The following article is an excerpt from a large article titled Best Chess Podcasts: The Ultimate Guide To Chess Podcasts in 2022. Despite the “Review” in the title, it is primarily a subjective look at the landscape of chess podcasting and, as such, isn’t “objective” by any means. In this post/series of posts, I will share my impressions about different chess podcasts.
About the podcast
Just like many others on this list, The Chess Feels is a relative newcomer on the chess podcasting scene, with the first episode launched on the 15th of March, 2022. It is hosted by two personalities very well known in the sphere of chess Twitter – Julia Rios, a professional therapist who describes herself as an „amateur checkmate finder“ and J.J. Lang, a professional chess teacher who describes himself as an „amateur feelings haver“.
Even though it is a relatively young podcast on the scene, Chess Feels Podcast immediately distinguished itself with its unique blend of chess and psychology. As its name suggests, the Chess Feels Podcast is a chess podcast that has a very heavy focus on feelings, emotions, and our psychological relationship with the game. Its official description states that the podcast explores:
„Social and psychological aspects of the game we all love… and hate.“
My impressions of the podcast
As someone who always had a keen interest in (popular) psychology, who used to run their own (popular) psychology blog, and who experiences a lot of emotional and psychological issues related to chess, I was very curious when I heard about the podcast launching. I have always felt chess culture is somewhat similar to the self-help culture in terms of obsession with self-improvement and success and that there was definitely some room for an honest discussion about the negative effects of such an obsession on our emotional well-being.
In my view, the Chess Feels podcast fills this gap perfectly. Even though, at the moment of writing 1 they have „only“ released 17th episodes, they already managed to talk about a number of extremely important, yet somewhat taboo, topics such as addiction to blitz, setting reasonable chess goals and quitting in chess. It is very refreshing to hear someone talk about these deep psychological topics so openly and I really like the combination of Julia’s expertise as a therapist and JJ’s vulnerability when it comes to expressing his own experience related to these, somewhat highly sensitive topics.
As someone who has struggled with all the above-mentioned issues, I found a number of episodes extremely relatable. I often have this underlying feeling that the hosts have spent some time inside my head/my living room, observed my behavior, and decided to talk about it on air. For me, it is very comforting to know I am not the only one struggling with certain psychological difficulties and that some of my issues are much more universal than you originally think. 2
What I particularly like about the podcast is not only the fact that the hosts talk about these psychological topics, but also HOW they talk about them and WHAT kind of conclusions they make. I really like the mature, anti-self-help philosophy that is in sharp contrast to the usual messaging prevalent in the chess circles. 3
In a world obsessed with ratings, chess improvement, and success, it is refreshing to hear that there are numerous ways to try and enjoy the game, that choosing not to improve and try to have fun is okay and not a „loser mentality“, that quitting in order to have more time for more fulfilling endeavors is permitted, that the rating system introduces a lot of problems with identification and the perception of self-worth and that, in general, everybody in the chess world should try to exercise more compassion and empathy.
Both toward other people.
And themselves.
Now, from everything I have written above you might have gotten the impression that ChessFeels is a very gloomy, serious, and emotional podcast where both the hosts and listeners are on the verge of tears from the beginning until the very end.
Alas, nothing could be further from the truth. The hosts’ ability to talk about a very serious topic while maintaining a very light-hearted, self-deprecating tone is precisely one of the amazing features of the Chess Feels podcast. Almost every episode is full of humouristic titbits, ranging from cringe dad jokes, cliches, chess stereotypes, observations about the chess culture, and internal jokes sometimes very alien to the outsiders. Hell, even when they are making an ad for a sponsor,4 the hosts can keep a straight face and do it with the help of irony and sarcasm.
It is sufficient to listen to just one episode of the podcast (or check the hosts’ personal Twitter accounts) to understand that neither of them takes themselves very seriously.
It is precisely this unique blend of serious conversations and juvenile, sometimes grotesque, and absurd humour that makes the Chess Feels podcast such a unique, entertaining, and worthwhile listening experience and I would definitely urge you to give it a try, even if you don’t fully like the „funnier“ side of it.
The conversations and the topics covered in it are far too important to be ignored!
Notable episodes of the podcast
To be completely honest, every episode of the Chess Feels Podcast is worthy of a listen in its own way. But if I had to single out a few of the episodes released so far, I would definitely recommend:
- Season 1, episode nr. 2 which dives very deep into the topic of (online) blitz addiction
- Season 1, episode nr.10 in which the pair talks about chess goals, whether they are useful at all and how to go about setting more reasonable and realistic goals that have a positive effect on one’s motivation and love for the game.
- Season 2, episode nr.1 in which hosts used Levy Rozman’s announcement to quit competitive chess as a starting point for an in-depth discussion about what it actually means to quit in chess, when an individual could/should start considering it and how to develop a more healthy attitude toward the game.
- Season 1, episode nr.8, featuring the guest NM Gopal Menon, which is titled „What your opening repertoire tells about your sex life“. This episode is definitely a bit outlandish and „weird“ – but a good type of weird. It highlights Julia and J.J.’s non-serious side and how their sense of humour can sometimes border with absurdity – and NM Gopal Menon 5 fit in perfectly with his own dry and sarcastic sense of humour.
- 20th September 2022
- And I am apparently, not the only one. One of my chess students told me listening to this podcast helped him alleviate his anxiety before playing long classical chess games.
- and even some other podcasts
- Oh, have I mentioned the podcast is sponsored by Chessable? Shocking, I know!
- Who will be mentioned very soon in the context of another podcast