Perpetual Chess Podcast

The Adult Improver Series is back, and we have a very entertaining guest for you. Julio Calcina is a 32-year-old, Nottingham, England-based chess and Mixed Martial Arts enthusiast. Julio has found chess to be a transformative force for him and views chess as a microcosm of life. As Julio tells it, he used to be impetuous and aggressive in both chess and life, and made choices that sabotaged relationships and even contributed to his enduring a stint in prison. Throughout the years, Julio has stuck with the game, and it has helped teach him to be more contemplative and patient both over the board and away from it. Julio loves to play daily chess on Chess.com, and also reports on the British O.T.B. scene, shares chess improvement recommendations, and discusses his near-term goals and plans in chess and beyond. It was a lot of fun chatting with Julio and I think you will enjoy the conversation. Thanks to Perpetual Chess Patreon subs! If you would like to join the community you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsors, Chessable.com! Be sure to check out their new courses including IM Christof Sielecki’s new course, and if you use this link to sign up for Chessable Pro, and/or make a Chessable purchase, it will help support Perpetual Chess. https://www.chessable.com/pro/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=benjohnson&utm_campaign=pro Spotify “Adult Improver Series” Playlist- https://open.spotify.com/playlist/75Uoqz2BoRt2IiTCeOfuky?si=f12d20ae06fd4a89 0:00- If you would like to be considered for, or suggest someone as an adult improver guest, you can submit your information via this online form: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/adult 02:00- Julio Calcina tells his “chess origin story.” 8:00- What has chess taught Julio about his own personality? 14:00- What has helped Julio improve his game? Mentioned: The Backyard Professor https://www.youtube.com/@TheBackyardProfessor, Silman’s Complete Endgame Course 17;00- Julio describes his OTB experiences 18:00- What happened that caused Julio to end up in prison? 22:00- That time Julio caught his romantic partner engine cheating against him in a chess game Mentioned: Man’s Search for Meaning by VIktor Frankl Meditations: Marcus Aurilieus 30:00- Patreon mailbag question: As a martial arts practitioner, why does Julio think that chess improvement is more difficult than improving at ju-jitsu? 40:00- Patreon mailbag questions: Does Julio consider chess a martial art in itself? Should chess be taught as part of martial arts curriculums? 47:00- Patreon mailbag questions: How does Julio balance cardio, weights, and chess? Can chess help those with ADHD? 50:00- What was the chess culture like in prison? 55:00- The link between drinking and chess in England 1:00- What are Julio’s 2024 plans? Thanks to Julio for sharing his amazing story! Here is how to keep up with him: LiChess Chess.com JulioPDC Instagram Facebook Julio Calcina Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week’s guest is Grandmaster and Chessable Author, Raven Sturt. Raven was a National High-School champion, but considers himself a late bloomer in chess because he had to work very hard to earn the Grandmaster title in his 20s. During this period, GM Sturt intensively trained his board visualization and pattern recognition skills, and he shares the fruits of his labor in his excellent Chessable Course, Developing Chess Intuition: Domination & Other Lesser Known Positional Concepts. During our conversation, we discuss the course, his book recommendations, and his unique approach to studying openings. Raven is working on a course on the Bird Opening (1. f4) , and has come to believe it is an underrated weapon for White. We also discuss Raven’s unique life trajectory. Raven grew up in New York City, went to McGill University in Canada, and has recently settled in Paraguay after traveling extensively. I really enjoyed chatting with Raven, and if you are interested in improving your chess game, you will definitely enjoy this conversation! Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsors, Chessable.com! Be sure to check out their new courses including IM Christof Sielecki’s new course, and if you use this link to sign up for Chessable Pro, and/or make a Chessable purchase, it will help support Perpetual Chess. https://www.chessable.com/pro/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=benjohnson&utm_campaign=pro 02:00- What does Raven think are the core tenets of chess improvement? 07:00- What has Raven noticed in the differences in how kids and adults learn? 09:00- After graduating from McGill University, Raven ended up pursuing chess full-time. What went into that decision? How did he approach his chess study? 11:00- Raven offers helpful visualization and calculation advice Mentioned: Evaluate Like a Grandmaster 16:00- Patreon Mailbag Question: “Does Raven find that his focus on improving intuition resonates with adult students?” 22:40- Is competing OTB overrated as a method of chess improvement? 25:00- How did Raven get better at practical play without competing frequently? Mentioned: MVL on C-Squared Podcast, GM Giga Qupardaze 31:00- Patreon Mailbag Question: “What tips does Raven have for getting good at blindfold visualization?” Mentioned: Book Recap #10- Blindfold Chess, Improve Your Chess Now by GM Jonathan Tisdall Domination by Kaspayan 38:00- How does Raven recommend dividing chess study time? Mentioned: Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual 45:00- Raven’s favorite chess books: Chess for Zebras, Dvoretsky’s Positional Play, Book Recap #32- Chess for Zebras, Strategic Play by GM Jacob Aagaard, Shankland’s Small Steps to Giant Improvement 50:00- What made Raven decide to study at a university outside of the U.S., to travel extensively, and to relocate to Paraguay? 53:00- What international open tournaments are Raven’s favorites to attend? Mentioned: Sitges International, Floripa Chess Open, Paleochora International Chess Tournament in Crete 1:00:00- Patreon Mailbag Question: “Why doesn’t the U.S. offer more tournaments with one round per day?” 1:03:00- Is Raven training and competing right now? 1:04:00- Why is the Bird opening underrated for White? 1:06:00- What are Raven’s plans for his Youtube channel? 1:08:00- Thanks to Raven for joining! Here is how to keep up with him: Chessable course YouTube Blog LiChess Coaches Page Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we are honored to be joined by the 14-year-old record-breaking prodigy, GM Abhimanyu Mishra. Abhimanyu made worldwide headlines when he became the youngest Grandmaster in history in 2021. Since breaking that record, GM Mishra has continued his rapid ascension and is now rated 2635. As the number #10 junior in the world, Abhimanyu is the only junior in the top 20 under the age of 16! In our conversation, we discuss Abhimanyu’s training regimen, both now, and as he quickly climbed up the ranks. His chess growth was well-chronicled in the enjoyable book, The Youngest Chess Grandmaster in the World, as well as his Chessable course, Youngest Grandmaster: Abhimanyu Mishra Abhi also discusses how he balances chess and school work, his 2024 tournament plans, and the difficulties he has encountered in receiving invitations and sponsorship opportunities. Lastly, Abhimanyu reflects on unforgettable experiences, like training with Kasparov, and recently beating the legendary players such as GMs Vasyl Ivanchuk and Levon Aronian. I greatly enjoyed chatting with Abhi and can’t wait to see where the future takes him. Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsors, Chessable.com! Be sure to check out their new courses including IM Christof Sielecki’s new course, and if you use this link to sign up for Chessable Pro, and/or make a Chessable purchase, it will help support Perpetual Chess. https://www.chessable.com/pro/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=benjohnson&utm_campaign=pro 2:00- What motivates Abhimanyu Mishra to work so hard on chess? Why does he love it? 4:00- Abhimanyu discusses his current training regimen. Mentioned: GM Karsten Muller’s Endgame Magic, Abhi’s interview on C-Squared 13:00- How structured is Abhi’s chess-study schedule? 18:00- Patreon mailbag question: “How does Abhi think chess learning has changed over generations?’ 23:00- Abhimanyu discusses how he approached studying Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual 30:00- What are Abhi’s favorite games that he has played? Mentioned:-Mishra-Ivanchuk 2023, Mishra-Aronan 2023 Post mortem video of IVanchuk game via Chessbase India: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COPQ3S9KgUY 34:00- Is Abhi still interested in table tennis and other sports? (He wrote about this in his book.) 38:00- Abhi discusses the financial challenges of being a young elite player. Mentioned: GM Praggnanandhaa gets big sponsor 40:30- Abhi discusses his famed journey to the GM title. 43:00- How does Abhi select tournaments? Was he invited to Wijk an Zee? 46:00- What was it like to work with Kasparov? Who is the GOAT? 50:00- Would Abhi consider going to university? 54:00- What shows does Abhi watch? Mentioned: C-Squared podcast 58:00- Thanks to GM Mishra, for joining me, you can follow him via these social media channels: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abhimanyu.mishra2509/?hl=en X: https://twitter.com/chessmishra?lang=en If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess via Patreon, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

GM Patrick Wolff is quite accomplished on and off the chess board. In the 1990’s he was a 2 time US Chess Champion and a member of GM Viswanathan Anand's prep team. Patrick is also the author of Learn to Play Chess Like a Boss, a book that is always one of my first recommendations for newer players. In more recent years, he has worked as a hedge fund analyst. This varied background gives Patrick unique insights into the intersections of the chess and the business worlds. In our conversation, Patrick shared his opinions on all of the recent controversies which have plagued the chess world. As Patrick explains, the recent flare-ups involving dress codes, prearranged draws and a chaotic qualification process for the FIDE Candidates are all connected. Patrick thinks that the chess world needs a new governing body, and that the game is poised for more explosive growth if this can occur. In addition to all of the news, we caught up on lessons Patrick learned from playing in the US Senior Championship, and his observations on the continued evolution of chess engines. There is always lots to learn from GM Wolff, and I appreciated hearing his perspective. 0:00- Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsors, Chessable.com! Be sure to check out their new courses including IM Christof Sielecki’s new course, , and if you use this link to sign up for Chessable Pro, and and/or make a Chessable purchase, and it will help support Perpetual Chess. https://www.chessable.com/pro/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=benjohnson&utm_campaign=pro 03:00- Patrick shares his thoughts on prearranged draws in light of the Dubov-Nepomniachtchi prearranged draw. Mentioned: Background info here, Video and discussing of it here 13:00- What did Patrick think of the controversy surrounding Anna Maja Kazarian’s footwear? Mentioned: NY Times article 20:00- We discuss the chaotic FIDE Candidates qualification cycle, which culminated in GM Alireza Firouzja scrambling to gain a few rating points. Mentioned: C Squared pod discussion of the issue 28:00- Patrick discusses the history of FIDE, as it has evolved during his career. Mentioned: Florencio Campomanes 51:00- Why didn’t Kasparov’s PCA work? 55:00- Patrick shares his thoughts on the April 2024 FIDE Candidates. 57:00- Patrick reflects on his performance in the US Senior Championship. Mentioned: GM Gregory Kaidanov, You can view the games discussed here: https://www.chess.com/events/2023-us-senior-chess-championship/games 1:12:00- What age-related effects does Patrick notice, aside from struggling to remember opening lines? 1:15:00- Patrick discusses the way computers are effecting opening theory. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week’s return guest is 2 time US Women’s Champion and award-winning author, podcaster and commentator Jennifer Shahade. Jennifer has recently released the excellent and inspiring new tactics book, Play Like a Champion. Play Like a Champion is a collection of biographical sketches of top woman players, featuring memorable tactics for a wide range of experience- levels. In our conversation, we discuss Jen’s writing and puzzle selection process, new chess vocabulary, Jen’s advice for starting chess clubs, and her decision to leave US Chess. We also discuss Jen’s next projects and her plans for 2024. As always, timestamps of topics discussed are below. 0:00- Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsors, Chessable.com! Be sure to check out their new courses, and if you use this link to sign up for Chessable Pro, and and/or make a Chessable purchase, and it will help support Perpetual Chess. https://www.chessable.com/pro/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=benjohnson&utm_campaign=pro 03:00- We discuss Jen’s recent event at the Marshall Chess Club. 04:30- Patreon mailbag question- “What is Jen’s advice for starting a Women’s meetup/chess club?” 07:30- Why does Jen think there might be a “confidence gap” between how women and men assess their own chess skills? Mentioned: Elizabeth Spiegel, Shawn Martinez 14:30- What led to the shift in Jen’s confidence level as a chess player when she was a teenager? 15;00- How did Jen decide on the wide range of difficulty within her puzzles? Mentioned: The Botez Sisters, Silman’s Complete Endgame Course, IM Sara Khadem 25:00- New chess strategy terminology: What is a “zap”? What does it mean to “think sideways?” 29:00- How is Jen’s next book progressing? 31:30- Jen discusses her collaboration with IM Jeremy Silman, who was her publisher for the book Chess Bitch. Mentioned: GM Ben Finegold, Anna Hahn, Irina Krush, Pal Benko: My Life, Games, and Compositions 38:00- Will Jen be blogging more frequently? Mentioned: Jen’s substack 40:00- Jen discusses her decision to leave US Chess in the wake of the Alejandro Ramirez allegations. Mentioned: How Sexual Assault Allegations Against a US Chess Grandmaster went Unaddressed for Years,French female players Open Letter, Article regarding Steve Shutt, coach at Masterman High School (which Jennifer and I attended), Carol Meyer stepping down as US Chess Executive Director 48:00- Jen on her 2024 events and plans: Chesskid National Festival, Russell Makofsky’s Impact Coaching Network, FM Mike Klein, FM James Canty, GM Daniel Naroditsky, IM Daniel Rensch, ASAP Philly 53:00- How to enter to win a copy of Play Like a Champion signed by Jennifer Shahade 1) Either leave a podcast review on Spotify/Apple Podcasts, Sub to the Perpetual Chess YouTube Channel, OR subscribe (for free) to the Perpetual Chess Linkfest Substack. You can also subscribe to to Jen Shahade’s YouTube Channel or Jen’s Substack 2) After completing step 1, email a screenshot to [email protected] subject line- Contest! SIGNED BOOK IS US ONLY, outside the US, you can still enter to win a free Forward Chess Digital Copy of Jen’s book. (there are two prizes in total) Please specify in the email whether you are in the US or outside of the US. Entries will be closed on January 16 and winners will be announced via email shortly thereafter 55:00- Thanks, as always to Jen for joining me. Be sure to check out her book and to subscribe to her blog. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Legendary chess author IM Jeremy Silman valued his chess friendships highly, and referred to his inner circle as his chess ‘“posse.” This week, two members of that posse, IMsJohn Donaldson and IM Cyrus Lakdawala join me to share stories and biographical details about their friend. As one might expect from Silman’s books, they recall a friend who was funny, empathetic, extremely strong as a chess player, and a brilliant writer and gifted public speaker. John and Cyrus both begin with their first recollections of meeting Jeremy in 1981, and they take us through his chess life and his journey from a chess nomad to a devoted husband, cat dad, and one of the most successful chess authors of all time. Thanks to John and Cyrus for helping us all learn more about Jeremy’s life. Timestamps of topics discussed are below. . Noteworthy obituaries of IM Silman:- https://new.uschess.org/news/im-jeremy-silman-1954-2023 https://www.chess.com/news/view/jeremy-silman-1954-2023 https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/26/books/jeremy-silman-dead.html Fred Wilson’s old interviews with IM Jeremy Silman will be posted to the Perpetual Chess YouTube channel by the end of the week. Interview #1- https://youtu.be/FVDGwFIUjkA Interview #2 coming soon. 01:30- John and Cyrus share their first memories of meeting IM Jeremy Silman, both in 1981. Mentioned; Chuck Johnson 07:00- John and Cyrus describe Silman’s “hippie days.” 12;00- How did Jeremy get his start in chess? Mentioned: IM John Grefe, Dennis Waterman, IM Jack Peters, Bob Long, and Silman’s article describing his ‘posse’- https://www.chess.com/article/view/chess-books-and-youth-vs-old-age Silman’s Chess Odyssey 22;00- Cyrus discusses the legacy of How to Reassess Your Chess, as well as Jeremy’s unique insight into a need for literature addressing club players. 26;00- Why did The Complete Book of Chess Strategy sell so well? How did his other books do? 33;00- John and Cyrus discuss Jeremy’s abilities as a speaker, and the success of the series he did for “Great Courses” Mentioned: https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/how-to-play-chess-lessons-from-an-international-master 38;00- Did financial success change Jeremy? John also discusses some of Jeremy’s students. Mentioned: von Frankenstein, Allan Horn, Brady Anderson, NM Vanessa West 43;00- Could Jeremy have been a GM? Mentioned: Ken West?, IM Jack Peters, IM Douglas Root 50:00- John and Cyrus discuss the challenges of fe as a chess author and how chess content has changed. 1:13:00- John discusses the health challenges Jeremy faced late in life. 1:16:00- What jobs did Jeremy have outside of chess? 1:21:00- John discusses Jeremy’s love for chess books, and for Japan! Mentioned: The Games of Tigran Petrosian by Shekhtman 1:26:00- Should we care about analytical mistakes? Mentioned: Vitiugov vs. Robson 2013 1:31:00- Favorite Silman stories Thanks so much to John and Cyrus for sharing their memories of IM Silman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the wake of IM Jeremy Silman’s recent passing, Chess Books Recaptured returns to review one of his classic books, The Amateur’s Mind. The Amateur’s Mind sold over 90,000 copies, and IM Jeremy Silman said that he thought it was his best instructional book. What made this book, and Silman’s writing so unique? We dive into that topic, share many memorable (and amusing) quotes from the book, and briefly discuss some of the other works from IM Jeremy Silman’s illustrious canon. Joining me for this discussion, is David Hamm. As a 1000 (ish) rated, relatively recent chess devotee, who is also an attorney with 3 kids, David is just the type of reader that Silman likely had in mind when writing this book. While The Amateur’s Mind might not be my #1 recommendation if your goal is to improve your game, it was a ton of fun to read it and to discuss it, and reflecting on IM Jeremy Silman's legacy has left me more impressed with his work than ever. Timestamps of topics discussed and links of articles referred to are below. IM Jeremy Silman’s How to Reassess Your Chess is now on Chessable, and The Amateur’s Mind will be coming in 2024! Use this link to sign up for Chessable Pro, and and/or make a Chessable purchase, and it will help support Perpetual Chess. https://www.chessable.com/pro/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=benjohnson&utm_campaign=pro 0:00- Thanks to Fred Wilson of Fred Wilson Books for allowing me to share Fred’s old interviews with IM Jeremy Silman. They will be posted soon to the Perpetual Chess YouTube Channel, so make sure you are subbed. Interview #1- https://youtu.be/FVDGwFIUjkA Interview #2 coming soon. 0:03- David Hamm joins me to discuss the book. We begin by discussing how David got into chess, and to IM Jeremy Silman. 0:07- We briefly go over IM Jeremy SIlman’s bio, and discuss some of Silman’s works. Mentioned: NY Times obit by Dylan Loeb McLain, Chess.com obit by Tarjei Svensen John Donaldson’s obit for US Chess 12:30- What makes SIlman’s writing stand out? Mentioned: How to Reassess Your Chess, Nick Visel’s Review of Amateur’s Mind 19:00- If chess improvement is your primary focus, what books could one consider as alternatives to Amateur’s Mind? Mentioned: Simple Chess, Winning Chess Strategies, Mastering Chess Strategies, Techniques of Positional Play 22:00- We read the first few paragraphs and discuss Silman’s meticulous approach to writing. Mentioned: Dojo Talks Episode 92: Remembering IM Jeremy Silman, Zen in the Art of Archery 29:00- We read our favorite quotes from the book! Mentioned: Alekhine-Maroczy 1923 , IM Willy Hendriks, Silman response to Hendriks ADD LINK 52:00- Closing thoughts and our favorite Silman’s books ranked! Mentioned: Autobiography of a Goat, Make it Stick, How to Reassess Your Chess, Silman's Complete Endgame Course, Silman's Chess Odyssey Volunteer to co-host a book review podcast via the following form: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/co-host Thanks to David for doing a great job co-hosting! Here is how you can reach him: LiChess Chessdad1979 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-hamm-1a3a325?trk=public_post_feed-actor-name If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here; https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we are joined by the economist, award-winning author, and top Australian player, GM David Smerdon. David is a professor at the University of Queensland. With a statistical background, David is a particular expert in the intersection of statistics and chess and is frequently able to combine his chess expertise with his academic research. Since chess cheating has been in the news again, we begin by getting David’s thoughts on the renewed allegations against GM Hans Niemann, as well as the recent concerns about rampant online cheating voiced by GM Vladimir Kramnik. David drew some interesting comparisons between these cheating scandals and a recent one in the academic world. David also had some recently published chess research to discuss, as he and a team of collaborators have recently launched the “Gender Equality in Chess Index. (GECI)” What is the goal of his index and how did they arrive at the numbers? Lastly, we catch up on David’s chess career. As David details, he doesn’t have a ton of time to study, but is competing when he can with a specific goal in mind. There is always lots to learn from GM Smerdon, and it was a pleasure to catch up with him Timestamps of topics discussed are below. Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsors, Chessable.com! Help support Perpetual Chess by signing up for Chessable pro using this link: https://www.chessable.com/pro/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=benjohnson&utm_campaign=pro 0:00- Intro Mentioned: Tarjei’s Svensen’s article, Dojo Talks EP 101 with GM Vladmir Kramnik 0:02- David discusses cheating in the chess world, and draws parallels to some scandals in the academic world. Mentioned: Did an honesty researcher fabricate data?, GM Alex Fishbein 10:00- Has any good come of the recent chess cheating scandals? Mentioned: GM Mamedyarov withdraws from 2018 tournament after accusing opponent of cheating, Hans Niemann competes in London Chess Classic after stunning result in Zagreb 17:00- Chess.com statement regarding Kramnik allegations against Nakamura 23:00- Do continued allegations against Niemann cause concern about the viability of the future of OTB chess? Mentioned: Poker pro alleged to have used special contact lenses to see through a deck 26:30- Can statistics help detect “smart cheating”? 29:00 What was the genesis of the idea for a “chess gender index”? Mentioned: Mongolia Tops Chess Gender Index by Leon Watson 34:00- Did Queen of Katwe likely contribute to the success of women’s chess in Uganda?What did he notice about other high ranking countries? 41:00- What are the components of the index? 51:00- David discusses his other chess-related research 52:00- How is David’s chess game, and what is his current chess goal? Mentioned: Episode 30, The Complete Chess Swindler Thanks to David for joining me again, here are links to keep up with him: X: https://twitter.com/dsmerdon David’s Blog; https://www.davidsmerdon.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ben Hodgkiss is a 32-year-old chess enthusiast who has worked in a few different fields, but feels like he has not yet found his professional calling. Ben knows that he loves chess though, and for at least the next year, he has decided to live the life of a chess professional and to chronicle this pursuit on his YouTube channel. Many chess players have fantasized about taking such a leap, so I was fascinated to hear that Ben is actually doing it! In our conversation, we cover the nuts of bolts, of how Ben will pay the bills, and what Ben will study, but we also discuss his goals for the project and his chess-related goals. Ben has already collaborated with well-known presenters like IM Eric Rosen and IM Andras Toth and recently played his first of what will likely be many OTB chess tournaments. I really admire Ben’s dedication to his chess passion and am excited to share his story with you! Timestamps of topics discussed are below. Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsor, Chessable.com! Find out more about becoming a Chessable pro member, and receiving a wide range of features here: https://www.chessable.com/pro/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=benjohnson&utm_campaign=pro 0:02- How did the idea of doing a year of full chess come about? Ben’s Reddit post is here: https://www.reddit.com/r/chess/comments/17anc4k/quit_your_job_chess_full_time_for_a_year_how_do 0:08- What are Ben’s goals for this project? What is his chess history? 13:30- Patreon mailbag questions: Does he think it will be more challenging to maintain motivation? Would taking a week or a month off be beneficial for one’s chess? 22:00- Patreon mailbag questions Is it possible that working full time subtracts 200 points from your chess strength? Mentioned: Check out Tactics Time author Tim Brennan’s rating graph here: https://www.uschess.org/datapage/ratings_graph.php?memid=12718954 30:00- What was Ben’s first OTB tournament like? 37:00- Ben discusses his study regimen more, and why he decided to join the Chess Dojo. 41:30- We discuss the best potential ways for Ben to chronicle his chess pursuit on YouTube. 50:00- Ben read my book and wanted to discuss some topics on it! We start with discussing visualization. What does one see when visualizing a chess board? Mentioned: Chess Steps 2, Thinking Ahead, Visualize Courses on Chessable 1:03:00- Ben asks me: which chess weakness of mine am I working on? 1:07:00- Thanks so much to Ben for sharing his inspiring story, be sure to check out his YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@pifflesticks If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess via Patreon, you can do so here: patreon.com/perpetualchess Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week I am joined by a rising star in chess media, Davaun Williams. To his 200,000+ Tiktok followers and nearly 80,000 Instagram followers, Davaun is better known as “Chess Knowledge with H1.” In our conversation, we discuss H1’s chess origins, the origins of the nickname “H1,” and how he gained fame for using a demo board and throwing the captured chess pieces during his entertaining videos. Davaun’s videos feature a lot of opening traps, and he has just released his first Chessable course, “Opening Traps You Must Learn.” In addition to discussing chess openings, Davaun shares other chess improvement advice, and even advises me on whether or not I should continue to post videos on TikTok. All in all, this was a fun conversation, and it was great to learn more about Davaun’s background. Timestamps of topics discussed are below. Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsors, Chessable.com. You can see their latest courses here: https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/ Make sure you are also subbed to the How to Chess Podcast on your podcast app of choice: https://open.spotify.com/show/74A0JotybXUvnviTCzsSUp?si=e58986b2ce124911 And sub to my free newsletter, The Perpetual Chess Linkfest, here: https://benjohnson.substack.com/ 0:02- Davaun has been making chess content for years, but during the past year he has seen his TikTok channel explode. What changed? 0:05- Does Davaun have plans to dedicate himself full time to chess content? 0:06- Davaun discusses his unusual USCF rating history: 12:00- Davaun’s favorite chess content creators Mentioned: Gotham Chess, IM John Bartholomew, KingsCrusher, The Chessbrahs 13:00- Davaun’s chess origin story Mentioned: Chessmaster: Grandmaster Edition 17:00- How did Davaun develop the habit of throwing the Demo board pieces after they are captured in his videos? 20:00- How did Davaun decide to write a Chessable course on Opening Traps? Mentioned: Davaun’s video about the Polish/Orangutan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQQW_ZHbut4 23:00- What is Davaun’s theory as to why his shorter videos get more traction than the longer ones? How is his podcast, Chess Knowledge with H1 doing? https://open.spotify.com/show/6AefOx7Atzw3bgyfHG2bjR?si=3ed28f8e7d794837 27:00-Is Davaun interested in, and does he cover, top-level chess? Mentioned: Agadmator, Gotham Chess 30:00- Will Davaun’s kids play chess? 33:00- What is Davaun’s favorite aspect of chess? What is his favorite opening to play? 39:00- Davaun gives both chess improvement and chess content advice. 44:00- I ask Davaun’s advice: Should I continue to post videos to TikTok if noone is watching them? Thanks to Davaun for joining me on the pod, here is his linktree: https://linktr.ee/H1chess Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week a favorite guest returns to the pod, GM Robert Hungaski. Robert wears many hats in the chess world, as an accomplished player, Fide Senior trainer and International arbiter. His newest project involves organizing and presenting FIDE-sanctioned chess teaching seminars from some of the top trainers in the world, including Grandmasters Gregory Kaidanov, Alexey Shirov, Antoaneta Stefanova and many others. These seminars provide a unique opportunity to learn tricks of the trade from some chess legends. In addition to this project, Robert always has plenty of entertaining and insightful stories, and this interview is no exception. Robert reflects on his encounters with young Nakamura and Niemann, his trip to the 2022 Chess Olympiad, his friend GM Ulf Andersson, and, of course, he leaves with a bit of chess study advice and a book recommendation. It is always fun to talk chess with GM Hungaski! Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsors, Chessable.com: Check out their new courses here: https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/ Check out my favorites here: https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/ More information about the FIDE trainer seminar’s here: https://fideamerica.net/tca/registrations/?fbclid=IwAR1TQF5uATurqzF0Prwmr6QEg8LWJ165d0ttZrvOG2N0LlqLjqZkbEWdJ6w Prior Interview 2019- Episode 149 02:00- Robert describes his “chess upbringing” and why his contemporaries (such as Nakamura, Vitugiov and Le Quang Liem) made him feel like he had no chess talent. Mentioned: GM Joel Benjamin, Jen Shahade 08:00- Robert reflects on the rise of chess in India and describes his trip to the 2022 Olympiad. 11:00- Robert discusses the teachers’ seminars he is arranging featuring top GMs like Shirov, Kaidanov, Illescas and many others. It will take December 8-10. Also Mentioned: Stefanova, Cheparinov, Bologan, Yottachess.com 25:00- Robert tells stories about GM Alexei Shirov. Mentioned: GM Andy Rodriguez 31:00- Who are the most impressive players Robert has analyzed with? Mentioned: GM Grande Zuniga, Ulf Andersson 32:00- As a fellow Connecticut native, what have been Robert’s interactions with GM Hans Niemann? 39:00 Robert tells a few stories about spending time with GM Bill Lombardy, Boris Spassky and others 46:00- Ulf Andersson stories 50:00- Robert’s chess improvement advice 55:00- Patreon mailbag question- “How many openings does Robert suggest that his students learn?” Mentioned: Boom Boom- The World vs. Boris Becker 1:01:00- Who is the most impressive blitz player Robert has ever seen? 1:02:00- Book talk! Mentioned: Domination by Kasparyan Thanks to GM Hungaski for joining me, you can contact him via his website: https://gmhungaski.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Perpetual Chess Adult Improver Series returns with another guest with a great story. Denis Markov is a 39 year-old working dad with a passion for chess. Denis has deep chess roots which date back to a childhood in Russia where he took classes at the fabled “Palace of Pioneers.” According to Denis, he did not show exceptional talent in those days and eventually set chess aside for some years. Now based in Pennsylvania, Denis returned to competitive chess in mid-2021 and since then, through hard work and consistency has elevated his USCF rating from 1742 to over 2050! While this type of improvement is quite unusual, Denis is adamant that he isn’t doing anything to “reinvent the wheel.” In our conversation Denis details an approach focused on frequent competitive play, game review and lots of hard work. I found our conversation grounding and inspiring at the same time. Timestamps of topics discussed are below. Adult Improver Series Spotify Playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/75Uoqz2BoRt2IiTCeOfuky?si=680ff07480434ec9 0:00- Thanks to those who help support Perpetual Chess via Patreon! If you would like to join the community, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess 0:01- Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsors, Chessable.com! New Chessable courses including Silman’s Endgame Course, and new ones by GM Erwin L’ami, GM Johan Hellsten. You can check out their latest offerings here: https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/ 2:00- Denis joins the show! What is his “ why”? What does he do when his motivation to study chess is low? Denis’ Reddit post detailing his success: https://www.reddit.com/r/chess/comments/16sw628/1740_to_2040_uscf_in_2_years_adult_improver/ 11:00- Patreon mailbag question: “How will Denis approach teaching chess to his kids?’ 14:00- Patreon mailbag question: ‘Does Denis think that his Russian background helped his chess development?’ 21:00- What got Denis back into chess in his college years? Mentioned: Aron Nimzowhitsch’s My System 25:00- Denis’ study routine Denis’ coach: https://lichess.org/coach/Davjan 34:00- Denis discusses his approach to openings, especially as it relates to playing the same opponents repeatedly. 42:00- How did Denis settle on studying via ChessTempo and the Chess Steps workbooks? Mentioned: Arthur Yusupov’s series, Chess Steps Method 48:00- What is the nature of Denis’ work with his coach? 54:00- Does Denis have any theories on why he is seeing gains while others might be struggling? 1:03:00- More book recommendations! Mentioned: Sam Shankland’s books, Endgame Strategy by Shereshevsky, GM Johan Hellsten’s books, Chess Structures by GM Mauricio Flores Rios, GM Ivan Sokolov’s Winning Middle Game Strategies, Sokolov’s interview with Chessbase India, His How to Chess Interview is Now Out! 1:08:00- Thanks to Denis for joining me! You can email him at dvmarkov at gmail dot com Or follow him on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/dvm0101/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Next week’s podcast is arriving early, and it's a double episode! For the first segment, I am joined again by Chessable author and trainer CM Vjekoslav (Vjeko) Nemec. Vjeko and I discuss the riveting, recently concluded FIDE Grand Swiss. India’s ascension continued as GM Vidit Gujirathi and IM R. Vaishali’s had impressive victories in the Open and Women’s Sections respectively. With more spots in the 2024 FIDE Candidates now settled, we also look ahead to what is shaping up to be quite an entertaining fight for the right to challenge for the World Championship titles. Lastly, Vjeko followed this event quite closely, so he recommends several interviews and games from an action-packed tournament for us to check out. Following Vjeko, I catch up with Chris Callahan (38:00) about what is new with LiChess.org since our last chat in 2021. Chris reports that LiChess is continuing to see solid growth, and discusses their plans in terms of both community outreach and potential additional features on the website. We also discuss the latest in cheat detection and LiChess’ decision to stop working with US Chess and with the St. Louis Chess Club in the wake of the allegations against GM Alejandro Ramirez. It is always fun to catch up with Chris and hear about what is going on with LiChess. As always, timestamps of the many topics discussed can be found below. Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsors, Chessable.com! Silman’s Endgame Course is now on Chessable and on sale if you act quickly! https://www.chessable.com/silmans-complete-endgame-course-from-beginner-to-master/course/199399/ 0:00- Intro Up to date information about ordering my book, and events can be found here: 5:00- CM Vjekoslav Nemec joins me to recap the FIDE Grand Swiss 5:30- Who won and earned Candidates’ spots in the FIDE Grand Swiss? More info here 13:00- What can chess do to make more tournaments feel as important as the Grand Swiss and the FIDE World Cup? Mentioned: Tarjei Svensen’s article about GM Ding Liren 19:00- What players and personalities stood out in the tournament? Mentioned: L’ami-Gujirathi 2023 Bogdan-Daniel Deac interview with Fiona Stiel-Antoni: Mishra’s amazing analysis of his win over Ivanchuk: Sevian’s analysis of his win over Firouzja L’ami-Gujirathi 2023 24:00- Who are the early favorites to win the 2024 Candidates? 27:00- What stood out from the Women’s section? Mentioned: GM Pia Cramling, GM Tan Zhonkyi, GM Humpy Koneru IM Vaishali’s analysis of her round 3 win over Garifullina 32:00- Early thoughts on the 2024 Women’s Candidates Field 36:00- Thanks to Vjeko for coming back to talk with us- check out his Twitter page here: 37:00- Chris Callahan joins the pod to talk LiCHess 38:00- How LiChess has changed in recent years? Mentioned: Episode 221 with Chris Callahan, LiChess game database available for download here: 42:00- How do LiChess blogs work? How is it determined which posts get on the home page? Mentioned: FM Nate Solon 46:00- How do they treat blog posts that are somewhat promotional in nature? 48:00- What, if any, are the technical upgrades the LiChess team is working on? 50:00- What are most requested features for LiChess? 52:00- Chris’ discusses the financial situation of LiChess. LiChess’ costs spreadsheet here: 54:00- Patreon mailbag question: “Does LiCHess have plans to become a non-profit (501c3) in the US?’ 57:00- What is the latest on LiChess’ cheat detection efforts? 1:03:00- What went into Lichess’ decision to stop working with US Chess and the St. Louis Chess Club? Mentioned: Breaking the Silence, Chris’ interview on Ono Another Chess Podcast St. Louis Chess Club Statement 1:10:00- Patreon mailbag question: “How can one volunteer with the Women in Chess Foundation?” 1:13:00- Thanks to Chris for joining the pod! You can email him at chris.callahan at Lichess dot org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

My guests this week are Cecilia Albertini and Chandler Toffa the director and co-producer (respectively) of the charming new documentary The City of Human Chess. This short documentary tells the story of Marostica, Italy, where a famous chess game is recreated by human volunteers on a bi-annual basis. The event has a long tradition and draws upwards of 4000 paying customers. It is a touching story about people working together and the connective power of chess, and I greatly enjoyed watching it and discussing it with its creators. We also discussed Cecilia and Chandler’s backgrounds both in chess and away from it. Timestamps for topics discussed can be found below. If you sign up for MagellanTV, use link code to save 30%! http://go.chess.com/livingchess. Trailer for the film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kdaZSb-5Z0 0:00- Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsor, Chessable.com. You can check out new courses, including the excellent Silman’s Endgame Course, presented by IM Alex Banzea, here: https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/?page=2 0:02- Cecilia and Chander discuss how they became aware of the bi-annual human chess game. 0:07- What is the history of the human chess game in Marostica, Italy? 0:12- Which chess game is demonstrated by the humans in the game? Mentioned: Nimzowitsch-Alapin 1914 0:13- How much time on location did Ceclia spend? 20:00-How did they decide to show the film on the Magellan platform? 25:00- Chandler discusses his prior collaboration with Chess.com, Griffin’s Gambit, which you can watch for free on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5_D11NJI3I 28:00- Chandler and Cecilia discuss their own chess games! 33:00- Thanks to Cecilia and Chandler for joining me! Please be sure to check out their film via this link to save 30%! http://go.chess.com/livingchess Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

My book, Perpetual Chess Improvement, is now available from New in Chess (and should be shipping from Amazon any day now), so it was time to dedicate a podcast to discussing it in detail. Joining me for the discussion is longtime friend of the pod, cognitive scientist, author and USCF Master, Dr. Christopher Chabris. Christopher had a sneak peak at the book and shares his impressions of it and interviews me on the topics that interested him. . We discuss what I call “The Four Pillars of Chess Improvement,” how the project came about, and the key lessons I derived for improvement of my own chess game from writing it. Whether or not you are interested in reading the book, I hope you find this discussion of chess improvement worthwhile. Timestamps of topics discussed are below. 03:00-Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsors, Chessable.com. You can check out what is new here: https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/ And you can check out some of my favorites here: https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/ 05:00- Book announcements Full info on book signings and ordering signed books here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/book?fbclid=IwAR0oy_PqpOhc-S7sP-mOZClmKZyhKwuWUbthSY8Um4qVp_YCJKYgL9HJiCA 07:30- Book discussion with Dr. Christopher Chabris 14:00- What is the target audience for the book? 17:00- The importance of playing serious games 25:00- Why did I write several pages about IM Levy Rozman’s pursuit of the GM title? 32:00- Why did I write a book? Did I ever want to quit this project? 42:00- How did I decide that “The Four Pillars of Chess Improvement” should be identified as these: 1) Play competitive games 2) Review them 3) Solve puzzles and 4) Find a Community? 53:00- What is my next project? Mentioned: Episode 349 with Dr. Anique de Bruin 1:01:00 Patreon mailbag: Advice for Solitaire chess Mentioned: GM Gregory Kaidanov, my video on How to Do Solitaire Chess on LiChess Studies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8bpFF4nnPE GM Daniel King’s How Good is Your Chess Chess Life magazine archive with Pandolfini’s Solitaire Chess: https://new.uschess.org/chess-life-digital-archives Also available as a book: https://www.amazon.com/Solitaire-Chess-Bruce-Pandolfini/dp/0812936566 1:05:00- Patreon mailbag question: “What are some scientifically proven ways to improve at chess? What about unproven ways that Ben thinks are effective?” 1:13:00- Patreon mailbag question: “Which piece of advice do I think will be most helpful for my own improvement?” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

GM Davorin Kuljasevic is a renowned author, trainer and player, best known for the excellent book, How to Study Chess on Your Own. Because GM Kuljasevic has worked with players of varying ages and skill levels, and has written a book on the topic of chess study, he is the perfect person to field questions for a Chess Improvement Q & A. In our far-reaching conversation, we cover topics ranging from budgeting study time, to analyzing games, to playing against kids, and many others. We also discuss Davorin’s excellent forthcoming biography on GM Ding Liren, DIng Lirens Best Games: A Chess Biography of the World Champion. Ding, of course, is a fascinating and admirable player and there's so much to learn both from his games and from his approach to chess. Timestamps of topics discussed can be found below. 0:01- Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsor, Chessable.com Check out GM Fabiano Caruana’s course here: https://www.chessable.com/caruanas-ruy-lopez-dark-archangel/course/188495/ And GM Kuljasevic’s course, Beyond Material : https://www.chessable.com/author/DavorinKuljasevic/ And some of my favorites: https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/ Prior interviews with Davorin: Episode 229, June 2021 https://open.spotify.com/episode/1nllqVtGfVA9gqdELutNpP?si=2d9ad8336bbb4cbc How to Chess Episode 09 https://open.spotify.com/episode/4tS4dfBFfxnOBmuLqnSfj3?si=2d75dd2c90ba4e61 0:02- GM Kuljasevic joins me! Pre-order his book: https://www.amazon.com/Ding-Lirens-Best-Games-Biography/dp/9083336689 DIng Liren’s Best Games: A Chess Biography of the World Champion: https://www.newinchess.com/ding-liren-s-best-games-hardcover 03:30- First topic- Budgeting Your Chess Study Time Mentioned: Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual 13:00- Do chess books still have value? Mentioned: IM Mark Dvoretsky, IM Jeremy Silman, Think Like a Grandmaster, The Life and Games of Smyslov 16:30- Tactics 20:00- Game analysis Books: Logical Chess Move by Move, The Most Instructive Chess Games,Instructive Chess Miniatures 22:00- Dealing with nerves at critical moments Mentioned: Ding Liren-Nakamura 2022 30:00- Tips for how much time to spend analyzing games 32:00- Finding "model games" Mentioned: Chess Structures 34:00- Tips for those that struggle with time trouble Mentioned; How to Chess Episode 14 with Peter Svidler 41:00- Was Davorin surprised by the strength of a particular element of Ding’s play? 48:00- What is the ideal time control for newer players? 51:00- What calculation improvement resources are recommended for intermediate players? Mentioned: Calculation: A Complete Guide for Tournament Players by Azel Chua, Fundamental Chess Calculation Skills by CM Can Kabadayi 54:30- Advice for playing against kids Mentioned: Qatar Open, Nakamura, Carlsen, Kaidanov-Van Foreest 2023 1:01:00- If a study approach isn’t working, like a particular opening or emphasis on a phase of the game, how do we know if we should stick with it or change the approach? 1:03:00- Davorin discusses his workbook series and plans for a 2100 level edition, How to Study Chess on Your Own Workbook Mentioned: Workbook , 1500-1800, Workbook 1800-2100 1:06:00- What does Davorin mean when he suggests that a player should study one’s openings deeply? Does it change at different levels? 1:09:00- What were the origins of Davorin’s Ding Liren book? 1:20:00- Thanks so much to GM Kuljasevic for joining, you can reach out to him via the Lichess or Chess.com Coaches pages: https://lichess.org/coach/GrandmasterThinking https://www.chess.com/member/davorinkuljasevic Pre-order my book, Perpetual Chess Improvement: Practical Chess Advice from World Class Players and Dedicated Amateurs. It will be available soon from Amazon and other major retailers. https://www.amazon.com/Perpetual-Chess-Improvement-Practical-World-Class/dp/9083336549/ref=sr_1_1?crid=NC8JT9EJX0R&keywords=perpetual+chess+improvement&qid=1686853259&sprefix=perpetual+chess+improvement%2Caps%2C291&sr=8-1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Perpetual Chess we feature two chess enthusiasts who are driving initiatives to improve the chess world. 1) Emilia Castelao is a history grad student, chess photographer and chess historian, who is collaborating with Mr. Dodgy to launch the Women in Chess Foundation. Their mission is to advocate for and empower women in the chess community. Emilia has a broad vision for the foundation, but the first order of business is to ensure a safe competitive environment for tournament players. With this goal in mind, the foundation is training onsite advocates to volunteer at tournaments all over the world. In our conversation, we also discuss Emilia’s chess background and the roots of her enthusiasm for chess photography and history. 2) Craig Dubose is an Ireland-based dad and relatively recent chess enthusiast. Craig believes that more can be done to convert new chess fans into tournament players, and is running an annual tournament in Ireland, The Sligo Chess Tournament. Craig runs this tournament on a not-for-profit basis with the aim to improve the playing experience of area chess enthusiasts. Craig and his team made a documentary about last year’s event, which you can see here. In our conversation, Craig discusses the challenges and rewards of running such a tournament, and shares tips for anyone interested in starting to run their own tournaments. As always, timestamps of guests interviewed and topics discussed can be found below. Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsor, Chessable.com. You can check our their new courses here: https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/ And some of my favorites here: https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/ Subscribe to my free newsletter, The Perpetual Chess Linkfest here: https://benjohnson.substack.com/ 3:15- Emilia Castelao joins the pod to discuss a new initiative called the Women in Chess Foundation. Mentioned: Lula Roberts, Mr. Dodgy To volunteer to become an advocate go to: https://www.womeninchess.com/ 19:00- Emilia discusses her background and her interest in chess history. Mentioned: Endgame by Dr. Frank Brady, Chess Notes by Edward Winter, Profile of a Prodigy, Episode X with Dr. Frank Brady 26:00- What got her into chess photography? 28:00- Does Emilia play and study chess much? 32:00- Thanks to Emilia for joining the pod! Keep up with the Women in Chess Foundation here: https://www.womeninchess.com/ Follow her on Twitter/X here: https://twitter.com/emiliacastelao 33:00- Craig Dubose joins the podcast to discuss the background of the upcoming Sligo tournament in Ireland. Mentioned: Welcome to Wrexham, Word Wars 45:00- Is it a priority to recruit titled players to compete in the tournament? 48:00- Why does Craig run the tournament on a non-profit basis? 52:00- Is it challenging to find a venue for a chess tournament? 58:00- What is Craig’s advice for anyone interested in running a weekend tournament? 59:00- Patreon mailbag question: “Does Craig have a plan for what would happen if he were no longer able to run his tournaments?” 1:01:30- Does Craig get to play much? 1:04:00- Thanks to Craig for joining the pod! You can learn more about the Sligo tournament here: https://itsligochesstournament.ie/ You can watch the documentary about last year’s event here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSx5qHpI5lw&feature=youtu.be Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week’s guest, Steffen Slumstrump Nielsen is one of the most accomplished chess endgame study composers in the world. Steffen’s new book, Endgame Labyrinths (co-authored with GM Jacob Aagaard) compiles what they consider to be the most instructive endgame studies of all time. It is a beautiful book filled with challenging and instructive studies. In our conversation, we discuss how Steffen came to be interested in the “subgenre” of designing chess puzzles, the components that make a good study, and who he believes to be the best endgame study composers of all time. Finally, Steffen shares some details on his creation process and offers recommendations if you would like to learn more about endgame studies. Links of the topics referenced can be found below. Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsor, Chessable.com. You can check our their new courses here: https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/ And some of my favorites here: https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/ 0:00- How did Steffen discover the art of composing endgame studies? 0:04- How does Steffen work with engines when comprising a study? Mentioned: Chessbase India feature on Steffen Nielsen: https://www.chessbase.in/news/Giants-of-Modern-Studies-Part-I-The-Tactical-Thaumaturgy-of-Steffen-S-Nielsen- 11:30- What makes a good endgame study? 15:30- How useful are endgame studies for chess improvement? (potential break) Mentioned: Episode 339 with WGM Anna Zatonskih 19:00- As an study composer, is calculation a strength of Steffen’s? 21:50- How much time per week does Steffen spend composing studies? What does his family think of it? Mentioned: Steffen’s YouTube talk 27:00- What, if anything, differentiates Steffen’s prize-winning studies from others? Mentioned: Tim Krabbe’s blog, Episode 226 with Tim Krabbe 33:00- Which famous players has Steffen meant who enjoy endgame studies? Mentioned: GM Jan Timman 35:30- What did Steffen observe from observing the approach to solving of people like GM Sam Shankland and GM Christopher Yoo? Mentioned: Free Preview of the Book here: https://www.qualitychess.co.uk/ebooks/EndgameLabyrinthsOnlineExcerpt.pdf Also mentioned: GM Kasper Piorun 41:00- We discuss the invaluable endgame study database from Harold van der Heijden. More info here: https://www.hhdbvi.nl/ 44:00- What endgame study books has Steffen studied: Mentioned: Kasparyan’s Domination in 2545 Studies, Oleg Pervakov’s Studies and Books, The Art of the Endgame 46:00- What was Steffen’s approach to chess study? What authors did he like? Mentioned: Bent Larsen 48:30- How long has this book been in the works? 49:00- Steffen’s closing thoughts! Mentioned: GM Wojciech Moranda 51:00- Thanks to Steffen for joining the program! Follow Steffen on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/SteffenNielsen8?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor You can read more about composing studies on this blog: www.chessstudy.art Buy the book from Quality Chess: https://www.qualitychess.co.uk/products/3/443/endgame_labyrinths_hardcover_by_jacob_aagaard_and_steffen_nielsen/ Or on Forward Chess: https://forwardchess.com/product/endgame-labyrinths Free preview from Quality Chess: https://www.qualitychess.co.uk/ebooks/EndgameLabyrinthsOnlineExcerpt.pdf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Can Kabadayi is a cognitive scientist, a self-taught Candidate Master, and a popular and prolific Chessable author. Given his academic background, Can is especially interested in the challenges of adult chess improvement, and devotes his chess work to helping adult learners. In our conversation, we discuss the origins of Can’s interests in chess and cognitive science, his Chessable courses, his OTB plans, and notable research related to chess and cognitive science. Can is an avid bibliophile and also shares plenty of book recommendations. All in all, there is lots to learn from this conversation, as there is from Can’s courses and YouTube channel. Timestamps of topics discussed can be found below. 0:00- Can retells the story of how he got into chess at the age of 17, and how he attained a first rating of approximately FIDE 2100! Mentioned; Capablanca’s Fundamentals of Chess 0:07- Can describes the chess scene in Turkey. Mentioned: GM John Nunn, GM Jonathan Rowson, Instructive Chess Miniatures 11:00- Can describes how he became interested in cognitive science. Mentioned: Fernand Gobet’s The Psychology of Chess, Thought and Choice in Chess by Adrian de Groot Mentioned: Take a chess cognitive test via Dr. Can’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyOpUyss3Sc, Think Like a Super GM 24:00- We discuss chess calculation, which is the topic of Can’s new Chessable course. Mentioned: Under the Surface by GM Jan Markos 30:00 What are the most common types of mistakes Can sees in adult players? 32:00- More book and author recs! Mentioned: The Secret Ingredient, NM Dan Heisman 34:00- Patreon mailbag question: “Is it still good advice for amateurs not to study openings?” 41:00- Patreon mailbag question: “All things being equal, what is the best age to start playing chess?” Mentioned: Can’s Reddit Q and A, YouTube video: How good can I become if I start chess at age 30?, Episode 346 with NM Todd Bryant 49:00- Does Can have any plans of returning to competitive chess? Mentioned: Episode 309 with Dr. Joel Sneed Thanks to Can for joining me! Be sure to sub to his YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Dr.CansClinic Can’s Chessable page: https://www.chessable.com/author/Can_Kabadayi/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Perpetual Chess, we look at chess study from a different angle- what does the science of learning teach us about how best to study chess? Joining us to discuss it is an expert in the field, Dr. Anique de Bruin of Maastricht University in the Netherlands. Dr. de Bruin researches the topics of deliberate practice and desirable difficulty and researched and wrote about chess skill acquisition both in her dissertation and in an essay she wrote called “Helping Chess Players Improve” for the book The Chess Instructor 2009. In our conversation, Anique highlights noteworthy research around chess and deliberate practice, shares advice for chess instructors and self-motivated students, and discusses what her research revealed about gender and chess. This was a fascinating conversation that helped me refine my thinking about how to best teach and study chess independently. Timestamps of the topics discussed are below. Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsor, Chessable.com. You can check our their new courses here: https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/ And some of my favorites here: https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/ 0:00- As a researcher without a chess background, what initially got Anique interested in researching chess? Mentioned: KPrime Podcast Episode 3 with Anique de Bruin 16:00- Is it necessary for deliberate practice to be “unenjoyable?” 18:00- Did the publication of Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell alter the nature of Anique’s research? 20:00- What did Anique’s research and gender reveal about gender and chess? 26:30- Patreon mailbag question: What books does Anique recommend to learn more about the science of learning? Mentioned: In Their Own Words: What Scholars and Teachers Want You To Know about How to Apply the Science of Learning in an Academic Setting (free download) https://teachpsych.org/ebooks/itow Why Don’t Students Like School Make it Stick: The Science of Learning 28:00- Patreon mailbag question: What is the biggest thing chess coaches get wrong? 32:30- Patreon mailbag question: Is their evidence to support the contention that chess players do better academically? 35:00- Anique discusses her recent research relating to self-regulated study “desirable difficulties” 43:00- If Anique could do a research study about any chess topic, what would it be? 45:30- Anique gives her parting advice for self-directed adult chess students. Thanks to Dr. de Bruin for a fascinating interview! Her contact info is on her bio page with the University of Maastricht: https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/abh-de-bruin If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess via Patreon, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The book review series Chess Books Recaptured is back to discuss a couple of great puzzle books with a strategic orientation. 1) First up, we discuss a lesser-known but excellent collection of puzzles and insightful analysis, Strategic Chess Exercises by GM Emanuel Bricard. Following that, we discuss one of the most (rightfully) acclaimed books of recent years, Think Like a Super GM by Phillip Hurtado and GM Michael Adams. Because these are both reasonably advanced books, we also share some similarly-spirited recommendations for lower-rated players. Joining me for it all, is returning guest, Dr. Michael Franco (NoseKnowsAll) who is a Software Engineer and fast-improving amateur player, who is active in various online chess communities. Timestamps of books and topics discussed are below. Spotify playlist for other book reviews: https://spotify.link/Sx2hLmiTiDb Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsors, Chessable.com. Among countless other instructive courses, Strategic Chess Exercises is available via Chessable: https://www.chessable.com/strategic-chess-exercises/course/16565/ 0:00- For what levels are these books best suited? 0:03- Why does Michael love the book Strategic Chess Exercises ? What is its format? Mentioned: Available on Chessable and Amazon, Michael’s appearance on Chess Journeys (Episode 102) 14:00- What are my quibbles about this high-quality book? 20:00- We discuss Think Like a Super GM by GM Michael Adams and Phillip Hurtado Mentioned: Thought and Choice in Chess by de Groot, GM Jesse Kraai’s Video Review of Think Like a Super GM, My written review of Think Like a Super GM 35:00- Any quibbles with Think Like a Super GM? 39:00- Conclusions from and comparison between the 2 books. 47:00- We suggest similar books to these two that are accessible for players rated below 1500. Mentioned: Evaluate like a GM, The Reassess Your Chess Workbook, Power of Pawns, Simple Chess, Mastering Chess Strategy, Winning Chess Strategy 52:00- We finish up by discussing Michael’s next chess books and tournaments. Mentioned: Small Steps to Giant Improvement Contact Michael via Lichess: https://lichess.org/@/NoseKnowsAll Pre-order Perpetual Chess Improvement here (or wait for it to be available in other formats!) https://www.amazon.com/Perpetual-Chess-Improvement-Practical-World-Class/dp/9083336549/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3PPCN7OZTKJU6&keywords=perpetual+chess+improvement&qid=1695235338&s=books&sprefix=perpetual+chess+improvement%2Cstripbooks%2C79&sr=1-1 If you would like to volunteer to potentially co-host a book discussion, you can do so via the form here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/co-host If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Perpetual Chess returns for the second edition of what will be an occasional series, Perpetual Tournament Reports. (First edition here). For this episode, two guests join me to share their respective experiences at ALTO (“At Least Twenty One”), which was a tournament that took place in early September, and was hosted by the Charlotte Chess Center. ALTO is a semi-annual tournament that has quickly gained a loyal roster of attendees, due to the unique opportunity it presents to compete against and socialize with other adult chess players. My guests are 1) Returning guest, data scientist, blogger and Chessable Author, FM Nate Solon. Nate hasn’t been competing OTB much lately, in part due to the arrival of his first baby at home, but somehow he won the open section of the tournament! Despite this incredible success, Nate feels he has plenty of chess to work on, and he shares reflections from his games and away-from-the-board experiences in Charlotte. 2) James Braindmair got into chess via The Queen’s Gambit and is already quite active in his chess community in Columbia, South Carolina. In addition to a busy work and family life, James is President of the Columbia Chess Club. With so many responsibilities, James doesn’t get much time to study, but he and some local chess friends all made the trip to play and compete. James reflects on the chess and non-chess lessons he has recently learned. Timestamps of guests and topics discussed can be found below. Prior tournament report podcast- https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2023/6/30/f82nnc8zc3crw6pxaprlkd5rgil5a7 https://open.spotify.com/episode/2Hmf19bVCz3WiwqFTmuHAE?si=8eedbfe0a6154989 If you are rated below 1300 Chess.com or lower (approximately,) and would like to send me games for my forthcoming Chessable course, please email Ben at perpetualchesspod.com 4:45- FM Nate Solon joins the pod! Was he surprised that he won the tournament? What were the key moments? Mentioned: https://www.chessable.com/100-repertoires-reti-1nf3/course/170854/ Episode 346 with NM Todd Bryant LiChess study with most of Nate’s games Episode 307 with IM Dean Ippolito Nate’s post on Time Management- https://zwischenzug.substack.com/p/time-management 16:00- Nate describes his mindset going into his final-round game against IM Dina Belenkaya. Mentioned: GM Eugene Perelshteyn 21:00- Nate just hit a new rating high at age 38- How is he able to defy chess gravity? 23:00- What was ALTO like away from the board? 26:00- How is the 1. Nf3 repertoire from Nate’s Chessable course working out? 30:00- How did Nate’s new openings as Black work out? Mentioned: King’s Kalashnikov Sicilian, Shankland’s Semi-Slav 38:00- What are Nate’s chess takeaways from the tournament? Mentioned: Check Nate’s video recap of his White games here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fd6niI6KllI 45:00- James Brandmair joins the pod! He begins by discussing how he recently got into tournament chess. Mentioned: Paul Copeland, NM Sam Copeland’s YouTube Channel 48:00- What were James’ goals going into the tournament? Mentioned: Hanlon-Brandmair 2023, IM Dina Belenkaya, JJ Lang, IM David Vigorito 54:00- What has James learned from reviewing the games? Mentioned: GM John Shaw’s King’s Gambit, Godly Gambit 1:00:00- What are the goals for the Columbia Chess Club? Mentioned: Is James’ wife supportive of chess weekends? 1:05:00- Did the tournament have a different feeling dur to the absence oft kids in the competition? Thanks to James for joining! You can email him at Jamesbrandmair at gmail dot com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week’s return guest on Perpetual Chess is the renowned trainer and player GM Gregory Kaidanov. Gregory joined me in between travels, as he had returned home from competing in the FIDE World Cup, and he was soon heading to Macedonia for the World Senior Team Championship. Gregory shared his perspective on the FIDE World Cup both as a player, and as a fan. As we discuss, Gregory was not surprised by the continued success of GM Pragganandhaa and the younger generation, but the performance of the top finishers was nonetheless impressive. Gregory also shared his thoughts on the news that GM Hans Niemann is now able to return to Chess.com events, and he discussed his thoughts on the overall story. Lastly, Gregory answered a few listener questions related to chess improvement, and his thoughts on a few of his former students, including GMs Ben Finegold and Daniel Naroditsky. Timestamps of topics discussed can be found below. Thanks to our Presenting Chess Education Sponsors, Chessable.com You can learn more about the Chessable “Create Your Own Course” Contest here: https://www.chessable.com/create/ Check out their new courses, included Ginger GM’s The Killer Barry here: https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/ Gregory’s Prior Appearance: Episode 295 0:02:- Gregory joins and shares his reflections on the FIDE World Cup, both as a competitor and an observer Mentioned: GM Nijat Abasov, GM Wesley So, GM Dieter Nisipeanu 10:00- Was Gregory worried about cheating at the World Cup? 18:00- What does Gregory think of the “2003” generation of chess stars that Magnus highlighted, including Pragganandhaa? 25:00- How did the tournament go for Gregory from a personal perspective? Mentioned- Karthik-Kaidanov 2023, Kaidanov-Karthik 2023, Heine-Nielsen-Kaidanov 2002 32:00- Why is the US Senior Invitational of special importance to Gregory? How did he fare in his other recent tournaments? Mentioned: Episode 344 with GM Melik Khachiyan 45:00- In the wake of GM Hans Niemann’s reinstatement on Chess.com, Gregory shares his thoughts on the whole saga. Mentioned: Chess.com Statement on Hans Niemann 52:00- Are chess books still necessary? Mentioned: Colin Stapcynski’s article on Coach of the Month 57:00- Patreon mailbag question: “Does Gregory have any advice for how one can improve his approach to chess away from the board?” Mentioned: Book Recap #32- Chess for Zebras 1:00:00- What has Gregory learned from working with adult chess players? 1:07:00- Gregory discusses his work GM Daniel Naroditsky, GM Ben Finegold and GM Sam Shankland and others. 1:12:00- What has Gregory learned from studying GM Ulf Andersson? What has he learned from playing Mikhail Tal. Mentioned: Episode 300 with GM Ulf Andersson, Kaidanov-Andersson 2002 Thanks, as always to GM Kaidanov for joining me. You can reach him via his website: https://kaidanov.org/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Adult Improver series returns to look at both the macro and the micro of adult chess improvement. My guest is NM Todd Bryant. Todd is a software engineer (for Chess.com) and an accomplished player, who has used his analytical skills to gather lots of data about the most accomplished adult improvers in recent US Chess History. Todd shares information about the standout improvement cases at different age ranges. What would be considered an exceptional rating gain for someone over the age of 30? What about age 50? What patterns does Todd notice in looking at the rating graphs of these accomplished amateur? In addition to sharing all of this data that Todd has dutifully gathered, he discusses his own improvement philosophy. Todd plays frequently OTB, and when at home he emphasizes opening study and frequent speed chess play. This approach has been working for Todd as he recently passed 2500 Blitz on Chess.com for the first time! This was a fascinating conversation, and I really appreciate Todd’s gathering and sharing all of this interesting data! Timestamps of the topics discussed are below. Todd’s previous Perpetual Chess appearance: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2023/6/30/f82nnc8zc3crw6pxaprlkd5rgil5a7 If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess via the Patreon community you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess Chess.com’s First #Chesspunks tournament! More info here: https://www.chess.com/news/view/chesspunks-champs Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsors, Chessable.com. Here are a few of NM Todd Bryant’s favorite Chessable courses and authors: GM Gawain Jones: FM Kamil Plichta You can check out some of my recommended courses here: https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/ 6:00- Todd shares his findings from his independent research into what type of rating gains are seen by the most accomplished adult improvers at different ages. 13:45- What were the outlier cases of improvement after the age of 25? Mentioned: Michael Johnson, NM Philemon Thomas, NM Fred Wilson 19:30- What type of rating gains have improvers over the age of 50 achieved? Mentioned: Tom Hickenlooper, James Altucher, Skip the Line 29:00- Does Todd think there is rating deflation in US Chess and FIDE? Mentioned: Paul Iinuma 32:00- How does this data impact how Todd approaches chess? 36:00- Why does Todd choose to focus on speed chess and blitz with his chess time? Mentioned: Pre-order My Book- Perpetual Chess Improvement, IM Greg Shahade’s Blog Post “Slow Chess is Dying” 44:00- Is there a rating below which playing speed chess does not result in an improvement in playing? 46:00- Why does Todd still play the King’s Gambit? Mentioned: The King’s Gambit by GM John Shaw, IM Ryo Chen 52:00- Patreon mailbag question: What is Todd’s advice for improving thinking processes at the board? Mentioned: The Amateur’s Mind by IM Jeremy Silman 57:00- Patreon mailbag question: “Should amateurs invest the time to learn antidotes to dodgy but popular amateur openings like The Stafford Gambit?” 1:01:00- What other chess books made a difference for Todd? Mentioned: Attacking Chess with Josh Waitzkin, Best Lessons of a Chess Coach by FM Sunil Weerumantry 1:04:00- What has Todd learned from watching his son pursue chess? 1:07:00- Todd’s final chess improvement advice? 1:12:00- Thanks to Todd for joining! Follow him on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/thestrongchess?lang=en Or chess.com here: https://www.chess.com/member/toddbryant If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week our guest is WFM Maaike Keetman. Maaike is a 2016 Dutch Chess Olimpian and youth champion, who is also a Chessable author and member of its content creation team. Maaike joined me shortly after competing in a big open tournament in Europe, The Czech Open. Maaike reflected on her own performance and also highlighted what anyone considering playing in this tournament in future years could expect. Following that, we discuss the September 1 launch of Chessable’s ‘Create Your Own Course’ contest. This contest is a unique opportunity for community members to share their passion for chess, and to potentially win prizes and earn extra income. Lastly, we discuss a few topics important to Maaike’s chess experience, including The Chess Steps Method, and the most memorable moments of her chess career. The Chessable Contest Launches September 1, here is all the info you need: https://www.chessable.com/create/ 0:02- Maaike joined me shortly after returning from The Czech Open in Pardubice. For prospective tournament players, she discusses what she liked and disliked about the tournament, and she assessed her own performance. Maaike had to withdraw from the tournament due to sickness, so she was unable to finish the tournament. Mentioned: CM Vjekoslav Nemec, More Czech Open Info here: https://www.czechopen.net/en/, Sunway Sitges, Reykjavik Open 11:00- Maaike plays in the Dutch Chess League and the English 4NCL League as well. She discusses the formats of these leagues. 15:00- What are Maaike’s current objectives with her chess game? 19:00- Maaike discusses her work at Chessable and the annual “Create Your Own Chess Course” contest. Upon context launch on September 1, there will be more info at this link: https://go.chessable.com/create/ Mentioned: The Checkmate Patterns Manual, Visualize by Benedictine, CM Can Kabadayi’s Chessable Courses, GM Maurice Ashley’s Secrets of Chess Geometry, Maaike’s How to Create a Chessable Course Video 31:00- Patreon mailbag question: “What are the best practices of the most accomplished Chessable users?’ Mentioned: NM Han Schut, NM Todd Bryant, Perpetual Chess Improvement, Available November 1!, Alex Crompton’s Blog Post, EP 256 with Alex Crompton 35:00- Patreon mailbag question: “What changes have taken place at Chessable since it was acquired by Chess.com?’ 40:00- What was it like growing up vis-a-vis The Chess Steps system in The Netherlands? Mentioned: EP 335 with Matthew Ball and WIM Natasha Regan 43:00- Maaike shares her memories of playing on the Dutch National Team at the Olympiad. 47:00- If Maaike were to emphasize improving her chess game, what would she prioritize? 50:00 Maaike’s fondest and least fond chess memories! 51:00- Thanks to Maaike for joining the pod! If you have questions about the Chessable contest, email hello at chessable dot com Or post in the Chessable forums: https://www.chessable.com/discussion/ If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate You can pre-order my forthcoming book here: https://www.amazon.com/Perpetual-Chess-Improvement-Practical-World-Class/dp/9083336549/ref=sr_1_1?crid=32H1VUUP9AHO8&keywords=perpetual+chess+improvement&qid=1692411671&s=books&sprefix=perpetual+chess+%2Cstripbooks%2C119&sr=1-1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

GM Melik Khachiyan is a top player and former chess Olympian. He is also a trainer who has taught many future GMs and has coached the US Women’s national team for many years. Despite his many successes, Melik had never won a US Championship of his own…until this year. In 2023, Melik beat out many higher-rated U.S. legends to comfortably win the U.S. Senior Championship! In our conversation, Melik takes us behind the scenes of the games and opening preparation, and his training regimen during the weeks leading up to the tournament. Melik thinks that he was propelled to victory by a couple of decisions in particular: 1) a focus on physical fitness and 2) his staying active in competitive chess. Melik always has lots of chess knowledge to impart, but his recent successes highlight the importance of perseverance, both at and away from the board. And of course, as GM Levon Aronian’s childhood coach, and a former student of World Champion Tigran Petrosian, Melik always has a few stories to share. You can find timestamps of topics discussed below. Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsors, Chessable.com. New courses include: Starting Out: The Scotch by Fiona Steil-Antoni and IM Alex Astaneh Techniques of Positional Play featuring GM Peter Heine Nielsen Check out my favorite Chessable courses here: You can check out some of my recommended courses here: https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/ My prior interview with Melik: Episode 64 with GM Melik Khachiyan 0:00- Melik explains the story behind his last-minute invitation to the U.S. Senior Championship. 5:00- What did Melik do to change his chess training and fitness routine leading up the tournament? Mentioned: Khachiyan-Root 2023 12:00- Patreon mailbag question- “How has Melik’s tournament approach changed over the years?” 20:00- Did Melik gain an edge over his competitors by continuing to compete? Mentioned: GM Alex Fishbein 25:00- Patreon mailbag question: Has Melik changed his opening repertoire in recent years? 30:00- What was the story behind Melik’s game with Dlugy which began with the unusual sequence 1. Nf3 c5 2. C3 ? Melik also discusses his unusual preparation for GM Patrick Wolff Mentioned: Khachiyan-Dlugy 2023, Khachiyan-Wolff 2023 39:00- What does Melik do to deal with sleep problems that occur during tournaments? 42:00- What are Melik’s memories of competing in the 1996 Olimpiad in Yerevan, with his then student FM Levon Aronian, also on the Armenian team? 44:00- In my recent interview with GM Aronian he discussed traveling to tournaments in the cargo department of a plane. What were Melik’s recollections of those rides? What does Melik think Levon learned from growing up so poor? Mentioned: Episode 341 with GM Levon Aronian 50:00- How was World Champion GM Tigran Petrosian’s table tennis game? What did Tigran think of speed chess? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We catch you up on the riveting 2023 FIDE World Cup. I am joined by Chessable author and blogger, CM Vjekoslav Nemec to discuss the tournament so far, then FIDE Press officer IM Michael Rahal joins me from the playing hall in Baku to describe the venue and what it has been like to do post-game interviews with the players, including one with Magnus Carlsen that went viral. Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsor, Chessable. Check out FM Nate Solon’s new course here: https://www.chessable.com/100-repertoires-reti-1nf3/course/170854/ And check out GM Pepe Cuenca’s Lifetime Repertoires: Queen’s Gambit Declined here: https://www.chessable.com/lifetime-repertoires-queens-gambit-declined/course/57401/ 0- Rundown of the results at the FIDE World Cup. 4:30- Vjekoslav Nemec joins the show. What have the most noteworthy stories of this World Cup? What do we expect in the final round? 24:00- FIDE Press Officer IM Michael Rahal joins me from Baku! You can check out all of Michael’s interviews in Baku on the FIDE YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@FIDE_chess You can follow Michael on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/rahal_michael?lang=en You can follow Vjekoslav here: https://twitter.com/chessentials_?lang=en Read his blog here: https://t.co/1tZcgGs5uW Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jeff Sonas is a software engineer and database consultant who is also one of the world’s leading experts on chess ratings. As you may have read, FIDE recently proposed some changes to its rating system (partially due to Jeff’s advice). . In our conversation, Jeff explains the background of his work on ratings, and why he feels that changes to the system are necessary. Following a detailed and fascinating conversation about chess ratings, we discuss Jeff’s excellent historical chess site, Chessmetrics.com, which compares the relative strength of top chess players across eras. Due to his expertise on the topic, I also invited FM Nate Solon to co-host this episode. Nate writes about chess and data on his excellent blog, Zwischenzug.As always, you can find timestamps of topics discussed below. Sign up for my newsletter, The Perpetual Chess Linkfest here: https://benjohnson.substack.com FIDE Press release about Proposed Rating Changes- https://fide.com/news/2538 Jeff’s paper- https://www.fide.com/docs/presentations/Sonas%20Proposal%20-%20Repairing%20the%20FIDE%20Standard%20Elo%20Rating%20System.pdf NM Vanessa West's Summary of the Proposed Changes: https://www.chess.com/news/view/fide-mathematician-proposes-changes-to-improve-rating-accuracy Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsors, Chessable. Here are some courses to check out FM Nate Solon’s course here: 100 Repertoires: Reti (1.Nf3) You can check out some of my recommended courses here: https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/ 04:00- We welcome Jeff Sonas to the show! 04:30- He begins by discussing the history of his work in ratings, and specifically with FIDE. Jeff also discusses how he has gone from worrying about inflation to deflation? Mentioned: Rating Inflation: Its causes and Its possible cures 26:00- Patreon mailbag question- Could Jeff put a number on the amount of deflation? Is there deflation on the chess playing websites? 36:00- More explanation of the causes of deflation Mentioned: GM Jacob Aagaard’s Tweet, Article by Tarjei Svensen about Velpula Sarayu’s Record Performance 42:00- Does the deflation matter, other than for reasons of vanity? 48:00- What does Jeff think of the Glicko system? Episode 249 with Dr. Mark Glickman, Jeff’s Archive of Chess Writing 53:00 Patreon mailbag question: How feasible is a universal rating system based on engine move matching? Mentioned: Read Jeff’s paper here: https://www.fide.com/docs/presentations/Sonas%20Proposal%20-%20Repairing%20the%20FIDE%20Standard%20Elo%20Rating%20System.pdf 59:00- Jeff discusses the history and methodology of his awesome chess history website, Chessmetrics Mentioned: Jeff’s Series: Who is the Greatest Player of All Time 1:10:00- Where would Carlsen rank? 1:14:00- What would be the biggest challenge to creating a chess site similar to a basketball reference or ultimate tennis statistics? 1:16:00- Has Jeff ever gotten inquiries about his data from top players? Mentioned: Chess24 top 50 of all time Series with GM Jan Gustafsson and GM Peter Heine Nielsen 1:18:00- Which historical player is underrated? 1:25:00- What is Jeff’s own chess background? 1:28:00- Thanks so much to Jeff for joining the podcast! You can reach him via the Chessmetrics website: http://www.chessmetrics.com/cm/CM2/Introduction.asp And be sure to subscribe to FM Nate Solon’s free blog here: https://zwischenzug.substack.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we are joined by a legend of Norwegian Chess, GM Simen Agdestein. Simen was the first Norwegian Grandmaster, a childhood trainer of Magnus Carlsen, and is a nine-time champion of Norway, who holds the record of being both the country’s youngest and oldest national champion, after winning the title again this year at age 56. As if these feats weren’t impressive enough, at the time Simen was around his chess peak (#16 in the world) he was also a star football/soccer player, who played striker on Norway’s national team! With such an accomplished resume, one might think things have been easy for Simen, but that has been far from the case. As he discusses in our interview, injuries derailed his chess and football careers simultaneously, and SImen was forced to reassess everything. In our conversation, Simen shares what his vast life experience has taught him about life and chess improvement. Simen also discusses the current chess scene in Norway, and of course, tells plenty of stories about what it was like to coach a young Magnus Carlsen. Thanks to our Presenting Chess Education Sponsors, Chessable.com Here are a few of their Magnus related courses: Fight Like Magnus Grind Like a GM Magnus Carlsen: Endgame Virtuoso You can check out my favorite courses here: You can check out some of my recommended courses here: https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/ 0:02- GM Agdestein reflects on his recent, record-setting National Championship. How does the feeling of this one compare to prior championship wins? How did he prepare for this one? Mentioned: GM Judit Polgar’s Interview with GM Simen Agdestein, IM Elham Abdrlauf, GM Jonathan Speelman’s Chessbase column about Simen’s recent win, SImen’s book 15:00- How does Simen structure the chess study time at his famed chess institute for talented chess players? Mentioned: GM Aryan Tari, GM Magnus Carlsen, Magnus Carlsen on The Lex Fridman Podcast 22:00- What stood out about Magnus in his early years? Mentioned: GM Torbjorn Ringdal Hansen 27:30- Patreon mailbag question: “Are the live TV broadcasts attracting new tournament players?” 31:30- How did Simen become a GM with so little chess infrastructure in Norway at the time? 35:00- Does Simen think he was more talented in chess or in football? 37:00- Simen tells how injuries derailed his football and chess careers simultaneously. Mentioned: Chess.com’s Tarjei Svensen 44:00- Why did Simen turn down a lucrative professional football offer from the Turkish club Besiktas? 45:30- How did Simen recover from the physical and mental setbacks in his mid 20s? 49:00- When Simen reflects on his 20s does he think of chess or soccer first? 52:00- Why did Simen turn down a lucrative football contract with a Turkish pro club in his 20s? 55:00- What does SImen remember about a young Alexei Shirov coming to visit his house? 57:00- What was it like facing Kasparov? 1:00:00- What are Simen’s memories of Kasparov’s visit to Norway to work with Magnus at age 14? 1:04:00- More Magnus stories! 1:07:00- Patreon mailbag question: “What is the proper way to determine a world champion in chess?” 1:12:00- Why does Simen advise to “always take pieces?” 1:16:00- Thanks so much to Simen for joining the pod! You can learn more about his experience coaching Magnus in his book: https://www.amazon.com/Magnus-Carlsen-Became-Youngest-Grandmaster/dp/9056914375 And keep an eye out for the forthcoming book, Games and Goals by IM Atle Gronn. It should be available in English in 2024 If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After a lengthy hiatus, the book review series Chess Books Recaptured, returns to discuss another classic chess book. This time we discuss Chess for Zebras. Originally published in 2003, Zebras is a followup to Rowson’s classic first book The Seven Deadly Chess Sins. While the book has some tonal similarities to its predecessor, it is a bit more narrow in focus. My guest co-host is Law Professor David Franklin. (David also co-hosted our discussion of Seven Deadly Chess Sins) Like me, David is a fan of GM Rowson’s writing, although both of us have our quibbles with different parts of the book. All in all, though, we both find the book highly worthwhile. Key concepts discussed in the book (and on the podcast) include the difference between knowledge and skill in chess, the challenges of handling each color, and the underrated chess skill of “just being.” Tune in to find out more! Timestamps below: Thanks to our Presenting Chess Education Sponsors, Chessable.com Chess for Zebras Free Preview: https://www.chessable.com/chess-for-zebras-free-lesson/course/92638/ Chess for Zebras: https://www.chessable.com/chess-for-zebras-thinking-differently-about-black-and-white/course/61560/ Check out my favorite courses here: You can check out some of my recommended courses here: https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/ 02:00- Law Professor and USCF Expert David Franklin joins me. Why did he suggest this book? How is it different from GM Jonathan Rowson’s other chess classic, Seven Deadly Chess Sins? Mentioned: Book Recap #14- Seven Deadly Chess Sins with David Franklin 04:30- How did Rowson choose the title, Chess for Zebras? Mentioned: Chess for Tigers by Simon Webb, GM Rowson’s 2023 interview with Chessbase India 08:30- We discuss the major points and framework of the book, as well as the level of players who could most benefit from this book. 13:30- We discuss Part 1 of the book, which focuses on the challenges of adult chess improvement and the “knowledge-skill” gap. Mentioned: Move First, Think Later by IM Willy Hendriks, The Best of Novice Nook 18:30- As a lawyer, does David think that aging effects his ability to practice law differently than his ability to play chess? 22:30- What is GM Rowson’s recommendation for acquiring skills as opposed to knowledge? Mentioned: IM Andras Toth 30:00- We discuss part 2, called “A Mental Toolkit for the Exponential Jungle” Mentioned: GM Tony Miles, GM Johann Hjartarson, IM Dina Belenkaya 34:00- What does it mean to “keep it between the hedges”? Mentioned: GM Michael Adams, GM Luke McShane, Mentioned Magnus and David Howell’s course: Grind Like a Super GM, Magnus’ Book Recommendations 40:00- Part 3- Thinking Colorfully About Black and White Mentioned: Andras Adorjan, Mihai Suba’s Dynamic Chess Strategy, GM Vasilios Kotronias 52:00- We share a few more memorable quotes from the book Mentioned: The Moves That Matter If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Perpetual Chess is back with a banger of a double episode. First up is chess superstar, GM Levon Aronian! Levon joined me from Spain after returning from the first season of the Global Chess League in Dubai. Levon reflected on the success of his championship-winning team, and we discussed why he thinks initiatives like this league are vital to the future health of chess. We then broadened the scope of our conversation, and Levon shared memorable stories about his humble beginnings and Armenia, and the lessons he had to learn when he shot to chess stardom in the mid 2000s. Lastly, Levon discusses his move to the U.S., his 2023 plans, and why he is not playing in the ongoing FIDE World Cup. Following Lev, we are joined by Jagdish Mitra. Jagdish is Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Growth at Tech Mahindra, and served as Chairperson of the first season of The Global Chess League. Jagdish looked back on a successful first season, and discussed the ambitious plans and long term vision that the league has for upcoming years. Both interviews left me excited about the future of chess! You can find timestamps for all of the topics discussed below. Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsors, Chessable. Here are some courses to check out: Techniques of Positional Play with GM Peter Heine Nielsen Lifetime Repertoires: Gawain Jones 1.e4 e5 100 Repertoires: Alekhine Defense by CM Vjekoslav Nemec You can check out some of my recommended courses here: https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/ 4:00- GM Levon Aronian joins me from a park in Spain! How was Levon added as a last-second replacement to the Global Chess League? What sort of things does he usually negotiate before signing a contract to participate in an event? Mentioned: Chess.com’s Dog-Themed Bots including Levon’s Famous Dog, Ponchik 10:00- What was it like to be in Dubai for the Global Chess League? 15:30- How can new players be incorporated into future Global Chess Leagues? 17:30- What steps are necessary to continue to grow chess and attract corporate sponsors? Mentioned: Indian Express article by Amit Kamath 25:00- Levon’s scouting reports on Hikaru and Gukesh 26:30- Which young star is most likely to emerge as a world champion? 30:00- What was it like to play games for money to support his family as a kid? 36:00- Levon tells an amazing story of how Boris Gelfand taught him to treat chess professionally. 40:00- Why does Levon think chess has become increasingly professionalized? 41:30- Is Chess960 the solution to the over-abundance of opening theory? Mentioned: GM Vladimir Kramnik, GM Boris Gelfand, GM Jan Timman 49:00- Is it true that Levon traveled in the cargo department of a plane to get to tournaments? Mentioned: Sean Williams’ 2017 New Yorker feature on Levon Aronian, GM Melik Khachiyan 55:30- Patreon mailbag question: “What obstacles did Lev encounter in moving to the US?” 1:03:00- Will Levon write a book some day? Mentioned: GM Surya Ganguly’s “In Conversation with GM Levon Aronian” 1:08:30- What is Levon’s study routine? 1:09:00- Thanks to Levon for joining me! 1:11:00- Jagdish Mitra, the Chairperson of the Global Chess League joins the podcast! We begin by discussing the origins of the Global Chess League. 1:25:00- How did they decide on the unique format? 1:30:00- How will they acquire new players? How can teams foster allegiance with chess fans? 1:41:00- Thanks so much to Jagdish for sharing the vision behind the Global Chess League. Here is how you can keep up with it: Twitter: https://twitter.com/GCLlive?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fresh off of commentating the match for Chess.com, Award-Winning Podcaster, Author, and 2-time US Women's Champion Jen Shahade joined me to reflect on GM Ju Wenjun's dramatic comeback. Jen shares what it was like to cover the decisive Game 12, and describes the moment when she realized we might not be going to rapid tiebreaks after all. We also discuss the historical context of GM Ju Wenjun becoming just the 6th player to win the Women's World Championship 4 times or more. After discussing the match, we catch up with Jen on her many ongoing projects, and her upcoming book, Play Like a Champion. Finally, Jen reminisces about the life and legacy of Isabella Choko, the Holocaust survivor and French Women's Champion who Jen had the honor to meet and interview. As always, the timestamps of topics discussed can be found below. 0:01- We begin by discussing the entertaining and instructive clinching game. When did Jen realize we might see a decisive result? Mentioned: Game 12, J. Shahade-Perelshteyn 2003 10:00- Were the opening choices surprising? Mentioned: GM Jovanka Houska, GM Judit Polgar, GM Daneil Naroditsky, GM Alexander Kosteniuk, GM Wei Yi 14:30- Should the prize fund be higher? Mentioned: Norway Chess to Sponsor Women’s Tournament with Equal Prize Fund to Open 20:00- Who could be the next potential challenger to Ju Wenjun? Mentioned: IM Alice Lee, GM Alexandra Goryachkina, GM Harika Dronavalli, GM Humpy Koneru, GM Lei Tingjie, IM Vaishili R. 22:00- Jen discusses her upcoming book, Play Like a Champion! Mentioned: 700 Chess Problems by Edith Baird, FM Yosha Iglesias 27:00- Jen shares her memories of Isabella Choko who recently passed. Mentioned: Ladies Knight Episode 33 with Isabella Choko Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The FIDE World Cup is a unique, bi-annual tournament that is distinguished by its elimination format, its wide variety of time controls, and its significant prizes, both in terms of cash ($110,000 for first) and in the form of 3 spots that are awarded in the 2024 FIDE Candidates. This year’s edition starts Sunday, and I am joined by Chessable author, tournament organizer, chess superfan, and Twitter celebrity, Mr. Dodgy (Michael Duke) to preview the tournament. Mr. Dodgy and I share our “likes and dislikes” about the tournament and its format, discuss players we are excited to see, make feeble attempts at prognosticating the results, and discuss the FIDE Women’s World Cup, which runs concurrently and is also a star-studded tournament with spots in the Women’s Candidates on the line. 0:01- What is unique about this tournament? What notables are playing, and who is missing from the field? 0:07- Who will the commentators be? 09:30- We review the current state of the FIDE Candidates Cycle. More information here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candidates_Tournament_2024 More information on the FIDE Circuit standings here: https://wcc.fide.com/ 15:00- What do we like about the FIDE World Cup? Mentioned: GM David Howell, GM Christopher Yoo 26:00-Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsors, Chessable.com. Mr. Dodgy recommends Jan Gustafsson’s 1. E4 e5 course, and Ginger GM and IM Richard Palliser’s “Harry Attack” course. https://www.chessable.com/the-harry-attack-fighting-kingside-fianchettos-after-1-d4/course/99939/ https://www.chessable.com/lifetime-repertoires-jan-gustafssons-1-e4-e5/course/28860/ You can check out some of my recommended courses here: https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/ 29:00- Dislikes- What are common critiques of the World Cup? Mentioned: Episode 149 with GM Robert Hungaski, GM Harikrishna, GM Hans Niemann, 48:00- Who are the pllayers we are excited to see? Mentioned: GM D. Gukesh, GM Erigaisi, GM Pragganandhaa, GM Gregory Kaidanov, GM Laurent Fressinet, GM Vincent Keymer 54:00- Why isn’t Alireza playing? 58:00- Predictions! Who will win the Open Section and who will emerge with the Candidates spots? 1:01:00- Who are we excited to see in the Women’s Event? Should it take place at the same time as the men’s event? Mentioned: IM Eline Roebers, IM Oliwia Kiolbasa, IM Carissa Yip, IM Jennifer Yu, IM Teodora Injac 1:09:00- Predictions for the Women’s World Cup Mentioned: IM R. Vaishali, GM Alexandra Kosteniuk, GM Aleksandra Goryachkina Thanks again to Mr. Dodgy for joining us! You can follow him on Twitter here: If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week’s guest is the four-time U.S. women's champion and perennial US National Team Member WGM Anna Zatonskih. Anna joined me the week after her inspiring victory at the 2023 Cairns Cup to reflect on her standout performance. As Anna recounts, as the second to lowest seed in the tournament, most people had modest expectations for her, but despite self-doubt and busy life, she nonetheless decided to prepare rigorously for the tournament and hoped to put her best foot forward. As it turned out, Anna not only won the tournament but unexpectedly secured her first Grandmaster norm at 44 years of age! Anna shares the advice that helped motivate her to double down on her study, how she went about studying, and she discusses how she plans to spend the $45,000 she won. We also discuss Anna’s emigration to the U.S. in 2002, her study regimen as a top youth player in Ukraine, and how she approaches teaching chess to her kids as a mom. I was so inspired by Anna’s story and I think that you will be as well! Timestamps of topics discussed can be found below: Recorded June 21, 2023 Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsors, Chessable.com. You can check out some of my recommended courses here: https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/ 01:00- What was Anna’s mindset going into the Cairn’s Cup? How did she work on her game? Mentioned: Vladmirov’s 1000 Chess Studies, GM Daniel Fridman 28:00- Does Anna have family members in Ukraine? What rules should FIDE have place for Russian players competing from different countries? Mentioned: IM Irina Bulmaga’s Blog post 35:00- Patreon mailbag question: “How does Anna approach teaching chess to her own kids?” 38:00- How did Anna study chess as a child in the former Soviet Union? 40:00- How does Anna describe her first days in the US in 2002? 45:00- Anna discusses her upcoming chess plans and life in Germany. 47:00- Patreon mailbag question: “Should the “WGM” title have a different name?” Mentioned: Jen Shahade’s FAQ 52:00- What are Anna’s next chess plans? Mentioned: Recognizing Your Opponent’s Resources Thanks to Anna for sharing her story! If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess via Patreon, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After 6 games, the 2023 FIDE Women’s World Championship is closely contested. The challenger, GM Lei Tingjie leads the Champion, GM Ju Wenjun 3.5-2.5 as the players take a 2-day break to switch host cities. One of the top female players in the United States, WGM Begim Tokhirjonova joins me to share her thoughts on the match. Begim was the 2018 Uzbek Women’s Champion and is now a member of the U.S. National team and a student at the University of Missouri. She has been annotating the games for Chess Life Online, you can view her annotations here. Thanks as always to Chessable for sponsoring Perpetual Chess! I forgot to mention in the podcast, but if you want to play the Italian game like Lei Tiangjie check out WGM Tatev Abrahmayan’s new course: The Italian Game: Inside & Out! You can check out some of my favorite courses here: https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/ 0:01- WGM Begim Tokhirjonova joins the podcast. Begim joins and shares her perspective on the match and on the openings we have seen so far. Mentioned: Cover Stories with Chess Life December 2022 (#49) 11:30- Begim discusses her experience playing both GM Lei Tiangjie and GM Ju Wenjun 13:30- Can either player make any stylistic adjustments other than switching openings? 17:30- Begim discusses her plans for her own chess career including her study plans and her upcoming tournaments. Mentioned: How to Reassess Your Chess by IM Jeremy Silman . 26:00- Thanks so much to Begim for joining us! Here is how to keep up with her: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/begim09/?hl=en Twitter: begim09 https://twitter.com/Gulruhbegim Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week’s guests on Perpetual Chess are the award-winning co-authors and tournament chess players, Dr. Christopher Chabris and Dr. Daniel Simons. Dr. Chabris, of course, is a cognitive scientist, USCF Master, chess dad, and frequent guest on Perpetual Chess. Dr. Simons is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Illinois-Urbana and a tournament chess player in his own right. Their excellent new book, Nobody’s Fool: Why We Get Taken in and What We Can Do About It is not exclusively about chess, but touches on the subject repeatedly, and has many implications for our game. In our conversation, we talk about the book generally but also try to focus on “chess takeaways,” from the book material, with a particular emphasis on the future of cheating in chess. Dr. Chabris has also been active on the tournament scene since we last spoke, so he shares a few fresh observations about chess improvement. I learned a lot both from the book and from our conversation, and I am confident that you will enjoy it. 0:00- Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsors, Chessable.com. Check out Anish Giri’s new course Lifetime Repertoires: Giri’s 1. E4 Part 3. You can also see a list of my recommended courses here: You can check out some of my recommended courses here: https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/ 0:00- What is misunderstood about “Growth Mindset”? Mentioned: Chess Improvement, It's All in the Mindset, Episode 199 with Dr. Barry Hymer and GM Peter Wells 7:00- What is replication and why is it important for scientific studies? 12:00- What is “desirable difficulty?” 16:30- Dan and Chris discuss a famous chess study that they recreated on their own involving the ability of chess players of different levels to recall chess positions. Watch the video here: Memory for chess positions (featuring grandmaster Patrick Wolff) 24:00- Are there any studies of chess players that Dan and Chris would like to see done? 31:00- We have a brief digression on how to deal with email scams, I was surprised by the advice given in Nobody’s Fool. 35:00- What can we do about cheating in chess? Mentioned: FM Nate Solon’s article Beating Hikaru https://zwischenzug.substack.com/p/beating-hikaru More info on Apple Vision Pro: https://www.apple.com/apple-vision-pro/ 48:00- Chris Chabris just played in two tournaments. What were his chess observations and conclusions? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nate Shuman is a New York City-based high school student who founded an organization called Mindmates. Mindmates has already facilitated workshops for many of the top scholastic chess organizations in the New York City area. Nate has experienced the benefits of mindfulness first-hand, as it helped him get through a lengthy chess plateau that he felt threatened to sap the joy of chess from him. In our conversation, Nate shares a couple of basic mindfulness techniques that can help any tournament player, and he reflects on his own chess career, including a 7-year plateau while going from 2100 to 2200 USCF. You can find the timestamps for the topics discussed below. 0:00- Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsors, Chessable.com. Their new courses include Starting out with 1. D4 by GM Ben Finegold. And The Audacious Milner-Barry Gambit by NM Han Schut. You can also see a list of my recommended courses here: You can check out some of my recommended courses here: https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/ 0:02- Nate shares how he got into chess at one of the top chess programs in the U.S. The Dalton School. How is chess taught there? Mentioned: WIM Beatriz Marinello, David MacEnulty, FM Gus Huston, NM Corey Evans, NM Yevgeny Feldman, GM Max Dlugy 13:00- What did Nate learn from experiencing a lengthy chess plateau at the 2100 level? 21:00- What is the vision behind Mindmates, Nate’s mindfulness-based organization, ? Mentioned: Episode 289 with Tony Ballard of The Gift of Chess Episode 155 with Elizabeth Spiegel 34:00- Patreon mailbag question: “What adjustments does Nate make for teaching younger kids?” Mentioned: How to Chess Episode 12 with Dr. Benjamin Portheault Dr. Benjamin Portheault’s course: https://mindfulness-for-the-tournament-player.teachable.com/p/mindfulness-for-the-tournament-player 38:00- Nate walks us through a couple of simple mindfulness exercises 46:00- Nate gives examples of affirmations chess players can use before games. 47:00- Nate discusses his future plans for MindMates. You can learn more about Mindmates via their website: https://www.mindmates.org/ Email: Nate.Shuman at Mindmatesdot.org Follow @MindmatesChess on Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We are trying a new format here on Perpetual Chess and are featuring tournament trip reports from 3 different amateurs who recently competed in the National Open in Las Vegas, Nevada. I have long wanted to know more about what it is like to attend and compete in this venerable chess festival, and I lined up 3 guests to share their reflections on the tournament and the chess lessons that they learned. My 3 guests are: 1) NM Todd Bryant (aka StrongChess) joins the podcast to discuss his experience in the Under 2300 section. Todd is a Software Engineer for Chess.com, a chess dad, and a blitz and weight lifting enthusiast. 2) Lindsey Newhall joins to report on the Under 1300 section, the Women’s Open tournament, and a family reunion of sorts. Lindsey is a California-based chess player, chess teacher and tournament director. 3) Returning guest, Twitch streamer and chess teacher Cody Smith reports on the Under 1900 Section, and some Twitch streamer meetups. I hope you all enjoy this format, please let me know if you enjoy it and if it is something you would like to hear more of for big tournaments. Timestamps for guest appearances and info is below: 0:01- Intro to the pod Subscribe to my free newsletter here: https://benjohnson.substack.com/ Thanks to Chessable for the support, check out their latest courses: https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/ 0:03- NM Todd Bryant “StrongChess” joins. 23:00- Lindsey Newhall joins the podcast. Lindsey was featured in Episode 58 of Chess Journeys 46:00- CL Smith rejoins the pod! CL Smith was in Episode 270 of Perpetual Chess Follow Cody on Twitch here: https://www.twitch.tv/clsmithxv If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess via Patreon, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

David Franklin is a constitutional law professor and practicing appellate lawyer. David also is a USCF expert and chess enthusiast who follows the chess world closely. In 2022, David came on Perpetual Chess to help explain the Hans Niemann lawsuit after it was filed. At the time he felt it was an uphill battle for Hans, which has proven to be the case given the lawsuit's dismissal. David rejoins the podcast to review the dismissal and to discuss what further recourse GM Hans Niemann might have, if any. You can hear David’s prior discussion of the lawsuit here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1ciBvYBT6BD69w1TR3j1nJ?si=969ca9c1d61e4765 0:01- Brief addendum 0:02- Professor David Franklin joins the podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we are re-joined by a legend of the game, 9 time Dutch champion and award winning author, GM Jan Timman. GM Timman has just released his latest book, Max Euwe’s Best Games, which puts the games of his fellow Dutch legend under a modern microscope. We discuss Jan’s personal relationship with Euwe, and Jan answers some questions about the World Champion’s legacy. Is it fair to say that Euwe only beat Alekhine in 1935 due to Alekhine’s drinking problem? What were Euwe’s best games? How did he develop his tactical flair? Why did he blunder more often than other elite players? We also discuss other news from the chess world, as GM Timman shares thoughts and stories on Magnus Carlsen, Hans Niemann, Garry Kasparov, and the state of Dutch chess. It is always an honor to speak with GM Jan Timman! Please read on for timestamps of topics discussed. Prior GM Jan Timman appearances: Episode 196 2021 Discussion of the Carlsen-Nepo match 0:02- GM Jan Timman shares his personal recollections of former World Champion Max Euwe, who Jan played in a simul as an 11 year old boy. 0:07- Jan took a trip for a chess training camp to the Soviet Union as a 19-year-old in 1970. What was that trip like? 10:00- Jan has described one of Max Euwe’s books as formative for him as a child, what does he remember about the “book with a blue cover?” 14:00- Does Jan consider quantitative analyses of players’ ability, such as that done by Chessmetrics to be useful? Mentioned: Euwe-Pirc 1949, Boguljubow 15:00- Patreon mailbag question: Is the perception that Max Euwe was a weaker world champion an accurate one? 18:00- Is it true that Euwe beat Alekhine because Alekhine was drunk the entire match? 20:00- How does Jan think Euwe developed such a creative style, as evidenced in his games against Alekhine and Geller? Mentioned: Euwe-Alekhine 1934, Euwe-Geller 1953 21:45- GM Timman discusses the approaches to chess of Karpov, Kasparov and Tal. 23:00- Why did Euwe blunder so often? 26:30- What are Jan’s favorite games of Euwe’s? Mentioned: Euwe-Geller 1953 Euwe-Pirc 1949 Euwe-Alekhine 1935 (Pearl of Zandvoort) 29:30- Jan discusses the Max Euwe center in Amsterdam. Mentioned: More information on the center here: https://maxeuwe.nl/en/home-english/ 31:30- Jan shares his thoughts on the World Championship match. 35:00- What does Jan think of Magnus Carlsen’s slump? He also shares his thoughts on the World Championship cycle format. Mentioned: Caruana-Nakamura Norway Chess 2023 41:00- Patreon mailbag question: Is there any facet of chess where Timman’s generation of GMs are better than modern GMs? 44:00- What would be the best way to study endgames today? Mentioned: GM John Nunn’s Secrets of Rook Endings, Levinfish and Smyslov’s Rook Endings 48:00- Patreon mailbag question: Any chance GM Timman would do a 21st century update to The Art of Chess Analysis? 50:00- Patreon mailbag question: Does Jan have a good GM Ljubomir Ljubojević story? 51:00- Which players in the younger generation does Jan admire? Mentioned: GM D Gukesh, GM Hans Nieman 52:00- Jan’s thoughts on the Niemann-Carlsen controversy Mentioned: 2023 Samford Fellowship Winners 56:00- Jan discusses his upcoming tournament plans. 58:00- Jan shares his memories of a television interview he did with Kasparov in 1997 as well as some of their games Mentioned: Timman-Kasparov 1985 , Kasparov-Timman 1992 1:00:00- Does Jan ever look at his old games with engines? Mentioned: Stockfish 14 1:04:00- Jan discusses the state of Dutch chess. Mentioned: GM Anish Giri, IM Eline Roebers, GM Jorden van Foreest 1:06:00- Thanks to GM Timman for sharing his wisdom and stories, you can order his new book here: From New in Chess: https://www.newinchess.com/max-euwe-best-chess-games Free Sample here: https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/9180.pdf You can also read it on Forward Chess: https://forwardchess.com/product/max-euwes-best-games?section=New%20Arrival Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Adult Improver Series returns with two insightful guests joining the podcast. WIM Natasha Regan is an author and actuary who among many other chess accomplishments recently became the British over 50 Women’s National Champion! Natasha recently collaborated on a Chessable course with Matthew Ball, who is a chess dad and dedicated improver who has made significant rating progress since returning to competitive chess in recent years. Natasha and Matthew shared lots of helpful chess study tips covering topics ranging from The Woodpecker Method, to the Chess Steps series, to whether one should alter their approach to a game against a younger opponent. We also discussed their fun and instructive new course, Zwischenzug: A Comprehensive Guide to Intermediate Moves. You can find timestamps for all of the topics discussed below. 0:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com! Check out Natasha and Matthew’s new CHessable course here: : https://www.chessable.com/zwischenzug-a-comprehensive-guide-to-intermediate-moves/course/139623/ You can check out some of my recommended courses here: https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/ 0:03- Matthew Ball and Natasha discuss their shared background as junior players, and how their paths recrossed in recent years. 7:30- Patreon mailbag question- Does Natasha have any different strategies when playing against kids as compared to adults? 17:00- Matthew came back into chess a few years back and his seen some rating gain. He discusses his training regimen. Mentioned: Chess for Life, Chess Steps Books, Woodpecker Method 22:00- More on the Woodpecker Method Mentioned: Pump Up Your Rating by GM Axel Smith, Book Recap #6 on the Woodpecker Method 23:00- How does Natasha tune up for a tournament? 26:00- Natasha discusses some similarities between Shogi and Chess. Mentioned: Karolina Styczyńska of the Shogi Harbor Twitch Channel 32:00- Matthew shares a few more improvement recommendations. 35:00- Why did Natasha and Matthew decide to do a course on intermediate moves? 45:00- Natasha and Matthew discusses their approaches to openings 52:00- Do they work with coaches? 56:00- Natasha and Matt discuss their tournament and summer plans. Thanks so much to Natasha and Matt for joining the show! Check out their course here: https://www.chessable.com/zwischenzug-a-comprehensive-guide-to-intermediate-moves/course/139623/ If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess via Patreon, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week’s return guest is the always entertaining and informative, GM Ben Finegold. Ben is a popular Twitch Streamer and YouTuber who has just released his first Chessable course, Starting out with 1. D4. Ben is always among my favorites to interview because he offers a unique blend of entertaining stories, hot-takes on top level chess and improvement advice. This episode is no exception, as Ben discusses the status of his OTB retirement, whether Magnus Carlsen’s best OTB days are behind him, the resurgence of Hikaru and Fabiano, and why doing a course on 1. D4 was an easy choice for him. You can find a full list of topics discussed below, as well as timestamps. 0:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com! Get Ben’s new Course Starting out with 1.d4 here: https://www.chessable.com/course/156667 You can check out some of my recommended courses here: https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/ 0:03- Patreon mailbag question: “Does Ben ever regret pursuing chess, or think that adult amateurs should not devote so much energy to it?” Mentioned: IM Stuart Rachels, GM Patrick Wolff, Stuart Leaf 0:08- Is Ben having any second thoughts about retiring from OTB chess? Mentioned: The National Open 11:30- Patreon mailbag question: “What is Ben’s advice for amateurs who want to improve at chess?” 17:30- How does Ben think back on the four years he was covering lots of events for US Chess in Europe in the 1990s? Mentioned: Chess Life Magazine Archive, Kasparov-Karpov 1991 22:00- Ben shares more memories from the 1988 World Chess Festival Mentioned: Ray Stone, Fred Lindsay, GM Jonathan Speelman, GM Valery Salov, GM Vasyl Ivanchuk, Ivanchuk-Kasparov Linares 1991, Linares, Linares 30:00- Ben’s updated thoughts on the Magnus-Niemann controversy 33:00- Why did Ben decide to do a course on 1. D4 ? 42:00- Patreon mailbag question: “Does Ben have a refutation to Marc Esserman’s refutation of Finegold’s line in the Mayhem in the Morra book and Chessable course?” 47:00- We discuss Norway Chess and whether Ben is surprised by GM Fabiano’s Caruana’s resurgence. 48:00- Has Magnus peaked? Mentioned: GM Alex Fishbein, GM Dmitri Gurevich, GM Eric Lobron 50:00- How does Hikaru stay so strong? 52:00- Which junior has the best chance of being World Champion? 55:00- Ben’s wife Karen won a seat to the World Series of Poker Main Event! Will Ben go? Will he play poker? 57:00- Other summer plans Mentioned: Episode 292: Adult Improver Interview with Karen Boyd 58:00- Thanks, as always, to Ben for joining the pod! Here are the links to keep up with him. Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/itsbenandkaren YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/GMBenjaminFinegold Chessable Course https://www.chessable.com/starting-out-with-1d4/course/156667/ Chessable Course and Master Class Bundle- https://www.chessable.com/starting-out-with-1-d4-queen-s-gambit-fundamentals-masterclass/course/182439/ If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess via Patreon, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week’s guest on Perpetual Chess is U.S. Chess Hall of Famer, IM James Sherwin. An 89-year-old New York City Native, Sherwin has played and met many chess legends. He knew Bobby Fischer from his teenage years. Jim did not pursue chess professionally and had a successful career as an attorney and a corporate executive, but he still managed to compete extensively and participated in 8 US Championships, often finishing near the top of the standings. Sherwin now lives in the London area, and as recently as three years ago, was still winning chess tournaments! After talking to him, I can see why he is still able to perform so well, because James’ memory of his games and encounters with Fischer, Petrosian, Tal, Reshevsky, and many others was truly dazzling. You can find timestamps for the topics discussed below. 0:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com! You can check out some of my recommended courses here: https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/ Check out what's new here: https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/ 0:03- Jim begins by discussing his childhood summers in Vermont, where he improved at chess by practicing against himself. Mentioned: My System, Cambridge Springs 1904, Dr. Elliot Hearst 10:00- Jim discusses the Columbia University Chess Team, which won the intercollegiate championship. CORRECTION- When discussing the Columbia University chess team, Jim notes that he regrets not mentioning that Ralph Italie and Ed Sher also both performed substantial service for the team. 12:30- Did Jim ever consider becoming a chess professional? 15:00- Jim reminisces about a few tournaments including the World Junior Championship in Copenhagen in 1953 and Portoroz 1958, an Interzonal tournament, featuring Fischer, Tal and many others. Mentioned: Boris Ivkov, Penrose, Reshevsky, Penrose 22:00- What are Jim’s first memories of Fischer? Mentioned: Fischer-Sherwin 1958 32:00- Jim shares his recollections of Fischer-Spassky 1972, as well as his own games against Fischer. Mentioned: Sherwin-Fischer Log Cabin Open 1957, Fischer-Sherwin 1957 37:00- What does Jim recall about his games with Tal and Petrosian? 40:30- Does Jim ever review his old games? Does he use an engine? 43:30- Jim’s Memories of the legendary tournament in Lone Pine 1976, featuring Petrosian and Smyslov.. How did his blitz battles with a young Yasser Seirawan go? 47:00- Did Jim know the well-known authors like Fred Reinfeld, Al Horowitz and Irving Chernev? 50:00- Jim discusses his time supporting American professional chess as head of the American Chess Foundation. Mentioned: GM Boris Gulko, GM Gata Kamsky, GM Judit Polgar, Allen Kaufman 57:00- How are Jim’s chess skills at age 89? How does he keep up with the game? 1:03:00- Jim recalls the only game in which he beat GM Andy Soltis, where Fischer joined the post mortem analysis. 1:09:00- What were Jim’s closest friendships in the chess world? Mentioned: IM Donald Byrne, GM Larry Evans, Dr. Edward Lasker, GM Arthur Bisguier, GM Edmar Mednis, Dr. Eliot Hearst 1:11:00- Which is Jim’s favorite of his games? Mentioned: Sherwin-Gligoric 1958 If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week’s guest is Author and Data Scientist, GM Vinay Bhat. Vinay was one of the top chess prodigies in modern US History. He amassed many scholastic titles and held the record of the youngest ever US National Master before Hikaru Nakamura broke his record. Despite Vinay’s extraordinary chess success, he always maintained many interests and put a particular emphasis on his school work, and then his career. Now 38 years of age, Vinay has written an excellent new book with Quality Chess, How I Became a Chess Grandmaster. Part memoir, part chess manual, in the book, Vinay reflects on his career, annotates memorable games, and takes a big picture look at the study choices and decisions he made over the years, including the tough decision to walk away from chess as a profession. Vinay places a particular emphasis on the few steep plateaus he faced in his development. In our conversation, Vinay reflects on his career and shares plenty of chess lessons and memorable anecdotes. A Bay Area native and resident, Vinay has gotten to know many people who will be familiar to Perpetual Chess listeners. Please read on for timestamps of topics discussed. 0:00- My Recommended Chessable Courses: https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/ Check out ChessDojo’s 1.e4 Repertoire for White here: https://www.chessable.com/chessdojos-1e4-repertoire-for-white/course/150049/ 0:02- As Vinay reflects on his chess career, how does he reflect on his first real plateau, which occurred around 2200. Mentioned: The Best I Saw in Chess by IM Stuart Rachels, GM Gregory Kaidanov, Episode 295 with GM Gregory Kaidanov 13:45- What is Vinay’s advice for when an opening change might be in order? Mentioned: Vinay’s Chessbase India interview with IM Sagar Shah https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4IIiYe5Vb8 20:00- What conclusions does Vinay draw from reflecting on his whole chess career? Mentioned: Savely Polovets 24:00- How did Vinay utilize one page writeups in his opening prep? 28:00- Vinay shares his thoughts on various players he knows and has met, including GM Sam Shankland, GM Daniel Naroditsky, GM Magnus Carlsen, GM Eduard Gufeld, the RZA from Wutang Clan, Mentioned: Joe Lonsdale Jr., Peter Thiel, The GZA, Josh Waitzkin 45:00- What were Vinay’s first impressions of Wesley So and Fabiano Caruana? 47:00- What was it like to live in the “chess house” with IM David Pruess and GM Jesse Kraai? 49:00- Vinay is an avid reader and discusses some of his favorites. Mentioned: ChessDoJo video- The Best Chess Books , New York 1924, Life and Games of Mikhail Tal, How Not to Play Chess, The Books of Irving Chernev 57:00- What have Vinay’s interactions with GM Viswanathan Anand been like? What about Spassky, Kasparov and Karpov? 1:01:00- Patreon Mailbag Question: As a data scientist has Vinay discovered any useful statistical patterns in his play? 1:05:00- What does Vinay think of the acceleration of Chat GBT and similar products? Could it have a further impact on the chess world? 1:10:00- Vinay reflects on the difficult decision he made not to pursue professional chess. 1:15:00- Is there anything Vinay wishes he could have done differently? 1:18:00- Thanks so much to Vinay for joining the show! Here are the links for his excellent book: Check out the book here: Quality Chess https://www.qualitychess.co.uk/products/2/436/how_i_became_a_chess_grandmaster_by_vinay_bhat/ Free Excerpt of the Books: https://www.qualitychess.co.uk/ebooks/HowIbecameaChessGrandmaster-Excerpt.pdf Forward Chess https://forwardchess.com/product/how-i-became-a-chess-grandmaster?section= Vsbhat02 at gmail If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess via Patreon, you can do so here: patreon.com/perpetualchess Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Perpetual Chess Adult Improver Series returns to hear some more reflections from an accomplished chess amateur. This week we are joined by John Neely. John started competitive chess at the age of 36 in 2011 and has had a long road to the ECF equivalent of about 1800. John has put in plenty of hours, both as a student of the game, an OTB competitor, and as a Chessable community author who created the popular series Visualize. In our interview, John reflects on the lessons he has learned in his years of studying chess. John is pleased with his approach in some aspects of his study, but he also thinks he could have done a few things differently. Finally, we discuss John’s new project, as he is taking a break from competitive chess in order to work on a series of mystery novels. You can find timestamps of topics discussed below. 0:00- Be Sure to Sub to the Free Newsletter, The Perpetual Chess Linkfest! https://benjohnson.substack.com/ 0:01- Thanks to recent Perpetual Chess Patreon subs, you can join the community here: https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess 0:02- My Recommended Chessable Courses Fire on Board GM Niclas Huscenbeth;s 1. E4 Repertoire Benedictine’s Chessable Courses 03:00- John Neely joins the show! He begins by discussing how he got into competitive chess at age 36 in 2011. 12:00- What did John do to improve his game? Mentioned: Dan Heisman’s YouTube channel, ChessTempo Tactics Trainer 16:00- How do team leagues work in Great Britain? 21:30- When John was playing online games as a training method, did he feel like they worked as well as training by playing OTB League games? 26:00- How did John come up with the idea for his Visualize series on Chessable? https://www.chessable.com/visualise-1/course/25695/, Episode 327 with Geert van der Velde 35:00- John shares his approach to analyzing his games Mentioned: How to Batch Analyze Your Games, Blunder Busters 44:00- What would John do differently if starting serious chess all over again? Mentioned: Silman’s Endgame Course, Alekhine’s Best Games of Chess 50:00- How did John get into writing mystery novels? Mentioned: Lavender and Brown: York Mysteries 56:00- What was it like to play GMs like David Howell, Luke McShane, GM Simon Williams and Mickey Adams in simuls? If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess via Patreon, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

GM Wojciech Moranda is an insightful author, trainer, and one of the top players in Poland. He rejoins Perpetual Chess this week to do a deep dive on all things related to chess improvement. Wojciech answers questions related to memorizing and annotating games, improving at positional chess, the value of playing compared to reading, plus many more questions that can help your game and study routine. In the second half of the interview we expand our conversation to discuss Wojciech’s excellent new book Supreme Chess Understanding, Wojciech discusses his experience coaching IM Levy Rozman, he shares advice for becoming a chess trainer, and of course, shares his thoughts on Nepo-Ding. I always learn a great deal when speaking with Wojciech, and this week’s pod is no exception. You can find timestamps for the many topics discussed below. Wojciech’s Prior Appearance, Episode 203 Universal Chess Training Supreme Chess Understanding 0:00- Check out some of my favorite Chessable courses here: https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/ Stomp the Stafford Gambit Shankland’s Neo-Catalan 2 03:00- Chess Improvement Q and A begins- Is it worthwhile to memorize complete games as a chess improvement method? Mentioned: Rapid Chess Improvement, Book Recap #6- Woodpecker Method/Rapid Chess Improvement with Neal Bruce 08:00- Is it worthwhile for amateurs to annotate GM games as an improvement method? Mentioned: Zurich 1953, San Luis 2005, The Power of Defence and the Art of Counterattack in 64 Pictures, The Road to Chess Improvement 18:00- Wojciech shares his thoughts on the AI revolution 22:00- How should a 1600 level player with little opening knowledge approach learning them? Mentioned: Everyman Move by Move Series 27:00- Should a lower-rated player study imbalances? (The topic of Wojciech’s new book) 33:00- What method is the most effective for getting better at positional chess? Mentioned: GM Johan Hellsten’s Mastering Chess Strategy (on Amazon) (and on Chessable) 38:00- What are the traits of Wojciech’s most successful students? 45:00- What are the most common mistakes that Wojciech sees students making in different phases of the game? (Openings/Tactics/Endgames) Mentioned: 100 Endgames You Must Know (on Amazon) (and on Chessable) 51:00- Should Dr. Kevin Scull of Chess Journeys stop reading chess books and play more in order to improve? 1:00:00- We discuss Supreme Chess Understanding. How does Wojciech find so many original and creative puzzle positions? Mentioned: Available on Forward Chess, Free Preview of the Book via Thinker’s Publishing 1:08:00- What are the “three types of chess players” when it comes to sacrificing material? Mentioned: Beyond Material (on Amazon) (and on Chessable) 1:12:00- What was it like to coach Gotham Chess? 1:20:00- Patreon mailbag question: “What resources would Wojciech recommend for someone thinking of becoming a chess trainer?” Mentioned: WFM Michalina Rudzińska, Episode 201 with FM Peter Giannatos, Episode 66 with Adam Weissbarth, The Chess Instructor 2009, Chess Training for Budding Champions by IM Jesper Hall, How to Study Chess on Your Own, For Friends and Colleagues by IM Mark Dvoretsky, Thinking Inside the Box by GM Jacob Aagaard , Chess for Educators by Karel van Delft 1:42:00- Wojciech’s World Championship Thoughts Mentioned: Sean Ingle’s story on Nepo’s Missing Sleeping Pill, written for The Guardian 1:47:00- Thanks to Wojciech for joining the pod! You can contact him via his Lichess and his Chess.com Coaches Pages: https://lichess.org/coach/gmmoranda https://www.chess.com/member/gmmoranda If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess via Patreon, you can do so here. https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week’s guest on Perpetual Chess is one the United States’ top players, GM Sam Shankland. Sam is a two- time Olympic Gold Medalist, the 2018 US Champion, and an acclaimed author and Chessable creator. A dedicated teacher, Sam is also a lead trainer and the co-founder of Killer Chess Training. As a late starter by the standards of a chess professional, Sam is always especially insightful on the topic of chess improvement. In our conversation, we reflect on his own ups and downs in recent years, as well as the common traits of his most successful students. Sam also shares his thoughts on the first half of the World Championship match, discusses what he did to improve at endgames and at rapid chess, and outlines his 2023 tournament schedule. There is always lots to learn from chatting with Sam, and I greatly enjoyed our discussion! Timestamps of topics discussed can be found below. Interview Recorded on Monday, April 24, 2023. Prior interview with Sam, Episode 8 0:00- Check out some of my favorite Chessable courses here: https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/ 02:00- How does Sam follow the World Championship? What were his impressions after Round 11? 09:00- How is Sam feeling about his own chess game at the moment? What is his study routine? Mentioned: Prague Masters, FIDE World Cup 15:00- What inspired Sam’s choice to write the forthcoming book, Theoretical Rook Endings? Mentioned: GM Jacob Aagaard, FM Nate Solon’s blog post, What’s the Point of Studying the Endgame 21:00- What was Sam’s approach to endgames as an up-and-coming player? Mentioned: GM Alex Yermolinsky’s Every Russian School Boy Knows 24:45- Does Sam think he can make another leap forward as he did in 2018? 27:00- Does Sam track the progress of his students? Mentioned: GM Abhimanyu Mishra, IM Shahil Dey 29:00- Sam discusses the explosion of chess learning tools 32:00- Who from the younger generation does Sam think might someday be World Champion? 35:00- Will Sam make it a priority to try to get into the 2023 Candidates? Mentioned: 2021 FIDE World Cup 41:00- What did Sam do to strengthen his rapid game? 41:30- What, in Sam’s opinion, is the best way for adult amateurs to try to improve? 43:30- Does Sam think one should do “Puzzle Rush” type tactics as well? 46:00- Patreon mailbag question: “Should strong amateur players try to find less-explored opening moves to gain an edge on their opponents?” 51:00- What is Sam’’s advice for how to study opening structures? 55:00- How is Sam using engines? 58:00- What is Sam’s advice for overcoming setbacks? 1:04:00- What advice did Sam give IM Levy Rozman when he was mired in an OTB chess slump? 1:08:00- Does the explosive growth of chess affect Sam’s life at all? Should top GMs be jealous of lower rated chess content creators with big followings? 1:14:00- What can we expect in Sam’s new Chessable course on the Neo-Catalan? 1:16:00- Is Sam watching any new TV shows? 1:20:00- Thanks to Sam for joining me! Here are the links to keep up with Sam and his educational material: Chessable courses Books Killer Chess Training Twitter Sam’s Website If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the heels of a thrilling rapid playoff, I am joined by GM Erwin L’ami to discuss the crowning of GM Ding Liren as the FIDE 17th World Chess Champion. Erwin is a return guest, and a popular Chessable author, who has worked on the team of former FIDE World Champion GM Veselin Topalov, and of GM Anish Giri. In our interview, Erwin shares his impressions of the dramatic playoff, the opening choices, and the psychological ups and downs that both players endured over the course of a long and closely contested match. We also take an early look ahead at the next World Championship cycle and discuss Erwin’s plans for a busy 2023. Timestamps of topics discussed can be found below. GM Erwin L’Ami’s Prior Appearances: Episode 186 Episode 257 0:00- Check out some of my favorite Chessable courses here: https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/ 0:04:30- GM Erwin L’Ami joins the pod. We begin by discussing the clinching game in the rapid tiebreak. Mentioned: Kasparov-Topalov 1999 16:00- What did Erwin think of Ding’s opening choices? 23:00- What about Nepo’s propensity to move too quickly at times? 30:00- Were they playing at a higher level in the rapid than the classical? 32:00- Patreon mailbag question: As a high level trainer, what would Erwin do to try to help coach his player to avoid some of the psychological pitfalls on display in the Ding-Nepo match? 38:00- Should they change the format of the press conferences? 40:00- Patreon mailbag question: Does Erwin think that Ding caused Nepo’s difficulties in game 12 or was it the pressure of the moment? 47:00- What does Erwin think of the format of the match, and of the existence of the Rapid playoff in particular? 54:00- Early discussion of the next Candidates/World Championship cycle. Will Magnus return? 1:03:00- What are Erwin’s plans for the rest of 2023? Mentioned: Norway Chess 2023, TePE Seigman 2023 in Malmo, Sweden If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess via Patreon, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

0:00- Check out some of my favorite Chessable courses here: https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/ Check out what’s new from Chessable here: https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/ 01:30- Ben goes over some programming notes and does a quick rundown of recent games 05:30- GM Alex Lenderman joins the pod! We begin by discussing how to recover from difficult losses, a recurring theme in this match. Mentioned: Video of Ding and Rapport walking to the hotel elevator: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvtdAgLW1xo 17:00- Openings- Will the unusual opening choices continue? Mentioned: Naroditsky-Lenderman 2023 17:00- Openings- Will the unusual opening choices continue? Mentioned: Naroditsky-Lenderman 2023 23:30- What openings might we see in Game 14? 25:00- Is one player a favorite if it goes to rapid tiebreak? Is it possible nervousness might subside for the players in a rapid tiebreak? 29:00- Patreon mailbag question: “Does Alex have any advice for players who misevaluate positions and thus misplay positions as a result?” Mentioned: Analyzing the Chess Mind by Dr. Joel Sneed and GM Boris Gulko 37:00- What advice would Alex have given Nepo coming into today if he were on his team? 46:00- Does Alex have trouble sleeping during tournaments? Might that be a factor again for Nepo? 53:00- Chess improvement talk- Why does Alex disagree with IM Andras Toth’s recent statement that he doesn’t believe anyone suffers from a problem of calculating too much? Mentioned: ChessDojo interview with GM Avetik Grigoryan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=JVfoM6kkaVw&t=83s 1:01:00- Alex recommends a chess book! Mentioned: The Seven Deadly Chess Sins, also on Chessable, Book Recap #14 discussing The Seven Deadly Chess Sins 1:07:00- Final thoughts on the match and goodbye! You can email Alex at: Alexlenderman33 at hotmail.com Here is his Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100076504712336 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Recorded in Washington Square in New York City on April 8, 2023. This week’s guest on Perpetual Chess is the CEO of Chessable, Geert van der Velde. As longtime listeners know, Geert is a former rock star, devoted chess improver, dad, and avid runner. We recorded on location from the “chess tables” at Washington Square Park on April 8, 2023, in NYC, where Geert was visiting. In our interview, we discussed Geert’s “visitor’s perspective” on the iconic chess tournaments in Reykjavik and Wijk an Zee, forthcoming Chessable courses, the many user interface upgrades that are coming for Chessable, and the impact of Chessable’s recent merger with Chess.com. We also discussed Geert’s own chess game. As a bonus, we were briefly visited by National Master Han Schut, Chessable Author, who was in New York playing a tournament. As always, links and topics of timestamps discussed can be found below. Geert's Prior Appearance- Episode 161 0:00- Check out some of my favorite Chessable courses here: https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/ 0:02- Introduction: Geert’s recent travels to NYC, filming content with Gotham Chess 0:08- Geert shares a quick trip report on the Reykjavik Open, which he attended in a non-playing capacity. 14:30- Geert discusses the transition in the wake of the acquisition of Chessable by Chess.com 22:00- How will Chessable’s focus shift with multiple courses on all of the major openings now available? Mentioned: How to Chess Podcast, IM Alex Banzea, IM Christof Sielecki 27:00- Is there still room for non-titled community members to create Chessable courses? Mentioned: The Checkmate Patterns Manual 29:00- How does Geert respond to critics who say that Chessable opening courses are too voluminous? 33:00- What is Chessable 3.0? What upgrades is Chessable planning? Mentioned: Email Chessable at hello at Chessable.com 43:00- Geert’s own chess study and play: What was it like to play in an amateur section of Wijk an Zee? 48:00- Special guest, Chessable Author, and Chess Steps Trainer, NM Han Schut joins the interview! Mentioned: Benji Portheault’s Blog, Han’s Forthcoming Course is on The Milner Barry Gambit If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess via Patreon, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices