Hello again Perpetual Listeners,
This week on Perpetual Chess I am joined from the chess Olympiad in Batumi, Georgia. by Elliott Neff. Elliott is a USCF Master who founded the thriving Chess4Life chess education organization. He is also a chess trainer who will be releasing his first book, A Pawn's Journey: Transforming Lives one Move at a Time, on October 9. Elliott and I discussed:
Elliott's perspective on the Olympiad. This is his first time attending, so he told us what has surprised him about the event, and gave a report on a couple of the teams, including the Ugandan women's team, which he is helping to coach.
How Elliott became a friend and coach of Phiona Mutesi of Queen of Katwe fame. Plus, Elliott gives an update on Phiona's life and chess career since the release of the movie telling her story.
Elliott's recommendations for chess improvement, plus some awesome advice on how to get better at blindfold chess and visualization.
What inspired Elliott to write a book? What impact can chess have away from the chessboard?
Thanks to Elliott for joining me. You can reach him Chess4life here, or via Elliott's website here.
To support the podcast go here.