In Ono Another Chess Podcast, Ono (@TheOnoZone) talks to Adult Improvers, chess celebrities, his chess coaching students + himself about all things chess - like chess culture, adult chess improvement, online + OTB.
Ono is an Adult Improver, Chess Blogger, Chess Podcaster + Chess Coach for Adult Improvers <1600 FIDE. New episodes every other Thursday.
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Ono's Chess Toolkit: toolkit.theonozone.com
Contact: info@TheOnoZone.com
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#8 Fionn O’Donovan: Non-Titled Chess Coaches + Social Learning
Season 1 · Episode 8
Friday, December 22, 2023 • Duration 01:17:23
Ono (@TheOnoZone) talks to Fionn O'Donovan who was his first chess coach and inspired Ono to start coaching Adult Improvers as well. Fionn is the founder of the #chesspunks tactics group, has a PhD in Philosophy and works as a professional tutor.
On this episode:
(01:53) What does Fionn love most about chess?
(05:07) How Ono met Fionn
(07:32) The #chesspunks tactics group
(11:53) Fionn's chess in 2023
(19:37) Fionn’s experience switching to e4
(31:09) Improvement separate to rating gain
(34:42) Why hire a non-titled chess coach?
(40:59) Is Fionn surprised Ono became a coach?
(42:54) Ono's 2024 chess study plan
(47:33) Analysing chess games
(49:03) Getting quality post-mortems
(52:08) Why Ono wants to play more
(57:19) The value of pattern recognition
(58:51) Diversity in a chess study plan
(01:00:30) Is coaching good for your own chess?
(01:03:38) A second opinion on your chess
(01:08:00) Fionn’s Lichess 4545 League experience
(01:10:54) The value of training partners
(01:13:36) Join the #chesspunks tactics group
Come talk with Fionn O'Donovan + Ono in the Zoom Hangout on Friday, January 5th @19:00 UTC! Sign up for the free 7-day trial on www.patreon.com/TheOnoZone to get the Zoom link.
Thanks to TheOnoZone Patrons who supported this episode: Benjamin Portheault | Rick Chlopan | Tim Everett | MatthewKCanada | Brett | Nate Glissmeyer | Laura Holmes | Marcus Buffett | Dan Bock | Dawn Lawson | Glen G | Mikey Wells | Michael Shpizner | Karen W | Gregory C | BowiE | Stefan K | Ché Martin | Andrew M | Ben Johnson
Thanks to Fionn O'Donovan for coming on the podcast, my wife Yara for being the other half of TheOnoZone, Ché Martin for creating the legendary intro, and Zach Shpizner for applying his audio engineering skills to this episode.
Make sure to follow Ono Another Chess Podcast on your favourite podcast app + give us a 5-star rating if you like it. Thanks for listening to season 1!
#7 NM Ben Johnson: Perpetual Chess Improvement
Season 1 · Episode 7
Friday, December 8, 2023 • Duration 57:37
Ono (@TheOnoZone) talks to NM Ben Johnson about the Adult Improver endeavour of perpetual chess improvement against the backdrop of a busy adult life. Ben is the host of the legendary Perpetual Chess Podcast, creator of the weekly Perpetual Chess Linkfest + the author of the recently published book Perpetual Chess Improvement, among other things.
On this episode:
(01:56) The chess communities Ben belongs to
(05:00) The state of Ben’s chess in 2023
(05:58) The importance of playing OTB
(07:40) The writing of Ben’s new book
(09:17) Ben as a writer
(11:13) Success of Ben’s guests outside of chess
(13:13) What drives Adult Improvers to improve
(17:10) Unecessary vs Necessary Fallibility
(21:40) Knowledge vs Decision Making resources
(25:15) Can you acquire all the chess knowledge?
(27:15) Ben’s frustration with memory
(28:31) Ben’s last year of chess improvement
(30:11) Ben’s future projects
(31:05) Personality reflected on the chess board
(33:48) Luck in chess
(38:09) Ben’s chess ambitions
(41:57) When is the audio book available?
(43:25) Linkfest: Ben’s Blog
(45:42) Chess news sources
(50:20) Linkfest; adult improvement blogs
(54:58) Where can you get Ben's book?
Come talk with NM Ben Johnson + Ono in the Zoom Hangout on Friday, December 15th @19:00 UTC! Sign up for the free 7-day trial on to get the Zoom link.
#6 Ono + Yara: Being Married to a Chess Player (with Ono's wife)
Friday, November 24, 2023 • Duration 01:08:03
Ono (@TheOnoZone) talks to Yara about being married to an Adult Improver as a non-chess player. Yara is Ono's wife and they share life, parenthood and a chess business (TheOnoZone) together. Yara + Ono talk about their experiences with chess in their family, as well as general emotion regulation, shame and community in chess.
On this episode:
(01:54) What Yara loves most about chess
(02:33) Why Yara doesn't play chess
(03:30) What it's like being married to a chess player
Ono (@TheOnoZone) talks to Sara Herman (@ZefCatt) about Chess Content Creation, Chess Tournaments + Rating Anxiety, and more. Sara is a chess streamer + YouTuber as well as a chess tournament veteran.
On this episode:
(01:42) What Sara loves most about chess
(03:06) Struggles of being a content creator
(06:16) Is chess Sara’s job?
(07:31) Sara’s 500 tournament chess history
(08:56) Sara’s battle with rating + ego
(11:00) Why chess brings out strong emotions
(12:45) How Sara disconnects rating + happiness
(16:37) Why you need to enjoy your training
(19:01) Chess as a conversation
(23:55) Showing emotions at the board
(27:55) When Sara played Nxd5
(29:27) Staying flexible in chess
(33:05) Why you must work on weaknesses
(34:16) Opening study discussion
(37:58) Sara’s chess tournament experience
(43:00) Playing up a section in tournaments
(44:07) Playing higher- vs lower-rated players
(48:44) What inspired Sara to make vlogs
(50:54) Self-deprecating humour + chess
(55:42) General advice for Adult Improvers
Come talk with Sara + Ono in the Zoom Hangout on Friday, November 17th @1800 UTC!
Sign up to www.patreon.com/TheOnoZone to get the Zoom link (free 7-day trial).
Ono (@TheOnoZone) talks to Julia Rios of the chessfeels podcast about Chess Psychology, Chess Culture + Why Losing Hurts (so much), and more.
On this episode:
(01:18) What Julia loves most about chess
(03:50) What Ono loves most about chess
(04:32) How your psyche influences your chess
(07:36) Julia’s chess style + personality
(10:26) Chessfeels on Ono’s openings + sex life
(11:16) Why honesty is key in chess improvement
(13:06) Julia’s update since chessfeels season 2
(16:05) Why Julia’s playing (hyper)bullet now
(18:33) If Julia feels social chess pressure
(21:52) Julia's funny Twitter
(22:59) How the chess community hooked Julia
(23:40) Julia on being a woman in chess
(26:06) The #1 priority to change chess culture
(28:31) Why Julia never joined a chess club
(32:45) Why speaking up is important
(35:01) Why chess losses hurt so much
(40:03) How we can respond better to losses
(43:37) Chessfeels pregnancy + Ben admiration
Come talk with Julia + Ono in the Zoom Hangout on Thursday, November 2nd @1800 UTC!
Sign up to www.patreon.com/TheOnoZone to get the Zoom link (free 7-day trial).
More info:
It's Not You, It's Chess (TheOnoZone Blog) https://lichess.org/@/TheOnoZone/blog/its-not-chess-its-you/hYGoISXk
chessfeels podcast episode 'what your chess opening says about your sex life' https://chessfeels.transistor.fm/episodes/episode-8-what-your-opening-repertoire-says-about-your-sex-life-with-nm-gopal-menon
How To Be A Man In Chess (TheOnoZone Blog) https://www.theonozone.com/how-to-be-a-man-in-chess
Ono Another Chess Podcast #1 Chris Callahan https://www.theonozone.com/1
Follow Julia Rios:
Julia Rios Twitter @juliaxrios | chessfeels podcast Twitter @chessfeelspod | chessfeels podcast episodes https://chessfeels.transistor.fm/
Follow TheOnoZone:
Patreon www.patreon.com/TheOnoZone | Twitter @TheOnoZone | Lichess @TheOnoZone | info@theonozone.com | www.theonozone.com
On the website, you can download a free Study Plan Template + Wordy Chess Book List, find out more about Ono's Adult Improver chess coaching + book a free trial lesson with Ono.
Thanks to TheOnoZone Patrons who supported this episode: Laura Holmes | Marcus Buffett | Dan Bock | Dawn Lawson | Glen G | Mikey Wells | Michael Shpizner | Michael G | Karen W | Gregory C | BowiE | Stefan K | Ché Martin | Andrew M | Ben Johnson
Thanks to Julia Rios for coming on the podcast + the fun after-chat + editing the interview, my wife Yara for being the other half of TheOnoZone, Ché Martin for creating the legendary intro, and Zach Shpizner for applying his audio engineering skills to this episode.
Make sure to follow Ono Another Chess Podcast on your favourite podcast app + give us a 5-star rating if you like it. Thanks for listening!
Ono (@TheOnoZone) talks to his friend + student Ché Martin about playing chess when you're blind, blindfold chess, visualisation exercises + overcoming your ego for chess improvement. Ché is an Emmy award winning Visual Effects artist who went blind in adulthood and has a unique perspective on chess improvement.
In this episode:
(01:23) Why Ché thinks chess is similar to music + sex
(02:19) Ché's story of going blind + coming into chess (+ how The Queen's Gambit book ruined audio books for him)
(05:48) How to play chess when you're blind
(09:09) Ché's experiences in the chess scene in his small town
(12:57) Losing - and how Ché + Ono throw chessboards across the room (jk)
(15:35) Why Ché care more about playing humans vs bots online (ego + pain)
(20:24) Chess improvement = confronting yourself with your weaknesses
(23:52) Why Ché tanked his rating on purpose during the Lichess 4545
(25:40) Ché + Ono answer: "Have you changed as a person because of chess?"
(28:45) Why Ché thinks it's better to solve puzzles OTB vs online (+ Ché's outstanding calculation abilities)
(33:52) The difference between reading books to finish them + reading books to actually learn
(37:39) What Blind Chess Superpowers does Ché have?
(40:31) What does Ché see inside his head when he visualises? (visualisation for blind + sighted people)
(44:55) Ono's experience with blindfold chess
(46:15) Ché's Visualisation Tips for Adult Improvers
(48:20) How your random chess skills can become comfort zones + hold you back (rook endgames)
#2 Ono: Online to OTB
Season 1 · Episode 2
Friday, September 29, 2023 • Duration 42:57
Ono (@TheOnoZone) talks to himself about his first experiences with OTB after only playing chess online + encourages other Adult Improvers to join their local chess club.
In this episode:
[2:10] My first experience of OTB with GM Anish Giri + GM Jorden van Foreest
[7:32] How dealing with the 3D pieces affected my play + what I'm doing to improve my OTB board vision
[13:31] My introduction to human emotion at the chessboard
[18:10] Overthinking my opponent's reactions
[20:19] How I subconsciously tried to hide my self-consciousness
[24:34] Real board logistics + how to use this in your favour
[29:32] Why my OTB opponent underestimated me
[31:42] How performance factors like mental resilience are way more important in OTB with long time controls than online
[35:18] Why I love OTB + why I think you will too
Are you a tournament veteran or have you never played OTB?
You're invited to join the conversation on online v OTB in the Zoom Hangout with Ono + other Adult Improvers on Friday, October 6th!
Sign up to www.patreon.com/TheOnoZone (free trial available) and join us every other Friday to talk about all things chess + get other Patron-exclusive perks.
TheOnoZone blog articles related to this podcast episode:
[39:13] How is it going with Lichess getting the 501(c)(3) US charity designation?
[41:21] Are there any plans to offer extras to Lichess Patrons? And what are Chris' thoughts on AI tools like ChatGPT to provide more detailed analyses of games on Lichess?
[48:17] Chris' plans for his chess coaching
Sign up to (free trial available) and join us every other Friday + get other Patron-exclusive perks.
S2 E1: The Greatest Underdog Story in Chess History
Season 2 · Episode 1
Thursday, August 6, 2026 • Duration 22:21
Ono reads his latest blog post "The Greatest Underdog Story in Chess History" a tale of his teams exploits in last season Dutch Evening League Tournament.
Read the blog on Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-208148233
Thanks to TheOnoZone Patrons who supported this episode: MatthewKCanada | Brett | Nate Glissmeyer | Laura Holmes | Marcus Buffett | Dan Bock | Dawn Lawson | Glen G | Mikey Wells | Michael Shpizner | Karen W | Gregory C | BowiE | Stefan K | Ché Martin | Andrew M | Ben Johnson
Thanks to Ben Johnson for coming on the podcast, my wife Yara for being the other half of TheOnoZone, Ché Martin for creating the legendary intro, and Zach Shpizner for applying his audio engineering skills to this episode.
Make sure to follow Ono Another Chess Podcast on your favourite podcast app + give us a 5-star rating if you like it. Thanks for listening!
Come talk with Yara + Ono in the Zoom Hangout on Friday, December 1st @19:30 UTC!
Sign up for the free 7-day trial on www.patreon.com/TheOnoZone to get the Zoom link.
If you're a female entrepreneur wanting to start or grow your online business, you can email Yara at yara.vossebelt@gmail.com (first Zoom call is free).
Thanks to TheOnoZone Patrons who supported this episode: Laura Holmes | Marcus Buffett | Dan Bock | Dawn Lawson | Glen G | Mikey Wells | Michael Shpizner | Karen W | Gregory C | BowiE | Stefan K | Ché Martin | Andrew M | Ben Johnson
Thanks to my wife Yara for coming on the podcast, Ché Martin for creating the legendary intro, and Zach Shpizner for applying his audio engineering skills to this episode.
Make sure to follow Ono Another Chess Podcast on your favourite podcast app + give us a 5-star rating if you like it. Thanks for listening!
Thanks to TheOnoZone Patrons who supported this episode: Laura Holmes | Marcus Buffett | Dan Bock | Dawn Lawson | Glen G | Mikey Wells | Michael Shpizner | Karen W | Gregory C | BowiE | Stefan K | Ché Martin | Andrew M | Ben Johnson
Thanks to Sara Herman for coming on the podcast, my wife Yara for being the other half of TheOnoZone, Ché Martin for creating the legendary intro, and Zach Shpizner for applying his audio engineering skills to this episode.
Make sure to follow Ono Another Chess Podcast on your favourite podcast app + give us a 5-star rating if you like it. Thanks for listening!
(52:48) Ché's + Ono's views on Chess Improvement (books vs skills)
(58:17) What Ono taught Ché about annotating his thought process (+ why that's helpful)
(01:01:02) Why Ché likes to Get. Away. From. The. Board.
Have you done any visualisation exercises?
You're invited to join the conversation on all things chess in the Zoom Hangout with Ono + Ché Martin + other Adult Improvers on Friday, October 20th @1800 UTC!
Sign up to www.patreon.com/TheOnoZone (free trial available) and join us every other Friday to talk about all things chess + get other Patron-exclusive perks.
Thanks to TheOnoZone Patrons who supported this episode: Marcus Buffett | Dan Bock | Dawn Lawson | Glen G | Mikey Wells | Michael Shpizner | Michael G | Karen W | Gregory C | BowiE | Yara V | Stefan K | Ché Martin | Andrew M | Ben Johnson
Thanks to my wife Yara for being the other half of TheOnoZone, Ché Martin for creating the legendary intro as well as being a great guest to interview, and Zach Shpizner for applying his audio engineering skills to this episode.
Make sure to follow Ono Another Chess Podcast on your favourite podcast app + give us a 5-star rating if you like it. Thanks for listening!
Thanks to TheOnoZone Patrons who supported this episode: Marcus Buffett | Dan Bock | Dawn Lawson | Glen G | Mikey Wells | Michael Shpizner | Michael G | Karen W | Gregory C | BowiE | Yara V | Stefan K | Ché Martin | Andrew M | Ben Johnson
Thanks to my wife Yara for being the other half of TheOnoZone, Ché Martin for creating the legendary intro, and Zach Shpizner for applying his audio engineering skills to this episode.
Make sure to follow Ono Another Chess Podcast on your favourite podcast app + give us a 5-star rating if you like it. Thanks for listening!
Join the conversation in the informal Zoom Hangout with Ono + other Adult Improvers like you!
Thanks to TheOnoZone Patrons who supported this episode: Marcus Buffett | Dan Bock | Dawn Lawson | Glen G | Mikey Wells | NoSir100 | Michael Shpizner | Michael G | Karen W | Gregory C | BowiE | Yara V | Stefan K | Ché Martin | Andrew M | Ben Johnson
Thanks also to Chris Callahan for being the first-ever repeat podcast guest before the podcast even launched, my wife Yara for being the other half of TheOnoZone, Ché Martin for creating the legendary intro, and Zach Shpizner for applying his audio engineering skills to this episode.
Make sure to follow Ono Another Chess Podcast on your favourite podcast app + give us a 5-star rating if you like it. Thanks for listening!
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