ChessFeels

ChessFeels is a weekly podcast about chess culture, improvement, and psychology hosted by chess teacher JJ Lang and therapist Julia Rios. Launched in 2022 and available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms, it takes an honest look at the emotional side of chess: the obsession, the frustration, the growth, and the weird way this game gets inside your head.

What sets ChessFeels apart is the combination of perspectives. JJ brings the chess instructor's eye for improvement and pattern recognition. Julia brings a clinical lens on behavior, habits, and mental health. Together they cover topics you won't hear on most chess shows: ADHD and chess, grief and losing, collective unhappiness in competitive play, and how humility actually works at the board. The show is conversational and unscripted, which gives it a warmth that formal chess content rarely has.

Notable guests have included IM John Bartholomew, poker professional and chess prodigy Isaac Haxton, and various coaches and club players. The show is sponsored by Chessable and JJ Lang was named Chess Journalist of the Year in both 2024 and 2025, so the credibility behind it is real. If you play chess and you have ever felt something about it, this show is probably for you.