In Episode 273, I have the pleasure of conversing with Davorin Kuljasevic, Grandmaster and FIDE trainer, rated 2539 FIDE. Davorin was born in Zagreb, Croatia and currently lives with his wife International Master Iva Videnova and daugther in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

Davorin's career highlights include winning 4th place in World Youth U16 in 2002 and winning first place in the SPICE Spring 2011, Zupanja 2011, Mediteran 2011, Split 2013 and Castelfranco 2014.

He has a a Bachelor of Arts in Finance and Operations Management from University of Texas at Dallas and a Masters in Finance from Texas Tech University.

We speak about Chessable, teaching chess in Dubai, chess couples, the full stack approach to chesss improvement, the rise and comeback of World Champion Ding Liren, tournament pressure, his thoughts on the upcoming Liren- Gukesh World Championship match, his books How to Study Chess on Your Own: Creating a Plan that Works… and Sticking to it! and Ding Liren's Best Games: A Chess Biography of the World Champion and more.

In Episode 272, I converse with Mark Herschberg, Author of The Career Toolkit: Essential Skills for Success That No One Taught You and Fractional CTO/CPO. He has a lot of experience in cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence, healthcare, adtech, and marketplaces.

He has a Bachelor of Science and Masters Degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

As a seasoned executive and cybersecurity expert, he often bridges the divide between business and technology. He has started, grown, and fixed startup companies spanning over a dozen different verticals as well as helped two Fortune 500 companies with their internal startup initiatives, and helped create educational programs at MIT and Harvard Business School. He is an experienced board member.

In addition to working as a Fractional CTO/CPO, he is often a professional speaker on careers, leadership, negotiations, networking, and media.

We speak about his childhood lessons from our 131st Podcast Guest Fide Master Sunil Weeramantary, foresight, the Amateur Team East, common career mistakes, learning from co-workers, networking, negotiation, rules versus guidelines, thought process, our Summer 2024 Quad Series and more.

In Episode 271, I converse with Candidate Dane Zagar, who won first place in the 2024 Chicago Open U-2100 section, despite dealing with the distractions of his 4th round opponent Stan Halstead being thrown out of the tournament for cheating and escorting his friend to the hospital.

Dane is a chess and math tutor and serves as the President of The Chess Castle of Minnesota, one of the most active clubs in the Midwest.

Dane has a BS in Mathematics and Computer Science and previously served as the Minnesota State Chess Association Treasurer.

We speak about identifiying cheaters, what to do when there is a problem at a tournament, suggested policies to prevent cheating, time management, mindset under pressure, playing one's own section, the Chess Scene in Minnesota, consistency, improving tips, book recommendations and more.