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