Photo Courtesy of GM Jan Markos
Our guest today is the three-time champion of Slovakia, the highest rated player in his country and an award-winning author! Jan Markos’ 2018 book Under the Surface has been recommended on this show many times and was the winner of the ECF book of the year this year. He is out with another offering, The Secret Ingredient, also from our friends at Quality Chess. Both of Jan’s works are fantastic books which display an accessible writing style and a breadth of knowledge that extends far beyond the chess board. In our conversation, we discuss many of the ideas presented in these books, as well as a bit about Jan’s own competitive career, his advice for improvers, and his busy life away from the chessboard. Please read on for more details and relevant hyperlinks.
Click here to download the episode.
3:00- We discuss a question raised in Jan’s 2018 book Under the Surface. “What do Grandmasters see that club players do not?”
Mentioned: Thinking Fast and Slow, JJ Lang, GM Jesse Kraai
9:30- Patreon mailbag question- “How did GM Markos come up with so many original metaphors to describe chess thinking in Under the Surface?”
14:30- Listener question- “Why do adult improvers find improvement so challenging?”
Mentioned: GM John Nunn’s Secrets of Practical Chess, Street Smart Chess by GM Axel Smith
18:00- Twitter Question: “Who is the intended audience for Jan’s book?”
20:00- Twitter Question: “Was Jan inspired by Aron Nimzovich’s My System?”
Mentioned: Patzer’s Review Blog Review of Under the Surface
22:00- Twitter Question: “Are there new chapters Jan would add to Under the Surface today?”
24:00- Twitter Question: “Why do we tend to notice mistakes just as we make a move, and not before we make a move?”
Mentioned: Jan’s game where he sadly hung a mate in one is here:
Manage Your Favourite Games (chessbase.com)
26:30- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessmood.com
They offer a huge library of instructive videos. You can hear GM Avetik Grigoryan on Episode 192 of Perpetual Chess. Be sure to subscribe to their YouTube channel here.
27:00- Perpetual Chess is also brought to you in part by AImchess.com. Check out their site, and if you decide to subscribe use the code Perpetual30 to save 30%.
30:00- We discuss Jan’s new book, The Secret Ingredient. How can adult chess players learn to translate chess knowledge into skills?
39:00- Why is trying to “get your openings down first” before tackling other aspects of the game often a “Sisyphean task”?
41:30- What advice can Jan offer on managing one’s time during a chess game?
Mentioned: GM Alexander Grischuk, GM Daniel Fridman, GM Vasyl Ivanchuk, Episode 08 with GM Sam Shankland
48:30- What should you do when confronted with an unknown idea in the opening?
50:00- How should chess improvers allocate their chess study time?
Mentioned: Episode 237 with GM Vladimir Kramnik
54:00- Can online games be adapted so that they more resemble tournament chess?
58:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com! Check out their latest offerings here.
New Chess Courses Online - For All Levels in all - Chessable.com
Also be sure to subscribe to the How to Chess podcast, more info here:
1:00:00- What was Jan’s journey to the GM tite like? Who are his favorite chess authors?
Mentioned: GM Lubomir Ftacnik, Ludek Pachman’s Chess books, GM Boris Gelfand, GM Jonathan Rowson, GM Jacob Aagaard
1:04:00- What is Jan’s approach to writing?
1:05:30- How is the chess culture in Slovakia?
1:08:00- Does Jan miss playing chess professionally? What are his fondest memories?
Mentioned: GM Jan-Khristof Duda, GM Sergei Karjakin
1:15:00- BOOK GIVEAWAY INSTRUCTIONS
Take a screenshot of your subscription to the How to Chess Podcast on any podcast app or on Chessable’s YouTube channel.
Email the screenshot to ben at perpetualchesspod.com
The winners of Jan’s books will be announced on September 3, 2021 via email
1:17:00- Thanks so much to Jan for joining us. You can email him at jan.markos at gmail.com