Is Ben Finegold as big a jerk as he seems in his videos?

His jokes are terrible, beyond unfunny. I feel like I'm being forced to entertain my uncle who took a blow to the head at some point. He talks constantly about himself. I challenge anyone to find a chess video of his where he doesn't talk about some game he won that has nothing to do with the position in the lecture. I challenge them to find a video where he gets on with teaching within 5 minutes.

The truth is that he is mean and self centred. He has no humour to speak of and loves the sound of his own voice. His videos are painful to watch and almost impossible to get through and he imparts almost zero knowledge onto those watching. He is a terrible teacher and should really just step into the background, never to be heard from again. He's not even that good at chess.

Nah, he got you on this one.

The man calls you out for being a jerk and then you prove him right by being a jerk.

Your opinion is not so fantastic that it has to be heard. So if you have nothing nice to say then say nothing at all.

Posting negitive or argumentative posts is just a sign that you have little control over an aspect of your life and it eats away at you. You then come here to unload onto complete strangers because it gives you some grandiose feeling of superiority that is much needed after your endless days as a civil servant or some other completely disrespected job role.

People today react (overreact) emotionally without thinking things for a second or two. People thinking Ben is a jerk because how he "ridicules" the audience haven't even considered that 1) as many people commented already, the kids seem to be OK with that because they have known him for a while and can feel the atmosphere around them. But more importantly, 2) THE PARENTS ARE THERE AND HAVE ALSO WATCHED THESE VIDEOS.
So, both the kids and the parents are OK with it, but you are butthurt about it. How can you dream of analyzing complex chess games, but cannot even analyze this simple thing logically. I'm sorry to say but there is no hope for you.

Here is the key to everything in life...If you don't like him...don't watch him! Stop making yourself a victim. Honestly, I don't like him, but he is an asset to our community with his own sense of humor. If that is not your style...turn the channel. You know how hard it is to find Grandmasters with personality?

im sorry but you are way off, Finegold is one of those masters who will often tell you when one of this chess opinions is the minority view or not. Maybe you dont have the Iq to appreciate his humor , but he is very well liked by in large.

he has been married a bunch of times lmao how is that at all relevant to his chess? do you know how many americans are divorcees? 
small degree of chess ability? the dude doesnt even play much anymore and trounces gothamchess while making it look easy. if he has no ability what does that mean for your skills? negative ability? a long waited refund?

I ain't reading all of these

Are you seriously going to debate bobby_max, one of the most obnoxious trolls on the site? Good luck.

think circus peanuts, neccos, beemans gum...stuff like that.

A hasty generalization spoken rectally just like a sheepish member of the Finegold cult.

Stay away from discussions you have no clue about.

Bro drank too much yappachino

Nah, bro drank way too much yappachino, and is waiting for his double yappaburgers

Read to where someone called Ben the biggest jerk on the net

That is so obviously false, I stopped reading.

woont surprize me if he wore toe sox ...for his twinklies.

i betcha he bowls

Ben Finegold is a comedian that just happens to be gifted at chess. It's not a natural gift either, he's gifted because he worked really hard. Plus the saying goes, if you can teach it, you know it, and he's a great teacher. He also makes fun of himself all the time, he even says that he's not a good chess player often.

I'd even go so far to say that of all the chess personalities creating content, Ben is by far the funniest.

There's something to be said about comedy, a comedian sees the same world we do, but is able to explain it differently .. words .. yes. But like I said. Nobody in chess is funny .. maybe someone reading this will be a future content creator:

A comedian sees the same world we do, the same position, but work harder and look deeper to notice and exaggerate the absurdities, contradictions, and weird stuff that we often overlook. They develop a keen eye for the mundane, the ridiculous, and the relatable, using these observations to craft humor that resonates with audiences. In fact if you aren't funny and got a joke book right now, memorized a joke and said it to someone. I guarantee you wouldn't be funny. They would say, "that's a funny joke". However keep trying, and after your 10th joke you told them, they would say "you're funny". At this point. You no longer need the joke book. You're now a comedian.

If anyone thinks Ben's a jerk for saying they suck at chess. They must've not listened to Ben long enough to hear the truth behind those words.

#758 nicely said