Episode notes
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 chess-related, you can do so here.
Podcast
The Chess Experience
Daniel Lona · Leisure & Travel · English
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 di
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E123 · 23 Apr 2025 · 1 hr 7 min
CM Can Kabadayi: How to Prevent Blunders and Why He’s a Top Coach for Club Players
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 Year in 2024. CM Can Kabadayi is a rare and impressive chess talent: he excels both as a player and a coach. In this episode, we chat about his journey from a Ph.D in cognitive science to becoming an in-demand course creator and popular chess YouTuber. Can also offers some great insights for chess...
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E122 · 8 Apr 2025 · 54 min
Are There Too Many Drawbacks to OTB Tournaments? A Chat w/ FM Nate Solon
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 downsides: money, time, and energy, just to name a few. To the point where I’ve become uncertain whether they’re worth it. And so has my guest, FM Nate Solon. In this episode, we discuss: The many challenges of OTB classical events, like creating difficult situations for proper eating, sleeping, and rec...
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E121 · 1 Apr 2025 · 1 hr 5 min
GM Arturs Neiksans: From Late-Blooming GM Who Reached 2600+ to a Premier Coach & Course Creator
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 FIDE rating… But even outside of competition, Arturs developed a dynamic career as a coach to top youths, a premier Chessable course creator, and a YouTuber with awesome chess content. In our interview, we discuss: How he helped promising young talent become GMs while working as head coach at the h...
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E120 · 25 Mar 2025 · 53 min
Bishops, Bullet, and Bobby Fischer: Daniel Lona Interviewed By Omar Mills, Part II
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, Daniel Lona launched The Chess Experience with a simple yet unique mission: to create chess content by and for adult improvers - a rare thing in the chess world at that time. In this episode, he discusses: What makes chess "real"? Is a 3-minute blitz game fundamentally the same as a 5-hour clas...
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20 Mar 2025 · 1 min
Schedule Update: Sick Delay, Part II of Anniversary Interview, & GM Arturs Neiksans
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 of this show. Then on April 1st, I'll have GM Arturs Neiksans as a guest! Finally, I do these quick updates so that you never wonder "Hey, what happened to the show?" Lol. See you soon. And thank you for your patience.
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