North Carolina–based trainer and author Elshan Moradiabadi has won over 25 tournaments and was the 2001 National Champion of his native Iran. Despite his many accomplishments, Elshan is deeply reflective about the proper role chess should play in one’s life. While he has no regrets about the sacrifices he made, his experiences have given him valuable lessons to share, including:
Why you should keep chess enjoyment as your North Star
The importance of intuition, and the nine cues for evaluating a position
The tradeoffs that come with pursuing excellence
How chess parenting has changed since his own youth
We also touch on the professional chess landscape, and make a few predictions about the FIDE Grand Swiss (a tournament which is now over, but hadn’t started when we recorded on September 1). Whether you’re a chess hobbyist, parent, or coach, you’ll find plenty of wisdom and inspiration in this wide-ranging conversation. Timestamps of topics discussed are below.
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0:02- Welcome Elshan to the pod- we begin by discussing a poignant post Elshan wrote about what chess has given him, and what is has taken away:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1EExhz3qbC/
Prior interview with Elshan, Episode 58-
https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2018/2/6/episode-58-gm-elshan-moradiabadi
0:09- Why Elshan has grown to love the English language as a non-native speaker
Mentioned: Cover Stories with Chess Life Episodes #44 and #48
https://new.uschess.org/news/cover-stories-chess-life-44-gm-elshan-moradiabadi
https://new.uschess.org/news/cover-stories-chess-life-48-gm-elshan-moradiabadi
0:11- Elshan’s typical day of coaching
0:13- The challenge of improving chess intuition
Read more about Elshan’s 9 cues for evaluating a position here:
https://gmelshan.com/how-to-master-chess-the-9-imbalances/
19:00- Elshan’s approach to helping new students
27:00- Elshan’s reflections on his OTB chess game
30:00- Reflections on a poor performance in the 2022 US Championship
Mentioned: So-Moradiabadi 2022
https://www.chess.com/events/2022-us-chess-championship/11/So_Wesley-Moradiabadi_Elshan
33:00- Does Elshan follow top chess tournaments?
Mentioned: Quantbox Chennai Invitational
https://www.chess.com/events/info/2025-quantbox-chennai-grand-masters
37:00- Patreon mailbag question: What did Elshan like about the Chicken Chess Club Podcast (may it rest in peace)
Mentioned: GM Jan Gustafsson
39:00- Elshan’s plans for the rest of 2025
Mentioned: USA vs. India match in Dallas, Texas, October 2025
https://www.texaschesscenter.com/usa-vs-india?srsltid=AfmBOooUe_kOJfuugQMW1JtCezBWX7DPRYRK05I6w2LQ4Bzb6H9Pc9Lq
41:00- Elshan’s favorite players
Mentioned: GM Mikhail Tal, Capablanca, Fischer, Positional Decision Making in Chess by GM Boris Gelfand
45:00- Elshan’s big picture chess advice
Mentioned: Searching for Bobby Fischer
51:00- Last minute FIDE Grand Swiss predictions (this was recorded before it started)
55:00- Thanks so much to Elshan for joining me again! You can reach him via his website:
https://gmelshan.com/contact/
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