GM Melik Khachiyan is a California-based, award-winning chess trainer and the 2023 U.S. Senior Champion. Melik is also the captain of the U.S. Women's Olympiad team, so it was the perfect time to catch up with him following the team's fourth-place finish at the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Uzbekistan. We discussed:
Melik's reflections on the Olympiad, including the difficult decisions and psychological challenges of captaining a national team.
Why he is optimistic about the future of U.S. women's chess.
Stories from OTB encounters with GMs Nakamura, Kamsky and Mickey Adams
Plus, for video viewers, Melik gives a quick tour of hsi new chess academy in Glendale, California. And, of course, Melik shares chess improvement advice for players of different ages and levels.
🎙️ Timestamps:
00:00 Intro and sponsor: Claude AI
Check them out at Claude.ai/chess
01:53 GM Melik Khachiyan joins the show
02:38 Reflections on the U.S. Women's Olympiad performance
05:32 Helping players bounce back from tough losses
08:32 Why the U.S. women are now serious medal contenders
11:39 Patreon mailbag question: How does Melik decide who plays and who sits?
17:48 Catching up with chess legends at the Olympiad
19:08 Illness at the Olympiad and the challenges of tournament scheduling
23:49 Alice Lee and Carissa Yip's GM ambitions
25:04 Playing in the Olympiad vs. captaining a team
29:16 Melik's new chess academy in Glendale
35:42 Fitness, competitive chess, and hopes of returning to the U.S. Senior Championship
39:50 Memories of playing Hikaru Nakamura, Michael Adams, and Gata Kamsky
Check out Melik’s games vs. Nakamura, Adams and Kamsky here:
https://lichess.org/study/DbVY7xXk/ZbZ9GiTw
45:28 Learning from the world's best players
48:05 Chess improvement advice for kids and adults
50:00- Thanks to Melik for joining me again! You can reach him via his website:
https://www.gmmelik.com/