Derek Wilder

Derek Wilder has used his chess knowledge and his inspirational spirit to guide Walter Chrysler Elementary School's chess team to several state and national championships. Three years ago, Derek worked on a chess documentary, "Why We Play", which highlighted the careers of Detroit's best chess players; after watching that documentary, I knew I had to learn more about Detroit's chess world. On this week's episode of 64, I interviewed Coach Wilder about the chess scene in Detroit, and about scholastic chess in America. Coach Wilder describes his role as a "motivational speaker" for his students during tournaments, and discusses his goals for his own chess improvement. We also talk about chess podcasting, and about hitting & climbing the rating "wall". Coach Wilder occasionally streams on Twitch (@dee_wildman) and is the host of a great chess podcast, too; subscribe to his podcast, Detroit Chess Killers, wherever you get your podcasts!