Скачать или смотреть Chess Champion Raised in a Cult: Danny Rensch's Dark Squares | Ep. 2060

Today we are very excited to welcome Danny Rensch to the podcast! Lovers of chess may know Danny as an international chess champion and co-founder of Chess.com—but did you know he was also raised in a cult?

In this interview, Danny discusses the release of his new book, Dark Squares: How Chess Saved My Life, which tells the story of his upbringing in the Church of Immortal Consciousness. Groomed by the cult’s leader, Steven Camp, to become a chess grandmaster, Danny was separated from his family at a young age and taught that his ultimate purpose in life was to bring awareness to the religion through chess.

Listen along to learn more about:
-The Church of Immortal Consciousness, their beliefs, and its founders
-Danny’s training with alcoholic chess master Igor Ivanov
-Danny’s struggles with substances and addiction, and how these were fostered by “the collective”
-Danny’s career as a chess master and how it ultimately led him to co-found Chess.com

Danny Rensch’s book Dark Squares: How Chess Saved My Life is out now! Let’s help him get on the bestseller list by purchasing the book here: https://a.co/d/gG0MfSi

Show notes can be found on the Mormon Stories blog here: https://www.mormonstories.org/chess-c...

Timecodes:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:10:13 What was the EST group?
00:13:00 About Dr. Durran - founder of The Collective
00:17:02 How are God and Dr. Durran connected in the church doctrine?
00:24:32 About Trina Camp - the “guru” of The Collective
00:26:36 Who is Steven Camp?
00:28:38 Background on Danny’s parents and family
00:32:19 Doctrinal “pillars” of the Collective & how wives were treated
00:33:46 “Like-vibrations” and how they affected his parents
01:01:51 “You don’t stop loving the person who shuns you, you stop loving yourself”
01:06:25 Discussing “blame reversal”
01:11:04 How Danny got interested in Chess
01:19:45 Igor Ivanov, a chess champion, moved to their village and taught their chess team
01:27:53 Was told while in a “trance” session that his purpose is to be a chess champion
01:33:24 Was separated from his mom to live with various families in the Collective
01:47:08 Discussing the chess rating system - one of the youngest chess masters in the US at the time
01:49:14 He began to develop unhealthy coping mechanisms
01:52:12 Drinking and smoking were a major part of the collective
01:54:57 The issues with his ears halted his chess career
02:09:04 The beginning of Chess.com
01:10:22 Discussing Russia’s dominance in the Chess world
02:14:42 How the internet was the key to change the game of chess
02:25:45 How Chess.com has elevated the game
02:47:44 When did he begin to question his faith?
02:54:57 Reconciling with his mom before her death
03:00:15 Had a final blow up with Steven Camp when he did not want to pay the church anymore
03:17:09 What is his advice to people with addiction?
03:26:36 Discussing the writing of his book
03:31:04 Discussing the “cheating scandal”
03:41:29 Does he ever wish that his children could have parts of his upbringing?
03:48:30 Are they religious now?
03:51:20 We need 5,000 viewers to buy Danny’s book!
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