Ep. 82 (S5 Finale): My Opponent is Smoking a Cigarette: Chess Clubs Then vs. Now feat. Brian Karen (Chess Coffee Talk #3)

This episode is our Season 5 Finale. Season 6 coming soon! Our guest this week is Brian  Karen, a Candidate Master, chess educator, historian, and regular contributor to the podcast. We discussed the evolution of chess clubs and the amateur tournament scene, specifically from the 80s, 90s, and early 00s until now.  Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 09:26 - Rise of International Players 14:00 - Postmortems 18:38 - Analog vs. Digital Clocks 28:11 - Speed Chess 30:35 - OTB vs. Online Ratings 38:37 - Female Attendance at Chess Clubs 43:59 - Outro FB Groups Referenced: Chess Book Collectors FIDE World Chess Championship 2025 🎯 Support the Show: 

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• Buy Me a Coffee

📧 If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at [email protected]. 🔗 Our links:

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