Today my guest is GM Felix Blohberger, the chess champion of Austria. We discussed the dark side of professional chess: making a living with a 2500 rating, the two key areas you must analyze after tournaments, and a psychological trick that instantly boosts confidence. Felix reveals if you need a sports psychologist and how his workout routine enhances chess performance. Plus: blitz at the end! Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/mustreader My DISCORD server: https://discord.gg/bXZN36xb My X: https://x.com/mustreader My channel with podcast highlights: https://www.youtube.com/@CwMClips My referral link to chess.com: https://go.chess.com/mustreader My chess.com club: https://go.chess.com/MustreaderClub Collabs: mazdrid@gmail.com Felix's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@febloh Links to what's discussed in the podcast: Maneuvering: The Art of Piece Play: https://amzn.to/4iLDHtc Technique in Chess: https://amzn.to/3YZHWu2 Dvoretsky series: Training Manual Volume Yusupov series: Tiger's Jump My podcast with Kramnik that got me blocked by him: https://youtu.be/YKzes4eteb4?si=5nUg3RNqeHXnqANK My podcast with Naroditsky: https://youtu.be/OKeb-WRMYpM?si=B3cfMHORtC6gEoMc Many thanks to my Patreon supporter: Sarterus 00:00 — Intro 00:54 — Chess pros struggle financially in Europe? 03:15 — Strategy to reach 2600 04:02 — How to make money from chess 06:56 — Europe will NEVER support chess players? 09:05 — Will Europe become the chess center? 10:55 — Recovering from painful losses 12:49 — TWO AREAS to analyze after tournaments 14:01 — Balancing CHESS with OTHER ACTIVITIES 15:34 — Is 2 hours daily enough to reach 2600? 16:16 — How do you spend your free time? 17:09 — What does a second do in the engine era? 21:26 — Felix has NO repertoire for White?! 23:08 — How many openings should a GM know? 25:42 — How to play as Black effectively 26:40 — Training routine 29:39 — Why calculation exercises are CRUCIAL 30:49 — How workout routine BOOSTS chess psychology 31:49 — UNEXPECTED question from subscriber 32:44 — Do you need a sports psychologist? 34:40 — THIS is what a sports psychologist says 36:50 — HACK to become more confident in chess 38:08 — Psychological barriers to winning 38:58 — How FAST can you reach 2600? 40:28 — Content creation and coaching: help or hindrance? 41:42 — Blitz against Felix The DARK SIDE of chess | Felix Blohberger PODCAST felix blohberger gm felix blohberger harikrishna second to harikrishna chess podcast chess interview mustreader greg mustreader mustreader chess cwm My name is Greg Mustreader, I am a Candidate Master in chess, an entrepreneur and host of several podcasts. On the Chess with Mustreader channel, I interview top chess players, play against chess AIs, analyze the most interesting chess games and combinations of today and of the past, as well as show you my path in chess and the way I work on my chess improvement (including recaps from the tournaments I play). I live in Almaty, Kazakhstan and travel the world extensively (been to 50 countries). I'm 31 years old, I have a girlfriend, three dogs and four cats. I speak English, Russian, German, and a bit of French and Chinese. Don't forget to subscribe! #felixblohberger #chessplayer #gmchess #chess #harikrishna #chesspodcast #chessinterviews #chesswithmustreader #mustreaderchess #gregmustreader #cwm