Category: Blog

This week on Chess Journeys, I provide a tournament recap of my recent 2026 Senior Open in Chicago, Illinois. It was my best event in a while. This is a rare positive tournament recap. Chessbook: chessbook.com/?ref=kevin Chessiverse Code: DrSCULL20 Check out my new Substack: https://substack.com/@drscull My Chessable Course! https://www.chessable.com/chess-journeys-tactics-workbook-turning-knowledge-into-skill/course/268850/ Chessnut Link/Code: Code – KEVINSCULL https://www.chessnutech.com?sca_ref=7643464.HueBIKWTYE…

This week on Chess Journeys, I spoke with Gene. He has recently returned to chess yet again after a hiatus. We talked about what he is doing differently this time around such as goals, openings, coaching, and thought process. He gave several book recommendations such as the Amateur’s Mind and Kasparov’s Successors. Gene talked about…

In this week’s bonus episode I discuss the dreaded IQP. I talk about my fear of it and the problems it caused me. I discuss the process I took to overcome my fears. I conclude with what I now know about the IQP. Hopefully this episode will help you address any of your chess fears.…

This week on Chess Journeys, I spoke with IM Junta Ikeda. We had a conversation about his own chess journey and adult improvement. This episode is full of specific advice for improving your game. Junta offered several book recommendations. He talked about connecting your improvement to your own games. We also discussed some of his…

This week I made a recap of my recent Memorial Day tournament. There are highs and lows and everything in between. Chessbook: chessbook.com/?ref=kevin Chessiverse Code: DrSCULL20 Check out my new Substack: https://substack.com/@drscull My Chessable Course! https://www.chessable.com/chess-journeys-tactics-workbook-turning-knowledge-into-skill/course/268850/ Chessnut Link/Code: Code – KEVINSCULL https://www.chessnutech.com?sca_ref=7643464.HueBIKWTYE Get 20% off GM Noël Studer’s courses with Coupon chessjourneys20 The Simplified Chess…

This week on Chess Journeys, I spoke with Landyn. He’s recently gained 300 points in a few months by playing a lot of tournaments and studying. We talked about the woodpecker method and checkmates pattern for improvement. We also discussed his attempts to reignite the eastern Kentucky tournament scene. Landyn laid out the path to…

This week on Chess Journeys, I spoke with Chuck. He wears a lot of hats in the chess world. He runs the San Diego Chess Club, organizes many big events, and plays in over 200 rated games per year! We covered many topics such as his chess journey and books he likes. Chuck talked about…

This week on Chess Journeys, I spoke with Misha. He plays with me on Tuesday nights at the Santa Monica Bay Chess Club. We covered his improvement journey from 1000 to 1900. We covered many topics such as emotions in chess, the story of the game, and structured study. Misha provided book and tool recommendations.…

This week on Chess Journeys, I spoke with GM Noel Studer. As always, Noel came ready to share the good stuff. We talked about his newest project, real chess training. It’s a weekly set of calculation exercises. Noel gave extensive, actionable improvement advice. He focused on doing the critical stuff, calculation, tactics, and playing. It’s…

This week on Chess Journeys, I spoke with Carl. We covered a lot of ground such as taking breaks, the value of tactics, OTB play, and ratings. We had an extended conversation about Chessbook, and how Carl uses it and Chessable. Carl did a deep dive into rating improvement for adults, which we discussed. Spoiler,…