Dr. Can's Chess Clinic

Big News! My Chessable Courses Are Now Also on Chess.com!

You can now study my courses on both Chessable and Chess.com—whichever platform fits you best.

This means you can now train with my material directly on Chess.com, without having to log in to Chessable.

www.chess.com/courses

Tomorrow, I'm dropping a brand-new podcast episode with world-renowned cognitive scientist and chess Candidate Master Prof. Christopher Chabris! 🧠

We dive deep into the fascinating connection between cognitive science and chess decision-making—don’t miss it.

Wishing you all the best folks,
Can

2 days ago | [YT] | 42

Dr. Can's Chess Clinic

🎉 20,000 Subscribers! 🎉

Almost two years ago, I started this channel with one goal: to create real, honest, high-quality chess content—without false promises or BS. I refuse to make chess sound as easy as tic-tac-toe to chase views. While other channels that do just that have rapidly surpassed me, I’ve stayed committed to something I believe in: teaching chess the right way.

That’s why hitting 20K subscribers feels like such a big deal. It means there are thousands of you out there who value depth over shortcuts, and substance over hype. Your support, your feedback, and your stories of hitting new rating highs after discovering the channel or studying my courses—that’s what keeps me going. Truly.

If you believe in this kind of chess content, help me spread it. Share the channel with friends, teammates, or your club. And remember—liking and subscribing really does help push this kind of content forward.

Thank you for being here. I’m just getting started. ♟️❤️

3 days ago | [YT] | 204

Dr. Can's Chess Clinic

🎙️ New Podcast Episode Featuring Me!

I recently joined the Chess Experience Podcast hosted by Daniel Lona to talk about my chess journey and how I became a coach and course creator along the way.

🎧 Give it a listen here: www.adultchessacademy.com/blog/ep-123-cm-can-kabad…

If you’ve ever wondered about my background, what drives my teaching, or how I think about chess improvement, this episode is a good way to get to know me better.


Catch you soon, folks!
Can

1 week ago | [YT] | 34

Dr. Can's Chess Clinic

A special podcast episode alert, folks!

I had the great pleasure of talking to GM Jacob Aagaard. He took a deeply respectable stance as a grandmaster, thinking out loud as I tested him with key positions.

A great coach doesn’t just lecture—they solve problems with you, revealing their thought process in real time.

We explored strategic decision-making, especially around piece exchanges, inspired by his book Mastering Chess Exchanges (co-authored with Reiner Castellanos).

Jacob shared so many nuggets of chess wisdom—I’m now working hard to turn them into several short videos for you all. ☺️

Hope you will find great value in it. Please write your thoughts on video comments.

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 46

Dr. Can's Chess Clinic

Hello folks!

🐣♟️ Easter Sale Is Live on Chessable! 🐰

7 of my courses are part of the Easter Sale.
If you’ve been eyeing any of these, now’s the time:

You can grab them here: www.chessable.com/author/Can_Kabadayi/

🎙️ Also — stay tuned for tomorrow’s podcast episode with Grandmaster Jacob Aagaard!
We went deep on decision-making and tested each other with strategic positions. You don’t want to miss this one.

💥 It drops tomorrow — see you then!

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 27

Dr. Can's Chess Clinic

I’m honored to share that I’ve been selected as Coach of the Month for April on Chess.com! You can check out the article here:
www.chess.com/article/view/coach-of-the-month-can-…

🎙️ New podcast episode drops today!
I sat down with IM Andras Toth for a guess-the-move training session on a wild Fischer–Spassky game from their 1992 rematch. Let’s just say… it got chaotic fast—complete with several "please don’t try this at home!" moments 😅 But we broke it all down move by move and shared our thought process throughout. I think you’ll find a lot of value in it.

Also, just yesterday, I had a 3-hour conversation with GM Jacob Aagaard—an incredible deep dive into chess thinking. That episode will be out in two weeks, and trust me, it’s packed with insight.

One last thing: I read a fantastic review today of my Blunder-Check course—written by a neurologist! You can find it right on the course page. The course is still on sale for 2 more days, so if you haven’t checked it out yet, now’s the time:
chessable.com/blundercheck

Wishing you all the best—have a great weekend!
– Can

4 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 103

Dr. Can's Chess Clinic

Are you stuck in a plateau at the intermediate level? You’re not alone—and this time, I’m not just the coach… I’m part of the journey.

Life happens. You get busy, fall into blitz habits, lose some rating, and suddenly a year has gone by without real progress. That’s exactly what happened to Solveig—a fellow Chessable author, educator, and recent guest on my podcast. But she’s already taken the hardest step: showing up with intention.

Over the next four weeks, my role is to guide her—gently but deliberately—back into meaningful training. We’ll cut the noise and focus on the few things that actually move the needle.

And the best part? You’re invited to join us.

Starting April 1st, I’ll be live with Solveig once a week on her Twitch channel: twitch.tv/rookieredhead. We’ll unpack what’s holding her back, rebuild her structure, and set her on a path forward—and you can interact with us, ask your questions, and learn alongside her.

First stream: April 1st, 6pm CET
twitch.tv/rookieredhead

Let’s get unstuck together. Hope to see you there! 🫶🏼
—Dr. Can

1 month ago | [YT] | 81

Dr. Can's Chess Clinic

Hello, dear chess lovers!

After a full year of designing, testing, and refining, I’m beyond excited to announce the release of my 10th (!) Chessable course: Preventing Blunders in Chess. chessable.com/blundercheck

As a cognitive scientist and coach, my mission is to identify the biggest bottlenecks in a player's progress—and give you tools that generalize.

Not tricks. Not shortcuts.

But thinking skills that work across all positions.
And the biggest bottleneck I’ve seen?
Unsafe moves.

What is truly limiting your performance—your ceiling or your floor?

Improving your ceiling (strategy, calculation, openings) is great.
But if blunders keep ruining your games… then raising your floor should be your top priority.

Blunder Check helps you do exactly that.

Think about it this way:
If you improve your strategy but still drop pieces, your rating won’t rise.
If you improve your safety checks, you instantly become a stronger player.

That’s why blunder-checking isn’t just a useful habit—it’s the most essential skill in practical play.
It raises your floor and ensures that your games are decided by real chess ideas, not regrets.

And yet, while books and courses cover tactics, openings, and strategy in depth, blunder-checking remains one of the most underrepresented skills in all of chess education.
This course fills that gap.

And no—it’s not about passivity or fear. This course teaches you to verify your ideas with confidence.

Some of the most powerful exercises challenge you to play seemingly blunder-looking moves…
…but calculate just one or two plies deeper to prove they work.

I have already received great feedback from the alpha and beta testers of the course. Here is what a beta-tester wrote today: “I know this sounds pretty cliche but I really thought your course was absolutely outstanding and I’m up to my all time high of 1250 chess.com, and over 1600 lichess after studying it.”

It probably works!!
I am super excited about the impact of this course on your chess progress.
Thanks for your continued support ❤️

Let's CLAMP down on blunders!

1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 86

Dr. Can's Chess Clinic

Hello dear lovely community,

I’m recording a new podcast episode with IM Andras Toth this Wednesday, and we haven't locked in a topic yet! There are so many options to choose from ☺️

One idea I’m considering is Guess-the-Move Training, where we explore the merit of this training method and how to do it effectively. We can do a joint guess the move training from an instructive game, provided we don't remember the actual moves, obviously.

But before we finalize, I want to hear from YOU! 💬 What topics would you love to see us discuss? Please drop your suggestions below! 👇 I am sure I will invite him again in the future, so your ideas may help us shape our future episodes.

1 month ago | [YT] | 43

Dr. Can's Chess Clinic

Hello dear friends! Tomorrow (16 Feb) I’ll be guesting on the live broadcast of the Norwegian Chess Championships for Girls & Women, and I’d love for you to join us!

This tournament is being live-streamed for the first time ever, thanks to the efforts of Solveig Friberg—a dedicated Chessable author, educator, and former guest on my podcast!

🗓 Round 4 will be in English! Solveig will be leading the commentary, and I’ll be joining as a guest to analyze games across all levels.

📍 Where? 👉 www.twitch.tv/rookieredhead
⏰ When? 👉 February 16, 9:30 AM - 1 PM CET

Our goal isn’t just to provide commentary—we want to create a valuable learning experience. What key lessons can we take from these games? Plus, you’ll have the chance to ask us questions live in the chat and be part of the discussion.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

2 months ago | [YT] | 48