You are a chess player and you want to improve your game. Books can help you to achieve what you want, but not every time it's possible to learn directly from the book. A visual representation can help you to understand the content quickly! So the question is- where to begin? The most available source can be YouTube. But there are many Chess Channels and you are in a deep-sea while choosing a certain channel to watch. Whatagoodday is here to sort things out for you. I have listed five channels for you to watch and I can write to you that if you follow them and their contents- your chess will improve drastically! Let's begin!
Here are the top five (including some special mentions) YouTube channels you can watch to improve your game of chess:
- Daniel Naroditsky
- Hanging Pawns
- Saint Louis Chess Club
- Agadmator
- PowerPlayChess
Daniel Naroditsky is an American Grandmaster and a published chess author since age 14! His father Vladimir Naroditsky is a math professor and his mother Lena Naroditsky is a piano teacher. Daniel graduated from Stanford University in 2019 with a degree in history. He won the World Youth Chess Championship (under-12) in 2007.
Daniel Naroditsky is one of the most popular chess streamers on social media. His chess speedruns are extremely instructive and fun to watch. The way he shows and explains each game can easily be named Master Class. If you want to improve your chess and you are serious about it- I would strongly recommend his channel to keep on your priority list.
“Hanging Pawns is a chess channel for players who are trying to improve (by a player who is trying to improve).”
Sometimes when you watch a GM talking, there is a chance that most of the time you will not get everything he/she says. This is where Hanging Pawns comes. He himself is a chess player who is constantly trying to improve, and he is not alone in his journey. He teaches what he is taught! All of his playlists are extremely thorough and detailed. He tries to crack every opening and defense as well as the games played by the legends. If you want to improve your opening, middle-game, and endgame ideas- this should be the wise choice for you.
Saint Louis Chess Club is the digital version of any ‘chess book’. It’s not only just a YouTube channel but also an educational institution that maintains a formal program of instruction to teach the game of chess and promotes and supports its educational program through community outreach and local and national partnerships to increase the awareness of the educational value of chess.
The channel has numerous playlists based on the level of a chess player (beginner, intermediate, and expert). The lectures are given by Chess masters around the world. The lectures are long and instructional enough to build a strong foundation for your improvement.
If you have already browsed on the internet about chess, then you already know who Agadmator is. The channel is run by Antonio Radic from Croatia and it is the biggest subscribed channel dedicated to chess. Agadmator mainly covers games from the latest tournaments, legends, specific players and world championship matches, etc. The channel has several most important playlists; so far he has covered the games of Paul Morphy, Alexander Alekhin, Jose Raul Capablanca, and Emanuel Lasker. Also, he has covered the 1960 world championship match between Mikhail Tal and Mikhail Botvinnik, 1972 Bobby Fischer vs. Boris Spassky, and so on. The way he explains the games with the ‘disgusting engine line’ and ‘sorry about that' is enough to grab your attention.
PowerPlayChess channel is run by Daniel King, an English Grandmaster, writer, coach, journalist, and broadcaster.
His contents are by far the most underrated. As he is a full-time commentator, he has a particular style of talking. While watching, you will not ever be detached from the game; rather you will feel more engaged.
Special Mentions:
There are many great chess channels on YouTube no denying that. They are constantly working for the players who are trying to improve their game, for free! No extra charge, no registration fee, no paid subscription. With all due respect, this list is only from personal observation. If you think I missed any, please let me know!
UPDATE:
I understand GOTHAMCHESS is an IM and also one of the biggest stars on YouTube. The reason I have not included him here is that his contents are not quite detailed like the Top Five I have mentioned here. You can examine it by yourself if you compare the playlists between Hanging Pawns and GothamChess. I am not saying who is professional here or not, just from my perspective. That's it. After all, we are here to improve our games, aren't we? If you feel like GothamChess is doing better than any other channel for your chess improvement, then go for it! I am a big fan of Levy as well. If I have to add GothamChess here, I have to add other random channels because other people are being benefited from those channels, don't they? I have simply put it from my candid perspective 
[ Check My other blogs too. Read Samuel Reshevsky: Unveiling of an Internet Lie and Book Review 'Amateur To IM: Proven Ideas and Training Methods by Jonathan Hawkins' Episode One
I am planning on writing my next blog about YouTube Playlists about Chess! If you have any suggestions, feel free to contact me in the inbox or here: chessmemerofficial@gmail.com
