The Value of a Coach

Is it possible to continue to get better at chess once you hit your 50s?  The Adult Improver Series returns, and that’s one of the central questions I explore with today’s guest, long-time friend of the pod and fellow chess podcaster Dr. Kevin Scull.

Kevin is the host of the popular Chess Journeys podcast, where he interviews adult chess improvers on a weekly basis. In our conversation, he shares insights drawn from hundreds of interviews, as well as from his own dedicated pursuit of tournament chess.

We discuss:

• How Kevin managed to reach a new all-time rating high of over 1800 USCF in his early 50s
  

• The social and competitive benefits of adult-only tournaments
  

• Whether struggling to remember your games afterward means you’re hopeless at chess
  

As you’d expect, Kevin also shares a wealth of chess resource recommendations and practical improvement tips, and reflects on nearly five years of producing Chess Journeys.

Perpetual Chess Adult Improver Series Website:

https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/adultimprover

Perpetual Chess Adult Improver Series Spotify Playlist: 

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/75Uoqz2BoRt2IiTCeOfuky?si=ab7ba68225fb43dc

0:00- Thanks to Chessable, check out Kevin’s course here:

https://www.chessable.com/chess-journeys-tactics-workbook-turning-knowledge-into-skill/course/268850/

0:01- Kevin joins the pod. How did he achieve a new rating high of 1800+ USCF in his early 50s? 

0:08- Why Kevin particularly enjoys adult and senior-only tournaments 

18:00- Kevin’s recent chess improvement realizations 

Mentioned: Karpov’s Strategic Wins by IM Tibor Karolyi 

23:00- The benefits of having a coach

Mentioned: NM Gopal Menon

https://lichess.org/streamer/vitamixbrand

28:00- More chess improvement secrets!

Mentioned: 100 Tactical Patterns You Must Know

The Carlsbad Pawn Structure Revisited 

Chess Structures 

32:00- Is Kevin hopeless at chess because he can’t remember his games?

Post-

Am I bad at chess or our brains really that different?

https://drscull.substack.com/p/am-i-bad-at-chess-or-are-brains-really

Playing a Chess Tournament without Calculating

https://substack.com/@drscull/p-185151203

43:00- What is new with the Chess Journeys Podcast and Kevin’s Streaming?

Check at Chess Inception at Chesspuzzle.net 

https://chesspuzzle.net/Inception

47:00- Patterns that Kevin sees in successful improvers

50:00- What has Kevin learned from watching his daughter pursue chess? 

53:00- Kevin’s review of IM Danny Rensch’s Dark Squares

54:00- How to recalibrate expectations as you get older 

56:00- The value of studying random positions 

Thanks to Kevin for joining me!

Blog/substack here:

https://substack.com/@drscull/posts

Chess Journeys Podcast:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1kNbZLQE6JvbAyfOlv7ZNY?si=4b82e81608c24743&nd=1&dlsi=1afd66a98e904dc7

Chessable course:

https://www.chessable.com/chess-journeys-tactics-workbook-turning-knowledge-into-skill/course/268850/

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