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In this video, I play three 5+0 blitz games followed by an analysis of each. The main focus is on the difference between playing the French and playing the Sicilian — two defenses that lead to very different kinds of positions and decisions. For busy adult amateurs, the question isn't just which opening is "best," but which type of game fits your style, comfort level, and available study time. This episode is sponsored by Chessbook, an online chess training platform that helps players build, organize, and remember their opening repertoires through personalized training. 🎯 Our Links:  YouTube Website X Buy Me a Coffee Email: [email protected]

In this first 5+0 Amateur Run, I play three blitz games and then review the key moments afterward. We'll look at the advantages, the drawbacks, and what changes when there's no increment to bail you out in time trouble. Errata: While recording, I accidentally forgot to analyze the third game because I was still used to the two-game format from the 5+3 Amateur Run. The omission was simply an oversight. 🎯 Our Links:  YouTube Website X Buy Me a Coffee Email: [email protected]

Here, we look at an important London System question: when (and on which side) should you actually castle? For busy adult amateurs, the key is to avoid playing opening moves automatically and instead understand when castling improves your position, and when waiting can give you more flexibility. 🎯 Our Links:  YouTube Website X Buy Me a Coffee Email: [email protected]

In this game, I use a practical Nimzo-Indian setup that avoids a lot of heavy main-line theory while still giving Black an active position. It's a great option for busy adult club players who want a sound opening without spending hours memorizing variations. 🎯 Our Links:  YouTube Website X Buy Me a Coffee Email: [email protected]

This video features two 5+3 games with very different challenges. After a quick London System game, the second turns into a lesson in managing serious time pressure, with less than 30 seconds on my clock while my opponent still has more than three minutes. We'll look at practical ways busy adult amateurs can simplify decisions, manage the clock, and continue playing good chess when time is running out. 🎯 Our Links:  YouTube Website X Buy Me a Coffee Email: [email protected]

The London System can become dangerous quickly if Black allows a comfortable kingside attack. In this video, we look at practical ways to defend accurately, create counterplay, and keep the position under control. 🎯 Our Links:  YouTube Website X Buy Me a Coffee Email: [email protected]

Introducing our 5+3 Amateur Run series: Fast enough to create pressure, slow enough to still play real chess (mostly😂). In this video, I play one game with the French Defense and another with the London System - two openings that work extremely well together as a simple, practical repertoire. For busy adult amateurs, the goal isn't to memorize endless opening theory, but to reach playable positions you understand and spend more of your limited study time on the parts of chess that matter most. 🎯 Our Links:  YouTube Website X Buy Me a Coffee Email: [email protected]

Welcome to the 10+5 Amateur Run. In this first game, I make an embarrassing early mistake, fall behind, and have to figure out how to stay in the game and fight back. This series is about practical chess improvement for busy adult amateurs, using real games to explore better decisions, stronger habits, and more efficient ways to improve. 🎯 Our Links:  YouTube Website X Buy Me a Coffee Email: [email protected]

After 200 episodes, The Chess Angle is making its next move. I explain why the show is shifting to a video-first format where I play games against fellow amateurs, talk through my thinking, and analyze the games afterward - with the wins, losses, mistakes, and everything in between becoming part of the learning process. Same philosophy, same focus on practical chess improvement, but a completely new way of doing it. 🎯 Our Links:  YouTube Website X Buy Me a Coffee Email: [email protected]

This episode is our Season 11 Finale. We'll be taking a break and will be back soon. Chess puzzles can be one of the most effective ways to improve, but only if you're actually training, rather than guessing, rushing through a daily quota, or chasing a streak. This week, we look at how to get more value from puzzle training by calculating before moving, repeating difficult positions, and working on everything from tactics and endgames to positional ideas and quiet moves. 📧 If you have a question, comment, or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at [email protected]. 🎯 Our Links:  Website Twitter (X) Buy Me a Coffee

Sometimes the problem isn't that we aren't thinking enough at the chessboard — it's that we're thinking about too much. In this episode, we explore "move noise": the unnecessary calculation, imaginary threats, second-guessing, and search for the perfect move that can interfere with good practical chess. Learn how to separate signal from noise, trust your chess, and save your thinking time for the positions that actually require it. 📧 If you have a question, comment, or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at [email protected]. 🎯 Our Links:  Website Twitter (X) Buy Me a Coffee

Many adult club players don't study too little opening theory - they study too much. In this episode, we explore the trap of diminishing returns in opening study, why understanding ideas matters far more than memorizing endless lines, and the importance of building a practical repertoire that consistently leads to playable middlegames. 📧 If you have a question, comment, or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at [email protected]. 🎯 Our Links:  Website Twitter (X) Buy Me a Coffee

Many chess blunders aren't caused by poor calculation - they're caused by visual blind spots. In this episode, we explore why certain types of moves consistently escape our attention, how those blind spots lead to missed tactics and costly mistakes, and what you can do to start seeing more of the board. 📧 If you have a question, comment, or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at [email protected]. 🎯 Our Links:  Website Twitter (X) Buy Me a Coffee

Your chess rating can easily swing 100 points or more, but it doesn't necessarily mean you've become a better or worse player. In this episode, we react to a fascinating article on rating variance and discuss why amateur players often experience even bigger swings than they realize. Referenced: Why Your Rating Swings More Than You Think 📧 If you have a question, comment, or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at [email protected]. 🎯 Our Links:  Website Twitter (X) Buy Me a Coffee

In engineering, a single point of failure is the one weak component capable of bringing down an entire system. Chess improvement often works the same way. In this episode, we explore why your rating may be determined less by your average skill level and more by the one recurring weakness that keeps showing up in your games - and why identifying and fixing that weakness may be the highest ROI work you can do as an adult improver. Buying more books or courses may not be the answer. Referenced: Did Pragg Fall for A Chess Tourist Trap? Why deep "chess culture" doesn't matter if you have a Single Point of Failure. 📧 If you have a question, comment, or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at [email protected]. 🎯 Our Links:  Website Twitter (X) Buy Me a Coffee