The Chess Dojo's annual Junior Draft is back! Jesse, David, and Kostya review last year's results, debate the world's most promising young chess talents, and draft their picks for 2026.

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00:00 – 2025 Draft Results 09:27 – Biggest Winners and Disappointments 14:25 – Jesse's Winning Strategy 29:47 – The 2026 Junior Draft Begins 43:12 – Drafting the Top Female Juniors 54:28 – Betting on Young Talent 1:04:29 – Trades and Roster Changes 1:18:13 – Final Teams and Predictions

Jesse, David, and Kostya preview the 2026 Chess Olympiad, breaking down the top contenders, Team USA, dark horses, board orders, and the notable players missing from the event.

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00:00 – Olympiad Predictions 09:00 – The Top Contenders 18:00 – India’s Big Challenge 27:00 – Breaking Down Team USA 36:00 – Dark Horses to Watch 45:00 – Board Order Strategy 55:59 – Why Top Players Are Skipping 1:02:33 – Final Thoughts & Predictions

The ChessDojo sensei reconnect after a busy summer to recap recent tournament runs, European travels, behind-the-scenes FIDE election politics, and updates across the Dojo.

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00:00 - Summer Catch-Up 01:35 - Tournaments & Prodigy Records 06:40 - US Senior Championship 13:50 - European Tour & FIDE Politics 19:57 - The GM Quest Reality 23:42 - 45-Minute Classical Time Controls 26:15 - 2700 Blitz Peak & Dojo Camp

For our milestone 200th episode of Dojo Talks, we are joined by Grandmaster and long-time second to Magnus Carlsen, Peter Heine Nielsen! The sensei and Peter discuss the upcoming 2026 FIDE Presidential election.

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00:00 - Election Intro 02:54 - FIDE Voting System 07:54 - Secret Ballots & FIFA 18:59 - Two-Term Limit Drama 33:15 - The New Candidates 1:03:47 - Coaching Magnus & Freestyle Chess

GM Jacob Aagaard joins Dojo Talks for a deep conversation on chess books, AI, coaching, and the future of chess improvement.

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00:00 Jacob Aagaard's Publishing Journey 07:09 The New Dvoretsky Book Collection 12:18 Are Chess Books Still Relevant? 27:25 Deep Work vs. Digital Learning 39:33 AI, Chess, and the Future of Learning 50:19 Why Great Chess Coaches Still Matter 56:05 Why Beginner Chess Books Are Too Hard

The sensei discuss is the queen really worth 9 points, or should it be valued closer to 10?

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00:05 — Is the Queen Worth 10 Points? 09:38 — Queen vs. Two Rooks 17:41 — When Is the Queen Stronger? 29:56 — Queen vs. Three Minor Pieces 40:10 — How Chess Values Evolve 53:20 — Final Thoughts on Piece Values

Jesse, David, and Kostya discuss slumps. How they happen, why they happen, and how to get out of one.

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00:06 What is a Slump? 02:08 Why Slumps Happen 07:36 Rating Milestones & Tougher Competition 10:06 Confidence & The Junior Slump 19:20 Hard Work & Fitness 22:58 Changing Your Mindset

In this episode of Dojo Talks, the sensei revisits how rapid advancements in AI are shaping everyday life and changing the way chess players train, coach, and spar.

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00:00 — Introduction: Revisiting AI and Chess 01:00 — AI's Impact on Everyday Life & The Economy 03:33 — The Reality of AI Chess Coaches 07:34 — The "Glazing" Problem & Human Accountability 10:42 — LLMs, Position Descriptions, and Stories 21:01 — Why Human Expertise Beats AI Motivation 29:45 — AI Sparring Bots and the Future of Training