EP 492: Mr. Dodgy on Improving at Classical Chess + Chess Fam

⁠Michael Duke (better known as Mr. Dodgy, or @chessproblem on X) is a Chessable author, the co-founder of Chessfam, and co-host of the Chicken Chess Club podcast. He has built a large online following through his passion for chess and his sharp sense of humor. But aside from the jokes, Michael has become more serious about improving his own game.

With a FIDE rating just shy of 2100, Michael was frustrated that he consistently performed much better in rapid than in classical chess. In order to change that, he sought out GM Alex Colovic for coaching after trying several instructors. He worked to address the biggest weaknesses in his game, including lazy calculation and overly ambitious opening choices. The work paid off as he defeated a grandmaster for the first time at age 38 and later held GM David Howell to a draw in a rapid game.

In our conversation, Michael shares what he learned about improving as an adult, why his rapid results have always been better than his OTB results, and the practical changes that helped close the gap.

We also discuss Chessfam, the ambitious new platform he co-founded to make finding and entering chess tournaments easier, as well as his observations from the recent European Chess Union Congress and the upcoming FIDE presidential election. (Please note this interview was recorded before Arkady Dvorkovich withdrew from the race.)

As always, timestamps for all topics discussed are below.

00:04 Introduction to Mr. Dodgy 

02:51 Chess Improvement Deep Dive and Dodgy’s recent achievements 

Mentioned: GM Alex Colovic’s Substack

05:42 Lessons from Grandmaster Alex Colovic

GM Alex Colovic- How to Become a Grandmaster

https://www.quora.com/How-did-you-become-a-grandmaster/answer/Alex-Colovic?share=55b455d3&srid=hY2IT

08:49 Strengths and Weaknesses in Rapid vs Classical Chess