IM Greg Shahade has long been well known in the chess world as a three-time national scholastic champion and the founder of the Pro Chess League and the US Chess School. Recently, however, he reached a much broader audience with an impressive run on the syndicated trivia show Jeopardy!.

Greg amassed over $75,000 in winnings, dethroning 31-time champion Jamie Ding along the way. He joined me after what he described as “the craziest week of his life” to discuss:

The approach to adult learning that helped him go from trivia novice to Jeopardy! champion in just a few years
Behind-the-scenes insights from the recording process, plus his reflections on his controversial on-stage mannerisms
How his background in chess (and poker) shaped his strategy and decision-making under pressure

There isn’t a ton of chess discussion in this episode, but Greg’s approach to learning and performance has clear applications across many domains.

00:00 Introduction

Check out our sponsors, Chessiverse.com , and you can use code Perpetual30 to save 30% on premium feature and/or IM John Bartholomew’s Complete Scandinavian Course.

Chessiverse.com

03:00- Greg Shahade joins the show, we begin by discussing adult learning and Greg’s late start to trivia.

Mentioned: Learned League

Thinking Sideways by Jennifer Shahade

Ducksters

07:43 Building Knowledge Structures

10:03 The Role of Intense Study

12:54 Flashcards and Review Techniques

15:43 Betting Strategies on Jeopardy

18:45 Reflections on the Jeopardy Experience

You can review questions Greg faced here:

https://www.j-archive.com/showseason.php?season=42