Youtube Chess Videos

Since I started reading the chess.com forums during break-time at work, I've realized there's actually a lot of chess related questions discussed here. IMHO, There's a ton of misconceptions but also some truth and I've tried sharing my thoughts on some of the topics around here.

However, in other things like making entertaining videos for chess viewers - I have no clue. And so, here's my favor - I started making blitz chess videos with the occasional game analysis or joke video (mainly on ICC) and commenting on them while playing it live and broadcasting it through Youtube. I've been doing it since November 2011 and have kept a consistent schedule of 1-2 videos per week for a total of just under 100 so far. I started hot and my debut video reached over 1000 views but since then it's died down and on average I get 50-100 per video.

My question is - could any interested viewers take a look at my videos and offer me some helpful advice or criticism on how to make it more appealing and perhaps ideas or ways on how to market my videos? To be perfectly honest, I only started doing these videos because I was (and still am) jealous of Kingscrusher and his success - I figure if he can do it, so can I. However, it's actually pretty hard lol

Here's the link - http://www.youtube.com/user/Barkyducky/videos?view=0

One difference I notice immediately is that Kingcrusher's videos show the chess board close to full screen, whereas yours often don't. The first video of yours I checked had the board using less than a quarter of the video space. The blitzin board window wasn't even maximized, so a bunch of other blitzin windows were also visible and distracting (chat windows, the console, etc). The next video had the board window maximized, but moves were taking more than half the screen and you had the console/analysis section taking a bunch of space too, so the board again was much too small.

Nobody wants to see anything other than the board and the moves -- no chat, no console, no other parts of blitzin (including the buttons and toolbar menus). All we care about is the board and the moves. Look at Kingcrusher's videos and see how there is nothing extraneous.

Another of your videos started with some non-chess stuff showing for the first couple of seconds. You'll lose some viewers immediately because of that, as they'll assume it's a spam or you're going to take a while to get to the chess.

I hope you find this helpful. The points I've given above are all more than enough for me to strongly prefer kingcrusher's videos, as he recognizes that visual presentation is important, and nobody cares about anything other than the 64 squares and the move list (and the 64 squares should get most of the video real estate). Moreover, every other element that is present actually interferes with my appreciation of the game. It's not just that they don't contribute anything positive.

I have been a regular viewer of your channel for a while. I think I have watched almost all of your videos on the channel. I find the content presented in your channel to be wonderful. Since you are asking for feedback, here is my opinion on what could be done better to make the channel more popular. please take them as constructive criticisms.

Ist: audio..i don't know about others, but as an international, i find you quite hard to understand. i understand you, but it needs close attention. i remember first few videos i had quite a hard time understanding you, then i got used to it. main issue is superfast talk and/or bad audio quality.

2nd: video: as mentioned in the above post, you should focus on chess board only - may be with notation of the moves and nothing else - one the screen. too many things on the screen are usually distracting.

3rd: content - content is quite high. and too high for average viwers. May be it would be useful for the average viewers if you give your insight a bit more - possibly at the end of the game, during the review. as a titled player you might see things in a flash that others will probably not spot unless shown to them.

other popular channels like Kingscrusher, chessnetwork, matojelic, kevin etc are geared toward slightly lower rated players. kevin is for beginners, so i (~1600 here at blitz) don't find them useful. Matojelic has a penchant for miniatures with surprising tactical shots, so he almost exclusively presents games that usually finish in 20-25 moves with flashy tactics. Kingscrusher and chessnetwork are more all round. I find KC mostly blitz minded, CN is more all round channel - a good place for lower level players to learn and understand positional ideas. besides, CN bullet commentry is very funny.

when it comes to pure quality of material, IMs and GMs are a notch above. Chessexplained, YMchessmaster, Daniel king present exceptionally high quality materil for free, but they are not as popular, because the content is targetted at much higher level viewers. one has to be atleast 1600-1700 to understand the difference in quality i believe.

ymchessmaster (IM andrew martin) recently posted a video on his channel saying that of many superb videos of GM nigel davies, the 4 move checkmate video (scholar's mate) became the most popular of all..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AooV6x0fsk4

talks a lot about the general internet audience.

so, i think the idea of popularity is simple: better presentation with more materials geared toward lower level players.

Top rate post, bongclown! I was forum searching for more video authors on youtube and I'd heard of everyone mentioned except YMchessmaster, so I'll check him out.  To the original poster, popularity on youtube is partly luck, partly persistence. You have to be able to make videos that are entertaining as well as instructive.  Chessnetwork is my favorite because he's hilarious and also fantastic at chess.  I think one's accent and clarity play a large role, and that might not be something you can change, but just as people are more likely to have their attention held when a hot girl is talking compared to anyone else (movies, tv, youtube, the supermarket), if you take away the visual, you've basically got your voice to hold someone's attention. The visual of the chessboard, the analysis, and the amusement factor, which includes jokes, an accent, stories, etc. are the factors that will make the best videos. Something could also be said of keywords and networking to promote your videos as well, I suppose. Good luck!

Here is a set of 19 videos aimed at club level players from FM Grant Szuveges:

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSClIVKbmGUcMqFQVICgYPuO_a7DtDkWy

• Welcome: FM Grant Szuveges Intro (Click "Playlists")
• The Gurgenidze System for Black
• Czech Benoni Opening For Black
• Isolated Pawns: Playing with or against and IQP
• Botvinnik-English System against the Sicilian Defence
• Chess Lesson: Good and Bad Pieces
• Chess Opening for Black: A System V Systems!
• Queen's Gambit: Exchange Variation
• Chess Strategy: The Minority Attack
• Chess Openings for White: The London System and The Torre Attack
• The King's Indian Defence (Chess Opening for Black)
• The Maroczy Bind Lecture
• Beating the French Defence
• Endgame from the Sicilian Defence
• Opening: Fort Knox Variation (French Defence)
• Knight Outposts: Nc5 in the King's Indian
• Nimzo - Larsen Attack (Chess Opening)
• A system against Alekhine's Defence

Okay, you asked for helpful advice.  I watched two of your videos.

I can tell you're a very strong player and I can tell you know the game.  However, you talk a lot but you don't really say anything.  By that I mean you talk about what move(s) you might make and what move(s) he might make, but you don't explain the reasons behind the moves.

"But now I believe I can take this guy and then knight takes and then probably Rd1."
Yes, but WHY?

"Holy cow, I'm like crushing this guy."
You are?  After 13 moves?  Tell me how.

"So bishop takes, knight takes.. takes, takes, takes, takes, takes... so that's bad.  So if I take this guy, he'll take here. I'll take here, he'll take here... no that doesn't work."  (Yes, you actually said all of that.)

That's terrible commentary.  That tells the viewer nothing at all.

Too many times I saw you capture a piece, but you could also have captured it with a different piece.  WHY didn't you capture it with the other piece?

I could go on and on, but maybe you get the idea.  After watching two of your videos, I wasn't interested in watching any more of them, because I didn't learn anything at all from the two I watched.  Nothing.  All I saw was a strong player playing another strong player and one player was basically just talking to himself.

I realize it's not easy for a strong player to always explain his/her thought processes and that many strong players are actually terrible teachers.  I also realize it's not easy to play a 5 minute game AND give good commentary at the same time - the pace is too fast.

Follow-up.  I didn't realize your initial post was 7 months ago.  I'm just seeing this thread now for the first time.

I miss your content.