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The Chess Cognition Podcast

by Can Kabadayi

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Latest episodes

  • How to Study Master Games: A Guide for Post-Beginners

    September 15, 2026 · 26 min

    00:00 Intro01:19 The Recognition Trap02:29 The PER Method: Preview, Explain, Retrieve02:48 How to Choose the Right Master Games04:18 Step 1: Preview the Game05:43 Previewing Tal–Larsen 196507:49 Step 2: Explain the Master’s Move (Only if…

  • Why Your Chess Knowledge Disappears During Games

    September 1, 2026 · 10 min

    0:00 You Understand It But Can’t Apply It0:43 The Real Problem: Retrieval1:03 The Encoding Specificity Principle2:02 Why Chess Study and Real Games Feel Different3:39 Recognition Is Not Retrieval5:17 How to Make Chess Knowledge…

  • How Strong Chess Players Make the Board Feel Smaller

    August 25, 2026 · 14 min

    0:00 Why Chess Overloads Your Brain1:09 The Intelligence Illusion1:59 Your Working Memory Has a Problem3:10 Why Obvious Blunders Happen4:02 How Strong Players Make Chess Simpler4:37 Schemas: The Secret of Chess Expertise6:10 What Masters…

  • Hindsight Bias: Why Chess Engines Make Your Mistakes Look Obvious

    August 4, 2026 · 13 min

    0:00 Mistakes Look Obvious Afterwards01:00 The Hindsight Bias2:10 Why Your Brain Rewrites the Past2:41 How Engines Contaminate Your Analysis3:47 A Painful Example From My Own Game6:02 What to Do Before Turning On the Engine7:22 Introducing…

  • How to Practice Chess So It Shows Up in Your Games

    July 28, 2026 · 9 min

    00:00 Why Puzzle Skill Disappears in Real Games00:59 What Is Transfer in Chess Training?01:50 The Study That Changed How We Understand Practice03:18 Why Harder Practice Produces Better Learning03:45 The Hidden Problem With Themed Chess…

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  • Why Most Chess Advice Doesn’t Actually Help You Improve

    July 21, 2026 · 10 min

    00:00 Correct Advice Can Be Useless00:59 Slogans vs. Thinking Tools02:06 Curse of Knowledge02:57 Why Advice Depends on Your Level03:41 Turn Chess Advice Into If–Then Rules05:02 CLAMP: A Thinking Routine for Preventing Blunders06:07 Three…

  • The 4-Question Method to Diagnose Your Chess Mistakes

    July 13, 2026 · 13 min

    00:00 Intro01:20 4 Questions03:35 Chess Example 105:06 The Remedy 105:58 Chess Example 207:37 Wishful Thinking08:46 The Remedy 209:53 Training Tips10:48 Error LogWhy do chess players keep making the same mistakes even after analyzing their…

  • The Hidden Key to Chess Improvement: Prior Knowledge

    June 30, 2026 · 12 min

    00:00 Why the Same Chess Lesson Produces Different Results01:27 Prior Knowledge: The Mental Hooks That Make Ideas Stick02:23 Chess Knowledge as a Network03:16 Chess Example: Why the Minority Attack Confuses Some Players04:34 Why Good Chess…

  • The Recognition Trap: Why Chess Study That Feels Easy Doesn’t Work

    June 23, 2026 · 11 min

    00:00 Intro00:41 Recognition Trap02:16 Recognition vs. Retrieval04:05 Testing Effect/Retrieval Practice04:22 Generation Effect05:15 Why Most Chess Content Doesn’t Transfer05:37 Three Ways to Train for Real Improvement06:19 Generation…

  • Why Your Adult Brain Is Actually BETTER at Chess (If You Train Right)

    June 16, 2026 · 11 min

    00:00 Intro00:51 The Learning Illusion01:55 Prior Knowledge: Why Adults Need the "Why"03:03 Working Memory: Your Brain's Biggest Bottleneck04:24 Worked Examples vs. Discovery Learning06:27 Desirable Difficulty: Why Comfort Zones Kill…

  • FM Kamil Plichta - Building Openings That Create Early Pressure

    April 30, 2026 · 1 hr 27 min

    00:00 Intro04:02 Beating Magnus Carlsen in Blitz07:15 Feedback and Course Development09:11 How Kamil Found Chessable14:50 Winning Best Author Support Awards22:45 A Typical Day in Kamil's Life29:47 Typical Author Mistakes 37:39 Creating…

  • FM Niranjan Navalgund - How to Beat Stronger Players in Chess

    April 24, 2026 · 1 hr 6 min

    00:00 Intro04:38 Does this only apply to grandmasters?07:25 Quiet positions vs Chaos11:00 Play the pieces, not the player?16:50 Nothing to Lose Mentality23:15 The TRAP framework35:00 Cognitive Biases in Chess44:57 Mistakes to Avoid against…

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About the show

A deep dive into the world of chess through the lenses of cognitive science, psychology, and teaching. Join the leading players, coaches, and scholars as they explore the intricacies of chess and the mental processes that drive success on and off the board.