Notes on 5000 Subscribers

Intro

As of about two weeks ago, Zwischenzug has more than 5000 subscribers.

I started this newsletter with no particular expectations other than sharing some thoughts I had about chess, so it’s amazing to me that more than 5000 people have voluntarily signed up to receive these emails every week. Thank you!

Looking Back

The early posts were long, abstract pieces about connections between chess, data, and AI. But as time went on the topics became less thinky and more practical. From surveys and reader reactions, I learned that most people read this newsletter for one simple reason: to get better at chess. For that reason, the focus has shifted more and more to the brass tacks of chess improvement: how to do puzzles, learn openings, etc.

While this has been a positive change on the whole, I sometimes struggle with how and when to write about non-improvement topics that I think are interesting and important. And curiously, the three most popular posts I’ve ever done had nothing to do with chess improvement.

Is Chess A Waste Of Time recounted the stories of famous figures who tried to quit chess, with varying levels of success. It turned out that many readers struggled with the amount of time they spend on chess and the role it plays in their lives.

Centipawns Suck explained why the standard evaluation metric used by engines doesn’t really make sense for humans. This post seems to have achieved an evergreen status where it continues to get comments every now and then, possibly because it explains something that’s interesting to programmers working on chess. Subsequent to that post, Stockfish and others have made changes to make evaluations more consistent and relevant.

And Did Hans Niemann Cheat? examined the cheating controversy involving the young American star and Magnus Carlsen.

Something I struggle with is how to find room for these one-off posts that have little to do with chess improvement, but are interesting for me to write, and – occasionally – become quite popular.

Hans Niemann and Cheating

The Hans Niemann affair was a mixed blessing for the chess world: it brought an enormous amount of attention to the game, but much of it was negative. But it was an unmixed boon for my own career, since it combined my two biggest interests – chess and data – in a highly visible way. A post I wrote analyzing the question of whether Niemann had ever cheated in over-the-board chess went somewhat viral and led to a sort of 15 minutes of fame. I got to do a podcast on the BBC, amongst others.

With cheating once again taking center stage, thanks largely to the efforts of Vladimir Kramnik, I’ve been tempted to write about the current goings on. But I’m also cognizant that many people read this newsletter for chess improvement advice and regard cheating “drama” as an irritating distraction. I’m currently exploring writing a longer piece on online cheating for an outside publication.

Making Money

With a one-year-old and another baby on the way, I’ve had to get more serious about the money side of my chess business. Overall, Zwischenzug has been the linchpin of everything I do with chess. It’s led, directly or indirectly, to opportunities writing for some of chess’s biggest sites and magazines, podcast appearances with mainstream news outlets, and coaching clients. But I still make very little money off the newsletter itself. I’ve tried various perks for paid subscribers – live video calls, Q&A columns, access to material like my own opening files – and frankly, nothing has really moved the needle. Currently Zwischenzug is supported by a handful of generous souls who appreciate what I do and want to help out. (Thank you!!)

I currently see Zwischenzug as a “loss leader” for my overall chess business, and in that respect, it’s been successful. At the same time, I’m also considering trying some other changes to encourage more readers to become paid subscribers. For example, I might experiment with making the regular weekly post shorter and even more improvement-focused, and add in some paid-only posts that are deeper and more personal, such as my own training program, preparation, and game review.

Looking forward

Outside of the newsletter, I’m working on several other projects I’m really excited about.

1. Along with my friend Martin Justesen from the Say Chess newsletter, I’m working on creating an online chess improvement community, tentative name: The Chess Gym. The idea is to distill the core lessons we’ve learned about chess improvement into a simple, easy-to-follow program to improve your chess. We’re hoping to open up the community to early testers very soon.

2. My first course for Chessable, 100 Repertoires: Reti (1. Nf3), has gotten good reviews and I’ve heard from many players who have used it successfully in their own games. I’m talking with Chessable about follow-up courses. My plan is to do two 100 Repertoires for Black, one vs. 1. e4, and a second vs. everything else. It’s not yet set in stone but I’d love to get these out in 2024.

Once again, thanks to everyone who subscribed! I hope you’ve found this peak behind the curtains interesting. Next week, we’ll get back to chess improvement. And as always, I’d be happy to hear from you.