UNFILTERED: GM Ben Finegold on FIDE, GothamChess, Marriages, and Why You’ll Never Be a GM

JOIN MY 3-DAY Endgame Marathon ➡️ https://www.skool.com/chessschool
📍June 20-22!

🎙️GM Ben Finegold Unfiltered: Marriages, GothamChess, Freestyle & Why He Never Plays 1.f3

In this raw and hilarious episode, together with my wonderful co-host @emilyplayschess we sit down with the one and only Grandmaster Ben Finegold @GMBenjaminFinegold to talk about everything — from his path to becoming a GM (spoiler: it took a while) to his thoughts on Levy, Hans Niemann, veganism, and why he’ll never forgive 1.f3.

💥 Whether you're a chess fan, aspiring GM, or just here for the chaos — this is a must-watch.

👇 Timestamps so you don’t miss your favorite moments:
00:01 — How Ben became vegan
03:39 — His early life and chess journey
06:38 — Why it took him so long to get the GM title
10:44 — Can anyone become a GM?
11:31 — Kids in chess
13:08 — Ben on marriage(s)
15:40 — Why he thinks GothamChess won't make GM
18:57 — Challenging Levy
20:07 — Hans Niemann stories and drama
23:51 — Why Ben came out of retirement
26:12 — Meeting his current wife
30:33 — Can adult beginners become GMs?
32:21 — Kramnik, cheating & the chess "mafia"
38:33 — Freestyle Chess and its future
41:27 — Thoughts on Chess.com, FIDE & quitting USCF
54:23 — Does age limit improvement?
54:31 — Never play f3!
57:07 — Best first move? 1.d4.

🔥 Plus: his brutally honest take on the state of modern chess.

💬 Drop your favorite Finegold quote in the comments — and don’t forget to like & subscribe for more epic guests!

Thank you for watching!!

Drop a like and let us know your thoughts in the comments!

👇TRY MY COURSE FOR FREE FOR 7 DAYS!
►https://www.skool.com/russianchessschool/about

Haven’t made up your mind yet about joining my Russian Chess School? Subscribe for my FREE weekly NEWSLETTER with chess tips and tricks and stay in touch with our latest features 👉 https://www.russianchessschool.com

➡️ Upgrade your chess.com membership via my affiliate link: https://go.chess.com/DinaBelenkaya

Support the channel ► https://streamelements.com/dinabelenkaya

✉️ For all business inquiries, please contact: dina@thisisafk.com

#BenFinegold #GothamChess #Chess