Master of None #012 - Balance w/ NM Aakaash Meduri

Whats up guys, in this episode I sit down with my good friend National Master and streamer Aakaash Meduri! 2.5 hours?! We went through a LOT of really cool topics. Chess, Politics, Chicago, Tournaments, Crypto, NFTs and a lightning round. A very diverse conversation fosho. Enjoy! If you have any questions you would want to get asked lemme know!

Twitter @AakashMeduri
Twitch Aakash

Upcoming Guests are
NM Mark Biernacki
IM Keaton Kiewra

0:10 Aakash intro 
0:37 Chicago Denker/Eric Rosen
1:20 Theodore Roosevelt quote
3:00 Politics, where the good candidates at?/The silent majority 
4:10 Dave Chappelle special/Bad Review theory 
6:00 Sean O’Malley and Donald Trump
6:45 Andrew Yang vs. Joe Biden
7:40 Are Indian people more into politics?
9:00 Super Christian mom is a huge Trump fan
10:20 Aakash Origin story
 13:25 How Aakash started chess
14:20 If Chess wasn’t in my family
15:40 Friends vs. Chess Tournaments/Nicky Sasha, and Vegas
17:50 Winning Majors/Isaac Martinez
18:50 Rapid tournaments?
22:05 $50 entry fee?/Running Tournaments
23:30 Chess in Chicago
26:10 Chicago Grandmasters/Chicago Future
27:30 How to get good at chess
28:15 How Firouzja got good at chess/Firouzja the future
30:00 Chess Players are lazy, UFC fighters are not
31:55 Moms vs. Chess
32:40 Full time chess vs. Full time life
33:50 Kids and chess
36:30 Chess as you get older/Can you be good at multiple things?
38:10 Hikaru vs. Botez Sisters
39:05 Valentina Savchenko and Samurais
40:00 Deepak Aaron Stand Up Origin Story
41:10 Boxing helps talk to girls
42:10 How chess helps with other things
43:05 GM Josh Waitzkin BJJ and Tai Chi
44:55 Openings when you start
46:30 Rolling with Black belts sucks/ Base + Incremental steps 
48:10 Is IM worth the time?
49:10 Living forever sounds amazing
51:05 Living forever or dying any day
52:40 Being a Sheeple blessing or a curse?
54:25 Will I quit after Grandmaster
55:45 Talent vs. Hard work
58:05 The Future of chess
1:00:40 Being good is relative
1:01:30 Self Deprecating your chess 
1:05:50 How do beginners improve? How Aakash started chess
1:10:30 Having a sibling that plays chess/Younger sibling advantage
1:13:00 1400 - 1800
1:15:00 Young Chicago Squad/Aakash vs. Eric Rosen
1:18:10 Indian Parent mentality/Trying too hard to win
1:19:03 Draws, Higher rated, Lower Rated, Time pressure 
1:22:40 Huge Mentality shift
1:29:05 1800-2200/Aakash’s Chess coach/My game against GM Mesgen Amanov(Sea Turtles)
1:31:20 Chessbase/Openings
1:34:20 Google Spreadsheet pros and cons
1:35:45 KISS Keep it simple stupid
1:37:15 Is Chess like girls?/Avoiding bad positions
1:38:35 Post national master
1:40:05 Does streaming help your chess?/Chess betting/Indian chess future
1:42:00 Males prime
1:44:05 Experience can be bad?
1:45:45 Our group of chess friends
1:46:50 Do strangers respect strangers?
1:48:50 Joe Rogan and supporting others
1:49:45 Liberals are less tolerant than conservatives?
1:51:55 The Pro Lazy mindset/Staying in your lane
1:52:40 Elon Musk and Aliens 
1:54:10 The shift in thinking that led to improvement/Hustlers vs. Pros
1:55:55 Tournaments habits/rituals
1:58:40 Aakash Chess style
2:00:10 IM Emory Tate/ Openings and style
2:01:40 Switching to d4/c4  and streaming
2:05:10 What has Chess taught you about life
2:08:55 Fide vs. USCF rating gap
2:14:30 How to get better at streaming
2:17:15 NFTs and Crypto
2:25:05 Future for tournaments CCA/Charlotte/Fide
2:29:00 Chess in other countries/Chess in India
2:32:30 Lightning Round
2:35:05 Aakash contact info/wrap up