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.comDanny Rensch’s book Dark Squares:<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1541703286?ref=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_93RZ6N8KNG5T5Y70QWHR&ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_93RZ6N8KNG5T5Y70QWHR&social_share=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_93RZ6N8KNG5T5Y70QWHR&bestFormat=true" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer"> How Chess Saved My Life is out now! Let’s help him get on the bestseller list by purchasing the book here!</a><a href="https://www.mormonstories.org/chess-champion-raised-in-a-cult-danny-renschs/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Show Notes</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrCk6SmbSNk" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">YouTube</a>Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors!Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today:<ul><li><a href="https://donorbox.org/mormon-stories?default_interval=m" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">One-time or recurring donation through Donorbox</a></li><li><a href="https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Support us on Patreon</a></li><li><a href="https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/mormonstories" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">PayPal</a></li><li><a href="https://account.venmo.com/u/mormonstories" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Venmo</a></li></ul>Our Platforms:<ul><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/mormonstories?sub_confirmation=1" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">YouTube</a></li><li><a href="https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Patreon</a></li><li><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/4sDzk7dRjODTSEqzZKZJzk?si=148b0efc1ccc4404" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Spotify</a></li><li><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mormon-stories-lds/id312094772" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a></li></ul>Contact us:MormonStories@gmail.comPO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117Social Media:<ul><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/mormstories" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Insta: @mormstories</a></li><li><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@mormonstoriespodcast" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TikTok: @mormonstoriespodcast</a></li><li><a href="https://discord.com/invite/kuX5p6yyjF" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Join the Discord</a></li></ul>

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

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