Chess Podcast Tier List

Chess Journeys: Tales of Adult Improvement

Dr. Kevin Scull had me with his Tiny Grimes username on the platform that shall not be named, and I’d be a regular listener even if he focused only on his own “glories of ratings gains, plateaus, and the pitfalls of despair.” But his show features a wide range of guests, from (actual) beginners to GMs, built on a foundation of a stream of club players most of us can relate to. And, it turns out, Kevin is also aphantasic¹. || RSS

C-Squared

It’s not every day that you get a top 5 Super GM and world championship contender not only podcasting regularly, but honestly and equably. Fabi (the mononym is all you need)—supported, assisted, and occasionally cajoled by Cristian Chirilă—routinely brings insights you will rarely, if ever, hear anywhere else. But, for the love of the chess goddess whose name adorns this tier, no more “absent-mindedly yammering while playing Super Smash Bros.”! || RSS

Dojo Talks

True to the style and approach of its training program, the Chess Dojo Talks are informal, but delve deep. The three hosts/senseis—Jesse Kraai, Kostya Kavutskiy, and David Pruess²—have fantastic chemistry, their friendship clearly on display despite (and no doubt because of) their often widely divergent opinions and perspectives. And the topics (and occasional guests) run the gamut from teaching scholastics to chess history deep dives, and from club players to super GMs and coaches. Note: if you’re serious about chess improvement, particularly in longer time controls, looking for a diverse online community of fellow enthusiasts—or just love a dynamic, structured program that just gets better and better— the Chess Dojo Training Program is for you. I’m compelled to plug the Dojo program and community given that it is simultaneously one of the best quality programs and one of the best chess bargains out there. || RSS

Perpetual Chess

One of the OG podcasts, and still going strong, Ben Johnson’s Perpetual Chess practically defines this tier. From adult improvers to Super GMs, living history to the latest topics du jour, coaches to students, pro commentators to streamers, historians to scientists…if you choose to listen to just one chess podcast (what is wrong with you? How could you stop at one?), this is it. || RSS

! Great

The Chess Cognition Podcast

A relative newcomer to podcasting, Dr. (and CM) Can Kabadayi has wasted no time establishing one of the more interesting shows for those of us interested in cognitive science, pedagogy, and chess. Bringing the lessons of cognitive science and established teaching practices to chess learning is criminally overlooked. Though Dr. Can has been intentional in retaining a good experience for podcast listeners, it feels like the sections that practically require video continue to grow. || RSS

The Chess Experience

I treasure Daniel Lona’s podcast most because his roster of guests includes, proportionally, many more women than pretty much any other active podcast and insightful, interesting guests you don’t often (or ever) hear elsewhere. I enjoy hearing from the “A-list” chess personalities as much, or likely more, than anyone, but the fabric of chess—its scene, vibe, culture, and ongoing history—is composed primarily of people who we don’t hear from nearly enough. I || RSS

Chess Visualization with Don’t Move

It’s possible that my own struggle with aphantasia is a bit of a finger on the scale, but Aiden Raynor’s focus on “science-backed exercises, insights, and lessons designed to make your adult brain better” is literally without peer. But it’s a critical, fascinating topic nonetheless, and I appreciate that there’s a plethora of interesting material—presented in reasonable chunks—in addition to the visualization exercises that I literally can’t (yet?) do. || RSS

Chess with Mustreader

Greg Mustreader (known in the real world as Grigory Fedorov) is an interesting character and podcaster. He’s sharp, multilingual, and able to land some remarkable guests. In other words, he has evident connections and means, but remains a cipher³. At any rate, Mustreader not only brings on guests from the chess stratosphere, but is unafraid to tackle controversial topics beyond the “press-room briefing” level. || RSS

New in Chess Podcast

Maintaining the New in Chess brand and position, the NIC Podcast is often—but not always!—a relatively formal affair. The bulk of episodes are professionally narrated sections from Genna Sosonko’s indispensable books on chess history and historical figures. Those may not be to every chess player’s taste, but they are very much in my particular wheelhouse! The other shows are usually ably hosted by New in Chess editor Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, whose own extensive history as a writer and organizer complements guests that have included Peter Leko, Peter Svidler, Peter Doggers, Peter Heine Nielsen, and a wide variety of guests not named Peter. || RSS

No Pawn Intended

Hosted by a National Master statistician and a club-level programmer, I enjoy the conversational banter and lighthearted, but not naive, perspectives. You don’t need to be part of the ChessGoals universe to enjoy the podcast, but I have heard only good things about their courses and training plans. || RSS

!? Hit or Miss

Blindfold Chess Podcast

The “hit or miss” aspect here is all about me: as I try to replace my former ability to visualize, most of the episodes are beyond my ability³. The podcast itself is excellent, concisely presenting puzzles and short games—often featuring players who don’t get enough attention in podland, such as, recently, Maia Chiburdanidze and Tatev Abrahamyan—that can be enjoyed without a board (I don’t recommend doing so while driving!). Many of the episodes contain a satisfying little dollop of history and context too. || RSS

The Chess Angle

There’s a lot for the chess improver to benefit from here, but it can be a hard listen for me for various idiosyncratic and personal reasons. Mostly, I just find the host often hard to take, which—combined with my disagreement with him on a number of subjective questions—leaves me picking and choosing based on the topics and/or guest. || RSS

Next Level Chess

Host GM Noël Studer is a well-regarded coach and author of a few highly regarded courses. Ironically, I’ve learned a lot more from his appearances on other podcasts than I have on his own, which is often cursory, abstract and/or obvious. I’m also not a fan of single-host podcasts where the host is clearly reading a script. I’d rather just read for myself. That said, I strongly agree with most of Studer’s approach and philosophy, so there are gems to be heard on, perhaps better, read in the transcripts of, the show. || RSS

Sjaksnakk

I should probably move Sjaksnakk up a tier because other than the irregular publishing schedule, most of the “miss” here was a reflection of my being a monoglot, unable to enjoy the episodes in Norwegian. The content, and guests, are top-notch, including recent appearances by Magnus, David Howell, and personal fave Jonthan Tisdall. || RSS

?! Not (Usually) My Style

Chess Times

AI is best left as a spice not the main dish. || RSS

The Chessboxing Podcast

I’ll watch a chessboxing bout, but I don’t really need more. || RSS

Premier Chess

When there is a particularly interesting chess-related guest, I’ll tune in, but the non-chess and chess+business topics are rarely my bag. || RSS

♾️ Unclear

Chess Bell

I guess this is/was an AI thing? || RSS

Chess Quest

I’ve enjoyed the (still small) segments I’ve listened to, and I’m sure it will move up into a better tier soon. We need more of this kind of podcast, the very thing the medium was invented for! || RSS

Chess Chatter

This is a great podcast, filled with both practical advice and conversation relevant to mere mortal club-level players and aspiring beginners. One of the hosts is even local(ish) geographically. It’s only in this tier because after a long run of weekly/bi-weekly episodes through January 14, it has since gone silent. || RSS

chessfeels

I cannot express how much I loved chessfeels, relegated from Caïssa’s Choice only because I am compelled to refer to it in the past tense⁴. Silent since September 11 of last year, chessfeels was both sui generis and, I daresay, critical. The combination of a skilled chess player and/coach and a knowledgeable, irreverent therapist who was both a chess enthusiast and understood the game’s culture, was unparalleled. And I know it spoke directly to many others as clearly as it spoke to me, particularly when it tackled the emotional and psychological aspects of the game that are rarely, if ever, taken on directly anywhere else, whether it be ratings toxicity, ADHD, how to handle losing, or creating healthy goals, to name just a few. || RSS

The Chess Growth Podcast

I was really rooting for this, apparently very brief-lived pod, which I think the chess community needs more of: enthusiastic amateurs sharing what and how they learn anmd experience the greatest game. || RSS

The Chess Lounge

Another fun, occasionally irreverent, pod that both added much needed diversity of perspective to the discourse and disappeared without warning. I miss it. || RSS

The Chicken Chess Club

As Louis Armstrong (purportedly) said about jazz, “if you gotta ask, you’ll never know.” || RSS

🪦 Gone But Not Forgotten

• 64: A Chess Podcast
• Average Joes Chess
• Chess Club Live
• Chess Crib
• The Chess Pit (archived on Apple Podcasts) (31 Jan 2020)
• Chess Study
• The Chess Underground
• Chess: The Full English Breakfast
• The Chess Lobster
• The Chess Underground
• The Chess.com Podcast
• ChessBabe
• Cover Stories with Chess Life
• The Gotham City Podcast
• How to Chess
• Invisible Chess
• Ladies Knight
• The Ocean of Chess Podcast
• One Move At a Time
• Ono Another Chess Podcast
• The Say Chess Podcast
• Your Week in Chess