09 Showing Games: Static vs. Dynamic Play
30:49 Yagiz's Early Positional Mistakes
35:09 Erdogmus - Nitish
39:47 Shaik - Erdogmus
43:59 Excellent Calculation: Erdogmus...
NM Ben Johnson - The Most Connected Person in the Chess World
The Perpetual Chess Pod: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/
Perpetual Chess Podcast YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@perpetualchesspodcast
Perpetual Chess Improvement: https://amzn.to/4i4Jsmp
Perpetual Chess Link-fest: https://benjohnson.substack.com/
Ben's Chessable Course: https://www.chessable.com/identifying-critical-moments-in-chess/course/248353/
00:00 Intro
01:49 The Art of Guest Selection and Preparation
09:39 Insights from Years of Podcasting Experience
12:30 Memorable Conversations and Unique Stories
16:08 The Chess Linkfest Newsletter
19:06 Chess Scandals & Drama
22:59 Writing 'Perpetual Chess Improvement'
27:56 Structured Learning in Chess
30:33 Minimizing Blunders for Improvement
33:30...
NM Robert Ramirez - System Openings and Chess Tips for All Ages
Robert's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/nmrobertramirez
Robert on the Perpetual Chess Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Od16FlwGl5U
Robert's Chessable courses: https://www.chessable.com/counterblow-a-complete-fighting-repertoire-for-beginners/course/199358/
https://www.chessable.com/first-strike-the-fighting-stonewall-attack-for-beginners/course/241908/
Fernand Gobet and Jensen's article on chess improvement: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267259137_Training_in_chess_A_scientific_approach
00:00 Introduction
02:58 System Openings
06:18 Are They More Suitable for Adults?
08:43 Balancing the Downsides of System Openings
13:18 Prof. IM Fernand Gobet's Take on Openings
14:58 Opening Traps and Human Psychology
18:48 Are...
Solveig Friberg - The Pedagogical Blueprint for Chess Success
Solveig's Excellent Chessable Course 'Breaking 1000': https://www.chessable.com/breaking-1000/course/237622/
Solveig's Twitch Channel: https://www.twitch.tv/rookieredhead
Find Solveig on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rookie_redhead/?hl=en
Find Solveig on X: https://x.com/RookieRedhead
00:00 Intro
01:38 How Solveig Rediscovered the Game
07:40 Chessable Course: Breaking 1000
13:57 Misconceptions Around Chess Improvement
20:42 Productive Failure: Why Reflection and Feedback Are Crucial
27:52 Social Aspect of Chess Learning
32:14 Advantages of Group Lessons
38:54 Solveig's Upcoming Course on Cultivating Courage Over the Board
47:28 What Makes Chess So Fascinating?
52:00 How...
WIM Luciana Morales - The Untold Stories of Women’s World Champions
Queens of the Chess Board: https://www.chessable.com/queens-of-the-chess-board/course/102010/
Follow Luciana on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/momsgambit/
Follow Luciana on X: https://x.com/LucianaMorales
Follow Luciana on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/drcanchess.bsky.social
'Imagination in Chess' was written by Paata Gaprindashvili: https://amzn.to/42PVFqb
'Chess Queens' by Jennifer Shahade: https://www.amazon.se/-/en/Jennifer-Shahade/dp/1399701371
00:00 Intro
02:12 Background Story and Early Years
08:49 The Making of 'Queens of the Chess Board'
23:15 Her Upcoming Chess Book
35:55 Fide Chessable Academy
39:43...
Dr. Nick Vasquez - Visualization, Productive Failure, and Chess Improvement
Nick's substack 'Chess in Small Doses': https://nickvasquezmd.substack.com/
The Perpetual Chess Episode on 'Make it Stick': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpcgQpppDOQ
https://nickvasquezmd.substack.com/p/play-first-study-later?source=queue
https://nickvasquezmd.substack.com/p/coming-soon
https://nickvasquezmd.substack.com/p/making-it-stick
Here is the game Nick was referring to with c4-c5 giving away the d5-outpost: https://lichess.org/wGOkHFpi/black
00:00 Intro
02:58 Visualization Training/Step 2 Thinking Ahead
11:14 Information Overload and Finding Relevancy
14:24 Direct Instruction vs. Productive Failure
21:48 Craft Learning vs. Academic...
Sam Belnap - The 2000 Elo Routine: A Simple Study System That Actually Works
Sam's Training Plan: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1E1r69Q46gZX02mE5hYPjdVw4VXdz0KfjrTjvLdf3z3s/edit?tab=t.0
Sam's chesscom profile: https://www.chess.com/member/eyecandewit
In this podcast episode, I’m joined by my own student Sam, who moved from 700 to 2000+ Chess.com Rapid (peaking near 2100) in around 3.5 years. Sam tells the full story and shares the study routine that helped him reach 2000. If you’re an adult improver chasing a rating goal, this conversation is a reality check and a roadmap.
We get very practical: Sam expl...
GM Aman Hambleton - His London Course, Chessbrah & Winning Habits
Aman's London Course: https://www.chessable.com/aman-hambletons-london-system/course/353577/
Chessbrah: https://www.youtube.com/c/chessbrah
00:00 Intro
01:31 The Chessbrah Journey
09:40 The Impact of the Chess Boom
12:57 The Educational Value of the Channel
18:33 Building Habits Series
30:11 The Role of Blitz in Improvement
36:08 Creating the London System Course
40:48 Unique Aspects of his London Course
45:59 Connecting Openings to Middlegame
54:33 Conceptual Approach and Knowing Crucial Ideas
58:09 Balancing Engine Lines and Practical Play
01:03:36 Speed Chess Championship Live Commentary
01:12:20 The Future of Chess Content Creation
Grandmaster Aman...
GM Surya Ganguly - Teaching Openings for Real Chess Improvement
Surya's Chessable Page: https://www.chessable.com/author/suryaganguly/
Surya's 1. e4 Repertoire Part 1: https://www.chessable.com/lifetime-repertoires-suryas-1e4-part-1/course/353840/
Surya's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/Suryachess
ProChess Training: https://prochesstraining.com/
GM Ganguly on the Perpetual Chess Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLy5B3n5aOQ
00:00 Intro
02:29 Understanding vs. Memorization
09:13 Opening Advantage is Not Everything
11:19 How Surya Structures His Opening Courses
18:30 Explaining Strange Looking Moves in the Najdorf
22:27 Lessons From Team Anand
25:20 Stories From Training Indian Top Players
34:22 System...
FM Kamil Plichta on Building Openings That Create Early Pressure
Kamil's 1. e4 course: https://www.chessable.com/lifetime-repertoires-plichtas-1e4-part-1-sicilians/course/383069/
Two games Kamil mentioned: https://lichess.org/broadcast/european-individual-chess-championship-2026--boards-127-186/round-6/tOTpwfDr/7Z18O2ET
https://lichess.org/broadcast/european-individual-chess-championship-2026--boards-1-66/round-4/NxEg1ofB/nHwDXHB6
00:00 Intro
04:02 Beating Magnus Carlsen in Blitz
07:15 Feedback and Course Development
09:11 How Kamil Found Chessable
14:50 Winning Best Author Support Awards
22:45 A Typical Day in Kamil's Life
29:47 Typical Author Mistakes
37:39 Creating Problems for Both Sides
43:46 Chessable's Evolution
51:29 Kamil's New Course: 1.e4 LTR
01:01:10 Grenke Chess and European...
GM Lars Schandorff - Inside the Mind of Chessable Author of the Year
Lars' Chessable Courses: https://www.chessable.com/author/LarsSchandorff/
00:00 Intro
01:00 How Lars Creates His Opening Courses
07:31 The First Key Decision When Creating an Opening Course
15:03 The Importance of Openings in Chess
18:46 A Story About Rook Endgames
21:43 Where to Stop in an Opening Course
25:47 Chess as a Lifestyle: Freedom and Identity
27:52 Can Beginners Benefit from His Courses?
34:33 The Role of Engines in Modern Chess Preparation
40:13 His Weekly Radio Show 'Nimzowitsch'
45:19 The Cultural Significance of Chess in Literature
50:46 Nimzowitsch's Influence
55:32 Chess Improvement in Modern Times
58:40 How...
Kamryn Hellman - How an Adult Beginner Reached 2000 ELO in Two Years
Kamryn's Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@UCYUOoqtGaRgUeUta134aUyw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQ9gkF840Vk&t=1s
Kamryn's Chessable course: https://www.chessable.com/50-essential-chess-concepts-an-improvers-blueprint/course/233222/
Kamryn's Twitch Channel: https://www.twitch.tv/kamrynheidi
https://bsky.app/profile/kamrynheidi.bsky.social
https://kamrynheidichess.substack.com/
00:00 Intro
01:54 The Chess Bug and the Very Short Summary of the Journey to 2000 ELO
08:57 The Thought Process
10:47 Blunder-Check
15:16 'Why Am I Losing?' Document
23:07 How Blitz Helped
26:00 Study Advice for 0-1500 ELO
29:16 Study Advice for 1500 - 2000 ELO<...
Dr. Benjamin Portheault on Chess Psychology: Overcoming Mental Blocks, Pressure & Self-Doubt
Benji's website: https://mindcreaser.com/
Benji's substack: https://mindcreaser.substack.com/
Benji's course 'Mindfulness for the Tournament Player': https://mindfulness-for-the-tournament-player.teachable.com/
Follow Benji: https://bsky.app/profile/benjiportheault.bsky.social
His piece on discipline: https://mindcreaser.substack.com/p/discipline
Under the Surface: https://amzn.to/4hnw7EU
Life and Games of Mikhail Tal: https://amzn.to/42r4c2O
The Seven Deadly Chess Sins: https://amzn.to/4joJzu3
Think Like a Super-GM: https://amzn.to/3E59kPU
Benji later recommended the books by Wojciech...
NM Dan Heisman - 30 Years of Chess Coaching Wisdom
Dan's Website: https://www.danheisman.com/
Dan's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/danheisman
Follow Dan on X: https://x.com/danheisman
Dan's Chessable Author Profile: https://www.chessable.com/author/Dan_Heisman/
The Improving Chess Thinker: https://amzn.to/3OtKDyE
Is Your Move Safe? https://amzn.to/4g77Z8Z
Elements of Positional Evaluation: https://amzn.to/4fOc5TA
Thought and Choice in Chess: https://amzn.to/4fMoCqO
00:00 Dan Heisman: A Brief Introduction
04:25 Common Misconceptions About Chess Improvement
09:37 The Role of Knowledge vs. Skills in...
CM Azel Chua - Mastering Chess Calculation with the Burger Technique
Azel's Chessable Courses: https://www.chessable.com/author/AzelChua/
Azel's Course on Calculation: https://www.chessable.com/calculation-a-complete-guide-for-tournament-players/course/53691/
Fundamental Chess Calculation Skills: https://www.chess.com/course/fundamental-chess-calculation-skills-123333
00:00 Intro
02:01 Why His Calculation Course Was a Huge Success
05:13 Checks, Captures, and Threats: Why It Falls Short
11:03 The Burger Technique
12:10 Position 1
21:00 Position 2
26:24 Position 3 Enters Magnus the Superhuman
29:26 Position 4
38:26 Position 5
42:39 Position 6
50:06 Position 7
54:25 Position 8
58:35 Transfer of Patterns to Different Contexts
1:04:40 Conceptual Patterns - Position 9
1:06:48 Position 10
1:11:30 Visualization
1:31:48 How Best to Learn Patterns<...
Aiden Rayner - Cracking Chess Visualization and Working Memory
Aiden's Website: https://dontmoveuntilyousee.it/
Aiden's Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5FdBsG9UsLeTbBt18kI6lk
The Moves of the Blindfold Game: 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4.Qg4 d6 5.Qxg7 Nf6 6. Qxf7+#
Also see Prof. Benjamin Balas episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrzblptGNjw
00:00 Who Is Aiden Rayner?
07:11 Visualization Training/Chess Improvement
10:58 Conceptualization/Visualization
12:18 Aphantasia
20:53 Working Memory
24:03 Freezing/Forgetting/Freewheeling
29:10 Intuition
33:24 Ghost Pieces
37:38 Building Habits
41:24 How to Best Learn Chess Patterns and Chunks
49:05 Checklists
53:08 Who is Your Daddy and...
Prof. Christopher Chabris - Cognitive Science Insights into Chess Thinking
Invisible Gorilla: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJG698U2Mvo
The Door Study (Change Blindness): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWSxSQsspiQ
https://www.chabris.com/
Their Study on Overconfidence in Chess Players: https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/yd5he_v1
https://amzn.to/437DXhz
https://amzn.to/44Mrh0O
00:00 Intro
02:48 Enters Dr. Christopher Chabris
06:15 Inattentional and Change Blindness
18:38 Checklists
21:26 Categorizing and Labeling Things
22:59 Visual Crowding
24:36 Blunder-Check
30:23 Cognitive Biases and Decision Making in Chess
38:30 Sunk Cost Fallacy
42:01 Truth Bias
43:45 Trusting Authority<...
GM Jacob Aagaard - A Deep Dive into Strategic Decision-Making
https://killerchesstraining.com/
https://www.newinchess.com/
https://amzn.to/4igE5Qg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Aagaard
https://www.chessable.com/author/JacobAagaard/
The Art of Exchanging Pieces:https://www.chessable.com/the-art-of-exchanging-pieces/course/82374/
00:00 Intro
02:20 Mastering Chess Exchanges
06:46 Woodpecker Method
13:45 Jacob Tests Me: Position 1
16:28 Jacob Tests Me: Position 2
22:44 Effective Decision-Making
31:46 Jacob Tests Me: Position 3
34:26 Rules/Principles vs. Concepts
40:08 Improving Tactical Vision
47:19 Volume and Focus
55:40 Jacob Tests Me: Position 4
01:05:52 Jacob Tests Me: Position 5
01:12:23 Abdusattorov's Bad Decision
01:13:33 Jacob...
IM Alex Astaneh - The Ultimate Guide to Positional Chess Mastery
Alex's Chessable courses: https://www.chessable.com/author/Astaneh/
Alex's Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@alexastaneh
00:00 Intro
02:19 Why He Created "The Positional Chess Patterns Manual"
15:03 The Difference Between Positional Chess and Strategic Play
27:17 Power Outpost
46:06 The Course Creation Process
54:43 Carlsen's Blitz Games (Color Complex)
01:15:40 How to Build Up the Knowledge (Weak Square)
01:24:01 Pseudo Outpost
01:25:42 How to Teach Beginners
01:37:32 Power Outpost and Pseudo Outpost Combo
01:46:45 Pseudo Outpost in the Classical Structure
01:52:29 Exchange Sacrifice
01:53:54 Schematic Thinking
02:02:44 Outro & Future Plans
In this...
Why “Just Play More” Won’t Fix Your Chess
0:00 The “Just Play More” Trap
0:55 Why Experience Alone Isn’t Expertise
2:02 Why Beginners Get Overwhelmed
3:29 Schemas: How Strong Players Organize Positions
5:10 Why Game Analysis Can Teach the Wrong Lesson
6:15 Worked Examples: Learn the Reasoning
6:59 The Isolated Queen's Pawn (IQP)
7:36 Worked Examples Help Build Schemas
7:58 What Learning Research Tells Us
8:39 Productive Struggle vs. Blind Struggle
9:18 The Role of Playing Games
10:09 A Five-Step Plan for Better Chess Learning
11:51 Why Skipping the Foundations Holds You Back
13:10 Why Stronger Players Need a Different Approach
Playing more chess doesn’t automa...
