National Master Evan Rabin, CEO of Premier Chess: Recent Episodes
National Master Evan Rabin, CEO of Premier Chess
I am a national chess master, who was born and raised in New York City. After working in Enterprise Sales for a years after graduating Cum Laude from Brandeis University with a BA in Business International Studies, I decided to begin Premier Chess in September 2017. Since then, we have partnered with 100+ schools and companies including the law firm Kramer Levin. On this podcast, I speak about business, life, education and chess and bring on frequent guests. Learn more about Premier Chess at www.premierchess.com.
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In Episode 278, I converse with Jenny Ingber Ph.D, CEO of Chess in the Schools, one of our favorite charity partners. Jenny Inberg started as CEO at Chess in the Schools in June 2023, after her predecessor Debbie Eastburn, our 117th Podcast Guest, stepped down.
Jenny Ingber has a Bachelor of Science in Biology, Chemistry and Secondary Education from University of Miami, MA in Teaching Chemistry from New York University and a PhD in Science Eduacation from Teachers College, Columbia University. Before working at Chess in the Schools.
We speak about the benefits of chess, inspiration from children, the Annual Chess in the Chess Park Rapid Open, Title 1 schools, employee retention, hands-on leadership, tips for fundraising, successful alumni, the upcoming Saint Louis Chess Conference, which we are both speaking at, and more.
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In Podcast Episode 277, I converse with Gunnar Bjornsson, President of the Icelandic Chess Federation. In addition to serving as the President of the Icelandic Chess Federation, Gunnar hosts the annual Reykjavik Open, which is coming up again, April 9-15, 2025. Furthermore, he is a Vice President of the European Chess Union. Our 131st Podcast Guest International Master Yaacov Norowitz earned one of his norms there in 2013. Gunnar also worked many years in financial services at Landsbanki.
We speak about his thoughts on the ongoing Olympiad, the World Corporate Chess Championships, where we met, the Icelandic Chess Culture, the legacy of the 1972 Fischer-Spassky World Championship Match, Queen's Gambit, streamers and more.
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In Episode 276, I have the pleasure of conversing with Joel Dick, who is a Data Engineer at Tempered AI and adult improver. He hails from Toronto, home of our 14th Podcast Guest Mike Ivanov, who recently became an International Master. As a frum (observant) Jew, Joel has 8 kids.
Joel studied in Israel with two our former podcast guests, International Master Yaacov Norowitz and Rabbi Mendy Brukirer.
Joel has 13+ years of experience in both technology and finance.
We speak about the relationship of chess and Judaism, tips for improvement, our Long Island Instructor Candidate Master Brian Karen's Chess Book Collectors Facebook group, community, the importance of tournaments, the influence of Sammy Reshevsky, his experience participating in the Chess Dojo and more.
In Premier Chess Podcast Episode 275, I converse with National Master Mikhail Sher, PhD., Associate Professor of Management at Monmouth University. Dr. Sher’s main research interests lie in the areas of inventory control and supply chain management. He has a Bachelors of Science from Carnegie Mellon University, Masters of Science from Columbia University and Ph.D. from Drexel University.
He is a national master and the son of the late Grandmaster Miron Sher, and WGM Alla Grinfeld, who both taught me as a child.
We speak about Miron's legacy, Miron's book Dream Moves, which was posthumously published, the 20% rule, various chess careers, the late National Master Bruce Alberston, confidence, artificial barriers, parallels between chess, leadership and poker and more.
In Episode 274, I have the honor of conversing with Captain Zoe Marks, Director of Overseas Operations at Yatar Israel. Zoe Is A Former IDF Officer (2018-2021) And Active Reservist Who Served With Distinction, In The Etzion Region. Zoe Joined YATAR In September 2023 After Working For Nearly Two Years For El Al Airline Security In JFK And Dubai. She Is committed to ensure that Yatar can carry out its mission of protecting Israel and Its people from terrorist threats.
We speak about saving lives, conversations, unity, fundraising, her experience learning chess a kid and more.
In Episode 273, I have the pleasure of conversing with Davorin Kuljasevic, Grandmaster and FIDE trainer, rated 2539 FIDE. Davorin was born in Zagreb, Croatia and currently livies with his wife International Master Iva Videnova and daugther in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
Davorin's career highlights include winning 4th place in World Youth U16 in 2002 and winning first place in the SPICE Spring 2011, Zupanja 2011, Mediteran 2011, Split 2013 and Castelfranco 2014.
He has a a Bachelor of Arts in Finance and Operations Management from University of Texas at Dallas and a Masters in Finance from Texas Tech University.
We speak about Chessable, teaching chess in Dubai, chess couples, the full stack approach to chesss improvement, the rise and comeback of World Champion Ding Liren, tournament pressure, his thoughts on the upcoming Liren- Gukesh World Championship match, his books How to Study Chess on Your Own: Creating a Plan that Works… and Sticking to it!and Ding Liren's Best Games: A Chess Biography of the World Championand more.
In Episode 272, I converse with Mark Herschberg, Author of The Career Toolkit: Essential Skills for Success That No One Taught You and Fractional CTO/CPO. He has a lot of experience in cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence, healthcare, adtech, and marketplaces.
He has a Bachelor of Science and Masters Degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
As a seasoned executive and cybersecurity expert, he often bridges the divide between business and technology. He has started, grown, and fixed startup companies spanning over a dozen different verticals as well as helped two Fortune 500 companies with their internal startup initiatives, and helped create educational programs at MIT and Harvard Business School. He is an experienced board member.
In addition to working as a Fractional CTO/CPO, he is often a professional speaker on careers, leadership, negotiations, networking, and media.
We speak about his childhood lessons from our 131st Podcast Guest Fide Master Sunil Weeramantary, foresight, the Amateur Team East, common career mistakes, learning from co-workers, networking, negotiation, rules versus guidelines, thought process, our Summer 2024 Quad Series and more.
In Episode 271, I converse with Candidate Dane Zagar, who won first place in the 2024 Chicago Open U-2100 section, despite dealing with the distractions of his 4th round opponent Stan Halstead being thrown out of the tournament for cheating and escorting his friend to the hospital.
Dane is a chess and math tutor and serves as the President of The Chess Castle of Minnesota, one of the most active clubs in the Midwest.
Dane has a BS in Mathematics and Computer Science and previously served as the Minnesota State Chess Association Treasurer.
We speak about identifiying cheaters, what to do when there is a problem at a tournament, suggested policies to prevent cheating, time management, mindset under pressure, playing one's own section, the Chess Scene in Minnesota, consistency, improving tips, book recommendations and more.
In Episode 270, I have the pleasure of conversing with Joshua Pearlman, Personal Injury Attorney in New York. Joshua Pearlman is the Founder of Joshua Perlman & Associates. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from The University of Rhode Island and JD from New York Law School.
We speak about the founding of a firm, the litigation process, statuatory timelines, Joshua's thoughts on The Queen's Gambit, the gamification of chess and law, and more.
In Episode 269, I have the pleasure of conversing with with Mandy Ficara, Founder of Every Last One Rescue. After a 16-year creative career, Mandy decided this year to drop everything and start a dog rescue non-profit. Mandy has an Associate Degree in Advertising and Marketing Communications from Fashion Institute of Technology and Bachelor Degree in Apparel Merchandising and Product Development from Bowling Green State University.
Every Last One Rescue is a foster-based 501(c)3 non-profit organization, committed to making a difference in the lives of animals in our community. Founded with the belief that every animal deserves a second chance at life, it works tirelessly to rescue dogs from the unnecessary risk of euthanasia at overcrowded shelters, provide them with the love and care they need, and match them with loving foster homes while they wait for their adoption day.
I first found about Every Last One Rescue a week after it launched at March 2024, when I was walking official Premier Chess mascot Max and met volunteer Sara Heilbronner, who was walking Milton, who was the first dog adopted through Everyone Last One Rescue!
In the episode, we speak about non-profit management, fundraising, volunteering, the upcoming Rescue Puppy Yoga event on May 19, the adoption event at Boris and Horton on May 18and more.
In Episode 268, I have the pleasure of conversing with Alex Bores, New York State Assemblymember, District 73, who I have known most of my life, since we played in a lot of scholastic tournaments. He was a PS 6 teammate of Stefan Botarelli, the younger brother of my Churchill teammate and 246th Podcast Guest Fabio Botarelli, Founder & President of Chessability NYC.
As the Assemblymember for the 73rd District of New York, Alex serves the Upper East Side, Midtown East, Turtle Bay, Murray Hill, and Sutton Place. He is a fifth-generation New Yorker who was born, raised, and lived his whole life in Manhattan. After PS 6, he attended Wagner and Hunter High School. He then graduated with honors from Cornell University and received a master’s in Computer Science from Georgia Tech.
As an engineer, he has helped the Department of Justice solve violent crimes in New York City, working with three Manhattan District Attorneys, and building software for local governments’ COVID relief programs that helped 50,000 families keep their homes warm and their water running.
A community advocate, Alex has organized campaigns that have secured severance pay for fired workers, passed commonsense rent regulation, and reformed government procurement. Alex also worked to get the last form of mass transit in New York City to appear on Google Maps (the aerial tram which connects the East Side to Roosevelt Island).
We speak about extracurriclulars, community outreach, The Queen's Gambit Netflix series, artificial intelligence, the protests at Columbia University, strategic thinking in chess and politics, affordable housing, and more.
In Episode 267, I have the pleasure of conversing with Ranae Bartlett, who became US Chess Executive Director last month. She started at US Chess in September 2023 as Director of Operations. Before joining US Chess, Ranae was an Assistant General Counsel for a Fortune 5 company. She served as a local school board member in Madison, Alabama for ten years and advocated for chess education and funding chess initiatives in her school system. Ranae founded Madison City Chess League, a non-profit chess organization where she served as Executive Director for ten years and conducted over eighty chess tournaments. In 2020, she became the first Education Director at ChessKid.com, and in 2022 she co-chaired the Chess In Education Committee for US Chess.
We speak about her current plans for US Chess, The Nationals, the disparity of gender in chess, fundraising, ratings, Tournament Director certifications, the upcoming Saint Louis Chess Conference, the alabama chess scene, title 1 funds, our 2024 Summer Chess and Table Tennis Camp, pickleball, unrated events, the upcoming Chess in Education webinar How Philanthrophy Supports Chess in Educationwith our 47th Podcast Guest Dewain Barber, "the Dean of Scholastic Chess", John D. Rockefeller V, US Chess Director of Development Geoff Isaak, and Mark Indermaur, moderator, and more.
In Episode 266, I converse with Rabbi Elie Feder PhD and Rabbi Aaron Zimmer, Hosts of Physics to God.
Rabbi Elie Feder earned a PhD in mathematics from the CUNY Graduate Center and received Rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Yisrael Chait. Since 2004, Elie has been a mathematics professor at Kingsborough Community College. He has published many papers and delivered numerous talks in graph theory, which is his field of mathematical research. As a teacher, Elie has a passion for simplifying complex topics for his students. Recently, he authored a book "Gematria Refigured," which presents a rational, nonmystical approach to gematria as a tool of uncovering the significance of quantity and fine tuning in Torah, life, and the universe. Elie resides in Far Rockaway, New York, with his wife and their four children.
After earning a physics degree and receiving rabbinical ordination from Rabbi Yisrael Chait, Rabbi Aaron Zimmer considered furthering his education through graduate school. However, his intellectual curiosity extended far beyond the realm of physics, encompassing a diverse array of fields, including philosophy, mathematics, and psychology. Capitalizing on his blend of analytical and philosophical skills, Aaron utilized his personal resources to venture into commodity futures trading. This endeavor involved commodities such as oil, natural gas, cotton, sugar, and coffee. His strategic approach was deeply rooted in the conceptual frameworks of physics and the Brisker Method for Talmudic analysis. After an eleven-year career marked by success in commodity trading, Aaron decided to retire. In his retirement, Aaron channels his intellectual energy into studying various branches of knowledge, including the Talmud and physics. He resides in Lawrence, New York, along with his wife and their five children.
We speak about analysis in chess, commodities trading and physics, Talmud,some insights from our 162nd Podcast Guest Rabbi Mark Wildes, Founder of Manhattan Jewish Experience, depth of knowledge, the torah way of life, the interesection of god and science, Richard Feyman's analogy of chess and the laws of physics, chess history, Plunder Chess, the universe and more.
Thank you to our 45th Podcast Guest Zev Gotkin, Founder of Zev Media, for recently introducing me to Rabbi Feder and Rabbi Zimmer and allowing this episode to happen.
In Episode 265, I converse with real estate prodigy Deven Wohlwhend, COO of Clear Sky Realty, Inc. From the time he was born, Deven has been going to investment meetings. He began investing he was only 5 years old. By the time he was 7, he started a company and started purchasing real estate. By the time he was 10 years old, he attained his Ohio Professional Housing Provider Certification (O.P.H.P.) Within 3 years, he had bought 20% of a 60-unit complex. He is constantly growing his real estate team and acquiring more assets. At 11 years old, he published his first book about his successes and setbacks: If I Can Do It, So Can You! How I Started Buying Real Estate at Age 7! By the time he was 12 he started taking classes at Kent State University. Recently he published his second book, The Garage with Mark Victor Hansen. He achieved the #1 best-selling author on Amazon in Children’s Money Books the 2nd day it was available. He has since been interviewed on Larry Goins Podcast. He has been on expert panels from Florida to Ohio, including at the National Real Estate Summit. At the age of 16, he currently owns over 40 units.
We speak about our apperances on Reena Friedman Watts' podcast Better Call Daddy, investing as a child, artificial barriers, real estate strategy, action, fun and more.
In Episode 264, I have the pleasure of interviewing Carol Ann Caronia, Author of Strategic Moves: Mind-Building Chess Exercises For Kids.
Carol Ann Caronia was born and raised in Brooklyn. A graduate of St. John’s University, she has pursued a vigorous independent course of study in physics, anthropology, archaeology, and history.
Carol's career began in business writing, transitioned to business research, then to financial and management roles in nonprofits, and finally to chess, where she spent most of her adult life teaching chess to young children privately and in afterschool enrichment programs, community education centers, and in the classroom.
We speak about our mutual friendship with our 109th Podcast Guest National Master Bruce Pandolfini, the founding of Chess in The Schools, market driven teaching, expectations, critical thinking skills and more.
In Episode 264, I converse with Gary Morgenstein, who is the critically acclaimed author of The Dark Depths series (A Mound Over Hell, A Fastball for Freedom, A Dugout to Peace).
As an award-winning playwright, his work includes A Black and White Cookie, A Tomato Can’t Grow in the Bronx, Dancing on Glass, and Walking Charlie.
Morgenstein’s work has been featured in The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, Parade Magazine, the New York Post, Sports Illustrated, Fox News Radio, and NPR.
He enjoys sports, yoga, and taking care of his beloved pug. Gary lives in Brooklyn, New York with his wife.
We speak about writing novels versus plays, unity, Jewish pride, community , push vs. pull, parallels between chess, theater and writing, resiliency, fundraisers, and more.
Thank you to our 228th Podcast Guest Rachel Kovacs, Author, and Presenter at City University of New York for recently introducing me to Gary and allowing this episode to happen.
In Episode 262, I converse with Rabbi Yisroel Bernath, the spiritual director at Chabad of NDG and the Jewish Chaplain at Concordia University. He received his BA and Rabbinical Ordination from the Central Yeshivas Tomchei Temimim in Brooklyn, NY, and his MA in Hebrew Letters from the Yeshiva Gedolah Rabbinical College of Greater Miami. He has extensive experience working in Adult Education and Special Education as well as coaching hundreds of young adults and couples.
In 2010, he was Canada's only finalist for the Jewish Community Hero Award. Known as “The Love Rabbi,” he exudes warmth and has an air of non-judgmental approachability. It’s no wonder he’s one of Canada's most popular under-40 rabbis! Rabbi Bernath lives in Montreal's trendy Monkland Village with his beloved wife Sara and adorable children Chaya, Zalmy, Leiba, Hena, and Yair.
We speak about the Montreal Jewish community, dating, settling down versus up, inspiration from the Lubavticher Rebbe, strategy, parallels of chess and judaism, co-officiating my wife Stacey and I's wedding with our two-time podcast guest Rabbi Levi Welton, and more.
In Episode 261, I converse with Phil Copulsky CFA, Director - Private Capital at Westmount Realty Capital, LLC. The private capital team is responsible for raising equity capital for Westmount's commercial real estate investments across industrial, multifamily, and office. Investors include institutional equity partners, RIAs, fee only financial planners, family offices, and high net worth individuals.
Phil has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an MBA from University of Texas at Austin.
In addition to a successful career in real estate, Phil has played college basketball and countless chess tournaments, since we were Churchill School chess teammates.
We speak about traveling to the Nationals, parallels between chess and basketball, real estate investments, discipline, notation, constructive criticism, time management, the art of sacrifice, business plans and more.
In Episode 260, I have the pleasure of conversing with Paige Arnof-Fenn, Founder & CEO at Mavens & Moguls. Paige loves building great brands! She was the first VP Marketing/CMO at Zipcar (now Avis), VP of Marketing at Inc.com (sold to Bertelsmann) and the first SVP of Marketing at Launch Media (went public & later sold to Yahoo). She is a popular keynote speaker and panelist at venues including Harvard Business School and MIT Enterprise Forum.
Maven & Monguls is a Marketing, Branding, PR, Market Research & Communications firm based in Cambridge, MA, with clients globally. They help organizations who want to increase their visibility, profile and awareness. Their clients range from early stage startups to Fortune 500 firms like Virgin and Microsoft.
We speak about marketing versus sales, the art of post-mortems, strategic planning, extracurriculars, commodities versus brands, website audits and more.
In Episode 259, I converse with Scott Lask, Founder of Scott Lask Wealth Management Group LLC. Scott began working in financial services as a financial consultant in 1983 at Shearson American Express. Prior to starting the Scott Lask Wealth Management Group in 2004, Scott was a financial advisor for several different companies. Scott is a member of The Hudson Valley Estate Planning Council.
He holds certification from the Dorsey Wright & Associates Broker Institute and Advanced Broker Institute for successful completion of training in advanced point and figure methodology. Scott’s specialties are Risk Management, Retirement Income Solutions, Portfolio Construction, Family Wealth Advisory services, setting client goals. He is a frequent speaker for groups and organizations and continuing education seminars.
We speak about In This Together Roundtable, the weekly networking group where we met, financial setbacks, classic rock, jamming with our 9th Podcast Guest Mike Papapavlou, CEO of Guitar Guide Guru, mitigating risk in chess and finance, his new book Let Wall Street Work for You, personal finance tips for milennials and more.
In Episode 258, I converse with Life Master Eugene Salomon, Author of "Sweet Memories: Family, Friends, Chess, and Sugar”. Eugene is a 95 years-young, successful businessman, who has been playing chess for 80 years! He was born in Spain in 1928 and has been married to Bea, his Brooklyn angel, for sixty-two years. He was among the best chess players in Spain and Cuba in the late 1940s and early 1950s. After many years away from chess, he earned the U.S Chess Federation rating as a Life Master at age 70. He also received a Silver Life Master Certificate from the American Contract Bridge League at age 93. Gene earned degrees in Sugar Technology and Agricultural Engineering at Havana University. He is known as one of the foremost experts in the world on the subject of edible molasses and has traveled extensively in his work. Gene's resumé includes significant contributions to the sugar industry, and he has been nominated for the Dyer Award, the "Sugar Man of the Year." He is still working as a consultant in new business development in the food industry.
We speak about his 50-year-long friendship with Dr. Richard Lewis, our Westchester Instructor and 180th podcast guest, encounters with former World Champions Alexander Alekhine and Garry Kasparov, wins against Grandmasters Arthur Bisguier and Robert Byrne, José Raúl Capablanca's legacy, the Annual US Amateur Team East Championship, parallels with our 200th Podcast Guest FIDE Master Asa Hoffmann and more.
In Episode 257, I have the pleasure and honor of conversing with Grandmaster Jesse Kraai, Co-Founder of ChessDojo. GM Kraai has been playing and teaching chess since before you were born. Playing in seven US championships helped him elevate his game to GM in 2007. He won the Denker tournament of High School Champions in 1989 and 1990 and the Irwin tournament of Senior Champions in 2023. He is currently using the Dojo Training Program with the dream of winning the US Senior Closed in 2024.
We speak about his recent win at the 2023 Irwin tournament, the return on investment of playing in tournaments, rating deflation, chess hunger, enjoyment, The Chess House, community, online vs. over-the-board play, general tips for adult improvers, deep thinking, his fiction book Lisa: a Chess Novel,training and more.
In Episode 256, I converse with my long-term friend National Master Todd Bryant, Software Engineer at Chess.com, who I first met at the 2006 Eastern Open in Washington, DC.
In addition to programming at Chess.com, Todd enjoys playing lots of speed chess, studying openings, continuously improving, staying in shape through CrossFit and spending time with Lisa Cunningham, his wife, who happens to be our 26th Podcast Guest, and their three kids- Jack, Chloe and Max.
We speak about Chess.com's corporate culture, the art of opening preparation, the juggling of responsibilities, the importance of exercise for chess players, tips for improvement, ways to attract more woman to play in chess, his role as a chess dad and more.
In Episode 255, I have the pleasure of conversing with Women Candidate Master Alexandra Prado, who has been playing chess since she was a little girl in Bolivia, and competed on their National Team. She now lives in France and travels around the world, making chess content while she goes!
We speak about the chess scene in Bolivia, her move to France, home of our 230th Podcast Grandmaster Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, World Blitz Champion and Seventh-Highest Rated Player in History, inspiration from Queen's Gambit, streaming, meeting Magnus Carlsen, Tiktok videos, chess PR, her representation by Dulcedo and more.
In Episode 254, I have the pleasure of conversing with my cousin Dr. Jake Rabinowitz, Founder of Smart Eats. Dr. Jake Rabinowitz has PhD in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University (2020). He is the founder of Smart Eats, which offers solutions built upon decades of developing and delivering nutrition-based therapies. It's team of doctors brings expertise in nutrition, food science, engineering, and microbiology.
We speak about the importance of diet, the shortage of baby formula, iron deficiency, critical thinking, upcoming events, runners, entrepreneurship and more.
In Podcast Episode 253, I have the pleasure of conversing with National Expert Steve Hrop, Executive Coach. Steve has his Ph.D. in Industrial & Organizational Psychology from The University of Akron. For many years, he has trained executives at Fortune 500 companies, including Prudential Financial, ADP and Asbury Automative Group, and smaller companies.
He wrote the book Defending Under Pressure: Managing Emotions at the Chess Board, in which he uses critical moments from his own tournament games (most of them against players rated above 2200) to describe the difficulties of thinking straight when the enemy is at the gates, and then outlines methods and techniques to clear your head, evaluate the position, and find your way to the best move.
We speak about the influence of the 1972 Fischer- Spassky match, discipline, the reasons he has never played an online game, the danger of addiction in chess, teambuilding, emotional self management, prophylactic thinking, consistency against lower rated players, peak performance and more.
In Episode 252, I have the pleaure of conversing with National Expert Pranav Shankar and his father Shankar Iyer, Client Partner at IBM. I met Pranav last month when he spoke on an Autism Awareness Month panel at the Marshall Chess Club. I was inspired by his perserverance, becoming a strong expert and likely future master, despite his challenges growing up with autism.
We speak about book recommendations, philosophy of ratings, positional understanding, logic vs. emotion, confidence, chess therapy for autism, over the board chess, lessons from our 75th Podcast Guest Grandmaster Alex Lenderman and more.
In Podcast Episode 251 , I have the pleasure of convsersing with Aiden Rayner, Founder of Don't Move Until You See it, who hails from Melbourne, Australia.
Don't Move Until You See It is a revolutionary new way to train chess, used by players from beginner up to master level! The core of Don't Move is "Training visualization FIRST makes everything else in Chess 100x easier to learn." Learn more about the tool in this blog post. Get a complimentary 5-day visualization course here.
We speak about the art of learning, PogChamps, The Queen's Gambit, blindfold chess, whys, teamwork, his love for our 230th Podcast Episode with Grandmaster Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, World Blitz Champion and Seventh-Highest Rated Player in History, seconds and more.
In our milestone 250th Episode, I have the pleasure of conversing with GM Vinay Bhat, VP, Data at Fuzzy Pet Health. Before completing a Graduate Certificate in Data Mining and Applications, Statistics at Stanford University and starting a career in data science, he was a prodigy. At 10 years and 176 days old, Bhat became the youngest national master at the time. At the age of 15 years and 10 months, Bhat became an International Master, at the time the youngest ever in U.S. history. In 2008, the same year he became a Samford Fellow, he made grandmaster.
We speak about chess growth vs. career, confidence, imrpovement tips, gambits, opening repertoire, draw offers, philosophy of ratings, problem solving in chess and data science, coaching Grandmaster Sam Shankland, advice from Grandmaster Bill Lombardy, his new book How I Became a Grandmaster and more. Check out book on Foward Chess here.
In Episode 249, I have the pleasure of conversing with Gary Ryan, who teaches chess, does copywriting, acts as a chaplain, etc. He has a Masters of Divinity in Pratical Theology from Wesley Biblical Seminary, a Masters of Arts in Philosophy and Religious Studies from University of Mississippi and a Master of Theology from Harvard Divinity School.
We speak about insights on Passover and Easter, The Holy Grail, masters at the Chess Forum , guidance from the late Grandmaster Bill Lombardy, workinbg with Fabiano Caruana as a kindergartener, book recommendations, game analysis , the full stack approach to chess improvement, the lack of PR for the upcoming Nepomniachtchi- Ding World Championship match and more.
In Episode 248, I have the pleasure of conversing with Jon Edwards, the 32nd World Correspondence Chess Champion. Jon started playing correspondence chess via the International Correspondence Chess Federation in 1995, and became an ICCF Grandmaster in 2022. In over-the-board play, he is a National Expert.
Outside of the chess board, Jon has an exentsive background in academia and Information Technology. He has a a BA in History from Princeton University and a PhD in African Economic History from Michigan State University. He worked for many years, assisting in the management of a $25M budget and a staff of 260 as the Coordinator of Institutional Communication and Outreach at Princeton University. He also served as the Mayor of Hopewell Township, NJ in 2002.
We speak about a comparison of correspondence chess and over-the board play, inspiration for more women to play chess, the Niemann-Carlsen drama, solving chess, opening preparation, reverse engineering and more.
In Episode 247, I have the pleasure of conversing with Sarathi Ray, President of the Marshall Chess Club and Counsel at Lewis & Munday, P.C. Sarathi has a BA in Sociology from the University of Connecticut and a JD from University of Miami School of Law.
By day, Sarathi serves as bond counsel and underwriters' counsel in a variety of public finance transactions.
He also serves as the President of the world famous Marshall Chess Club, which Frank Marshall founded in 1915. The club on West 10th street in Greenwich Village hosts lots of competitive tournaments for players of all skill levels, lectures, social events and more.
We speak about tax exempt bonds, the intersection of chess and litigation, the UCONN Chess club, kids versus adults in chess, chess therapy for autism, inspiration for women to play chess, improvement tips and more.
In Episode 246, I converse with Fabio Botarelli, Founder & President Of Chessability NYC. I have known Fabio most of my life as we were both members of Woman International Master Shernaz Kennedy's Churchill School chess team. He has always been a great friend, teammate and amiable competitor.
Chessability NYC specialises in special education schools, including The Parkside School, the Windward School and Aaron School.
We speak about chess versus checkers, overcoming learning disabilities, impulse control, handling defeat, teamwork, the art of learning, improvement tips, puzzles, opening repertoire, confidence, influence of the Queen's Gambit, encouragement to go out and play and more.
In Episode 245, I have the pleasure of conversing with Amanda Rae Hambrick Ashcraft, Founder of Raising Imagination, which examines cultural, political, and social issues through the lenses of imagination to generate ideas, conversations, and actions that span ideological differences to inspire activism, empathy, and progressive change in our children, communities, and the world at large. She also serves as the Consulting Community Minister at Middle Church in the East Village.
We speak about Women's History Month, rallies, the value of chess, gender norms, racial questions, inspiration from the Queen's Gambit, Women's empowerment, and more.
In Episode 244, I have the pleasure of conversing with National Expert Amir Moazami, Founder of Rookly, a platform for online lessons. Amir started playing chess with Gregory Cesar at the Horace Mann School in Kindergarten. He has a BA from Cornell University.
We speak about competitive chess, tips for improvement, school programs, national championships and more.
In Episode 243, I have the honor of conversing with Grandmaster John Emms, World Senior Team Champion and Prolific Author. In addition to tying for first in the English Championship in 1997, John was the captain of 2002 English Oympiad team. He has written over 40 chess books.
We speak about my book recommendations for his Attacking with 1.E4and Survival Guide to Rook Endings, the explosion of opening theory, top tips for chess improvement, the English win at the 2022 World Senior Team Championship, the importance of repetiton, nuances, the philosophy of draws and more.
In Episode 242, I converse with Lorraine Novack, the Regional Director of our partner DOROT Westchester. DOROT has been a leading provider of social services to older adults for 45 years. To achieve its mission of alleviating social isolation among older adults, DOROT’s staff and trained volunteers ensure that 6,200+ older adults throughout Manhattan and Westchester are socially connected, engaged and aging well in their own homes.
We facilitate an Intergenerational After School Chess program, which is all about strengthening skills, while making a friend across the chessboard, building mutually beneficial relationships in the process. Once a week during the academic year, seniors and students in grades 9-12 teach and learn chess from one another in person. The program enables all participants to play chess, share stories and create meaningful connections.
We speak about non-profit management, benefits of chess for seniors, chess connections, ways to get involved and more.
In Episode 241, I converse with International Master Yaacov Norowitz, who has taught chess for 20+ years. He learned chess from our Westchester Instructor and 180th Podcast Guest Dr. Richard Lewis and Grandmaster Roman Dzindzichashvili. He won first place in the 2003 Jerusalem Championship. In 2013, Yaacov achieved norms in the Philadelphia World Open, Bahamas Open and Reykjavik Open, thus securing the title of International Master (IM).
We speak about the nonsense of ratings, blitz, last-round situations, Jewish education, Nittle Nacht, dacha, his Chessable courses, endgames, opening preparation or lack thereof, book recommendations, confidence and more.
In Episode 240, I have the pleasure of conversing with Greg Giusti, SVP, Growth & Meetup Pro at Meetup, a social media platform for hosting and organizing in-person and virtual activities, gatherings, and events for people and communities of similar interests, hobbies, and professions. There are currently 55 million+ members across 330,000+ groups in 193 countries.
Greg is the second-in-command to CEO David Siegel, who I met at a JICNY networking event, hosted by our 79th Podcast Guest Jodi Samuels. He is the head of Meetup Pro, which has everything a business needs to take its community to the next level.
We speak about his experience playing on the Saint Francis Prep Chess Team, Meetup's partnership with Play Magnus Group, the benefits of chess in career, teamwork, data and analytics, communities based on passion and more.
In Episode 239, I converse with John Hartmann, Chess Life/Chess Life Online Editor.
John became editor of Chess Life in February 2019 and has been writing for the magazine as a freelancer since 2013. Before working for US Chess, he brewed coffee for fun and profit, and taught philosophy at two universities as a PHD candidate.
We speak about the My Best Move article I wrote for the January 2023 issue of Chess Life, Nebraska chess history, consistency, book recommendations, world champions, time management, Bill Wall Chess, the philosophy of chess, the Niemann-Carlsen cheating scandal and PR, Queen's Gambit mania, Chess Life contributors and more.
In Podcast Episode 238 with International Master Rusudan Goletiani, 2005 US Women's Champion and Foreign Exchange Trader at BlackRock. Rusudan Goletiani is a Georgian-American chess player with the FIDE titles of International Master and Woman Grandmaster. She is the 2005 U.S. Women's Champion. She is the Co-Founder of the Westchester Chess Academy.
We speak about the Georgian chess culture and cuisine, coaches, preparation, fun, exercise, consistency, motivation for more women to play chess, confidence, applications of chess in finance, game analysis and more.
In Episode 237, I converse with Michelle Nedelec, Founder of Awareness Strategies. She helps entrepreneurs fufill their dreams by strategizing and systemizing revenue growth through sales and marketing. She is also the Host of Business Ownership Podcast.
We speak about top tips for new entrepreneurs, common mistakes, marketing technology, stages of business development, value, strategy versus tactics, offer for complimentary website audit and more.
In Episode 236, I converse with Robert Kern, Counsel at Masur. Robert Kern focuses his practice on corporate and commercial transactions. His practice includes:
- Startups, joint ventures, venture capital and private equity financing
- Mergers and acquisitions
- The formation, structuring and governance of business entities
- Outside general counsel services and commercial and contract matters
Robert’s corporate experience includes providing legal services to businesses and individuals in the fashion, lifestyle, hospitality, consumer products and entertainment industries.
We speak about relationship building, advice for new entrepreneurs, applications of chess in law, improvisation, happiness and more.
In Episode 235, I converse with Richard C. Schoenstein, Partner, Vice-Chair of Litigation and Co-Chair of Securities and Financial Services Litigation Group at Tarter Krinsky & Drogin LLP.
Drawing on 30 years’ experience navigating corporate and employment disputes, Rich has represented a wide range of clients — including sole proprietors, emerging companies, public corporations, and financial institutions.
He has a Bachelor of Arts from Ohio State University and a Juris Doctor from Hofstra University.
We speak about his practice handling disputes, center control, his acquaintance with our 51st Podcast Guest Gary Ireland, civil litigation as a chess match, the Niemann-Carlsen drama, defamation cases, life skills through chess, recommendations for new chess parents and more.
For a Thanksgiving special, in Episode 234, I have the pleasure of conversing with my dear friend, mentor and marriage officiant Rabbi Levi Welton. Loyal listeners may remember his first apperance on Podcast in Episode 66 with Reverend Gregory Livingston.
Rabbi Welton is passionate about sharing the values of Torah with a global audience. Raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, he holds degrees in medicine, education, and film. He was ordained by Chief Rabbi of Haifa, Rav She'ar Yashuv Cohen Z"L, Rabbi Weinberg of Machon LeHoraah, and Rabbi Warhaftig of Machon Ariel in Jerusalem.
He stays busy as the rabbi of Lincoln Park Jewish Center, Chaplain at Mahattanville College, Captain in the United States Air Force, physician assistant, writer and more.
He recently published Be Like the Moon: A Chassidic Memoir, a transformative book, with insights on every page and an inspiring message of optimism, hope, and yes, heroism—minus the superpowers!
We speak about his experience marrying Stacey Ehrlick and I in Montreal, the open Jewish home inspired by Abraham and Sarah, ambition, time management, the sanctity of Shabbat, promotion, Nittle Nacht, hidden heroes, Ufarazta, divine providence, confidence, faith and more.
In Podcast Episode 233, I converse with Vishnu Warrier, Sr. Technology Consultant at EY & Author of The Chess Bible – Most Instructive Tips, Axioms, One-Liners & Mantras. He is a National Expert, who tied for first place in the 2022 Chicago Open U-2300 section with a score of 6/7.
With five years of experience in Fintech, Banking and SaaS environments, Vishnu applies analytics, technology, and process optimization to deliver products that perform. He loves to utilize logical reasoning, agile planning, and tactical prowess to solve problems and proactively ask the right questions.
We speak about overcoming artificial barriers, adult improvers, discipline, financial planning, corporate chess, pandemic rooks, organization in chess and consulting, tournament prep and more.
In Episode 232, I converse with Scott Eisenberg, Real Estate Attorney, Broker and Founder of Swap the Biz, live from Kosherfest. Swap The Biz is a high-end business networking community, hyper-focused on connecting its members socially. They develop trust so it is easy for members to exchange business referrals on a long-term ongoing basis. Scott Eisenberg & Associates, P.C. specializes in residential real estate transactions focusing on the luxury market.
We speak about organizational management, reacting in chess, law and real estate, value in networking and more.
In Episode 231, I converse with Bill Haase, Radio Show/Podcast/TV Host and Retirement Strategist . On his show Innovative Strategies, he discusses how to build a business from concept to hiring that 500th employee, and conversations with a CEO. He develops financial literacy programs for high school and college students, and serves as a retirement strategist at Wela Financial.
We speak about podcaster networking, foresight in chess and fiancial planning, life skills, rebounding from mistakes, planning and more.
In Episode 230, I converse with Grandmaster Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Seventh-Highest Rated Player in History. Maxime Vachier- Lagrave, often referred to by his initials, MVL, is the current World Blitz Champion and second highest rated player in France, behind the country's new recruit Alireza Firoujza.
We speak about chess at Jardin de Luxembourg in Paris, the upcoming World Team Championship in Jerusalem, benefits of blogging, the art of a good team, his road to World Champion, his World Blitz Championship victory, his apperance at our 22nd Podcast Guest Dan Pelletier's Bridgeport Open, the magic of 1990, international recruitment, the Effects ofThe Queen's Gambit, thoughts about the Carlsen- Niemann controversy, the benefits of studying math in college and more.
In Episode 229 , I converse with Rick J. Lasher, Esq, Partner at Buitrago & Associates, PLLC. Rick J. Lasher was admitted to the New York Bar in 2012 and has handled cases in all of the boroughs of New York City as well as in Suffolk, Nassau, Westchester and Putnam counties.
He was born and raised in Dix Hills, New York, obtained his Juris Doctorate from Brooklyn Law School in 2011 and holds a Bachelors Degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Law from Binghamton University.
We speak about the typical process of a personal injury case, the power of networking, attorney advertising, contingency cases and more.
In Episode 228, I converse with Rachel Kovacs, Professor, Arts Reviewer, Author, and Presenter at City University of New York. She is a feature writer for The Jewish Link.
We speak about her interest in chess, freindship with Grandmaster Boris Gulko, physics' inspiration on Herman Branover's religious journey, sexism, women in chess, the effects of The Queen's Gambit, critical thinking, and more.
In Episode 227, I enjoy conversing with Olawa Gibson, Master Teacher at New American Academy Charter School, one of our esteemed clients. As part of school's educational leadership team, she uses data to drive instruction and create academic interventions based upon the needs of the students. She teaches small guided reading groups and handles behavioral issues that involve more serious infractions. She's facilitated our New American Academy Chess Club since it's inception in February 2020, a few weeks before the world shut down.
She is also the founder of Tier Pod Program, an online New York State standards aligned learning system that provides personalized instruction, diagnostics, progress reports, weekly consultations, and enrichment in the arts to drive you child's learning goals.
We speak about her dedication to chess, a reflection on virtual learning, a simul with Former World Champion Garry Kasparov in Harlem, our experience being recorded for Chinese television at one of our close partners, The Chess Forum, chess' effects on academics and social learning , the importance of supplemental learning, the universal language of music, her appreciation of Prince and Esperanza Spalding and more.
In Episode 226, I have the privilege of interviewing Grandmaster Michael Adams, 7-Time British Champion. At his peak, at an ELO of 2761, Michael Adams was rated 4th in the world. He is a several-time World Championship Candidate.
We speak about the origin of his nickname "Mickey", his thoughts on Queen's Gambit, Michael Adam's impact on my chess style thanks to the late Grandmaster Bill Lombardy, his new book Think Like a Super Grandmaster, the British Team's win at the 2022 World Senior Team Championship, chess cheating, opening repetoire and more.
In Episode 225, I converse with Kevin Fite, Founder & Executive Director at Detroit City Chess Club. For the last 18 years, his organization has provided the Metro Detroit youth with quality programs and experiences, which enable them to excel academically in a safe, supportive, and nurturing environment. Kevin is also a Assistant Director of STEM Enrichment Programs at Detroit City Public Schools.
We speak about the Detroit Chess Scene, overcoming roadblocks, benefits of learning chess, self esteem, the Detroit Institute of Arts Chess Program, inspiration from Rockstar Charisse Woods, attracting top talent, his mission to make chess mainstream, collaboration among chess coaches and more.
In Podcast Episode 224, I converse with FIDE Master Nate Solon, Data Scientist. Nate is a Data Scientist Consultant at Chessable and is a former poker player. He has his Bachelor of Arts in English from Stanford University.
Nate provides weekly chess improvement insight tips in his newsletter Zwischenzug.
We speak about Michigan football, over-the-board tournaments, blitz as a vehicle for chess improvement, evaluation, simplicity, mathematical decision making, data for opening preparation, Nakamura's recent successes, in streaming and playing and more.
In Episode 223, I converse with Roy Strauss, President of Strauss Consulting Group, LLC. Roy Strauss has a Bachelor of Arts in Management from The City College of New York and an Executive MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Strauss Consulting Group assists clients (start-up to fortune 500) in multiple industries to increase both their competitive edge and profitability by improving customer service and reducing costs.
They speak about cost savings, operations versus sales, growth, strategy in chess and business, preemptive actions and more.
In Podcast Episode 222, I have the pleasure of speaking with Grandmaster Magesh Chandran Panchanathan, Founder of Kings and Queens Chess Academy. He was born in Madurai, India and moved to the the United States to get a Bachelors and Masters degrees from the Univiersity of Texas at Dallas. His playing highlights include winning the Asian Junior Chess Championship in Sri Lanka in 2003, sharing first place with Kamil Mitoń in the 33rd World Open, winning the 2012 Philadelphia Open and tying for first place with Sergei Azarov at the 2015 New Jersey Open tournament.
We speak about his development as a chess player in India and Texas, inspiration and guidance from Former World Champion Viswanathan Anand, openings study, a memory test, his experience visiting the 2022 Olympiad in Chennai, Indian prodigies and more.
In Episode 221, I converse with Brad Tanenbaum, MBA, Bilingual Copywriter and Branding Strategist, who I have known since we were both in high school. Since graduating from York Prep School, he earned a Bachelors degree in Communications with a specialization in Spanish from University at Albany, SUNY, moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina, and followed his passion to become a bilingual copywriter. He got his MBA in Marketing and Finance from the University of Salvador. His specialies include:
➤ Conversion Copywriting
➤ B2B/B2C Marketing
➤ Content Creation
➤ Campaign Strategy
➤ Social Media Optimization
➤ Media Buying
We speak about the value of a good teacher, bilingual marketing, language immersion, global Judaism, resiliency against pushback, fundamentals of email marketing, storytelling, strategy in chess and business, masterminds and more.
In Episode 220, I converse with Grandmaster Keith Arkell, 2014 European Senior Champion. He won the English Chess Championship in 2008. In 2014 he was European Senior (50+) Champion, and, later in the year, tied for first in the World Senior (50+) Championship, but received the silver medal on tie-break. He is the author of Arkell's Odysseyand Arkell's Endings.
We speak about the humor of time, the lack of prizes in New York tournaments, playing chess in the United States versus abroad, Chess PR around the globe, his road to grandmaster, the importace of ambition rather than artificial barriers, common misconceptions about openings, the art of being well-rounded, the minority attack, inspiration from Grandmaster Ulf Andersson, the endgame grind, the psychology of draw offers, the combination of theory and practical knowledge, maintaince of skill level as a senior, predictions on the 44th Chess Olympiad 2022 and more.
In Episode 219, I interview National Expert Justin Morrison, Founder of Kid Chess, which teaches 4,000+ students each year in schools throughout Metro Atlanta. He started playing chess in high school and has over four decades of experience. He was the 3-time Georgia High School Champion from 1976 through 1978, High School Champion of Southeastern United States in 1976, and Georgia Junior Champion in 1978.
We speak about paralells between chess and basketball, resilience and saftey during the COVID-19 pandemic, projections for the 2022-2023 school year and beyond, people skills, collaboration among chess companies, the Atlanta chess scence, professional development for chess coaches, the art of positive feedback, and more.
In Episode 218, I converse with Michael Fried, Partner at Berkman Bottger Newman & Schein, LLP. Since 1997, Fried has practiced Matrimonial and Family Law. He has engaged in numerous trials and hearings in New York County, Kings County, Nassau and Suffolk County and has had conducted countless depositions. He is a member of the New York State and Nassau County Bar Association Family Law Committee as well as a barrister in the Inns of Court. In March 2018, he was accepted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. See my recent apperance on his show 5 Minutes with Fried here.
We speak about the behnid the scenes of matrimonial law, planning for young couples, the importance of listening, litigation as a chess game, benefits of chess for attorneys, suggestions for aspiring attorneys and more.
In Episode 217, I converse with the legendary coach Grandmaster Jacob Aagaard, Co-owner of Quality Chess and Killer Chess Academy. He is the 2007 British Chess Champion and Scotland's third-highest rated player as of July 2021, with an Elo rating of 2477. In 2004, he took second place in the Scotish Chess Championship. In 2011, Aagaard was awarded the title of FIDE Senior Trainer. He has coached many strong grandmasters, including Former World Championship Candidate Boris Gelfand and my Brandeis University classmate Sam Shankland.
We speak about the Charlotte Chess Center, the Scotland chess scene, Michael Adam's classical style, grandmasters vs super grandmasters, chess PR , tactical improvement, his collaborations with Grandmaster Ramesh RB, his new bookA Matter of Endgame Technique, and more.
In Episode 216, I converse with Paul Rubin, Founder and Executive Director at Camp Good Mourning!, a Long Island-based 501c3 nonprofit that provides FREE bereavement camp programs for Long Island children who are coping wit the death of a a parent and/or sibling. Paul Rubin has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts from Hofstra University and a Masters in Science and Advanced Certificated in Counseling from LIU Post.
We speak about his thoughts on Searching for Bobby Fischer, impulse control, mindfulness, ways to get involved with Camp Good Mourning!, and more.
In Episode 215, I converse with Rebecca Solodovnik, Psychotherapist & Certified Management Specialist. She is the owner of mindfree me, which helps clients with anxiety, anger, body image, coping with health issues, depression, eating disorders, grief, self esteem, stress, trauma, PTSD, and workplace trauma. She previously held senior Human Resources positions at Lord & Taylor, INTERMIX, Michael Kors, Valentino, Versace and Chardan.
We speak about professional transitions, the universe, benefits of chess for employees, the inner child, artificial barriers, Queen's Gambit, mindfulness, stigmas against psychotherapy and more.
In Episode 214, I converse with Kara Tatelbaum, Dancer, Choreographer, Coach and Author. After graduating from Tisch School of the Arts at NYU as a University Honors Scholar, Kara began her career as a professional dancer and choreographer, eventually starting her own modern dance company, Independentdancemaker at the age of twenty-one where she earned accolades from The New York Times, Dance Insider, The New Yorker, The Village Voice, and The New York Press. As an in-demand instructor, at one point she taught the most Pilates classes of any NYC Crunch instructor. She now does private pilates training and wellness + resilience coaching. She recently wrote Putting My Heels Down: A Memoir of Having a Dream and a Day Job.
We speak about the founding of her dance company, the writing cycle, private and group pilates classes, mat vs. reformer, training vs. improvisation, dreams and more.
In Podcast Episode 2013, I converse with Orrin “Checkmate” Hudson, a former Alabama state trooper, Air Force veteran and chess coach. He is the author of the #1 Amazon best seller, One Move at a Time, How to Win at Chess and Life. He is a captivating speaker/facilitator and founder of Be Someone, a Georgia-based nonprofit which teaches leadership and life skills through chess. His formula – using the chess board – teaches that for every move that is made, whether it is playing the game or living as a contributing citizen, there is a corresponding positive or negative consequence.
We speak about our visit the 2022 World Chess Championship in Dubai, thought process in chess and life, landmines, resource management, the rise of chess PR, the Atlanta chess community, executive coaching and more.
In Episode 212, I converse with my former Oracle colleague June Schaufus, Director, New Business Sales & Business Development at Bluecore. She is a sales leader with previous experience across business intelligence and analytics, back office/front office applications, data integration technology, and engineering software sales. At BlueCore, she helps retailers connect with customers in meaningful ways. She is the author of The Sales Planner, which is intended for all intentional sellers and entrepreneurs, who strive to prepare and execute well.
We speak about her transition from real estate to technology sales, calculated career risks, strategy in sales and chess, time management, competitive analysis, The Filipino chess community, her father's chess match against Former World Boxing champion Manny Pacquiao and more.
In Episode 211, I converse with International Master Cyrus Lakdawala, Author of 52+ Books. Cyrus is a former American Open Champion who lives in San Diego CA. He has been teaching chess for four decades and is a prolific and widely read author. Much acclaimed books of his are 'How Ulf Beats Black, 'Clinch It!' and 'Winning Ugly in Chess'. He twice won the Best Instructional Book Award of the Chess Journalists of America (CJA), in 2017 for 'Chess for Hawks' and in 2020 for 'In the Zone: The Greatest Winning Streaks in Chess History'.
We speak about Montreal chess friends, the San Diego chess scene, the Weekly Gambito tournament, private lessons vs. self-practice, brainstorming for boook ideas, doves vs. hawks , confidence vs. honesty, analysis of strengths and weaknesses, overtraining, Caro Kann theory, endgame study, limitations of the engine and more.
In Episode 210, I have the pleasure of conversing with Devin Miller, Founder and CEO at Miller IP Law. Miller IP Law helps startups and small businesses with patents, trademarks, and copyrights. He is also the host of The Inventive Journey podcast.
We speak about the IP law process in a nutshell, misconceptions about trademarks and patents, inspiration for podcasting, entrepreneurship, branding, anticipation in law and chess, and more.
In Podcast Episode 209, I converse with Reena Friedman Watts, Podcast Host at Better Call Daddy Show, live from Dubai. She lives for the story, the people behind them and life. Her knack for storytelling has taken her to unexpected places, from the daytime drama of the Jerry Springer Show to the legal drama of the Judge Alex Show. And now, the search for compelling stories is a family affair with her podcast Better Call Daddy!
We speak about avoidal of hestiation, marriage proposals, performing arts, production for Jerry Springer, storytelling on podcasts, rapport in the entertainment industry, motivation, Linkedin optimization, travel with her father to chess tournaments, running, intergenerational wisdom and more.
In Episode 208, I converse with M. Quentin Williams, Founder and CEO at Dedication to Community (D2C) , the national nonprofit he established in 2012. D2C delivers skills-building workshops and ongoing forums to improve understanding and build relationships in communities through healing, reconciliation and unity. D2C experts work with government agencies and the private sector on diversity, belonging and equity, and advise on critical issues in public safety and law enforcement.
An advocate, attorney and author-educator, Quentin is sought as a speaker and thought leader who draws on personal history as a former FBI agent and federal prosecutor, and in senior positions with the National Football League (NFL), Jacksonville Jaguars and National Basketball Association (NBA). Quentin earned his JD from St. John’s University School of Law, where he is an executive committee member of the Ronald H. Brown Center for Civil Rights. He holds a bachelor’s in economics from Boston College, which he attended on football scholarship.
Known by friends and associates as “Q,” Quentin is of Caribbean and Jewish descent and grew up in New York City and Yonkers, New York. He is the proud father of a son and daughter, and credits his first-born as the inspiration for writing the survival guide, How NOT to get KILLED by the POLICE.
We speak about crime on the Lower East Side, football rivalry in Yonkers, his bar mitzvah with Rabbi Mendy Hurwitz of Chabad of Yonkers at the age of 56 in honor of his grandparents, the American Dream, global justice education, the recipe for reconciliation, active listening, the art of planning on and off the board, the distinguishment of life and career, and more.
In Episode 207, I converse with FIDE Master Todd Andrews, Executive Director at The Nashville Chess Center. At the age 16, Todd became a National Master and member of the United States Olympic Youth team. At the age of 18, Todd became a FIDE Master and was invited to participate in the United States Junior Championship. Todd is a 10-time Tennessee State Champion and 10-time Nashville City Champion. He was also Georgia State Champion when residing there in 2004. He recently co-founded the Metaverse Chess Club.
We speak about the real rules of chess, transferrable skills, the importance of studying at the board, game analysis, adult improvers, the Nashville Chess Scene, the rise of Nashville's population, live music, our mutual love for The Grateful Dead, tournaments abroad, NFTs, a tribute to Susan Kantor, and more.
In Episode 206, I converse with Episode 206 with Nicole Hamilton, Associate Head of School at Franklin School, a brand new school opening in the fall of 2022 in Jersey City. Nicole Hamilton has two decades of exceptional teaching, technology, and leadership experience to Franklin. She also currently serves as Head of the Math Department at both Dwight School and Dwight Global Online School. She was my math teacher in 11th grade and helped me study for the SATs.
Franklin School's mission is to broaden access to a world-class private school education, enabling students to become innovators and socially responsible global leaders.
Through a flexible, innovative curriculum, blending world-class academics with real-world readiness, Franklin students will be prepared to navigate life’s unforeseen challenges and our rapidly changing world.
A Franklin education includes:
- Design and tech classes in a state-of-the-art Maker Space
- Micro-courses, enabling students to explore career interests like law, finance, creative writing, engineering, and much more early
- AP courses for college-readiness and credit
- Built-in SAT/ACT preparation
- Community-based service programs within and around Jersey City
- Internships
- Global collaborations with peer schools worldwide
We speak about ways to overcome challenges, life and academics in Kingston, Jamaica, individualized teaching, building confidence, problem solving in chess mathematics, executive functioning, the upcoming grand opening of Franklin JC, economics, collaborative education, entrepreneurship and more.
In Episode 205, I converse with Jackie Botelho, Founder of ABCVIP, a well-known Hospitality and Event Agency, which is the concierge for 6000+ rooms across ten hotels in Manhattan and helps countless travelers and corporate clients have once-in-a-lifetime VIP experiences.
We speak about dollars vs dreams, productivity during COVID-19, events post COVID-19, interactive activities, benefits of corporate classes, strategy in chess and event planning, nationwide expansion, growth mindset, Waffles, Rilyn, Maxie and more.
In Episode 204, I converse with Rachel Herman, Executive Director of Paws NY. She has worked in the nonprofit sector for 15 years, and prior to transitioning to PAWS NY full-time in January 2012, she worked in Development at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).
During her time at PAWS NY, Rachel has been named “New Yorker of the Week” by NY1, “Holiday Hero” by The New York Times, “40 Under 40 Rising Stars in the Nonprofit World” by NYN Media, and most recently, “Young Social Impact Hero” by Thrive Global. Rachel received her B.A. in Political Science with a minor in Crime and Justice from the University of Michigan and her Master of Public Administration from NYU’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.
She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, two young daughters, and their cat Milo. Rachel’s five-year old daughter is already excited to work for PAWS when she grows up, and both girls clearly love cats as much as their mom.
We speak about hot spots in Ann Arbor, physical care for pets, resiliency, surrender protection, preemptive moves on and off the board, lessons on non-profit management, the upcoming Spring Benefit on May 23, 2022 and more.
In Episode 203, I converse with Grandmaster Mackenzie Molner, a long-term friend and colleague and the Founder of Grandmaster Mac. Molner won the Denker Tournament of High School Champions as a sophomore in 2004. He completed his final grandmaster norm in 2013, tying for first in the U.S. Open Chess Championship, held near Madison, Wisconsin that year. He co-founded the Montclair Sopranos PRO Chess League team. He was taught by our 132nd podcast guest Michael Khodarkovsky.
We speak about his road to grandmaster, tips for chess improvement, the founding of the Montclair Sopranos, paralells between chesss and poker, sharp openings like the English Attack, New Jersey prodigies and more.
In Episode 202, I converse with Grandmaster James Plaskett, Former British Chess Champion, a strong player, author and Who Wants to be a Millioniare? winner, live from the 2022 National After-School Association Convention in Las Vegas. He recently published a new book Bread and The Circus about his experience playing on the show.
We speak about his development as a chess player with fellow British top players Nigel Short, Michael Adams and Nigel Davies, the Plaskett's Puzzle, coincidences versus divine providence, chess players in game shows, the giant octopus, and more.
In Episode 201, I converse with Davina Chebin, CEO of Divine Healing by D, Certified Reiki Master, Medical Intuitive & Spiritual Coach, and CMO at Almaz Investments. Davina has her BA in English Literature from Pace University.
We speak about the real estate hustle, time management, the importance of self-care, delegation, an introduction to reiki, mindfulness' effect on critical thinking , the development of peak performance and more.
For some more words of wisdom from Davina, see this guest blog post.
In our Milestone 200th Episode, I have the honor and privilege of conversing with the "Chess Gladiator" FIDE Master Asa Hoffmann. He is known as "the sparring partner of champions, with a peak regular rating of 2471. He was portrayed in the movie Searching for Bobby Fischer by actor Austin Pendleton. He recently published his autobiography The Last Gamesman: My Sixty Years of Hustling Games in the Clubs, Parks and Streets of New York.We speak about playing chess with Marcel Duchamp, computers' effect on the rising number of prodigies, playing Bobby Fischer for $3/game, Fischer's individualist legacy, his recollection of the 1972- Fischer-Spassky match, his potrayal in Searching for Bobby Fischer, his interview in Bobby Fischer Against the World, meeting Henry Kissinger, his friendly rivalry with our 112th Podcast Guest "Iron Man" International Master Jay Bonin, questions from our special guest International Master Yaacov Norowitz, Trompowsky Attack theory, ways to deal with intimidation, the ideal opponent, playing an assortment of games at the Fleahouse, poker, and more.
In Episode 199, I converse with National Expert Chris Johnson, Founder of Project Pawn, Instructor at Success Academy and Real Estate Broker at Coldwell Banker Realty. Project Pawn LLC is an organization that uses chess as a tool to sharpen minds. He has taught chess since 2000 and has taught hundreds of kids. He does sales and rentals in Manhattan and the Bronx.
We speak up the IS 229 chess club, the benefits of learning chess, consequences, a tribute to Charu Robinson, the famous Raging Rooks team, curriclum chess classes, top improvement tips, real estate trends in Harlem and the Bronx, the grind in chess and real estate, resources for prodigies and more.
In Episode 198, I converse with FIDE Master Carsten Hansen, Columnist at Chess Life Magazine, Seafreight Route Development Manager, UK & Ireland at Kuehne + Nagel, Columnist/Book Reviewer at American Chess Magazine. Learn more about his 37 books and career here.
We speak about curiosity as a motivation, brainstorming for boooks, a preview of his upcoming Norwegian Rat book with Intermational Master Cyrus Lakdawala, opening books, misconceptions about Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual, the importance of endgame fundamentals, ways to transition from online chess to over-the board chess, chess applications in the business world, searching for low hanging fruit in sales and chess, fun and more.
In Episode 197, I have the pleasure of conversing with Grandmaster Joel Benjamin and Expert Harold Scott, authors of Winning the World Open.
Joel Benjamin won the US Championship three times and happens to be the player with the most World Open first places: six! He is a very successful author of books on chess. His Liquidation on the Chess Board won the Best Book Award of the Chess Journalists of America (CJA), his Better Thinking, Better Chess is a world-wide bestseller, and World Champion Chess for Juniors was published in 2020 to wide acclaim.
Harold Scott is a FIDE Instructor, a chess columnist and a chess teacher and coach in the New York City area.
We speak about suburban dad life, Joel and Harold's mutual passion for The Mets , their favorite classic rock bands, the Memphis chess scene, top chess improvement tips, The Yale University Chess Team, the importance of tactical training, walking around during tournaments, active dfense in the endgame, cheating at the World Open, ways to deal with the pressure of last round situations, the art of opening preparation, the importance of preparation, diet at chess tournaments and more.
In Episode 196, I converse with David Lazarus, Chess Coach at Millburn Short Hills School District, live from the United States Amateur Team East in Parsippany. Prior to teaching chess, David worked as a programmer at Toys R Us, Union County College and elsewhere.
We speak about annual fun at the Amatuer Team East, his friendship with our 180th podcast guest Dr. Richard Lewis, teaching online, using www.lichess.org, benefits of chess as a programmmer, success in the French Defense, coaching at the Maccabiah Games in Israel, the importance of networking and social media, directing at the Westfield Chess Club, differences of in-person and remote teaching, the importance of game analysis for chess improvement and more.
In Episode 195, I converse with National Master Dan Heisman, who is an award-winning chess author and full-time chess instructor in Wynnewood PA. He is also a FIDE Candidate Master.
We discuss teaching chess to 1000+ students globally, virtually, his tutelage of Howard Stern, transferable skills from chess to engineering, studying with International Master Donald Byrne, chess terminology, chess pedagogy insights, capturing sequences, common areas in each rating class, his lucky analog chess clock, his assortment of 12 chess improvement books, the future of chess and more.
In Episode 194, I converse with Dmitri Shneider, Chief Financial Officer at Play Magnus Group , which is a leader in the chess industry and a publicly traded company.
PMG is the parent company of Chessable, chess24, New In Chess, iChess, AimChess, Everyman Chess, CoChess, and the Play Magnus suite of apps. It is also the organizer of the widely followed Meltwater Champions Chess Tour, a series of chess tournaments attracting the world's top players with a $1.6 million prize fund.
He became a National Master at age 12 and International Master at 17. His peak FIDE rating was 2502.
We speak about his decision to either make grandmaster or go to college, growing up with brother FIDE Master Igor Shneider, lessons learned about founding school programs, applications of chess in wealth management, the arts of planning and objectivity, the early days of Chessable, Play Magnus' acquisition of Chessable, Play Magnus' current initiatives, the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour 2022, the rise of Chess PR and more.
In Episode 193, I converse with Chloe Godin, Licensed Real Estate Broker with Triplemint.
Chloe maintains dual Swiss-U.S. citizenship and has extensive experience living in the UK, Belgium and France. This unique international sensibility combined with a deep knowledge of local real estate makes Chloe a valuable resource for foreign investors in addition to local buyers and sellers.
In addition to real estate, Chloe has an accomplished background in international relations and communications. After earning a dual Master’s in International Relations from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and Sciences Po (Paris), Chloe worked as a consultant on a variety of projects for international organizations such as the UN Security Council and World Bank, in areas ranging from technology and biometrics, to terrorism, law enforcement, and domestic and foreign secret services. She is also involved in the Jewish Community as a Senior Fellow at Manhattan Jewish Experience.
We speak about a comparison of life in Switzerland and the U.S.A, the requirement to fight in New York, growth in Judaism, her thoughts on The Queen's Gambit, real estate broker stereotypes, New York real estate trends, creative social media videos, the importance of consistency and more.
In Episode 192, I converse with National Master Josh Sinanan, President of the Washington Chess Federation. He is on the board of other chess nonprofits, including Chess Mates Foundation, Northwest Chess Foundation, and Chess Enrichment Association, and teaches after-school chess classes in about 10 different Seattle-area schools.
We speak about the Seattle chess scene, motivation for high-schoolers to continue playing chess, book recommendations, his talks at Amazon and Microsoft with our 154th Podcast Guest Jim Egerton, Author of Business on the Board, the latest initiatives of the Washington Chess Federation, top tips for chess improvement, a testimonial for Chessable and more.
In Podcast Episode 191, I have the pleasure and honor of conversing with Grandmaster Pascal Charbonneau, CFA. He is a Senior Portfolio Manager at Vazirani Asset Management, LLC, a hedge fund focused on special situations and event driven trading. He is also the founder of GM Pascal Advisory, which offers separately managed accounts to qualified investors. He is also a Chess Grandmaster, renowned chess commentator and lecturer. He is a twice champion of Canada.
We speak about top players building stamina through sports, his development as a chess player in Montreal, chess informats, sparring with Grandmaster Alex Lesiege, reasons more universities should award chess scholarships, the importance of networking, chess puzzles in finance, his win against Former World Champion Viswanathan Anand, and more.
In Podcast Episode 190, I converse with Candidate Master Brian Karen, who is ranked within the top 3% of tournament chess players by the United States Chess Federation (USCF) and Federation Internationale Des Échecs (FIDE). Brian has had to demonstrate exceptional instincts at motivating, relating to, and teaching children chess in order to succeed as a chess coach. Brian has been the co-director of the acclaimed USDAN Chess program since 1997. He is coach at the three time Long Island Chess Champion Friends Academy. He is the director of chess programs for the Roslyn School District, The Long Island School for the Gifted, and The St. Patrick chess program. He is the administrator and founder of two well known Facebook groups Chess Collectors and FIDE World Championship 2023. He teaches school programs and private lessons in Long Island.
We speak about suggestions for adult improvers, reasons to get better in chess, time management, tips for new chess coaches, differences between private lessons and school programs, brodcasting the 1995 Anand-Kasparov Match, Facebook group management, the importantance of collaboration among chess teachers and more.
In Podcast Episode 189, have the privilege of conversing with Candidate Master Danilo Cuellar, who teaches a lot of our virtual programs and in-person classes in Rockland County and New Jersey. He has been has been playing chess and teaching in Rockland County, Westchester and New Jersey for 20+ years. Danilo tied for 1st in the 1997 New York State Open Class "B" division. He is also a massage therapist, acupuncturist, and chinese herbalist and writes on a variety of topics, including Voluntaryism, Agorism, Precious Metals, Anarcho-Capitalism, Austrian Macroeconomics, Statism, The Federal Reserve, and Libertarianism.
We speak about his thoughts on The Queen's Gambit, ways to get more women involved in chess, homeschooling curriculum development, his kids learning chess by osmosis, the art of time management, online chess versus over-the-board chess, the healing process and more.
In Episode 188, I converse with Andrej Milic, Esq United States Immigration Attorney at Santana Rodriguez Law P.A. He represents foreign clients in affirmative petitions with U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (“USCIS”), as well as provides direct representation at interviews and in deportation proceedings before the U.S. Immigration Courts. His firm handles Family-based and Marriage-based Residency, Naturalization, Deportation Defense (including Asylum, Cancellation of Removal, and Waivers), and Appeals for previously denied cases. Andrej also serves as the Director of Admissions at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - School of Law.
We speak about dining at Mr. Broadway in Manhattan, restauraunt recommendations in Miami, his connections to the Jewish community, the massive migration of New Yorkers to Miami, his grandfather's holocaust story, the current news of immigration in a nutshell, the intersection of litigation and chess, and more.
In Episode 187, I converse with Joe Apfelbaum, CEO & Founder of Ajax Union A B2B Digital Marketing Agency. The agency's team of experts help B2B businesses with SEM, SEO, Social Media, Email Marketing, Conversion Optimization, Marketing Automation, Business Blogging, Marketing Funnel Development, Design and Development and more.
We speak about the importance of strategy in chess and marekting, testing, ideal clients, his two favorite books Getting Things Doneand Positive Intelligence, the art of competitive advantage, time management as a business owner and Orthodox Jew, judging vs. evaluating, the benefits of breathing, his passion for scuba diving, and more.
In Episode 186, I converse with Rabbi Mendy Brukirer, Director of Outreach at Olami Manhattan. Olami Manhattan, formerly known as Meor Manhattan, has been building and cultivating a vibrant community of Jewish young professionals that is changing Jewish life in the heart of New York City, and is moving the needle for the future of the Jewish people.
Growing up in the New York area, Mendy is descended from more than 20 generations of rabbis. He studied in the Harvard of the Yeshiva world, Brisk, and received rabbinic ordination as well as a first rabbinic degree from the Jerusalem Kollel. He has previously worked as an editor and is a qualified shochet (ritual slaughterer) as well!
Mendy was head of the Oorah Jerusalem Chillzone, a program dedicated to providing a family experience for American University students spending a gap year in Jerusalem. Mendy was the Director of Aish Essex in Northeast London creating programs for young Jews, preparing young couples for their weddings and the Brukirer home has become legendary as a hub for people in the area and beyond.
We speak about the art of giveaways, the December 2021 issue of Chess Life Magazine, his passion for hospitality, prophets, thought process in Talmud study and chess, circles of happiness, and more. Rabbi Avi Blachman, Director of Education at OIami Manhattan makes a special guest appearance.
In Episode 185, I converse with David Shriner-Cahn, Host of Smashing the Plateau and Founder of the Smashing the Plateau Community. He hosts two podcasts to help you build your consulting business following a late career job loss, so that you can do what you love and get paid what you're worth:
• Smashing the Plateau -- growing your consulting business
• Going Solo -- launching your consulting business
Check out my recent appearance on Smashing the Plateau entitled "What Chess Can Teach Us About Being Prepared for the Unexpected Featuring Evan Rabin".
Inside the Smashing the Plateau Community, consultants come together to meet and support one another, get answers to burning questions, learn from experts, participate in growth challenges, and more.
We speak about his biggest lessons from podcasting, breakthroughs, transitioning from engineering to business, the art of soul searching, the importance of proactivity, reacting to change, strategy and execution in business and chess, the art of resiliency and more.
In Episode 184, I converse with Dr. Nava Silton, a Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychology at Marymount Manhattan College. Nava has written over three dozen peer-reviewed journal articles, over twenty chapters, book reviews and encyclopedia entries, and has edited six full textbooks, in addition to the comic series "Real Abilities". She produced the children's musical Addy and Uno and the dating game "Bashert". She has also been an active leader in Jewish community, leading volunteer bikur holim groups and helping run the Ohab Zedek Youth Department. Check out my appearance on our her podcast entitled "Discussing How Colorful Chess Can Be for Developing Brain".
We speak about the construct of grit, emotional intelligence, creativity, the juggling of responsibilities, life as a chess mom, the chess community at large, her stash of 50 chess sets, adult chess improvement, The Queen's Gambit, ideas for human development, pillars of happiness, chess as vehicle to overcome disabilities, the art of matchmaking, and more.
In Episode 183, I converse with Jay Stallings, Founder of Coach Jay's Chess Academy, live from Dubai. He is an Expert-level chess player and certified FIDE Trainer with 25 years coaching experience. He runs a non-profit organization that has taught chess to over 40,000 students. He and his wife, Michel, have two sons, both of whom played chess in tournaments from coast to coast.
We speak about the influence of Bobby Fischer, thoughts on the 2021 Magnus Carlsen-Ian Nepomniachtchi World Championship Match, a reflection on the 1927 Alekhine- Capblanca World Champiopnship Match, meeting Former World Championship Candidate Fabiano Caruana, top tips for chess improvement, the importance of studying positional chess, an overview of his 15 books, pawn play strategy, a preview of his project with Square Off.
In Episode 182, I have the pleasure of conversing with National Master Evan Rosenberg, who is an education attorney at The Law Offices of Neal H. Rosenberg. Evan received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of Texas at Dallas. He received a Juris Doctor degree from New York Law School. He is now transitioning from practicing law full-time to launching his own chess instruction business.
We speak about the etymology of the name "Evan", opening repertoire, pillars of education law, independent education plans, learning disability diagnoses, special education vs. inclusion, the resiliency of children, benefits of chess, thought process and preparation in chess and law, intensity in school chess programs, the passion's effect on happiness and more.
In Epsiode 181, I have the honor of interviewing James Altucher, American Hedge-fund Manager, Author, Podcaster and National Chess Master. James Altucher has co-founded 20 companies and written 20 books. He is an alum of Cornell University. He is a US Chess National Master and owner of Stand Up New York.
We discuss his thoughts on the Upcoming Carlsen- Nepomniachtchi World Championship match, Magnus Carlsen's positional style, leaving Corporate America for entrepenurship, resiliency after he lost his $15M of net worth, ways to enter the hegefund space, the art of competitive advantage, candidate moves in chess and finance, his rapid growth to chess master, tournament play vs. online play, parallels of chess and stand-up comedy, mainline vs. orthodox chess openings and more.
Dr. Richard Lewis retired two years ago from his dentistry career and has since taught for us in several schools in Westchester and the Bronx. He taught International Master Yaacov Norowitz and our New Jersey Instructor Mikhail Kruglyak when they were children in Elizabeth, NJ.
We speak about his life on the Thomas Jefferson High School chess team, the University of Pennsylvania chess club, lessons with Grandmaster Rossolimo for $8/hour, the importance of patience, chess pedagogy lessons, exchanging chess for dental lessons, thought process in chess and dentistry and more.
In Podcast Episode 179, I converse with National Master Gabriel Ewing, Premier Chess Instructor and Programmer. Gabe has a Bachelor of Arts and Masters in Computer Science from Case Western Reserve University. He recently started teaching for us after he left Google, where he was a full-time Software engineer for four years. He made National Master when he tied for first place in the 2014 World Open U-2200 section.
We speak about his drive to follow his passion of chess, the parallels between chess and programming, recommendations for winning big tournaments, chess pedagogy lessons and more.
In episode 178, I converse with Galen Pyle, CEO of Best Knight Games and Senior Strategic Advisor at FOCUS Investment Banking Business Owners: Let's Discuss Selling Your Business.
He is an Experienced E-Commerce CEO with a 10+ years history of scaling and selling e-commerce businesses
We speak about his leadreship of the Reed College Chess Club, the global chess community, the intersection of cloud computing and chess, a compare and contrast of business brokers and investment banking strategtic advisors, market trends in the chess equipment industry, the Portland chess scene, the impact of The Queen's Gambiton the chess industry and more.
In Episode 177, I converse with Mike Nietman, President of Wisconsin Chess Association and Former United States Chess Federation Board Member. Mike is currently serves as the Chair of the US Chess Election Committee, and a member of the National State Invitational Scholastic, State and Affiliate, and Trust commmiteees.
We speak about obstacles in running major chess events, a call for young professional chess players to get involved in chess politics, an overview of Wisconsin chess, motivation for women chess players, deductive logic in programming, chesss, and education, goals for US Chess, thoughts on the Upcoming World Championship and more.
In Episode 176, I converse with Elana Margulies Snyderman, Senior Manager, Publications at EisnerAmper and Co-Founder of Phyt Cares. During the day, she oversees, produces and edits various publications of many of EisnerAmper's largest industry groups and service lines. By evening, she volunteers to help run Phyt Cares, the 501c3 U.S. tax exempt and 1101.01 Puerto Rico tax exempt non-profit arm of Phyt Gym. It educates youth and communities in New York City and Puerto Rico through fitness. She is spearheading the organization's virtual fundraiser, which is taking place on November 3.
We speak about her thoughts on the Acclarity Conference for Economic Recovery, which we were both speakers at, life as a Brandeis University student, podcasting with EisnerAmper, applications of chess in venture capital, private equity and hedge funds, training underprivileged youth, Phyt Cares' upcoming fundraiser and more.
In Episode 175, I conerse with Debra Brunner, Chief Executive Officer at The Together Plan, which facilitates community capacity building for communities in Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union.
We speak about the disconnected Belarusian Jews, the top Belarusian chess players, a sparknote summary of Belarus, ways to get involved with The Together Plan and their upcoming Zoymen 2021 Virtual Conference on October 10 and October 17, which will feature a talk from our 116th Podcast Guest Sylvie Heyman.
In Episode 174, I have the pleasure of conversing with Jessi Shakarian, User Experience Designer at DIA Design Guild. Thanks to The Queen's Gambit, Jessi recently got into chess and is excited to play her first over-the-board tournament in November. Follow her on Twitter.
We speak about the The Queen's Gambit, The User Experience (UX) of various chess sites, common misconceptions about chess, ways to get started in the game as an adult, educational chess Twitch streamers, parallels between the UX process and a chess game, and more.
In Episode 173, I converse with Cory Reader, Chief Investment Officer at HK Wealth Management, Inc. Cory was born and raised in Brisbane, Australia. He played basketball professionally with the LA Clippers and the Portland Trailblazers. Basketball took him all around the world, playing on 5 different continents (excluding Africa & Antarctica).He retired from Basketball in December 2004 at the ripe old age of 32 and came to work in the Investment Management Industry at Smith Barney (which became Morgan Stanley in 2009.On June 30, 2017 he tendered his resignation to Morgan Stanley and left the Broker/Dealer world for good, partnering with his friend and colleague, Al Knobloch and HK Wealth Management, Inc.
We speak about transferrable skills in chess and basketball, preventing artificial barriers, Return on Investment in chess and financial investments,, market cycles pre and post COVID-19 and more.
In Episode 172, I converse with Woman FIDE Master Uyanga Byambaa, Economics PHD Student at University of California, Berkeley. Learn more about her through her blog My Memorable Tournaments.
We speak about our memories of the 2012 Northern California International tournament, her thoughts on female titles and tournaments, her upbringing in Mongolia, ideas to keep middle and high schoolers motivated in chess, improvement tips, the importance of analyzing one's own games, objectives for global economic development, parallels between coding and chess, applications of chess in economics and finance and more.
In Episode 171, I converse with Michael Chadwick, Licensed Real Estate Salesperson with Corcoran Group. He does sales and rentals all over New York City and has been featured on The Real Deal, Real Estate Weekly, The New York Times and more.
We speak about the reasons there are so many actors in real estate, brokers' transitions between firms, the ability to think ahead in chess and real estate, his thoughts on The Queen's Gambit, the art of charity and more.
In Episode 170, I converse with Florian Helff, Chess Tournament Manager and Director of Business Development at Corporate Esports Association. In addition to preparing for the Second Corporate Chess Championship, which is taking place virtually from September 4- December 11, he works as a software engineer at Twitch. Furthermore, he is the Club President of the Amazon Chess Club and is the Washington Chess Federation board member for Corporate and Collegiate Chess.
We speak about the benefits of corporate chess programs, reasons to register for the upcoming Second Corporate Chess Championship, the art of giving to charity through chess, quality assurance in chess and programming Amazon's "Working Backwards" principle, the rising chess community on Twitch and more.
In Episode 169, I converse with Grandmaster Alexander Fishbein, who is a Director and Desk Strategist at TD Securities. He won the 1st Denker Tournament of High School Champions in 1985. He also has earned the 1st place prize at some of the United States' major open tournaments, including the World Open and the National Open. One of his other major claims to fame is beating Super Grandmaster Alexei Shirov.
We speak about winning major national tournaments, applications of chess in finance, top improvement tips, training his son Mitch to become a master, his family's immigration to the United States from Russia due to anti-semitism, his new book The French Exchange Comes to Life and more.
In Episode 168, I converse with National Expert Brian Wilmeth, Premier Chess Director of Virtual Programmers and Programmer. Brian splits his time between teaching chess, managing our virtual programs, and freelancing programming web and IOS applications. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from Polytechnic University and a certificate in Human Relations from Dale Carnegie Training.
We speak about his entry in the New York chess scene, the Brooklyn Tech chess community, the programming of educational applications, the paralells between chess and programming, habit making, chess improvement tips, the art of resilience, virtual teaching and more.
In Episode 167, I have the pleasure of speaking with Karel van Delft, Author of Chess for Educators. Karel van Delft is a psychologist and chess trainer in Apeldoorn. He has is Masters in Psychology from University of Amsterdam. His son Merijn is an International Master.
We speak about chess as a metaphor for life, the potential for autistic and other special needs students to learn the game, the Euwe museum in Amsterdam, the Dutch chess scene, the Development of Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2021 Champion Grandmaster Jorden van Foreest, game-based learning and more.
In Episode 166, I converse with FIDE Master Justus Williams, Founder of Black Squares, which offers a range of opportunities for St. Louis city youth aged 6-18 to engage with chess. through an after-school program, group lessons and play, and weekend tournaments. Justus originally hails from the Bronx, NY and has been highlighted for his chess skills in major outlets such as the New York Times, Brooklyn Castle, and TMZ. Justus was also featured in a Cadillac commercial, which showcased prodigies from various fields.
We speak about the New York City chess scene, his experience teaching in South Africa with David Macenulty and Jonathan Corbblah, a day in the life at IS 318, studying with grandmasters at Webster University and elsewhere, the importance of playing lots of games, the importance of endgame study, ideas for time management, working with inmates in prison, decision making on and off the board and more.
In Episode 165, I converse with Grandmaster Patrick Wolff, a two-time US Champion and Founder of Grandmaster Capital Management, a hedge fund that received seed capital from Peter Thiel, the founder of Clarium and a strong chess player himself.
We speak about his inspiration from Fischer Boom, his wins against Former World Champions Garry Kasparov and Mikhail Tal, stories from working with Viswanathan Anand, the importance of endgame study, the effect of computers on opening study, the game-like nature of investments and more.
In Episode 164, I converse with Andrew Stein, a former investment banker, who founded Oprhaned Starfish Foundation (OSF). OSF works with 12,000+ orphans, victims of abuse and trafficing and other impoverished children in 26 countries. They have established 57 computer centers.
We speak about Andrew's global investment banking and children's magic practices, the processs of founding a new non-profit, chess applications in investment banking, passion for charity, ways to get involved, OSF's upcoming gala at Cipriani in New York on October 22 and more.
In Episode 163, I converse with National Expert Jason Ciano, one of our instructors, who has been teaching chess for 20+ years at schools including PS166, Trinity and Greenwich Country Day School. He has trained five national champions. Jason Ciano is also an International Master in bridge.
We speak about the controversial Chess Ratings North West system, the Seattle chess scene, Jason's coaching from Grandmaster Yasser Seirawan, the value of the king, chess improvement tips, the rapid improvement and inspiration of Tani Adewumi, the parallels between chess and bridge and more.
In Episode 162, I converse with Rabbi Mark Wildes, founder of Manhattan Jewish Experience (MJE), which is a warm and open community where millennial men and women in their 20s and 30s can explore Jewish life and meet new people. I recently finished MJE's senior fellowship program, in which I studied 3 hours of Torah every Wednesday night for a year.
We discuss Rabbi Wildes' legal and Jewish educations, community building, the overcoming of obstacles, the understanding of our souls through the Tanya, the symbiotic relationship of religion and science, the challenges millenial Jews face, the art of planning, and more.
In Episode 161, I converse with National Master, Jesse Lozano, Founder of Complete Chess. Jesse was born and raised in San Antonio. He has been competing in chess tournaments since high school and is a four-time San Antonio City chess champion. Lozano is a full time chess player and coach. His goal is to help San Antonio be a chess capitol and give students an opportunity to grow.
We speak about the San Antonio chess market, collaboration with other coaches, over-the-board play during the pandemic, book recommendations, the benefits of chess coaching, ways to get more girls active in chess and more.
In Podcast Episode 160, I converse with National Expert Andrew Hellenschmidt, a former Wall Street recruiter and trader, who has taught chess at Success Academy, PS 33, Nest+M and many other schools.
We speak about a day in the life on Wall Street, the utilization risk management in chess, tips for chess improvement, his experience teaching with Magnus Carlsen, the transition from virtual to over the board play and more.
In Episode 159, I converse with Evan Katz, Founder of Crawford Ventures. He is an award-winning hedge fund and private equity executive and fundraiser. He has a BS in Finance and Economics from Wharton and a JD from Harvard Law School. Outside of the hedge fund space, he is a chess player and big supporter of the game.
We speak about his computer chess column in chess life, his love and support for some great charities, hedge fund fundraising with chess techniques (relating to the ideas of Marty Katz and his company Connectors 360) , the Fischer-Spassky, Searching for Bobby Fischer and Queen's Gambit booms, common hedge fund mistakes and more.
Lord Carmine Villani is the World Champion in Endurance. Professionally, he is the Executive Board Member of Saudi Crown Holding. He is the former advisor to Blackstone Group and has a Masters in Professional Accounting and Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration with Highest Honors from the University of Texas at Austin.
We speak about the Acclarity Conference for Economic Recovery that we recently met at, his road to World Champion, the applications of endurance in finance, worldwide investments from the Saudi office, investment evaluation methods and more.
In Episode 157, I have the privilege of conversing with Interational Master Christopher Yoo, an American international master and the 2020 U.S. Cadet (U16) Champion. He won that title with an undefeated performance, eclipsing the field by one and a half points. The same year, the 13-year-old finished in fifth place (out of 10) at the U.S. Junior (U21) Championship. Yoo became the youngest American master (at nine years old in 2016) and IM (at 12 years old in 2019) at the time until he was surpassed by IM Abhimanyu Mishra. Last month, he tied for 1st in the Charlotte Chess Center GM Invitational and earned his first Grandmaster norm.
We speak about the time we first met at the Supernationals in Nashville, Tennesee in May, 2017, his recent grandmaster norm, the art of tournament preparation, ideas for building confidence, overcoming obstacles, chess study recommendations, the benefits of blindfold chess, his lessons with our former podcast guest National Master Bruce Pandolfini, calculation skills, book recommenations, live commentary's impact on Chess PR, his goals for GM and beyond, resources for top players, puzzles composition and more.
In Episode 156, I converse with John Fernandez, an award-winning revenue marketer with two decades of experience drive hundreds of millions of dollars in B2B SaaS pipeline and tens of millions of dollars in ARR globally and across prime industry verticals. He has led organizations through $1.3 billion in equity events between Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C (2x), Acquisitions (3x) and IPO. In the chess world, he has been involved with the Internet Chess Club since 1997, as Administrator, Director, Public Relations and Executive Vice President, and Investment role since 2010. He is also the Founder of the New York Masters. Now he is one of three candiates for the US Chess Executive Board, along with Kevin Pryor and Randy Bauer.
We speak about the applications of chess in marketing, the development of the Internet Chess Club, the online chess market, the founding and highlights of the New York Masters, an outlook on US Chess post COVID-19 and more.
In Episode 155, I converse with Ira Miller, the Chairman and CEO of Zone Capital Partners, a financial holding company that consults with private and public Small Cap companies. The firm has an M&A advisory practice that serves Small Cap companies in the Technology, Healthcare, Medical Technology, Enterprise Software Solutions and Consumer Goods markets.
We speak about M&A in a nutshell, the recent Acclarity Conference for Economic Recovery, in which I was a speaker, the recent IPOs of Roblox and Slack, Peter Thiel as a chess master and tech executive, the paralells between M&A and chess and more.
In Episode 154, I converse with Jim Egerton, Founder of Business on the Board™, a talent development company that uses a game-based approach to teach business strategies and tactics. By incorporating a #1 Best Selling business management self-development book into our clients’ experiences, their leaders gain a competitive advantage by becoming better prepared to lead and make strategic decisions using the mindset and skills of a chess master. Read my review of Jim's book here. Listen to Jim speak at even we did at UBS in November, 2018 here.
We speak about our UBS event, chess as a simulator for business, chess' impact on the formation of Paypal, the center of the United States and the chess board, the benefits of corporate chess classes, the 1st FIDE Corporate Chess Corporate Chess Championships, the trajectory of corporate chess and more.
In Episode 153, I converse with International Master Carlos Perdomo. Carlos is a winner of three GA State Championships, and has been ranked one of the top three highest rated players in Georgia continuously since 2002. Under his leadership, the Emory University Chess Team defeated Duke, Yale, and Stanford in 2004. He is the Founder of Chess Atlanta , which increases the chess presence in the metro Atlanta area via school programs, group classes, camps and more.
We speak about collaborative chess promotion, the recent 1st All-Ivy Invitational, his native country Columbia, the benefits of team tournaments, tips for improvement, the United States' top youth players, his experience playing in the 2018 World Blitz Championship, the return to Over-the-Board tournaments and more.
Grandmaster Ron Henley is an American grandmaster, writer, narrator, video producer, and former financial funding trader. He now acts as the Chess Program Director at Miami Country Day School and acts as Special Consultant to Ultra High Net Worth Individuals and Family Offices, as founder of RWH Advisors.
In our longest podcast episode to date, we talk about an array of subjects, ranging from tributes to Michael Hoffer, Oscar Maldonaldo, Gildardo Garcia and William Lombardy to an outlook on Magnus Carlsen to working as a second of Former World Champion Anatoly Karpov to his weekly Twitch show on Thursdays from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM EST.
Julie Bruns has worked in learning and development for over 20 years and considers herself a lifelong learner. She has a passion for teaching others what's possible and loves connecting with people to share tips on how to enrich their lives, no matter where they are. Life and work can be wonderful, and she's here to show you how!
We speak about her new book Peace, Possibilities and Perspective: 8 Secrets to Serenity and Satisfaction in Your Life and Career , self -realization, mastermind groups, the importance of gratitude, positive thinking, accountability, applications of chess in employee engagement and more.
Brandon Gidicsin is in charge of business development for the Stamford, CT Junkluggers location and helps homes and offices with sustainable disposal services in Westchester, Putnam County, New York, and Western Connecticut.
He is also a team leader of "Rise Together and Raise", raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. He is involved with LLS because they are helping eradicate forms of cancer, such as Hodgkins Lymphoma, the one his father passed away from. Consider supporting the cause here.
We speak about the power of networking, the benefits or organization, his fundraising efforts, upcoming events, the importance of giving back and more.
Nigel Davies is a FIDE Senior Trainer (2021), International Chess Grandmaster (1993), former British Rapidplay & British U21 Champion (1988 & 1979), trainer at all levels (beginner to Grandmaster), winner of 15 international tournaments, author of 17 books, presenter of 45 chess DVDs, online publisher (The Chess Improver) and founder of Tiger Chess.
We talk about England's breakway from COVID-19 lockdown, his childhood rivalry with our previous podcast guest Grandmaster Nigel Short, his progression to grandmaster, the importance of self-honesty, the character traits of Grandmaster Lajos Portisch, career plans in and outside of the chess world, his inspiration to become an author, his thoughts on unorthodox openings, paralells between chess and thai chi and more.
In Episode 148, I converse with Phiona Mutesi, who represented Uganda at four Women's Chess Olympiads, and is one of the first titled female players in Ugandan chess history. Mutesi is the subject of a 2012 book and a 2016 film called Queen of Katwe. She is the founder of the Phiona Mutesi Foundation.
We speak about her upbringing in Uganda, dynamics between girls and boys in chess, a compare and contrast of she and Elizabeth Harmon of the Queen's Gambit, her life in the United States, her plans after her upcoming graduation and more.
In Episode 147, I converse with 147th Episode with Cristhian Ortiz Elizarbe, Human Capital Senior Consultant at Deloitte Perú. Cristhian is an experienced human capital professional with a demonstrated history of working in the management consulting industry in HR projects for local and multinational companies in Retail, Banking, Engineering, Marketing, Pharmaceutical, Foreign Trade and Metal-Mechanical Sectors. For the last 6 years he was worked for Deloitte Peru. He is the founder of the non-profit Learn and Share English, which has 200 volunteers all over South America that teach English. He was the captain of the 3rd place team in the first FIDE Corporate Chess Championship.
We speak about the chess scene in Peru, applications of chess in HR, benefits of corporate chess classes, the recruitment of a corporate team, the importance of giving back to the community and more.
In Podcast Episode 146, I converse with Adam Raoof, Founder of The Chess Circuit and Ben Graff, Journalist and Author of "The Greenbecker Gambit". See my recent appearance on their podcast here.
We discuss the transition from corporate life to entrepreneurship a compare and contrast of The Greenbecker Gambit and Queen's Gambit, chess PR, the return to over the board chess the persona of perennial British Champion Michael Adams and more.
Christopher Hunt is the Managing Director of Zone Capital Partners, LLC, which is a financial holding company which also has an active practice consulting with private and public companies that are under $ 500 million in market capitalization.
He is all the co-founder of Acclarity Advisors, which helps public and private companies enhance press and analyst coverage, broaden shareholder base, contribute to growth of valuation, market capitalization, enhance liquidity, and maintain a bankable image of you as an essential component on any exchange.
We speak about career changes to find one's passion, the importance of giving back during the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual work environments, competition vs. collaboration his upcoming virtual Acclarity Conference on April 22-23 , in which I will be giving a presentation entitled "A QUEENS GAMBIT: Can chess give you an edge In business?".
In Episode 144 I converse with Victor Mikhalevski, an Israeli chess grandmaster who lives in Beersheba. As of March 2010 his Elo rating was 2611, making him the #7 player in Israel and the 171st-highest rated player in the world. His peak rating to date was 2632, which he reached on 1 January 2008. He won the Israeli Chess Championship in 2014 and 2021.
We speak about his recent victory, winning the 2021 Israeli Championship earlier this month, his upbringing in Belarus, his family's Aliyah process (moving to Israel), the rise of Beersheba as a chess city, his keys to chess success, the art of enjoyment, overcoming setbacks, the return of Over the Board chess, coaching some of the the world's talented young players and more.
In Episode 143, I converse with Jason Deluca, President of Columbia Club of New Jersey and CEO and Founder at Argonaut Media, an innovative advertising agency specializing in the creation, implementation and management of marketing campaigns.
We speak about college fundraising, the new American Dream Mall, chess PR, chess as a vehicle in advertising, Rex Sinquefield's work in Saint Louis, the Columbia University cigar club, chess community and most importantly, the upcoming 1st All Ivy Chess Invitational.
In Episode 142, I converse with Senior Master Jerald Times and Mike Papapavlou, Founder of Guitar Guide Guru. In the last few months, University of Texas at Dallas declared Jerald Times "Chess Educator of the Year" and Guitar World has declared Mike Papapavlou "Guitar Teacher of the Year".
The three of us speak about the rise of city of inner-city education programs, the elevation of academics through extracurriculars, delayed gratification, measurements of success, school programs, a tribute to Charu Robinson, the growth of talent, benefits of awards, rhythm, melody and harmony in chess and music and more.
In Episode 141, I converse with Inna Agrest, who is an IT Project Manager at Grenke Bank in Germany. She is also a member of the Swedish National Team, for which she has competed in 6 Olympiads. She recently was the captain of the 1st place team in the 1st FIDE World Corporate Championships.
We speak about the importance of Women's tournaments, applications of chess in IT, her upbringing with a Grandmaster father and Women's International Master mother, her Belarussian background, chess sponsorship, her recent championship experience and more.
In Episode 140, I converse with Alisa Melekhina, who is a FIDE Master and is currently a corporate litigator practicing in New York City. She has consistently ranked among the top ten female chess players in the country and has been a perennial member of the national team. Alisa won a gold medal representing the United States in the World Team Championships held in Ningbo, China in 2009.
We speak about the relationship of chess and dance, the development of a chess player, ways to inspire more women chess players, transferrable skills from chess to law, work-life balance, the New York Corporate Chess League, team-building through chess, her book "Reality Check", collegiate chess, the upcoming All-Ivy Invitational and more.
In Episode 139, I converse with Jacob Fortuna, a chess streamer. He is also a systems analyst at Auto-Owners Insurance, where he creates desktop applications with SQL server back ends using WPF and Visual Studio to automate actuarial solutions.
We chat about the applications of chess in software engineering, the value of Twitch, the global chess community, Chess PR and more.
Hanon Russell is the founder of *Russell Enterprises, which has been publishing fine chess books for over three decades. With comprehensive international distribution, REI books are offered by both local book sellers and major book chains worldwide.
We speak about his former legal career and the applications of chess in litigation, the influence of Bobby Fischer, a revealing of Former US Chess Federation president Ed Edmonson, the elements of a publishable book, tips for new authors and more.*
Peter Geeraerts is the Managing Director-CoChess at Play Magnus, a fast growing scale-up focused on chess, and is listed on the Merkur Market. CoChess is a start-up subsidiary of Play Magnus, providing an electronic marketplace to connect chess coaches with students.
Peter hails from Ghent, Belgium and is a Customer and sales oriented executive/CEO with proven track record in change management, turnarounds and growth. He has advised several startups and previously did enterprise sales for major corporations like Alcatel-Lucent.
We speak about the restaurants in Belgium, business applications in chess, the development of CoChess and more.
Misha Rubin provides transformational career programs which are designed for people to discover careers that bring a sense of meaning, fulfillment, and abundance. He spent over 20 years in corporate America; in his last position as a partner at Ernst & Young, he guided hundreds of careers. Find more about his services here.
We speak about leaving Corporate America, his signature Career Leap program, impact of chess on careers and more.
In Episode 135, I converse with Linda Brenner, the Founder of Talent Growth Advisors. She spent the early part of her career in a variety of operations and talent management roles. She worked in a variety of positions at The Gap, Pepsi and Home Depot. Learn more about her company, which leads finance, talent acquisition and talent management at Fortune 500 companies, including Home Depot, Coca-Cola and Revlon, here.
We speak about the art of finding one's passion, learning from the past, major types of HR projects, corporate recruitment, employee retention, the relationship of chess and HR and more.
In Episode 134, I converse with Fide Master Andrey Terekhov, Author of The Life and Games of Vasily Smyslov. Andrey Terekhov is also a International Master in Correspondence Chess and holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science. Two if his best tournament results were victories in the 2008 Munich Open and the 2021 Nabokov Memorial. He currently resides in Singapore, where by day he works for Microsoft, leading a team of Product Marketing Managers, focused on accelerating the growth of Azure in Central & Eastern Europe.We talk about his training in the St. Petersburg Chess School, decision making in business and chess, time pressure, public relations of World Champions, his book and much more.
Luke Van Every founded True Compare PEO to better address the individualized needs of small and medium-sized businesses across the U.S. With years of experience working for some of the nation’s top providers, Luke leverages his expertise and long-standing relationships with a broad range of PEOs to help companies evaluate which PEOs offer solutions best tailored to meet their specific needs.
Additionally, Luke is the Founder & Host of In This Together Roundtable, a networking group formed to address the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and to support other professionals adapting to the changing business environment.
We speak about leaving corporate America for entrepreneurship, the importance of getting outside of one's comfort zone, international networking, the definition of PEO, requirements for PEO eligibility, the relationship of PEO and chess and more.
In Episode 132, I converse with Michael Khodarkovsky, President of the Kasparov Chess Foundation. Khordakovsky is a FIDE Senior Trainer, FIDE Vice President, and Founder of International School. He was a member of Kasparov's coaching staff in 1995 and 2000 World Championship and Deep Blue matches. In 2008 he won a Scholastic Service award from US CHESS. He is the author of seven books.We speak about his relationship with Garry Kasparov, the Kasparov vs. Deep Blue matches, his seven books, coaching tips, game analysis, Kasparov Chess Foundation's work, online tournaments, the continuation of the Grand Chess Tour, women involvement in chess and more.
In Episode 131, I converse with Sunil Weeramantary, Founder of National Scholastic Chess Foundation. He originally hails from Sri-Lanka. He is the step-father of US Chess Champion Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura. He won the the New York State State Chess Championship in 1975 and 2001. He has been teaching chess since 1979 when he launched the program at Hunter School, which has more national championships than most schools in the country. Since then, he has founded National Scholastic Chess Foundation in 1990, which has served 60+ schools in New York area and community programs in South Florida as part of Sunrise Chess entity.He also serves as the Co-Chair of the US Chess Scholastic Council. Two of his biggest accolades are winning University of Texas at Dallas' Chess Educator of the Year in 2004 and getting the FM Sunil Weeramantry National Blitz Tournament of State Champions named after him in 2020. We speak about his start to chess in Sri Lanka, the connection between law and chess, the fundamentals of a successful school program, practical thinking, travelling with his step-son Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura, the cancellation of the US Chess Supernationals, online fair play, his book "Great Moves: Learning Chess Through History" and more.
In Episode 130, I converse with Damion Coppedge, Founder of Chess Optics. Until July 2020, Damion served 22 years in prison due to manslaughter. While incarcerated, he remained optimistic and learned as much about chess as he can through books and practice against other inmates. Now he is a Buddhist, chess teacher and poet. He is also a student at BMCC. Check out his Youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIHPPexb6BuDsiBhKpgdQUQWe speak about his experiences in prison, passion for chess, his drive to remain optimistic and succeed, the time he sent a $25 check to Queen of Katwe star Phiona Mutesi from his prison cell, his current career goals and more.
In Episode 129, I have the privilege of conversing with National Master Alex King, Chess Teacher at Douglass K-8 Optional School in Memphis, Tennessee, the headquarters of Fedex. He also works part-time at the new Memphis Chess Club, where he recently served as their first full-time director. We speak about chess history, the relationship of chess and music, the founding of the Memphis Chess Club, book recommendations, tips for improvement and more.
In Episode 128, I converse with Dr. Adena Blickstein, a physician and public health professional (MD, MPH) with a passion for mental health and community activism. She is the Founder of Teal Dragon, a private psychotherapy practice and future virtual school. We discuss ideas for restructuring the medical system, her upcoming virtual school, common psychological issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, the intersection of chess and psychology, ideas for building confidence and her upcoming Cosmic Dragon Conference, which I will be speaking at and will take place on February 14-15-2021:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cosmic-dragon-conference-tickets-138883655753
In Episode 127, I converse with one of our greatest Facebook fans John Russell, Author of Riding with Ghosts, Angels, and the Spirits of the Dead. He is a psychic reader, medium, certified T.A.R.O.T. master, and, paranormal Investigator. Learn more about him at https://atdaylong.tripod.com/We discuss the field of paranormal investigations, overcoming misconceptions, logic vs intuition, his recent book "Riding with Ghosts, Angels, and the Spirits of the Dead", a preview of his upcoming book and more.
In Episode 126, I have the pleasure of conversing with National Expert Elizabeth Spiegel, IS 318 Coach. IS 318 is an urban public school in Brooklyn, NY that has won more national championships than most schools in the country. They were featured in the award winning film "Brooklyn Castle". She is one of a few if not the only full-time chess teachers in the New York City Department of Education. We talk IS 318's culture, NYC's free tournaments, founding of the school's program, the benefits of chess programs in schools, assessment methods, the Chess-Steps Curriculum, the filming of "Brooklyn Castle", the aftermath of the film, best practices for the nationals and more.
In Milestone Episode 125, I have the absolute honor of conversing with Grandmaster Nigel David Short, an English chess grandmaster, columnist, coach, commentator and, since October 2018, Vice-President of FIDE. Short earned the Grandmaster title at the age of 19, and was ranked third in the world by FIDE from January 1988 to July 1989. In 2002, he beat Former World Champion Anatoly Karpov in a match, qualifying him to play in the World Champion against Garry Kasparov in 2003. We speak about his experiences playing tournaments in 129 countries, FIDE's support for the resume to OTB chesss, his upbringing as a chess player, the influence of the 1972 Fischer-Spassky match, his relationship with Mickey Adams and other top British players, his matches against Karpov and Kasparov, his favorite tournament victory, a preview to his upcoming book, the theory of the Advanced Caro Kann, ideas for time management, mental preparation, a book recommendation, fixed vs growth mindset, his tenure as FIDE Vice President and more.
In Episode 124, I converse with Macauley Peterson, Operations Associate at Play Magnus. He is a Former Chief Editor at ChessBase.com and Content Director at chess24.com. He was also the Associate Producer of "Magnus" in 2016. Learn more about Macauley through these three pages:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Macauley64
Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/user/MacauleyPeterson
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/macauleypeterson
We speak about Gata Kamsky's career, journalism vs reporting, chess travels, Peter Leko's love for wrestling, Aronian's Civilization strategy, the Twitch streaming boom, Macauley's involvement in the "Magnus" film, the potential revival of his podcast "Full English Breakfast", the integration of Chessable and Play Magnus and more.
In Episode 123, I converse with Joe Rojas, Tech Evangelist, Author, Visionary, Business Advisor. He is the founder of Red Sapiens, which has a MAPP system to guide businesses to implement the seven key components of any business that must be nurtured and strengthened to be a great business. I am part of his Thrivers360 mastermind group. We discuss the business of technology, strategies to overcome challenges, the art of planning on and off the board, mindset, adaptability, his upcoming book and the Growth Acceleration Summit, which is taking place on February 24. Use this link for $50 off registration for the virtual conference: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/growth-acceleration-summit-tickets-131922759525?discount=Evan2021
In Episode 122, I have the privilege of conversing with Grandmaster, Alexander Shabalov, an American chess grandmaster and a four-time winner of the United States Chess Championship (1993, 2000, 2003, 2007). He was born in Riga, Latvia, and like his fellow Latvians Aleksejs Shirov and Mikhail Tal, he is known for courting complications even at the cost of objective soundness. We speak about his coaching from Mikhail Tail, resources for grandmaster development, tactics, Shirov's knowledge of endgames, balances, ideas for chess improvement, the art of confidence, opening repertoires, coaching tips, the return to over the board play and more.
In Episode 120, I converse with FIDE Master Jim Eade, the Founder of the Eade Foundation. He is chess administrator, tournament organizer, and book publisher. He holds the title of FIDE Master. He is best known for the books Chess for Dummies (1996) and The Chess Player's Bible (2004), both of which have been through several editions and been translated into 8 languages. We talk about the influence of the 1972 Fischer boom, the correlation of chess and programming, applications of chess in finance, self-confidence, his YouTube channel, community service, the activities of the Eade Foundation, gratitude for organizers and more.
Fred Waitzkin is a journalist and author of the acclaimed non-fiction bestseller SEARCHING FOR BOBBY FISCHER, as well as the books MORTAL GAMES and THE LAST MARLIN. He is the father of International Master Joshua Waitzkin, who was the prodigy and subject of Searching for the Bobby Fischer book and movie. We speak about Joshua Waitzkin's youth, his coaching from our previous podcast guest National Master Bruce Pandolfini, parallels with The Queen's Gambit, the distance between fiction and reality, chess parenting tips, overcoming setbacks, Gary Kasparov's brilliance, memoirs vs. journalism, a preview to his upcoming novel STRANGE LOVE and more.
In Episode 119, I have the privilege of conversing with Theresa Grant, Founder of Make a Difference Now. MADNow supports quality educational opportunities for vulnerable youth. They do this by paying for school fees and the development of the student’s schools, as well as, empowering young women with computer, business, and entrepreneurial skills.We discuss the founding of the organization, expansion to other countries, women in technology, our Annual Teaching Chess in Africa trip, the Tanzanian culture and more.
In Episode 118, I converse with Grandmaster Max Dlugy, an American Chess Grandmaster. Dlugy won the World Junior Chess Championship in 1985. He worked on Wall Street and became a principal of the Russian Growth Fund, a hedge fund. Nowadays he is the owner of Chess Max Academy. We speak about his presidency of the US Chess Federation, chess applications in finance, anti-cheating measures, improvement tips, the art of surprise, Dylan Mc Clain's recent New York Times article that we are both featured in, curriculum and more.
In Episode 117, I have the privilege of conversing with Debbie Eastburn, CEO and President at Chess in the Schools (CIS). Chess in the Schools serves over 12,000 low-income students in Title 1 New York City public schools through structured classroom chess instruction, after school clubs, chess tournaments, summer programs, and a College Bound program for over 100 high school students. We use chess as an educational tool to promote learning and to help young people develop skills in critical thinking and problem solving.We talk about my experience working at CIS, the organizations' mission, the benefits of chess, an overview of CIS' programming, corporate sponsorships, fundraising, COVID-19 transition, remote instruction and more.
In Episode 116, I have the pleasure of conversing with Sylvie Heyman, the author of "Make it a HABIT" and "Beyond the Holocaust: An Immigrant's Search for Identity". She is a survivor of World War II . She started her career as a registered nurse specializing in obstetrics and later on, heading the cardiac operating room at St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn, NY, as an educator and administrator. Since then she was an acupuncturist and chiropractor and currently is a Certified Health Coach, focusing on five habits Habits of Health: healthy weight, healthy diet, healthy physical activities, healthy sleep, and healthy mindset. We speak about her 2 books, a preview of her upcoming 3rd book, the differences of surviving the Holacaust and World War II, her experiences in the health world, accountability, benefits of chess and more.
In Episode 115, I converse with Jerry Nash, National Chess Education Consultant with Chess in Schools. As National Chess Education Consultant for the Alabama Chess in Schools initiative, Jerry Nash believes in the power of chess to enable student success – both in and out of the classroom. In his own background as a teacher, campus minister, and office administrator, chess provided the critical thinking skills he needed to succeed.We speak about professional development, transferrable skills, applications of chess, market research with FIDE (international chess federation), networking and more.
In Episode 114, I have the honor of conversing with Carla Berkowitz, Executive Producer of "Critical Thinking", the true story of the 1998 Miami Jackson Senior High School chess team which was the first inner city team to win the U.S. National Chess Championship.We talk about the Critical Thinking production process, the story of the 1997 Miami Jackson High School Team, inner -city schools, a compare and contrast of the film and Queen's Gambit, chess PR, lessons from the chess world, the art of decision making, our annual Make a Difference Teaching Chess in Africa trip and more.
In Episode 113, I converse with Matthew Harms, the Founder of Pen For Hire NYC. He is a New York born and based Freelance Writing Professional and Success Coach. His Bronx upbringing combined with diverse educational and career backgrounds provide a multitude of facets to each project he works on.We speak about career changes, the benefits of writing a book, the writing process, suggestions for entrepreneurs and more.
In Episode 112, I have the privilege of conversing with my long-term friend and competitor, International Master Jay Bonin. Jay is among the most active tournament players in the US, having played over 25,000 tournament games. He started to known as the “Iron Man of Chess” in 1997 when won The New York State Championship, Manhattan Chess Club Championship, Marshall Chess Club Championship, Nassau Chess Club Championship and Queens Chess Club Championship all in the same year,1997. He is the co-author of “Active Pieces, Practical Advice from America’s Most Relentless Tournament Player”. The plethora topics we cover range from his favorite restaurants in New York to email lessons to chess tournaments in the 70s to chess psychology and unorthodox openings to suggestions for improvement.
In Episode 111, I have the privilege of conversing with Michael Whitehouse, Founder of Guy Who Knows a Guy. With over 18 years of experience running business and working with unique organizations, Michael has built a considerable toolbox of resources for solving problems for entrepreneurs.We speak about his upcoming virtual conference in February 2021, which I am going to speak at, his book "Guy Who Knows a Guy", networking, art of value, podcasting, entrepreneurial strategy, accountability and more.
In Episode 110, I have the pleasure of conversing with National Master Tyrell Harriot, the founder of Kings of Queens Chess: https://www.kingsofqueenschess.com/. He is also an active streamer: Twitch.tv/falzehope. We talk about his upbringing in Jamaica, adult improvement, accountability, enjoyment, tournaments during COVID-19, experience playing chess at a barbershop, and streaming on Twitch and more.
In Episode 109, I have the absolute pleasure of conversing with National Master Bruce Pandolfini, an American chess author, teacher, and coach. He was portrayed in Searching for Bobby Fischer by Ben Kingsley and was an advisor for the Queen's Gambit book and recent film series. We talk about when I first met Bruce as an 8-year-old, thanks to Women's International Master Shernaz Kennedy, chess pedagogy, advice for school programs, his sessions with International Master Joshua Waitzkin, the filming process of "Searching for Bobby Fischer", authorship, poetry, the behind the scenes of the Queen's Gambit, future projects, and much more.
In Episode 108, I have the privilege of conversing with Avram Mlotek, an American rabbi, social activist, cantor, writer, actor and slam poet. He is the co-founder of Base Hillel, a pluralistic home-centered outreach program, established in nine cities worldwide and Rabbi-in-Residence at the Manhattan JCC. We converse about the Founding of Base, the NYC Young Jewish Professional scene, closeness, co-officiating a wedding with Ruth Bader Ginsberg, same sex marriages, his recent book "Why Jews Do That or 30 Questions Your Rabbi Never Answered" and ideas about how chess relates to Judaism.
In Episode 107, I have the privilege of conversing with Lisa Snow, the Founder of On the Mend Customized Fitness and Massage, which provides 1-on-1 personal training and massage therapy, corporate classes and more, virtually and in-person throughout the New York City Area. We talk about misconceptions about fitness, the benefits of coaching, accountability on and off the chess board, networking, training seniors, virtual and socially distanced classes and more.
In Episode 106, I have the privilege of conversing with FIDE Master Mike Klein, Chief Chess Officer at Chesskid.com. This episode is dedicated to our mutual friend National Expert Charu Robinson, who unfortunately passed away on October 14, 2020. Thousands of kids around the world know Mike by his nickname "Fun Master Mike." We are a proud Chesskid affiliate: https://www.chesskid.com/membership/promo/premierWe talk about kid safety on the internet, state and national championships, fair play, advice for new clubs, ways to remain productive during COVID-19, updates for online tournaments, the origins of his nickname, our experiences teaching with Chess in the Schools and much more.
In Episode 105, I converse with Grandmaster Timur Garayev, who earned a World Record in 2016 for playing the biggest blindfold simultaneous exhibition of all time, competing against 48 players at once without sight. He hails from Uzbekistan and and has been living in the US since he got a BA in Business Marketing from the University of Texas at Brownsville. In 2018, he won the 119th US Open. We spoke about his recent experience hiking the Appalachian Trail, our annual Make a Difference Teaching in Africa trip, skydiving, the art of blindfold chess, improvement tips and more.
In Episode 104, I converse with Allan Rolnick, Founder of TristateTax Resolution. TriState Tax Resolution is an emergency room for people who owe back taxes and/or have not filed their tax returns(including payroll taxes) for a number of years. We take the burden from the clients and put it to rest.We talk about the tax resolution process, referral marketing, networking, the urgency to act and more.
In Episode 103, I converse with Russ Harlowe, Owner of AdvantaClean of Windham, which provides essential indoor air quality services to residential and commercial customers in Eastern Connecticut. We talk about the benefits of franchising, military skills in business, continuous improvement, the importance of social media, exit strategies, dynamics of a family business, the Israeli startup nation and more.
In Episode 102, I converse with Adam Brody, Program Director at Academic Chess and Founder of Strategic Kids: Chess LEGO Magic. We talk about transferrable skills, learning from losses, business development, a collaborative approach to education, teaching chess in impoverished communities, the COVID transition, outdoor classes, Youtube, unicycling and more.
In Episode 101, I converse with Pauline Zammit, Founder of Ceramic Creations. In addition to owning Ceramic Creations, she acts as the Operations Director for the general contracting firm Custom Associates and the Founder of the Astoria NY Entrepreneur Group. We talk about passion, entrepreneurship, teaching pedagogy, continuous learning, networking and more.
In our milestone episode 100, I have the sincere privilege of conversing with Grandmaster Susan Polgar, Former Women's World Champion. In addition to being one of the world's top players, she is a trainer, writer and promoter. Polgar sponsors various chess tournaments for young players and is the head of the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE) at Webster University. She served as the Chairperson of the FIDE Commission for Women's Chess from 2008 until late 2018.We talk about her upbringing in Hungary with her two sisters Grandmaster Judit Polgar and International Master Sofia Polgar, her strategy during the 1996 Women's World Championship, the art of perseverance, her friendship with Bobby Fischer, the Polgar Chess Center in Rego Park, New York, the Susan Polgar Institute for Excellence, the benefits of chess scholarships, the Wesbster University Chess team, global diversity, women in chess and virtual learning.
In Episode 99, I converse with Steve Ferman, Founder of eTegrity, which has helped businesses understand and align their technology with the goals and needs for 39+ years. We talk about the importance of preemptive strategy, basic security tips, entrepreneurship, business protocols, personal growth and more.
In Episode 98, I converse with National Expert JJ Lang, a Chicago Chess Blitzer. JJ Lang is a PHD student in Philosophy at Stanford University. He also plays as part of the Chicago Chess Blitzers and teaches the game. We talk about the National Blitz League, the philosophy of language, chess communities, egos, rapid improvement, study habits, reading tips, goal setting, continuous learning, Twitch streaming, social media and more.
In Episode 97, I converse with Joshua Margolis, the Founder of Mind Over Matter Health & Fitness. Joshua is a personal trainer with a Bachelors Degree in Sports Psychology from West Virginia University. He holds certifications from A.C.E., A.I.F.E., and N.A.S.M, and is also prenatal and postpartum fitness certified. Joshua has been working in the health and fitness arena for over 5 years designing personalized fitness programs which incorporate motivational techniques to enhance performance. His fitness philosophy: "Your self image and habits go hand in hand; change one and you will automatically change the otherWe talk about the cognitive effect of fitness, planning, habit formation, ways to make training fun, quantitative reporting, mental preparation for tournaments and more.
In Episode 96, I converse with Roy Kessel, Founder of Sports Philanthropy Network. Roy Kessel has extensive event experience. He has created, managed and promoted a wide variety of events including dinners, golf outings, bowling events and other parties. His experience includes work for: -The Tournament of Roses-NFL Coaches Association-University of Wisconsin AlumniWe talk about sports philanthropy, transferable skills, fundraising tips, his annual conference, experiential learning, relationship building, productivity during COVID-19, meaningful referrals and more.
In Episode 95, I converse with Elizabeth Macy, the Author of Lucky's Adventures. Elizabeth is a photographer and entrepreneur who lives in her hometown of Saratoga Springs, NY. She is known for capturing the excitement of the Saratoga Race Course. When her dog, Lucky, was lost and found safely after a four-day search she decided to embark upon her own adventure with the writing of her first children’s book, Lucky’s Adventure in Saratoga. Her second and third books, Lucky’s Adventure in Winter Wonderland and Lucky’s Adventure in the Great Outdoors continue to capture her passion for her fur baby and rescue pets. Elizabeth enjoys creating heartwarming adventures for children to experience and treasure.In this episode, we talk about Lucky's adventure, the Saratoga animal community, her photography business, the publishing process, her interactions with the players of the Annual New York State Chess Championships at the Saratoga Hilton, gratitude, kindness, patience and more.
In Episode 94, I converse with Dee Wildman, Founder of Eastside Detroit Chess Club. Dee is a coach at Chrysler Elementary School and has worked with countless City, State and National Champions. We talk about the maintenance of mental composure, the importance of fitness, giving back through chess, transformations, overcoming stereotypes, traveling to tournaments, self help and more.
In Episode 93, I converse with Eric Mendelsohn, a business broker with Transworld Business Advisors. Eric works with business owners and business buyers all over the United States to facilitate their business sale or acquisition. In addition to being a business broker, Eric also still helps individuals buy, sell, and rent real estate in Manhattan as a licensed real estate broker with eXp Realty. We talk about the process of a business sale, transferrable skills between business sales, real estate and chess, ways businesses can preemptively get ready to be sold one day, and more.
In Episode 92, I have the honor of hosting Ivan Misner, the Founder of Business Network International, which has 270,000 members in 9,500 chapters worldwide. He is author of the New York Times Best Seller "Trust or Delusion? Busting Networking's Biggest Myths" and co-author of the Wall Street Journal Best Seller "The 29% Solution: 52 Weekly Networking Success Strategies." We speak about the founding of BNI in 1985, my startup chapter, BNI Manhattan Chapter 30, the PRICE system for referrals, innovation, granular messaging, networking education, the importance of mentorship, suriving during recessions, BNI's COVID-2019 transition, the projectory of BNI and more.
In Episode 91, I have the privelege of conversing with Judit Sztaray, Manager of Events and Youth Outreach at Mechanics' Institute, the United States' oldest chess club in San Francisco. In addition to running their programming, she sits on the US Chess Scholastic Committee.We talk about chess in her home country Hungary, her work with Bay Area Chess, her organization of the United States Amateur Team West 2020, the Mechanic Institute's COVID-2019 transition, online tournaments, the 2020 online US Chess Invitational tournaments, US Chess Online Taskforce, the US Chess Coach Certification, motivation, for women to play more chess and more.
In Episode 90, I have the pleasure of conversing with Pastor Bill Wilson, who founded Metro World Child in Bushwick, NY In 1980. Each week, Metro World Child serves 200,000+ kids with food, education, mental support and more.We talk about his experience being picked up as a 12-year old on a street corner in Pinellas Park, Florida, after being left by his mom 3 days prior, his motivation to found Metro World Child, my Brand Ambassador Award at the 2019 Metro World Child Gala, Metro World Child's Kenya: CRITICAL campaign, some calls for action and much more.
In Episode 89, I converse with Ben Sigel, Candidate for Massachusetts Congressional District 4. We met several years ago when I was active in the Young Jewish Professional community in Boston when I ran the 20s 30s Group of the Tremont Street Synagogue in Cambridge. He is the President of the Hispanic National Bar Assocation New England Chapter and as his BA in Political Science from Middlebury University and his MBA in Real Estate and JD in Law from American University. Ben is running for Congress because he has the experience to bring our communities together to make real change and ensure that the wheels of justice turn for all of us, not just a privileged few. We speak about divisions in the US, community building, running for office, fighting against hate, paid family and medical lead, growing businesses during COVID-19, Universal PreK, chess communities and more.
In Episode 88, I converse with National Master Alan Kantor, who is my former coach, teammate, friend and colleague. I first met Alan when taught at my elementary school Churchill when I was in 4th grade. I soon after took private lessons from him for two years. In 2007, we were on the 1st place team of the United States Amateur Team East, together with FIDE Master James Critelli, National Master Evan Turtel and National Expert Nick Panico. In addition to teaching chess, Alan runs a medical billing business Revenue King. He has previously served as a Chess Life Editorial Assistant. We talk about the motivation to teach, resiliency, changes in chess in New York and the United States Chess Federation, chess journalism, chess couples and much more.
In Episode 87, I converse with Dr. Jairo Borja. Dr. Jairo Borja is proud to have grown up in Corona, Queens, NY. He graduated from Thomas Edison High School. Jairo also graduated from Berkeley College with a BBA in Management in 2003, MBA from Long Island University in 2007 and in March of 2019, graduated with his DBA in Marketing from Walden University. Jairo also have taught at Professional Business College (now LIBI) from 2009-2014. He has taught Small Business Management, Business Organization and Management, Principles of Marketing, Human Resources Mangement to name a few courses.Borja Consulting Group helps people build relationships to increase sales through Jairo ‘s talks on prospecting, time management, the psychology behind closing the deal, volunteering professionally, mastering the networking event and other topics. While not speaking, Jairo also acts an insurance broker with Liberty Mutual. We talk about the importance of networking in sales, ways to stay productive in the Covid—19 world, the relationship of strategy in sales and chess and more.
In Episode 86, I converse with Todd Cymbol, who oversees 13 Business Networking International Chapters in Manhattan. In these chapters, 250+ members meet weekly to build relationships and exchange quality referrals. Todd also acts as a VP of Business Development at Kensington Vanguard, where he provides title insurance for commercial and residential real estate transactions. We discuss BNI around the world, the benefits of the organization, networking education, the art of relationships, listening, attitude, title insurance and the new chapter, I am a co-founder of, Chapter 30.
In Episode 85, I have the pleasure of conversing with Irina UK, the founder of Bloom Class, which offers virtual private and group coding classes. While not running her own business, Irina is a math teacher in Boston Public Schools. We talk about societal impact, ways to encourage young students to code, her visit to our virtual camp last week, the relationship of chess and coding, the importance of female ambassadors and more.
In Episode 84, I converse with Raphi Salem, who has provided all types of business website and lead generation consulting services for 20+ years. He is an expert on Google, SEO, reputation management, social media and much more. We talk about his experience running an internet company, Israeli inspiration, the importance of innovation, searching one’s own imagine, website navigation, social media, Twitter, YouTube, competition, Raphi and previous podcast guest Marty Katz’ Biz Dev Leaders group and more.
In Episode 83, I converse with Graham Dobbin, the founder of Asentiv New York. Graham Dobbin is an experienced trainer, business coach, consultant and public speaker. An active member of the Professional Speakers Association, Graham has delivered keynote addresses to audiences as diverse as WeWork, Bangor University, and the Football League.We talk about people engagement, authenticity, assessments, rapport, networking, ways to stay productive during COVID-19, Asentiv NY's events and services and much more.
In Episode 82, I converse with Samuel Weiner, VP of Business Development at Langdon Title. Langdon Title is a premier, full service agency providing commercial and residential title insurance throughout the United States.We talk about the definition of title insurance, the importance of preemptively doing your homework before acquiring new real estate or playing a chess game, growing as young entrepeneur and our new Business Networking Group, BNI Chapter 30.
In Episode 81, I converse with Michael Lenox, the President of Chess Vets. A 100% service connected disabled retired US Navy Machinist Mate Chief Petty Officer (Submarine/Diver). He is a US Chess (USCF) Local Tournament Director and Certified Coach. Mr. Lenox is also an Illinois Chess Association (ICA) board member and the ICA Veterans Committee Chair. He currently lives in Burbank, Illinois with his beloved wife of 18 years, Lia.Chess Vets fundraises for small local veteran/1st Responder Organizations, hosts weekly competitions and sends care packages to active duty members.We discuss chess in the navy, benefits of chess for veterans, care packages for active service members and the future of Overtheboard Chess.
In Episode 80, I converse with Andrea Pass, the Founder of Andrea Pass Public Relations. For over 30 years, Andrea Pass has created and implement public relations campaigns in a wide range of categories including consumer products, lifestyle, B2B, education, health/wellness/fitness, beauty, food, authors, non-profits and more. We talk about brand image, common PR mistakes, perception vs reality, blunders in PR and on the chess board and building a target audience.
In Episode 79, I converse with Jodi Samuels, Founder of JICNY and Author of "Chutzpah, Wisdom and Wine". Jodi has over 20 years of business management and startup experience. The Jewish International Connection NY, which she co-founded with her husband Gavin Samuels and Steve Eisenberg, currently boasts 10,000 members from 40 countries. I personally have been an active of the JICNY community since I met Steve Eisenberg, while representing Masa Israel at the IAC confernece in Washington, DC in September 2016.Her recent book is a memoir about overcoming fear, adapting to a situation and applying ancient Jewish values to everyday challenges. It is also a powerful story of playing the hand you are dealt.We talk about the founding of JICNY, credibility and fundraising, networking, JICNY's COVID-19 transition, highlights of new book and more.
In Episode 78, I converse with Yvonne White, the founder of Chess Made Fun, which runs scholastic programs in the Atlanta area. Yvonne learned the amazing game of chess in 2009. In the Spring of 2010, she attended a F.I.D.E. International training seminar, and obtained the title of Developmental Instructor.We talked about chess in Atlanta, problem solving, creativity, entpreneurship, sportsmanship and much more.
In Episode 77, I converse with Marty Katz, the founder of Connectors 360, which helps small and medium-sized firms with their messaging to connect to their target audiences. We talk about his Biz Dev Leaders group, common sales mistakes, marketing strategy, using chess as a playground for running a business and more.
In Episode 74, I converse with Melissa Subban, People Strategist at Happy Factory. Melissa is based in Johannesburg and works with clients around the world. She and her team implement people strategies that build employee brand ambassadors who live the desired company culture. We talk about the definition of hapiness, value systems, the ikigai method, the correlations of HR and chess and more.
In Episode 75, I converse with Grandmaster Alex Lenderman, who won the 2005 World Under-16 Championship in Belfort with a score of 9/10 (+8 −0 =2), becoming the first American to win a gold medal at the World Youth Chess Championship since Tal Shaked won the World Junior Championship in 1997. He has since become one of the top US chess players and is the current coach of the US Olympiad team. We talk about his upbringing in St. Petersburg and Brooklyn, his experience with "The Kings of New York" at Murrow High School, school, his studies at Webster University, career aspirations, suggestions for chess improvement and more.
In Episode 74, I converse with Karl Osman, the owner of Urbin Storage, an on-demand storage company. We talk about entrepreneurship during covid19, inspiration, and the importance of leveraging chess skils during negotiation.
In Epsiode 73, I converse with Dr. Fun Fong, one of six candidates vying for 3 spots in the 2020 US Chess Executive Committee Election. Dr. Fun Fong is the Immediate Past President of the Georgia Chess Assocation and is an emergency medicine phsyician in Atlanta. We speak about his work dealing with COVID patients, how chess and emergency medicine relate, women in chess, the importance of the US Chess Federation maintaining a strong membership and more.
In Episode 73, I converse with Candidate Master Andrew Koenigsberg, AKA on Madquick on Twitch.Andrew currently lives in Houston but is from New York and has spent time living in Hong Kong and the Philippines. He is a USCF Candidate Master with over 15 years of teaching experience and has taught at chess camps across the United States. In 2012, Andrew became co-champion for the Hong Kong National Chess Championship. He also got equal first in the National Open U2100 in 2018. We talk about virtual tournaments, tournament preparation, study methods, the differences of teaching in the US and Asia, streaming, ways to get students and more.
In Episode 72, I converse with Sean Manross, President of the Southern California Chess Federation and Member of FIDE Commission for the Disabled. He is one of six candidates vying for 3 spots in the US Chess Executive Committee. We talk about his experience with Southern California Chess Federation, Rank and File Magazine, accessibility for the disabled, the USCF Government Taskforce and more.
In Episode 71, I converse with Sondeep Purewal, a Sandler Sales trainer, based in Miami. Sondeep trains sales professionals in tech, finance and other industries. He uses Sandler methodology, something I learned on day 1 of my time at Oracle. We talk about basic sales tips, an analytical approach to sales and how it relates to chess, and the importance of confidence.
In Episode 70, I interview Lakshmana "Vish" Viswanath, US Chess Executive Board Candidate. He originally hails from Kerala, India but has been living in the Laredo, Texas area for many years. He has been involved with Texas chess for many years and is the former state chess federation president. He is currently one of six candidates running for 3 spots in the US Chess Executive Committee. We talk about the rise of Texas chess, USCF fundraising, online chess, the election process and other areas of his platform.
In Episode 69, I converse with Jack Silver, a chess player and actor. Jack Silver was the winner of the 2015 US Chess Junior Grand Prix. He is a rising Sophomore at Wartlaw-Hartridge School, where he’s volunteered to be an assistant teacher to our New Jersey Instructor National Master Jim West. He’s known for his appearances in A Crime to Remember (2018), Girl Clown (2019) and The Irishman (2019) and the reality show Karma (2020). We talk about the parallels between chess and acting, the importance of improvising, his experience in the new HBO Max reality show “Karma” and more.
In our 68th episode, I interview Women’s Grandmaster Jennifer Shahade, who is a chess player, commentator, teacher and poker player. She is a two-time United States Women's Champion. Shahade is the author of the books Chess Bitch and Play Like a Girl and co-author of Marcel Duchamp: The Art of Chess. She is also a MindSports Ambassador for PokerStars and a board member of the World Chess Hall of Fame in Saint Louis.We talk about ways to encourage more girls to play chess, the benefits of streaming, methods of making commentary for a variety of skill levels, chess apps, the relationship of poker, coaching and much more.
In Episode 68, I converse with Jeff Detweiler, an executive recruiter and career consultant. Jeff has his BA in Theater from the University of Pittsburgh and has since been connecting companies to top talent for 10+ years. We talk about how extracurriculars like chess can help in the job search, the behind the scenes of recruting and much more.
In our 66th episode, I welcome two guests for the first time- my dear friends Rabbi Levi Welton and Reverend Gregory Livingston. I first met the Reverend when Rabbi Levi and he co-hosted an MLK Day Rally outside of City Hall after several terrible anti-semetic attacks.Rabbi Welton is an educator-turned-journalist passionate about sharing the values of Torah with a global audience. Raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, he holds degrees in medicine, education, and film. He is the Rabbi at Lincoln Park Jewish Center in Yonkers NY, serves an Air Force Chaplain and practices as a physicians assistant.Rev. Gregory Seal Livingston is a seminary trained pastor and leader, who has had the wonderful honor of serving several congregations and organizations across the city of Chicago and recently moved to New York. He has served as Illinois Chairman of the National Action Network and National Field Secretary and Chief of Field Operations for the RainbowPUSH Coalition. We talk about unity, peaceful protests, combating racism, responding to anti-semetism, education, justice and the art of strategy.
In Episode 65, I conerse with Jen Gouldstone, the Founder of Garden Streets ,a plant design and technology company with the mission to bring people closer to nature by making it as easy as possible to select, access, display and maintain plants. Jen has a BA and Masters in Engineering from MIT and an MBA from Harvard. We talk about her transition from engineering to plant design, the correlations between the two fields and chess, the importance of planning and more.
Will you still need me, will feed me, when I'm 64? In this milestone episode, we interview Viekla Kelly, Founder of Young Singer's Academy. Vielka has her Masters in Musical Education from NYU and leads a team of coaches, who teach kids, teens and adults. One of her claims to fame is helping establish Julliard's K-12 division. We talk about finding one's passsion, getting out of one's comfortzone, the parallels between chess and voice, and much more.
In Episode 63, I converse with Dayna Karron, The Solutionist at Atlantic Tomorrow's Office. She works for the largest office technology company in the Tri-State area and helps businesses, schools and non-profits save money with copiers, managed services, remote workforce, and other solutions. She is an alum of Edward R. Murrow High School, which has won more High School National Championships and than any other school in the country. We talk about the intersection of psychology and sales, her charity work, the importance of being proactive and much more.
In Episode 62, I interview Gloria Mills, the Founder For the Greater Glow, which does 30 day programs for healthy living and anti-aging, speaking engagements and Arbonne sales. In addition to her wellness practice, she does architecture drawing.We discuss tips for dieting for critical thinking, habit forming, the importantance of consistency, networking and much more. e
In Episode 61, I converse with Manuela Senatore, the founder of Skilla Productions, a one-stop video marketing agency, achieving long-lasting brand recognition for its clients. Their two main goals when creating video is to get business marketing and sales results, and maximize return on their investment.We talk about the correlations between chess and video strategies, the importance of telling one's story, networking and much more.
In Episode 60, I have the privilege of conversing with my good friend JC Spierer who is a great networker. He loves organizing events, and expanding his knowlege in health, fashion and charity. We talk about the art of a sucessful event, networking, his interests in sporting leagues, chess history and more.
In Episode 59, I converse with National Expert John Hendrick, who has offered chess classes and tournaments in Houston and Katy for the last twelve years.Mr. Hendrick graduated cum laude in 2005 with a B.S. in Pscyhology and a B.A. in Anthropology. His passion for chess began when he was in middle school. He went on to be the 1996 Texas State Scholastic Champion in his sophomore year of high school. This was when Mr. Hendrick discovered that chess could become a lifelong endeavor and he longed to share this skill with others.We discuss virtual learning, the benefits of streaming on Twitch, book recommendations and his road to master.
In Epsiode 58, I converse with Eric Cohen, Managing Director at Benefit Quest. Eric has specialized in Insurance, Benefits, and Financial Services since 1988. He received his Bachelor's Degree from Yeshiva University in 1987 and his Certificate in Financial Planning from New York University in 1992. In January 2007 he developed the Business & Personal Financial Optimizer System and won a National Award for Consumer Education from NSACE. Eric is an experienced contributor and speaker and has appeared on Fox News "Fox & Friends Show" as an insurance expert several times.We speak about networking, ways to stay productive during COVID-19, risk management on and off the chess board, savings and more.
In Episode 57, I converse with Bruce Davis, the President of the Lehigh Valley Chess Association. Bruce Davis currently teaches hundreds of students in the Allentown area. We first met when I played a tournament his club back in 2009. We talk about the relationship of chess and his former profession of engineering, ways to empower more girls to play chess, correspondence chess and much more.
In Episode 56, I have the honor of interviewing my good friend and colleague National Expert Felix Lopez, the owner of Exclam Chess, which runs school programs and private lessons in Westchester. We discuss his chess background, correspondence chess, the art of streaming on Twitch, ways to improve at the game and more.
In milestone episode 55, we have a twist- rather than interviewing someone else, Michael Deutsch, the owner of Hands on Hoops Skills, asks me questions regarding our business, virtual learning, inspiration and more.
In episode 54, I converse with Teamika Jeffrey, the owner of My Dream Staffing Agency and the author of "Fountain of Happiness: Open Your Arms and Embrace Your Joy".We chat about the importance of teaching business and career advice to children starting at a young age, the correlations between recruiting and chess, her new book and more.
In Episode 53, I converse with Linda Diaz, a long-term chess friend, who currently is an up and coming singer, based in Brooklyn. She has her BA in Comparative American Studies, Africana Studies, Gender Sexuality and Feminist Studies from Oberlin College. She know is a full-time musician, performing around New York and producing albums. We converse about her 13-year chess career, the correlations of chess and music, ways to encourage new vocalists, her new EP "Magic." and more.
In Episode 52, I converse with Richard, Kistnen, Esq, who is a bankruptcy and eviction attorney. We talk about the bankruptcy progress, correlations between law and chess, the importance of unleashing your creativity, and more.
In Episode 51, I interview with Gary Ireland, an employment attorney in Manhattan. Gary Ireland is an experienced litigator who solves problems for clients through alternative dispute resolution, such as mediation and negotiation, as well as through traditional litigation.Gary represents clients in employment, real estate, contract and environmental disputes, and many other areas. He frequently coordinates with executive coaches to address legal issues during employment transitions.We talk about institutional change, the legal processs, discrimination, coaching, boy scouts, animal welfare and more.
In our milestone 50th episode, I converse with Esther Deutsch, Operations Manager at RCS Professional Services. Before joining RCS 6 years ago, Esther acted as a social worker. She has a BA in Business from Bellevue University and as Masters in Social Work from Fordham University. In addition to doing Operations at RCS, she does a lot of charity work and hosts networking events. We discuss the importance of planning ahead in chess and IT, Phish networking events, ways to stay productive during the Covid-19 Pandemic and more.
In Episode 49, I have the privelege of conersing with Rachel Glazer, the founder of Rachel G Events, who I first met in 2017 when she referred On the Spot Photo Magnets' professional photography and instant photo magnets service to the JCRC Boston gala. While most of my focus these days is working chess business, I do still remain sales manager for On the Spot Photo Magnets. For the last 12 years, Rachel G Events has organized countless, fundraisers, corporate events, weddings, bar mitzvahs and other events. We discuss the importance of staying flexible during co-vid time, ways in which event strategy mirrors that of a chess game, methods of fundraising and more.
In our 48th Episode, I had the pleasure of conversing with Leona Krasner, the owner of Krasner Law PLLC and Krasner Review. Leona is a dear friend and colleague who is one of my accountability partners. Whether she is working with couples getting divorced, students looking to get into college or graduate school or her colleagues like myself, she always trys her hardest to lend a hand.In this episode, we discuss accountability, legal strategy and how it relates to chess, the importance of knowing your opponent, the importance of extracurricular activities for the college admissions process and much more.
In 47th Episode, I had the sincere honor and pleasure of conversing with Dewain Barber, the "Dean of Scholastic Chess". Having played chess for over 50 years, Dean has been an integral part of the US Chess Scholastic scene, having donated hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships at national events and . He is the founder of American Chess Equipment, which he sold to our mutual friend and previous podcast guest Shelby Lohrman. He created “A Guide to Scholastic Chess” which provides information to school-based persons on how to start a chess club.He has been a member of the U.S. Chess Federation’s Life Member Assets committee, Scholastic Committee, and former member of the Scholastic Council. During this time he asked the US Chess Delegates to create the Scholastic Service Award to recognize persons for their “Many Contributions to Scholastic Chess”. In addition, he helped create the National Girls Tournament of Champions (NGTOC). He has been chairman of the GM Arnold Denker Tournament of High School Champions. For more information on his involvement with the Denker Tournament see “GM Arnold Denker: The Legacy”.In 2010 the US Chess Board of Delegates approved the “Dewain Barber Tournament of K-8 Champions”. In this lengthy episode, we discuss chess travel, ways to motivate scholastic players, the important of dealing with state affiliates, especially during the COVID-19 time, the effects of the nationals being canceled on US Chess and tenative plans for the Denker, Barber, Rockefeller and Senior Championships to be played online, his humor book series and much more.
In Episode 46, I converse with Timothy Madden, CPIA, an independent insurance broker for Honig Conte Porrino Insurance Agency, Inc. We discuss the importance of having a growth mindset, collaboration vs competition, the need for constant evaluation of position, the correlation of chess and insurance, and much more.
In Episode 45, I converse with Zev Gotkin, an entrepeneur and founder of Zev Media, a digital marketing agency that focuses on content marketing, social media management, influencer marketing, etc.We discuss the importance of following one's passion, ideas for networking, the correlations of chess and digital media and much more.
In 44th episode, I converse with Keith Greer, an executive coach who, challenges all to explore their culture, relationships and the quality of their communication through the lens of Conversational Intelligence. He works with educational institutions, busineses and individuals.We discuss the definition of Conversational Intelligence, ways for coaches, teachers and managers to gain trust, the art of questioning and much more.
In Episode 43, I converse with National Master Kola Adeyemi, who’s been a great friend and colleague ever since I met him in Washington Square Park back in 2006. Since then we’ve spent countless hours playing speed chess against one another, traveling to the North American Open in Las Vegas in December 2010, teaching together with Make a Difference in Tanzania in July 2018 and much more. By day, Kola is Strategy and Operations Lead at Google. We discuss chess communities, the correlations between chess, finance and technology, the importance of constant improvement, volunteering in Tanzania and much more.
In Episode 42, I converse with Bradford Fyffe, the owner of Five Star Painting Brooklyn, which does painting jobs in commercial and residental properties all over New York City.We talk about seeking one's true passion, the benefits of franchising and the relationship of chess and painting.
In Episode 41, I converse with Robby Alex Robertson, a relationship coach and founder of Dynamite Dads, who I recently met through our mutual friend Michael Deutsch, Owner of Hands on Hoops and former podcast guest. We discuss the art of coaching, ways to motivate others, the importance of getting outside of one's comfort zone, the relationships between mothers and fathers and much more.
In our milestone 40th episode, I coverse with leadership and life coach Tanja Bogataj, who hails from Slovenia but deals with clients all over the globe. She is the founder of #bepowerfulandfree community. We talk about the importance of getting outside of one's comfort zone (Ufaratzta in Hebrew), the relationship of chess and leadership, transferrable skills between various industries and much more.
In our 39th episode, I interview Elizabeth Drivas, who's been our Paychex Account Executive since January 2019. We talk about the benefits of payroll for services businesses, ways for growing businesses to stay a float during the COVID-19 challenges and analologies between HR and chess.
In Episode 38, I converse with Molly Coy, Founder of Coys Camps and Classes and A Tale of Two Kings. The episode photo was from a camp we did in her Sonoran Science Academy Tucson classroom when Pima County Superintendent Dustin Williams came to visit our winter break camp in January, 2019. We discuss the relationship of chess and business, chess pedagogy, chess parenting and more.
In Episode 37, I converse with Harriett Erskine-Joseph, Founder of Interiors by Harriet, a fellow member of BNI Manhattan Chapter 54. Her company Interiors by Harriet designs and installs window treatments and cleans draperies throughout the Greater NYC area. We talk about the process of window treatments and how it relates to a chess game, the importance of preemptive measure and more.
In our special double Chai Episode #36, I converse with Adam Torres, the founder of Mission Matters Media, a media, publishing and podcast marketing agency dedicated to the needs of business owners, entrepreneurs and executives. Adam is an international speaker, author of multiple books and host of the Mission Matters series of podcasts which has an 1,800+ episode catalogue. I was on his podcast a few weeks ago:https://missionmatters.com/benefits-of-chess-in-life-and-business-with-evan-rabin/We discuss our mutual passion for entrepreneurship, the concept of shared authorship, the benefits publishing can bring, especially to chess players, and much more.
In Episode #35, I converse with Benjamin Steinman, an Account Executive for Konica Business Solutions, which supplies copy machines, security cameras and other equipment to businesses in the New York area. While on the surface his business and chess do not have all that much in common, we were able to uncover quite a bit! We chatted about business networking, buying equipment as preemptive measure, just as you would castle your king before your opponent starts to attack, the importance of referral partners, and the requirement to add value in every conversation.
In Episode 34, I converse with Maurice Frumkin, the owner of NYC Admissions Solutions, which advises families and schools in circumventing the K-12 admissions consulting process, through workshops (virtual and in-person), 1-1 coaching, interview prep and more.We discuss his route to starting company, the challenges students face in admissions process, ways in which students can stand out and encouragement to try out new activities.
In Episode 33, I converse with Adam Shuty, the owner of Atomic Total Fitness, a boutique gym in Midtown East, where I've personally trained with Mike Murray. We discuss the transferable skills between chess and fitness, pedagogy for fitness trainers and chess teachers, entrepreneurship and more.
In Episode 32, I interview Jessica Martin the Founder of Over The Chessboard, which provides chess instruction in the Greater Charlotte area, including Lake Norman. She originally hails from Canada and spent the greater part of her childhood in Tucson, Arizona. After beginning her chess teaching career at Chess in the Schools for six years, she taught in Tucson for a few years before foundingOver The Chessboard, in Charlotte in 2008. She is a published author, having written "My First Chess Book" and "How to Play Chess For Kids."
In Episode 31, I interview Ron Anderson, a guitarist and rock-composer. Ron founded three successful bands- Rat At Rat R, The Molecules and PAK. He appears on over 70 releases, most recently in 2018 PAK - Bestial. He has also preformed all around the world, throughout the U.S, Europe, Japan and beyond. I became friends with Ron in the mid 2000s as he worked at the Marshall Chess Club. We discuss his passion for music, transferrable skills between music and chess, the importance of being flexible, his time working at the Marshall Chess Club, and much more. Check out some cool footage of Ron playing recently during Covid-19 lockdown here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1atuQeqzTN4&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR0AudfdIwuPmubLQ54fDLh38N2F8_IWT7J4xWrHbEeHOV8Cj6UWMdnjxm0
In Episode #30, I interview our close education partner Adrienne Murphy, the Founder of the Adrienne Process, which provides parents the specific “tools” for positive engagement with their unique child.We discuss the importance of focusing one one's strengths, methods of building confidence, particularly for special education students, an integrative approach, the 8 Adrienne process steps, and more.
In our 29th Episode, I converse with Melanie Fox, Founder of Speech Fox. Melanie is an acclaimed dialect coach and accent reduction specialist who helps non-native English speakers articulate clear business English.We discuss the correlation of speech, confidence building, entrepreneurship, and much more.
In Episode #28, I interview Jennifer Wilkov, an award-winning author and owner of Your Book is Your Hook. Jennifer Wilkov has written four books and is about to publish another next month. She's been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and CNBC. Now she focuses on marketing for authors, screenwriters and playwrights. We talk about the benefits of publishing, ways to educate, entertain and inspire your audience and how to get started in the publishing process.
In Podcast Epsidoe #27, I converse with Chess4Life Founder National Master Elliott Neff. Chess4Life reaches several thousand kids per week in the Seattle area in 4 physical location and millions more virtually. It is one of the biggest chess enterprises in the country with 20+ full-time employees. We talk about our initial meeting when I was in Seattle last year, chess pedagogy, the building of a successful chess business, ways to give back to the community and more.
In Episode #26, I interview Lisa Cunningham, Esq. I met her through her husband National Master Todd Bryant back in 2008. We then became good friends when they spent a summer in New York in 2010. A few years later, they lived in New York for several years. We discuss the relationship between chess and marital relations, ways to get more women to play the game, parenting and the correlation of chess and law.
In our milestone Episode #25, I converse with Mary Miele, the founder of Evolved Education, which offers tutoring, school placement services, special education consulting and much more. We chat about ways to inspire families during the COVID-19 season, the importance of education partners, the value of tutors and educational consultants, avenues of collaboration and much more
In Episode # 24, I converse with Shaily Hakimian, Social Media Connoisseur and K-12 Math Tutor. We first met at the Israeli American Council Conference in Washington DC in September, 2016. We chat about the importance of networking during the Coronavirus season, marketing strategies and how they relate to chess, multi-tasking between different businesses and much more.
In Episode #23 of podcast, I interview Alli Bradley, the CEO and Founder of Private Yoga Soho, which does in-person and virtual yoga sessions. We discuss the transferrable skills between chess and yoga, entrepreneurship, the importance of wellness and much more.
In Episode #22, I interview Dan Pelletier, the Founder of DIG USA, which runs chess and soccer programs in Connecticut. We discuss transferrable skills between chess, soccer and other activities, the ways Grandmasters Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana and others stay physically fit, the importance of chess companies to collaborate and much more.
In the 21st episode of podcast, I converse with Ryan Garson, the founder of Very Social and a Manhattan real estate broker with Halstead. We chat about his passion for entrepreneurship, the rising importance of Instagram, the art of strategic planning, a comparison of chess, social media and real estate and more.
In Podcast Episode #20, I have a conversation with Michael Trugman, a CPA, who loves practicing his true passion, which is health coaching. We discuss his transition to his passion
In Podcast Episode #19, I interview Jean-Antoine Norbert, an esteemed painter and teacher. He earned an MFA from the New York Academy of Art, a diploma from the Angel Academy of Art in Florence Italy and a medical degree from UNIL, Université de Lausanne, Switzerland.. His portrait of Queen Elizabeth II is on permanent display at the British Consulate NYC. We discuss his desire to transition from medicine to his true passion of painting, transferable skills between chess and painting, his desire to learn chess and more.
In Episode #18, I interview Grandmaster Boris Alterman and Luba Alterman, the founders of ChessMatec. With a rating of 2608, Grandmaster Alterman is the 6th highest rated player in Israel. He was friends with my coach GM Leonid Yudasin as they represented Israel in several Olympiads together. In this episode, we discuss the importance of networking in the chess world, the chess scene in Israel, the functions and benefits of ChessMatec and much more.
In the 17th podcast episode, I interview Life Master Michael Aigner, who resides in the Bay Area. Some of his chess highlights include tying for second place in the U.S Open in 2006 and playing in the U.S Chess Championship in 2007. Thanks to his love for the birds opening, he has the nick name "fpawn." I first met Michael when we played in the 2009 Chicago Open. While Michael was born with quadrilateral phocomelia, four short limbs and has been wheel-chair bound his whole life, that hasn't stopped him from reaching for the stars, getting a MS in Biomedical Engineering at Stanford and becoming a Life Master. In this interview, we discuss his background, chess pedagogy insights, the importance of getting outside one's comfort zone, ways to motivate more disabled players to participate in tournaments and more.
In Podcast Episode #16. I interview Lara Hocheiser, the owner of one of our esteemed education partners Flow & Grow Kids Yoga. We discuss the importance of collaborating, mindfulness, how yoga can help prepare players for chess games, our plans during the Covid-19 season, and much more.
In Episode 15, I interview Dr. Alana Bloom, Chiropractor. We discuss chess and health, the importance of gratitude, how to stay productive during the coronavirus season, the importance of listening to teachers and more.
In Episode 14, I interview FIDE Master Mike Ivanov, Founder of Canada Chess Youth League. We discuss the founding of his organization, the differences of playing chess tournaments in North America and Europe, organization of norm tournaments, the benefits of chess and more.
In this episode, I interview Steve Abrahams, the author of "Become A Chess Champion: A New Guide To Learn & Teach Chess", teacher at Academy Prep of Lakeland, FIDE trainer and more. We talk about teaching pedagogy, chess networks, benefits of curriclum classes and much more.
In Podcast Episode #12, I interview Shelby Lohrman, my friend, teammate and fellow chess businessman. He is the Director of American Chess Equipment, which makes and distributes top-of-the line chess equipment at great prices. We discuss our friendship, businesses, joint partnership and chess networks.
In 10th episode of podcast, I interview Sharon Richter, a business coach with Focal Point. We discuss business goals, continuous improvement, strategy vs tactics and more.
In Podcast Episode #10, I interview our Staten Island Instructor Ian Fleischman. We discuss his background, teaching pedagogy, his favorite yearly tournament, the Amateur Team East, chess variants and more.
In Podcast Episode #8, I interview Mike Papapvlou, the owner of Guitar Guide Guru, one of our premier education partners. We discuss, chess, guitar, education, motivation, teaching pedagogy and more.
Podcast Episode #8 With Father Hamblin, Rector At St. Paul’s Church In Flatbush, Brooklyn by National Master Evan Rabin, CEO of Premier Chess
In Podcast Episode #7, I interview Minna Taylor, the owner of Energize Your Voice. Energize Your Voice creates happier and higher performing humans of all ages via acting and improvisation workshops. They partner with schools, companies, and Indiana’s. In this podcast, we discuss confidence building, teaching pedagogy and transferrable skills in acting, chess education and business.
In Podcast Episode #6, I interview Bill Clausen, the owner of Triangle Chess, which runs tournaments, school programs and private lessons for over 2000 kids in the Raleigh—Durham- Chapel Hill area. We chatted about chess teaching, business development, our 3rd Annual Make a Difference Teaching Chess in Africa trip, next week’s upcoming state championship and much more!
In Espisode 5, I interview our Director of School Programs Phil Rosenberg. We discuss chess teaching, hustling in Washington Square Park and his new TV seres
In the 4th edition of podcast, I Interview Susan Holman, who is an NLP trainer, who focuses on increased confidence and states of excellence. We talk about chess, personal improvement, concentration and more.
In this episode, I sit down with Edmond, President, Thomas, CEO and Wilson, Instructor of American Youth Table Tennis. We talk about chess, table tennis, education, tournament preparation, avenues of partnership and more. For more information about American Youth Table Tennis, see https://aytto.com.
In second edition of podcast, I interview Mike Deutsch, the CEO of Hands on Hoops Skills, one of our premier education partners. Picture is of Mike at the recent event we co-hosted with Hands on Hoops and Guitar Guide Guru at Barnes and Noble UWS in December 2019.
Welcome to my new podcast, where I discuss introduction to Premier Chess, motivation for starting podcast, my goals and more.