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.
On www.TheOnoZone.com, you can download Ono's free Study Plan Template to plan + track your 2024 chess training. You can also find out more about Ono's Adult Improver chess coaching + book a free trial lesson with Ono.
Episode links:
Fionn O'Donovan on Chess Journeys Podcast
Noel Studer’s Chess Training Planner (use code Ono10 to get 10% off)
Alex Crompton’s Pattern Recognition Blog
Your (2024) Chess Skill-Based Study Plan (TheOnoZone Blog)
What the Fork is a Blunder Check (TheOnoZone Blog)
Follow Fionn O'Donovan:
Twitter/X @FODonovan | Lichess @FODonovan
If you'd like to join the #chesspunks tactics group, just send a message to Fionn on Twitter/X or Lichess!
Follow TheOnoZone: Patreon www.patreon.com/TheOnoZone | Twitter @TheOnoZone | Lichess @TheOnoZone | info@theonozone.com | www.TheOnoZone.com
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!