EP 292- Adult Improver Karen Boyd on What She Learned from a Busy Summer of Tournament Chess, and Why she Always "Plays Up" Against Tougher Competition

Karen Boyd is a 56 year old mother, wife and chess lover with a background in computer programming. She often appears in the videos and streams of her husband, GM Ben Finegold, but she also does a ton of the work behind the scenes, producing Ben’s content. Despite Karen’s busy life, she has been making lots of time for chess study and joined me after a busy summer with plenty of chess tournaments in the United States. Karen assiduously documents her chess study, and has been averaging about 3 hours per day of study when not on the road. She showed some good results in the World Open, and is on the verge of eclipsing her personal high rating of 1421. In our interview, she discussed her background, her study regimen, her goal, her relationship with Ben, and why she thinks she currently finds tournaments more enjoyable than her husband does. I really admire the dedication that Karen is showing to chess and look forward to seeing her continued chess progress. More details, timestamps and relevant links can be found below.   0:00- If you or someone you know is interested in appearing as an adult improver, you can submit their info via the online form here: Interested in Appearing on the Pod as an Adult Improver? — The Perpetual Chess Podcast 1:00- Karen has been studying chess for 3 hours per day and traveling far and wide to play in many tournaments. Why?  Mentioned: Check out Karen’s study log here: https://atlchessclub.com/ChessLog/ChessStudyLog.pdf 5:00- How does Karen feel about her recent progress, after a busy summer.  10:00- Why does Karen prefer classical chess?  Mentioned: Justin Morrison of Kids Chess Zone  16:00- Karen’s husband, GM Ben Finegold, has said he is retiring from OTB chess. Does Karen think he will change his mind someday?  19:00- What are Karen’s current chess goals?  Mentioned: How to Beat Your Dad at Chess, Chessable’s Checkmate Patterns Manual  22:00-  Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. Aimchess’ algorithm reviews your games and gives you actionable advice on