FM Niranjan Navalgund - How to Beat Stronger Players in Chess

About this episode

The episode explores strategies for beating stronger chess players, featuring insights from FIDE Master Niranjan Navalgund.

00:00 Intro04:38 Does this only apply to grandmasters?07:25 Quiet positions vs Chaos11:00 Play the pieces, not the player?16:50 Nothing to Lose Mentality23:15 The TRAP framework35:00 Cognitive Biases in Chess44:57 Mistakes to Avoid against Stronger Players54:42 The Impact of Chessable on TeachingIn this episode, I sit down with FIDE Master Niranjan Navalgund to explore a question that fascinates many ambitious players: how do you beat stronger opponents, especially grandmasters? We discuss the ideas behind his Chessable course How to Beat a Grandmaster, which focuses less on openings and theory and more on the practical and psychological realities of facing higher-rated players. Niranjan explains why this topic matters for everyone, not just those paired against titled players, because the same emotional patterns often show up whenever we face someone we perceive as “stronger.” We talk about pressure, authority bias, over-respect, risky overpressing, time trouble, and the need to stay objective instead of chasing perfect chess.The conversation also widens into coaching, learning, and chess culture. Niranjan shares the framework behind his course, including his TRAP model—Time…

People in this episode

Host: Can Kabadayi

Guest: Niranjan Navalgund

Topics covered

• chess strategy
• psychological tactics
• cognitive biases
• tournament preparation
• coaching
• mindset

Keywords

• chess
• stronger players
• grandmasters
• TRAP framework
• cognitive biases
• mental strategies
• tournament preparation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Chessable

Books & works: How to Beat a Grandmaster

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