Derek Wilder
Derek Wilder has used his chess knowledge and his inspirational spirit to guide Walter Chrysler Elementary School's chess team to several state and national championships. Three years ago, Derek worked on a chess documentary, "Why We Play", which highlighted the careers of Detroit's best chess players; after watching that documentary, I knew I had to learn more about Detroit's chess world. On this week's episode of 64, I interviewed Coach Wilder about the chess scene in Detroit, and about scholastic chess in America. Coach Wilder describes his role as a "motivational speaker" for his students during tournaments, and discusses his goals for his own chess improvement. We also talk about chess podcasting, and about hitting & climbing the rating "wall". Coach Wilder occasionally streams on Twitch (@dee_wildman) and is the host of a great chess podcast, too; subscribe to his podcast, Detroit Chess Killers, wherever you get your podcasts!
16 Apr 202150min
NM Derek Zhang
As a Super-Admin for the US Chess team in the Live Chess World League (LCWL), NM Derek Zhang is currently trying to lead America out of the 2nd division and into the top division of the LCWL. Today, David interviews NM Zhang about fair play in online chess, the Florida chess scene, the future of chess in America, and on drawing inspiration from Daniil Dubov. NM Zhang's improvement from a beginner to master, without studying top-level or historical games, is particularly insightful for students who want to improve. You can find him on chess.com: @Dare-Dare
6 Apr 202150min
GM Ori Kobo
GM Ori Kobo wears many hats. He is one of the strongest players in Israel, and recently delivered a strong performance in the Israeli Chess Championship. Beyond the chessboard, he is a student of psychology, and he is also a prolific chess coach, who has not only coached strong players in Israel, but is also MY chess coach! On this episode of 64, I discuss GM Kobo's chess career in brief; from the chess culture in his hometown of Jerusalem, to his ups and downs on his way to the grandmaster title. We talk about the recent controversy surrounding Iranian players forced to forfeit matches against Israelis, and about support for chess in Israel. We lastly dive into GM Kobo's chess philosophy and discuss how to improve broadly as a chess player. You can find GM Kobo on Twitch, where he's recently started FallenChessKnights with some friends and hopes to popularize chess with a younger generation in Israel.
30 Mar 202157min
NM James Canty III
Detroit native James Canty III has been grinding chess for his entire life. His ultimate goal is to become the first black grandmaster born in America, and has been working meticulously on his game to get there. Canty used success at the Millionaire Chess Open tournament to revive his chess career and now works full-time as a chess content creator. He is also an up-and-coming Twitch streamer, recently signed to Noble eSports. On this episode, David talks to NM Canty about his chess career, his role models, his philosophy on chess and life, and -- most importantly -- his contagious ambition to be the best version of himself,. Don't forget to subscribe to NM Canty on YouTube and Twitch to help support his career as he pursues the GM title!
25 Mar 20211h 24min
