In the October installment of Chess Underground, Pete and Gopal ask themselves the question: “What are the things you learned about chess after becoming a master?” Also, is Kramnik better than Stockfish? Link to video mentioned in the show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fN_8Ehinrg

The September edition of Chess Underground asks the question, "What will chess be like in 2050?" Pete and Gopal put on their wizard hats and offer prognostications galore.

In the 50th episode of Chess Underground, Pete and Gopal examine “underrated and underappreciated players from chess history.” Bonus study with all of the games discussed in the episode: https://lichess.org/study/UTbdCwBG

Strange chess scandals, toilets with threatening auras, the conclusion of beadgate and a brief tip of the hat to Danny DeVito. 

Ding Stans, large wildlife, poker binges and general ennui: Pete and Gopal finally tackle the 2023 World Chess Championship. With a special appearance from Sparks the kitten.

The March Chess Underground flips the TikTok attention span on its head, examining Pete and Gopal’s list of favorite chess books. The two drop their “top 3” and offer insights on what makes a good chess volume.   You can also check out a longer version of Gopal’s recommendations here.  

Pete and Gopal explore a new horizon in chess media: Chess Sketch Comedy. Open source… kinda.

The January 2023 “New Year New You” episode explores undervalued and underrated aspects of chess improvement. What are some areas that chess students overlook? Underrate? Ignore? Hosts Pete Karagianis and Gopal Menon explore not only what it takes, but what you might not realize you should focus on, to get better at the royal game.

Find out what Pete and Gopal give “Chess Thanks” for on this edition of the Chess Underground. From the mundane and obvious to the deep and pseudo-profound… can you guess the reasons before they do?

The October CU completes it’s quest to seamlessly fuse with the Chessfeels Podcast, as host Pete Karagianis and Gopal Menon sit down with Julia Rios. As wholesome as a Stouffer’s ™ Lasagna, the three discuss chess, wild horses, emo phases, and a hypothetical 24-game chess match between The Dude and Ricky Bobby.

The September edition of the Chess Underground assesses the idea of “Do No Harm,” stemming from an earlier discussion on the podcast. Host Pete Karagianis submits an oath to the Greek Gods of old. Gopal suggests that sometimes, the most important thing is to actively NOT try to improve one’s position. Plus, a bonus hypothetical matchup between Princess Elsa and the one and only GM Judit Polgar. Games and articles mentioned on this episode: https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1328830https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1324924https://www.chess.com/article/view/the-art-of-doing-nothinghttps://www.chess.com/article/view/the-art-of-doing-nothing-part-twohttps://www.chess.com/article/view/the-art-of-doing-nothing-part-threehttps://www.chess.com/article/view/the-art-of-doing-nothing-part-four

Chess Underground, with host Pete Karagianis and Gopal Menon, returns in August to discuss some spicy interviews as hot as the Miami heat, chess internet (degeneracy?), mouse slips and slams, pre-moves, FICS and much more. Also, who would win a hypothetical 24-game match between John Wick and the Terminator? "This Month in Chess" also recaps the 2022 Olympiad, including some impressive performances. Enjoy! Gopal Menon, based out of Chicago, Illinois, is a national master with a peak standard rating of 2394 and blitz rating of 2558. He has more than ten years of coaching experience and is the three-time coach of Illinois high school state champions Whitney Young. He has worked as the second for multiple grandmasters, and has worked for Nikola Mitkov since late 2014. Follow Gopal on Twitter and read his LiChess blog. -- "Chess Underground" is a monthly US Chess podcast hosted by US Chess Assistant Director of Events NM Pete Karagianis that explores eccentricities, peculiarities, and theoretical novelties.   Listen to the whole family of US Chess podcasts at https://new.uschess.org/podcasts

Chess Underground returns! Pete and Gopal try to answer the question, "What makes your best results?" How do we perform at our best over the board? Can any connections be drawn from anecdotal cases? Also, the two debate a hypothetical chess match between Michael Scott and Andre the Giant. Who will be the king of the ring?

Season 4 of Chess Underground continues with Gopal Menon and host Pete Karagianis. The topics this month include: Shrek vs. Beth Harmon in a 24-game match; a philosophical discussion of chess Twitter; psychology, mind games, and stare-downs; and the return of "This Month in Chess." Gopal Menon, based out of Chicago, Illinois, is a national master with a peak standard rating of 2394 and blitz rating of 2558. He has more than ten years of coaching experience and is the three-time coach of Illinois high school state champions Whitney Young. He has worked as the second for multiple grandmasters, and has worked for Nikola Mitkov since late 2014. Follow Gopal on Twitter and read his LiChess blog. -- "Chess Underground" is a monthly US Chess podcast hosted by US Chess Assistant Director of Events NM Pete Karagianis that explores eccentricities, peculiarities, and theoretical novelties.  Listen to the whole family of US Chess podcasts at https://new.uschess.org/podcasts

Season 4 of Chess Underground continues with Gopal Menon and host Pete Karagianis, who go deep into some of their favorite -- and least favorite -- chess variants. Have you ever heard of "Secret Queen"? What happens when 36 pawns meet a chess set? How fast do you have to be to win a game of "Racing Kings"? What’s the best method to detonate a radius of squares?  Which of the many chess variants get the official seal of approval and which ones will be poo-pooed into the annals of obscurity? Check out the May episode of Chess Underground to find out! Gopal Menon, based out of Chicago, Illinois, is a national master with a peak standard rating of 2394 and blitz rating of 2558. He has more than ten years of coaching experience and is the three-time coach of Illinois high school state champions Whitney Young. He has worked as the second for multiple grandmasters, and has worked for Nikola Mitkov since late 2014. Follow Gopal on Twitter and read his LiChess blog. -- "Chess Underground" is a monthly US Chess podcast hosted by US Chess Assistant Director of Events NM Pete Karagianis that explores eccentricities, peculiarities, and theoretical novelties.  Listen to the whole family of US Chess podcasts at https://new.uschess.org/podcasts

Season 4 of Chess Underground is here! Host Pete Karagianis and Gopal Menon approach the question: "What is chess most like?" The answer(s) may surprise you! Also Pete and Gopal catch up on "This Month in Chess" with a rundown of hot chess news topics from April 2022. Gopal Menon, based out of Chicago, Illinois, is a national master with a peak standard rating of 2394 and blitz rating of 2558. He has more than ten years of coaching experience and is the three-time coach of Illinois high school state champions Whitney Young. He has worked as the second for multiple grandmasters, and has worked for Nikola Mitkov since late 2014. Follow Gopal on Twitter and read his LiChess blog. -- "Chess Underground" is a monthly US Chess podcast hosted by US Chess Assistant Director of Events NM Pete Karagianis that explores eccentricities, peculiarities, and theoretical novelties.  Listen to the whole family of US Chess podcasts at https://new.uschess.org/podcasts

This month, Pete Karagianis sits down with IM Kassa Korley for the Chess Underground. Born and raised in New York City, Kassa learned to play chess at the age of five and has been passionate about the game since. Having never had a coach or formal instruction, he has always learned by playing, losing, and making adjustments. At 15, Kassa became the youngest African-American National Master in history, a mark that has since been broken. In 2010, Kassa became a FIDE Master and, in 2014, he became an International Master. The same year, he switched federations and became a member of the Danish federation, where he also holds family ties as a dual-citizen.After graduating from Duke University in 2015, Kassa worked at Codecademy, a tech startup that teaches millions of people how to code. In 2019, Kassa left this full-time position to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a Grandmaster. Follow IM Kassa Korley on Instagram, YouTube, and Twitch. -- "Chess Underground" is a monthly US Chess podcast hosted by US Chess Assistant Director of Events NM Pete Karagianis that explores eccentricities, peculiarities, and theoretical novelties.   Listen to the whole family of US Chess podcasts at https://new.uschess.org/podcasts

This month Chess Underground sits down with IM Kostya Kavutskiy of ChessDojo, taking a deep dive into chess coaching, improvement, streaming, and much more! Kostya shares his plans for the future of ChessDojo, discusses the recently concluded Chess Sensei series, and gets deep into chess pedagogy and content production. Enjoy!

To start off the New Year, Chess Underground gets in touch with its emotions.   This month we speak to "Chessfeels" himself, AKA JJ Lang, who joins host Pete Karagianis for a fireside chat about all things feels, chess, philosophy, Nebraska, and... well a lot of other stuff, too!

The December Chess Underground pays tribute to Chicago chess legend FM Albert Chow, who passed away in October. Hear memories and stories of Albert from those who knew him best.   Please also check out the beautifully written memorial from Daaim Shabazz here:  https://www.thechessdrum.net/blog/2021/10/31/chicago-chess-legend-fm-albert-chow-dies/