Fins FAQ Things people ask on a stream chat, every single time.

John's Upcoming Events

Aug. 31 - Sep. 4

Southwest Open

Tournament | Irving, TX | Source

Sep. 29 - Oct. 8

Oslo Chess Festival

Tournament | Fornebu, Norway | Source

Oct. 11 - 15

Stavanger Open

Tournament | Stavanger, Norway | Source

ABOUT JOHN

Who is Fins?

Fins is IM John Bartholomew a chess YouTuber & streamer.

youtube paypal tweet reddit chessdotcom lichess chess24 fide uscf google+

How can I contact John about coaching?

To inquire about coaching, email John at mnchesscoach@gmail.com1

What does Fins mean?

John was listening to the Jimmy Buffett song, “Fins”, when creating his account. The username has stuck ever since.2

What’s the deal with the giant chess piece in the background?

He won it at the Minnesota Open tournament. It was the trophy.3 Yes, it is indeed huge and heavy.4

When did John start playing chess?

When he was 8 years old.5

What kind of music does John listen to?

Classic rock.6 His favorite band is Rush.7 His favorite Rush song is Kid Gloves.8

Will John stream on Twitch?

He’s thinking about it.9

How many Grandmaster norms does John have?

One.10

How tall is John?

5’9-10” ish.11

Would John rather fight 100 duck-sized horses or 1 horse-sized duck?

Sometimes 1 horse-sized duck12; sometimes 100 duck-sized horses.13 So… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Does John follow any sports?

Yes - basketball. And hockey. And maybe baseball.14

What does John do for a living?

He is a chess teacher, who mainly provides chess lessons online.15

Can John please play ChessNetwork?

John reached out, but ChessNetwork respectfully declined.16

Who are John’s favorite chess players of all time?

Anatoly Karpov and Vladimir Kramnik.17

What is John’s favorite chess site to play on?

He doesn’t really have one. He rotates between Lichess, ICC, and Chess.com.18

Has John ever considered a career outside of chess?

He briefly thought about being a lawyer, but decided against it. Other than that, he hasn’t really considered it much.19

Where are the fire emojis in the YouTube chat?

Open the emoji menu from the chat window (click the smiley face) and the fire emoji is located under the triangle tab.

Who is Anton?

He’s #1 fan of Team Scandi20, and mod for John’s live streams :)21 And no, he’s not the one that squared ChessNetwork back in the day.22

CHESS ADVICE

What should I do as an adult beginner to get better at chess?

Set modest goals, play a lot, & analyze your own games before using an engine.23

What should I do to get better at calculation?

Play a lot of standard games (15 minute games with a 10 second increment or longer) and analyze them.24 Also, study your tactics and check the book section for some recommendations.25

When you analyze/study a game, what steps do you go through?

With your own games, John likes a 3-part process:

  1. After you finish, write down your thoughts on the game and do a quick analysis of the game’s big moments.
  2. After some time, come back to the game and do some hardcore analysis.
  3. Check your work with an engine.26

Any tips for chess tournaments?

Get lots of sleep. Prep your openings to anticipate where you might have weak spots. And work on your calcuation (tactics). If you’re used to playing only online, pull out a physical chess set and do some work OTB to get the feel for the difference between playing on a screen and playing on a board.27

BOOKS AND RESOURCES

What is a good book on openings for beginners/intermediates?

What is a good book on middlegames for beginners?

What is a good book on middlegames for someone more advanced?

What are some good books on endgames for beginners/intermediates?

What is a good book on endgames for someone more advanced?

What are some good books on strategy for beginners/intermediates?

What are some good books on the Scandinavian Defense?

What is the best book on the 3…Qd8 Scandinavian Defense?

What are some good books on pawn structures?

What are some books that will help my calculation skills?

DISCLAIMER

I can’t vouch for the accuracy of anything written here. I’m just a fan. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

REFERENCES

  1. IM John Bartholomew’s chess.com coaching profile. ↩

  2. USCL Finals Commentary: St. Louis vs. Manhattan, 39:08. December 1, 2015. ↩

  3. Chess Rivals #12: LIVE!, 1:21:10. February 10, 2016. ↩

  4. Chess Rivals #12: LIVE!, 1:33:39. February 10, 2016. ↩

  5. Road to 2800 Bullet on Chess.com!, 34:51. December 20, 2015. ↩

  6. Match vs. GM Jan Gustafsson [Dual Commentary], 1:47:20. February 18, 2016. ↩

  7. Late Night Blitz!, 40:18. March 6, 2016. ↩

  8. Dog Days of Summer [July 18, 2016], 13:20. July 18, 2016. ↩

  9. Bullet Chess #266: 13 games in the ICC 1-minute pool, 3:17. June 25, 2016. ↩

  10. Late Night Blitz!, 1:01:34. March 6, 2016. ↩

  11. Titled Tuesday on Chess.com!, 55:52. March 1, 2016. ↩

  12. Road to 2800 Bullet on Chess.com!, 16:03. December 20, 2015. ↩

  13. Late Night Blitz!, 46:08. March 6, 2016. ↩

  14. Road to 2800: LIVE!, 1:09:24. April 6, 2016. ↩

  15. Road to 2800: LIVE!, 1:17:27. April 6, 2016. ↩

  16. Chess Rivals #12: LIVE!, 1:21:15. February 10, 2016. ↩

  17. Match vs. GM Jan Gustafsson [Dual Commentary], 2:01:22. February 18, 2016. ↩

  18. Sunday Q+A on Chess.com [June 26, 2016], 11:44. June 25, 2016. ↩

  19. Sunday Q+A on Chess.com [June 26, 2016], 15:16. June 25, 2016. ↩

  20. Dog Days of Summer [July 18, 2016], 4:36. July 18, 2016. ↩

  21. Dog Days of Summer [July 18, 2016], 17:02. July 18, 2016. ↩

  22. Bullet Chess #467: [Tournament] lichess Bullet Arena, 23:26. June 6, 2016. (see lichess chat) ↩

  23. Chess.com Streamers Challenge - John Bartholomew, 2:26:59. September 16, 2015. ↩

  24. Chess.com Streamers Challenge - John Bartholomew, 2:33:50. September 16, 2015. ↩

  25. Sunday Q+A Show on Chess.com!, 40:24. May 1, 2016. ↩

  26. Sunday Q+A Show on Chess.com!, 23:40. May 1, 2016. ↩

  27. Quickie Tuesday Stream!, 51:46. March 22, 2017. ↩

  28. John Bartholomew on Twitter: “I like GM van der Sterren’s “Fundamental Chess Openings” for its balance of themes + theory.”. December 16, 2015. ↩

  29. Dog Days of Summer [July 18, 2016], 1:00:42. July 18, 2016. ↩

  30. Dog Days of Summer [July 18, 2016], 1:00:30. July 18, 2016. ↩

  31. Road to 2800 Bullet on Chess.com!, 20:38. December 20, 2015. ↩

  32. Road to 2800 Bullet on Chess.com!, 20:38. December 20, 2015. ↩

  33. Road to 2800 Bullet on Chess.com!, 20:58. December 20, 2015. ↩

  34. Road to 2800 Bullet on Chess.com!, 45:03. December 20, 2015. ↩

  35. Road to 2800 Bullet on Chess.com!, 45:03. December 20, 2015. ↩

  36. Chess Rivals #12: LIVE!, 1:19:44. February 10, 2016. ↩

  37. Chess Rivals #12: LIVE!, 1:28:27. February 10, 2016. ↩

  38. Chess Rivals #12: LIVE!, 1:28:27. February 10, 2016. ↩

  39. Friday Blitz Chess: LIVE!, 46:45. February 26, 2016. ↩

  40. Sunday Q+A Show on Chess.com!, 1:00:14. May 1, 2016. ↩

  41. Road to 2800: LIVE!, 1:07:15. April 6, 2016. ↩

  42. Road to 2800: LIVE!, 1:07:15. April 6, 2016. ↩

  43. Sunday Q+A Show on Chess.com!, 23:40. May 1, 2016. ↩

  44. Sunday Q+A Show on Chess.com!, 23:40. May 1, 2016. ↩