The 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss thrilled fans with Anish Giri’s win, Matthias Blubaum’s surprise Candidates spot, and dramatic clashes between rising juniors and veterans, sparking debate on how to create more high-stakes events like it.

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00:06 – First impressions of the Grand Swiss 01:34 – Why this tournament felt special 03:02 – Calls for more events tied to the World Championship 06:12 – Stakes and qualification systems in chess 09:26 – How FIDE co-opted the Isle of Man tournament 14:06 – Tournament winners: Giri and Bluebaum 20:00 – Evaluating Bluebaum’s chances in the Candidates 28:34 – Giri’s ambitions and old-school endgame play 33:45 – The gap between 2600s and 2700s 42:26 – Who might miss the Candidates and future prospects

In this Dojo Talks, Kostya recaps his trip to Portugal for the Maia Open with three chess streamers—Matthew, Rachel, and Anushka—along with David, discussing their experiences with tournament preparation and their performance. They highlight how sparring and collective training were crucial to their success, helping them feel more confident and prepared for their games, and they share their different feelings about the pressure of a big tournament.

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00:00 Introduction to the Maya Open tournament recap 01:19 Players share how they feel after the tournament 02:28 Player backgrounds and chess experience 04:19 The role of sparring in their training 13:04 The players' approach to pre-game preparation 20:16 How tournament goals changed their training

The Dojo (GM Jesse Kraai, IM David Pruess, IM Kostya Kavutskiy) discuss Hikaru Nakamura's path to the candidates, along with who they'd like to see qualify for the 2026 FIDE Candidates tournament.

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00:00 – Intro & Setup 01:31 – Is Hikaru the Exception? 08:36 – Balancing Streaming, Training, and Competition 09:23 – The Busy Chess Calendar 10:55 – Strength of the Tournament 14:39 – Ethics of Rating Manipulation 17:39 – Die-Hard Rules vs. Fair Play 22:27 – Mathematical Loopholes in Ratings 27:15 – Impact on Future Candidates 31:20 – Who Deserves to Be in the Candidates? 55:00 – Alternative Qualification Systems 58:33 – Broader Trends in Chess Ratings 1:00:12 – Closing Thoughts & Wrap-Up

This Dojo Talks explores what makes some players stronger at blitz than others, contrasting calculation-based vs. intuitive styles, online vs. over-the-board skills, and the role of premoves, time management, and tricky opening repertoires. The sensei also discuss the rise of a “blitz generation,” handling tilt, and David’s quest to reach a 2600 blitz rating.

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00:01 – David’s blitz struggles 02:46 – Blitz as a different game 07:05 – Calculator vs. intuitive players 15:16 – The premove problem 20:05 – Online vs. OTB blitz 25:18 – Blitz repertoires and system openings 32:07 – Queen’s Gambit generation 58:15 – Tilt and the 2600 quest

GM Alexander Fishbein shares how he won the 2025 U.S. Senior Championship by relying on stamina, heavy tournament practice, and deep training methods such as solitary chess and analyzing old annotated games. This Talks also highlights generational contrasts in chess culture, from preparation styles to the evolving rules on draw offers.

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0:15 – Introduction 2:34 – Becoming a Real Contender 6:00 – Finding an Edge Against More Talented Rivals 8:13 – Taking Time Off Work to Chase Chess Goals 10:52 – Training Stamina & Playing 100 Games a Year 18:20 – Why Rating Doesn’t Matter 21:11 – Core Training: Annotating Games & Using Engines 36:33 – Solitaire Chess & Personalized Training 51:06 – The “Post-Postmortem” Method (Old Book Analysis) 59:39 – Final Insights

In this episode of Dojo Talks, Jesse, David, and Kostya each reveal and debate their top 10 chess countries of all time—based on world champions, cultural contributions, and historic achievements—before combining their lists into a final ranking.

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04:57 – Jesse’s #10 pick 09:44 – David’s #10 pick 13:01 – Kostya’s #10 pick 14:04 – Kostya’s #9 pick 15:24 – David’s #9 pick 18:51 – Jesse’s #9 pick 20:33 – Jesse’s #8 pick 21:37 – David’s #8 pick 25:16 – Kostya’s #8 pick 27:12 – Kostya’s #7 pick 28:31 – David’s #7 pick 30:13 – Jesse’s #7 pick 32:19 – Jesse’s #6 pick 33:54 – David’s #6 pick 36:28 – Kostya’s #6 pick 37:39 – Kostya’s #5 pick 38:34 – David’s #5 pick 42:12 – Jesse’s #5 pick 44:51 – Jesse’s #4 pick 46:24 – David’s #4 pick 49:04 – Kostya’s #4 pick 50:26 – Kostya’s #3 pick 52:43 – David’s #3 pick 59:29 – Jesse’s #3 pick 1:02:48 – Jesse’s #2 pick 1:05:50 – David’s #2 pick 1:09:45 – Kostya’s #2 pick 1:10:37 – Kostya’s #1 pick 1:11:41 – David’s #1 pick 1:12:42 – Jesse’s #1 pick

Jesse questions the usual way of learning chess, suggesting that copying moves can be as useful as deep strategy. The sensei discuss if playing blitz and checking with a computer can help players improve quickly.

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00:00 – Jesse’s heresy revealed 01:26 – Hendriks: chess is learned by copying 04:17 – Copying in openings is valid 06:06 – Blitz + engine as a training method 08:56 – How kids get strong fast today 13:38 – Comparing blitz to Dojo sparring 21:29 – Words vs instinct in learning chess 27:14 – Chess960 and the limits of imitation 38:08 – Engines changed how we see tactics 46:50 – Ideas help memory and understanding

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Check out GM Mykhaylo Oleksiyenko at https://www.oleksiyenko.com

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