Is Chess a waste of money?

[@xBlze]

Thank you Gotham, today my brother and me (both beginners of chess) exited our comfort zone and joined a local chess club meeting nice new people, really excited where this road will take me ✌️

[@samuelshafa1793]

Good luck to you in your life, and in your journey in chess

[@lesblues1203]

Pin of Fame

[@iloveislam9664]

So gotham doesn’t just shin of pames😮

[@EliteSheep8786]

shine pames@@iloveislam9664

[@devanshtripathi8826]

Do you play valorant? I've seem someone with same name.

[@Overlocking]

"I don't fear the man who practiced 10,000 openings once, I fear the man who practiced a opening 10,000 times" - GothamChess

[@rainboltfiend]

yes it's his now 100 years from now we gonna quote him

[@carloshoz]

That is Bruce Lee. "I don't fear the man who practiced 1000 techniques once. I fear the one who practiced 1 technique 1000 times"

[@rainboltfiend]

@@carloshoz yup

[@Oreki-y1v]

​@@rainboltfiend yup I am you it my second id

[@Nobodyie]

Until you get the black pieces

[@Mati-zc2ym]

If you buy a chessly course and never study then no

[@UmniChrenof]

Why is your comment is liked but mine is not?

[@smileorgobyebye6330]

​@@UmniChrenof He paid levy

[@Checkmate_Edits]

​​@@UmniChrenof probably got shadow deleted, or no one found it funny, or it doesn't contain "fail"

[@lezty]

What I'm shocked about is Gym for $10? Over here the minimum is 100 to $200

[@smileorgobyebye6330]

@@lezty depends on the gym dude If you want a barbell with a few weights... 10 dollars a month If you need a GYM gym then that'll be expensive

[@trygveplaustrum4634]

Here’s the thing. Nobody teaches the Reti Gambit. So nobody has any idea what to do when I play the Reti Gambit. Free wins, in terms of both effort and cost.

[@timmacdonald7120]

The Reti is nice but I stopped playing lines that can transpose into the English. I used to play the English a lot but I simply didn't like how Black can just chill once the opening is done. Not enough flair for me. I like drama

[@dymoster]

Reti gambit op

[@mushroom_pi]

just do the cow opening, it got tyler1 a bunch of rating :)

[@EnigmaChess]

Simon Williams teaches it

[@descendency]

This works until you start to see players that don't panic and players that also play offbeat openings. You can learn a lot of offbeat openings that will scare/shock players in the

[@jefftaylor1186]

The free courses on Chessable/chessly etc are a great starting point and then you can probably learn the rest on your own from there. That’s basically how I re-learned my repertoire after not playing for 17 years.

[@איתןשי]

One more thing I would add - at any level below around 1500 DO NOT get a course that will time out... Casual players like us will forget the lessons and neet repeat reminding

[@TheLucidDreamer12]

All the free resources are enough to get to ~2000 level, but it's not enough to be anything past that

[@crusaderACR]

​@@TheLucidDreamer12 Where can I find those free resources?

[@tengu5628]

​​@@crusaderACRyoutube, lichess, chessable(not entirely free but there are good free things there), aim chess and the internet in general

[@riccardozanoni2531]

@@crusaderACR you can find plenty of books for free on "internet archive", they're old but still very good. My favorite is "the complete manual of positional chess", if you like russian-style positional play. Also, youtube videos by many gms are really useful. I find Irina Krush's videos to be very informative. I don't know about 2000 level, but i got to roughly 1800 in 3 years by myself, so it might be doable.

[@RaghavendraPhulari-cb5ov]

Commenting here for those free resources

[@True_path2007]

Gotham never fails to include chess in his videos

[@Checkmate_Edits]

Chess never fails to include gotham in its videos.

[@CristichiEX]

Gotham never fails to include Levy in his videos

[@emberheat990]

When he talks about chess in his videos it's so much better than when he talks about chess.

[@keyR3dz]

@@emberheat990💀 this actually made me spit out my drink

[@emberheat990]

@@keyR3dz always glad to help out :)

[@micaharblaster2336]

That 10$ chess board that was both chess and checkers your grandma bought you says otherwise. 😂

[@justsomerandomnesss604]

Ours even has Morris (Cowboy Checkers?) on the back

[@emberheat990]

ahh... good memories!

[@zTeaTheCoffee]

I got one that was like 6 games in one. I think it had like backgammon and stuff on the back as well, it was crazy

[@supersusstudios4936]

Funny enough i find great success playing an opening over and over again and analyse it evertime with stockfish. And i gained like 400 points last year

[@RocketLancer14]

me watching this video knowing full well that i will never spend money on chess: Interesting 🤔

[@suuluthansen2905]

Same! 🤣

[@pininja4981]

I say... Never say never 😂

[@debrascott8775]

My absolute newbie take: bought 2 courses form Levy one for white and one for black. Only needed the first couple chapters to increase my opening confidence because at my lowly rating it's mostly random shit from the other side of the board.

[@RCPlanes59]

Props to Levy for having the restraint to not cover the Magnus/Hans game today (what little of it there was)

[@martinsauer5311]

That didn’t age well

[@RCPlanes59]

@@martinsauer5311 I figured it would only be a matter of time lol

[@MrKULVIS]

Majority of the information is out there for free. What you pay for is an easier way to access it. Try going old fashioned and get a library card. Tons of good books for no cost at the ol library.

[@riccardozanoni2531]

there's also internet archive for free old books. Some really good ones are in there.

[@joshcleminson]

Here's a tip.... I bought the Caro-Kann course... (Great content, helped me get to the next level).... Instead of playing people online, I found the bots that will generally play into the different versions of the Caro and used them as trainers get get a firm grasp on getting to the variation setups, BUT ALSO figure out the ideas of those positions and how to play them in the middle game...

[@scot_3]

This was helpful! I was learning chess in the 90's before there was "online" anything. Then we started having kids. Now that the last kid is almost out of the house, I am getting the itch to revisit the game. Your thoughts were useful in how to approach the study and vast material available. Thank you, sir!

[@FloatingSunfish]

One of the most genuine videos I've seen in a while! This is why he's the internet's chess teacher.

[@plumber1337]

Nothing is "free", if it doesn't cost energy it costs time.

[@visionnzgaming1982]

3minute mark is HUGE! Big fan of that POV Gotham, BIG FAN

[@varshneyaagarwal2160]

A lot of learnings in one video, apart from the ones already mentioned: 1) Determine if you can afford it (it's worth it or not in terms of balancing your time and money etc) 2) To learn something new, learn qualitatively, methodically, and applicable to our current status to improve and specialize in what you face the most instead of bulldozing everything and retaining nothing. 3) Adapt your learnings with your old successes to build upon knowledge (Combining Dutch with Modern was a really cool idea) Love the insightful content to guide us plebians honestly!

[@SynthD]

Levi never fails to convince us that his courses are a waste of money.

[@bobbynygaardchrisitansen6874]

opening theory is a study why grandmasters can up with the best way to start the game at gm level. after opening play players play at their level. My point is people should study tactics and strategy to get better.

[@felixhinz3804]

Without a course is like reinventing the wheel, its maybe not as good as the others but I know every screw in person

[@jennysaucerman3047]

I bought the end game course and, in hindsight, I think I would've been better off buying the Caro Kann course 😅 But I got it on sale and don't regret supporting your business, and I'm still able to apply some of the concepts at my level. I once read that people buy hobby things because they like the idea of who they'll be more than what would actually be useful to them, and I think that's very applicable here. I enjoyed this video a lot! Learning how to study is a skill itself. I'd enjoy more videos like these

[@4RILDIGITAL]

It's brilliant to ensure learning for complete enjoyment and improvement rather than guaranteeing results based solely on monetary investment in a course. Patience and perseverance always hold the key. Excellent work addressing different financial situations and emphasising the importance of spending within one's limits.

[@rainboltfiend]

you definetely don't need to it's all explained freely on everywhere essentially

[@LucifersLandLord]

Any links or a push in the right direction?

[@rainboltfiend]

@@LucifersLandLord channel wise I know hanging pawns has great recommendations but you need specifics for example what course would you buy right now if you were gonna buy, then write that course on youtube check out some playlists I bet you will learn a lot from that content

[@rainboltfiend]

cuz even when you buy a course it still takes effort this one takes too

[@samuellinn]

​@@rainboltfiend yeah okay but any push in the right direction or links to the free resources?

[@Valkyriesrevenge]

Don't often comment but really love this style of video, not only teaching you via courses but how to use courses as well. More of this content please! Keep up the great work!

[@tazeking8033]

I've bought both your e6b6 course and your middle game course. I've gone from losing against my brother too quickly. To now holding my own and making him try really hard to beat me. Thanks mate for the courses! 😁👍

[@laksthegamer1185]

Thank you for having a different type of chess content! No offense to your recap videos - of course - but I also love it when you do these types of videos.

[@estiya2809]

Really good video ! Some of your videos are really the example of the " I wish someone has made a video on it " comment. I hope you treat more key subjects like this in the future. I am more in the "free material" mindset but your analysis on the subject was very accurate and educational as always !

[@jeffreyperdue1606]

Thanks for the analysis and the feedback! Panov variation is on deck tonight lol

[@custa73burner]

Yes please, more of this, there is crucially relevant information about how to study, to improve our own chess. We all need to learn how to recognise and study, that which will improve the player we are now.

[@_the_Nochad]

What would chess be without gotham, truly nice of him to always find a way to include it in his videos

[@sebastianplummer2941]

No one: Freddie Mercury: 1:51

[@cosmarigabriel65]

Thank you, Gotham Chess. Thanks to you, I've gone from 400 to 1700 in a year and a half, and I've also won the Hessian School Chess Championship with the team I founded. All of this was achieved without buying anything, as I, being a student, cannot afford it.

[@shaunbutler238]

I bought Levy's book. Money well spent.

[@yakeemhudson]

Spending $240 to double chess diamond membership isn't a waist of money

[@tfrazza]

I bought your d4 and Caro courses 2 years ago when I was 700. I now use your e4, QGD and Caro courses and I’m 1700. They were easily some of the best investments I ever made

[@thesecret6019]

This is not just applicable to chess courses but it applies to all of the courses that you buy online

[@dysprosiumdead5078]

levy never fails to spend my money

[@soson001]

"Mildly biased". That is extremely inaccurate.

[@jamesbungert3155]

There's also the issue of being able to devote the amount of time required to take advantage of the thing you buy.

[@amrsaed3149]

Iam 1800 rapid without spending any money and still growing my Elo by just watching your videos, analysing games, watching free chess courses and playing a lot :)

[@DigiRex]

Yeah, the Bruce Lee quote is amazing, it goes "I don't fear a man that knows ten thousand ways how to punch, I fear a man that knows only one way to punch, but he's trained that one way ten thousand times", it's so true👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻

[@zuhairqureshi8635]

I sail the seas for anything digital

[@vinesthemonkey]

yeah chessly is available on those sites lol

[@jawadbhatti3373]

i spend my money on my cricket, football if required snooker even, crickets my passion chess is my time pass, so different for different ppl.....a pro chess player will spend his money

[@loganbuster6428]

Very good video. I got your intermediate chess course recently. Thank you for encouraging my love for Chess

[@elizabeth4689]

hey levy I just did the sample of your caro kann course and beat a 1000 elo player for the first time, great stuff

[@ElmerPelcher]

For chess players at lower levels, one never knows how the other player is going to respond to some established opening. For top flight players like Gotham, sure. But for an ordinary, recreational player all of this theory may be interesting and give some ideas, but actually trying to execute it probably isn't going to be able to be done.

[@erikruwalder97]

How very true!! Do not start with mountain climbing, first learn to walk on a flat surface. I would say join a local club. Make it something social. Exchange ideas. I recently played a guy 96 years old (I am 61). It was a tough match, and great fun! Which other hobby can you do for 90+ years.

[@FlashAm]

Gotham chess became a financial advisor. Props to Levy!

[@IamGroot455]

today i played 2 brilliant moves in one single game . it was a disaster moment for me . i want you to make a shorts on it as i see your all videos. please tell me how i can share that with you. i am very excited

[@thecalculatedcreativecoder1428]

Levy never fails to make me spend my money wisely

[@joycec1883]

This is one of the best videos I’ve seen in a while!! Now I know how to study the courses I bought. Thanks Gotham!!!

[@haleymartin9342]

I find that I am most successful with 1 course for white (Keep it Simple d4), 1 course for black (KIS), and then a tactics book (right now: Art of Attack). Just throwing it out there in case others would find it useful

[@knowledgeandgamesofaadvikh568]

We just want gotham being roasted by levy and levy being roasted by gotham

[@Roshkggeh]

In my opinion, you can get a lot of free knowledge online. I got 1500 elo and I didn't paid a penny. But I think once you got around this rating, you can choose to continue chess or not. If you want to continue and you're serious about it, you can spend some money for studying chess.

[@luisxavier8316]

Thanks, Gotham, for laying this in such a clear and helpful manner. Well done. Also just to say that I love your all videos sharing great games and event recaps but other chess-related content and How-to-win, How-to-lose series, I really enjoy the most. Thank you!!! Cheers!

[@raptorialmage]

Guys plot twist the Ian guy he talks about is actually nepo

[@M-H433]

If you enjoy the sport,and love to compete,of course money needs to be spent on fees........travel etc,it's a great thing my stepson competes just about every weekend and once a week,a great family environment, I love it.

[@alexwebb7676]

This is an interesting video to me - I've only purchased one course, the Caro-Kann course, because after trying a number of Black openings against e4 it was a hole in my repertoire I just couldn't seem to patch. I've had extremely good success, especially with the recommended Tartakower lines, but overall I wouldn't say my play has changed that much. I've gained a little rating by patching up the weakness, and now I'm working on other parts of my play. The side-benefit I didn't expect was that I could transition the ideas of the Caro to other openings - now I transpose most London games into Caro games, and feel much more comfortable. But that's not an idea from the course, it's just one that I stumbled on later. And it only works because I put the requisite effort into learning Caro lines so that I get that comfort in the first place. I'm generally very averse to spending money unless I know it's a good idea. In this case it worked out, and I've followed that up by... not buying any other courses for years. Because I don't see them meeting a need.

[@wakethemountain9467]

That was the longest commercial I’ve ever seen on KZbin

[@accurategrind]

I think it's less fun to watch than other kinds of videos, but there is much value in it. Thanks a lot. I will review the way I read chess books and study openings.

[@MindstabThrull]

Just want to make this comment, since you brought up fiction vs nonfiction books: I play a lot of Dungeons & Dragons. In my opinion, the books for the game should first be read just like a novel - from front to back - to get a good handle of the rules of the game (how to attack, what kind of moves are available, etc). After that, though, they become more like a resource book, where you will be looking into "how exactly does X work" so you can make the right moves. Do you think Chess would be similar?

[@rinpuiilal5555]

Levy never fails to become megamind

[@arvas1b2]

Levy never fails to not include Magnus even if the topic of the video isn't about Magnus

[@oldman-badchess]

Levy, do you think Chessable’s point system creates a culture of needless study to obtain high scores at the detriment of learning what’s more useful.

[@ritaweygint4038]

I knew NOTHING about chess, so I bought Levy’s book and the beginner course… And a chess set. I know a little bit now, so there’s been some progress! My other hobby is Espresso, and that’s way more expensive for sure!

[@KiNG-xu5ne]

0:12 Yes *-stockfish-*

[@osowiecwalking9434]

i just know first 4 moves of london fr. but almost reaching 1500. once i reach 1600 i will study opening

[@JohnDoe362]

"I've never made a video like this" That's why i clicked Levy, it wasn't an obnoxious thumbnail or a title with 15 exclamation marks

[@alexanderallegra432]

Recently spent 600 on guitar pedals, and yes they improved my tone and playing ability 😎

[@rainboltfiend]

I think you could buy like 1 course a year that'd be worth it cuz none of us play 12 hours a day

[@omaryahya4016]

Levy never fails to promote his courses.

[@ColinTimmins]

This was an awesome video. Good advice that can be applied to many parts of one’s life and decisions they make. Lessons such as this needs to be taught, and learnt.

[@orelshema]

I've Purchased the E4 NY Style and D4 Dynamite courses and I've learnt so much that I'm looking to take more courses. My game is completely different ever since, and I especially love the drills. Also, I think these courses are inexpensive, especially if you consider Chess as a hobby and you want to up your game. The best way to decide is watching the free chapter and see if you like it.

[@andrearossi1447]

Wait, 10 bucks a month for the gym is crazy cheap

[@andrewunthank3521]

The cheapest in my area is 25

[@bobbynygaardchrisitansen6874]

I like the Caro Kann but I guess Hikaru has a different opinion if anyone should play that opening.

[@muratsinanengin9773]

Ive got 3 masterclass courses, started with tactics and it was pretty good now I’m doing the middle game. I would wait for the next sale to snatch e4 and caro Kann but after this video I decided to get CK only cos there’s a lot of Vienna and no Ruy Lopez in your e4 course and I’m kinda ruy Lopez guy. Against the Sicilian ım playing Grand Prix anyway. Anyway, truly respectable of you. You’re not aggressively marketing your goods. You’re more decent than you want to appear Levy. 😊

[@alexmatei22222]

what elo are you?

[@ChristianHegele]

I spent time (thankfully no money) to learn the Benko gambit, just to literally never use any of it becauae my opponents at 1400 never ever ever play the critical way, so I'm always out of book early in an equalish position.

[@NeilBeaumont-v8q]

Interested to hear his views on hiring a coach

[@puneetgarg8886]

I'm not seeing any GMs who study through chess courses and making big money

[@belvus9574]

I want to watch videos of YOU playing chess. Totally off topic from this video but still I really wanted to say that. Like your appeal is definitely in your review of chess and in your charm, but also the aspect of watching you grow as a chess master.

[@CatSurfer]

He has a whole channel where he does that. Gotham Games

[@laasak2463]

I'd like to personally thank Levy for clearing my vision on how to spend on courses, especially as I'm 15 and hv a limited allowance😅. I was quite confused on which course to look into first as I couldn't buy all of them, this video definitely helped me out on my future in chess, thank you Levy ❤

[@helium999_]

or just use the lichess study feature

[@AdibHosna]

I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced 1 kick 10,000 times - BruceLee (be water my friend)

[@-_--pb7ti]

Simple answer: no. You should be able to look at a chess board, learn how all the pieces move and then find every best possible move without the need of courses. For those of us (me) who are still 500 Elo, I would say looking at free tutorials is probably the best. Imo.

[@AntonLukas]

Fantastic video, a lot of people need to see this

[@LesPaul1482]

Levy never fails to promote Levy

[@lettersANnumbersonly]

10/10 very much appreciated Gotham!

[@luizrizola]

Awesome video!!! I was thinking about buying some courses, but I am reavaluating things!! That being said, I just bought your book and started from there. From Brazil, didn't wait for the Portuguese version :)

[@jiold]

He didn't mention his masterclasses. Those are really good too.

[@3ugya667]

how to make a commercial for yourself.

[@markrapp2180]

Thank you Gotham, I returned to your E4 and Caro Courses again. Got a little distracted (lazy) lately.

[@blockchainbaboon7617]

If Levy starts playing pickleball I would be so happy

[@zyto7904]

You don't need anything past the free sample of E4 course to get to 1200

[@Djaa9]

Great video. This advise should really be on chessly as a “where to start”. I bought the E4 course a couple of months ago and was struggling with the “read all chapters like a book” approach.

[@LucaGiovanni490]

Levy, make a video on the evolution of chess engines/computers.

[@brettjensen987]

I'm actually trying different openings for White, which I haven't invested in yet. But your Black e6/b6 course is awesome and I enjoy the positions.

[@brunorebecchi]

POV: nobody buys your courses anymore💀

[@citywitt3202]

Progress is not linear put my mind at rest. Had a bunch of wins, got near a thousand and then just threw it off a cliff to 450. Only just started winning again recently. I think adopting new techniques and tactics will make you feel less comfortable and you’ve just got to push through until you learn to use the better tools and ditch bad habits.