Photo Courtesy of GM Surya Ganguly
GM Surya Ganguly is one of the top players in India, and was the India national champion for 6 consecutive years starting in 2003! He has won countless medals in National team events, and was the Asian champion in 2009. GM Ganguly also works actively as a trainer, and most notably, worked on the preparation team of of GM Viswanthan Anand for the 2008, 2010 and 2012 World Championship Matches. Given this unique experience, I couldn’t wait to hear GM Ganguly’s insightful reflections on the upcoming World Championship match. GM Ganguly is also an active trainer for us non-World Champions, and in fact, has recently released his first Chessable course, Lifetime Repertoires: Nimzo/Semi-Tarrasch. Last but not least, Surya is a founding trainer of ProChessTraining.com. This experience informs Surya’s ability to share some useful tips for young chess talents and adult improvers alike. Please read on for more details and timestamps.
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0:00- World Championship Match Talk! As a former member of GM Anand’s World Championship team, what would a prep team’s routine look like 100 days before the match?
Mentioned: The Anand Files, Mind Master, Episode 156 with FM Michiel Abeln, Episode 177 with GM Peter Heine Nielsen, Surya’s YouTube show, In Conversation with GM Viswanathan Anand, GM Peter Leko, Challenger’s Chess Tour with Kramnik and Polgar
23:00- Patreon mailbag question- Does Surya think that his past work on World Championship Teams makes him more likely to be hired on another team?
25:30- 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%.
26:00- Perpetual Chess is also 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- What does Surya mean when he says, in his new Chessable course, “Memorization without understanding is a sin.”
Mentioned: Lifetime Repertoires Nimzo and Ragozin
38:00- 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:
38:30- What is the vision behind ProChessTraining, which Surya has launched with GM Ramesh R.B. and GM Magesh Panchanathan?
51:00- How does Surya advice to budget one’s chess study time?
58:00- When Surya was 9 years old, Surya worked on the demonstration board when GM Anand came to Kolkata for an elite tournament. What does Surya remember about this experience?
Mentioned: GM Luke McShane, GM Levon Aronian, GM Alexander Grischuk, GM Etienne Bacrot, GM Ruslan Ponomariov, GM Sergei Azarov, GM Mark Paragua, GM Paco Vallejo
1:01:00- Surya tells a memorable story of playing a 13 year old Magnus Carlsen in 2004.
Mentioned: https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1283190, GM Yevgeniy Vladimirov
1:05:00- Patreon mailbag questions: How are Surya’s ping pong skills? Who is his favorite player other than Anand?
Mentioned: GM Bobby Fischer
1:07:00- GM Ganguly did not have a coach until he was already a titled player. What was it like to work with legendary GM Alexei Shirov?
1:10:00-
Thanks to GM Surya Ganguly for joining us. You can root for him in the following upcoming tournaments Sharjah Masters 2021, Bundesliga, and the FIDE Grand Swiss.
Here are the other links you might find helpful:
Pro Chess Training:
Surya’s Chessable Course:
https://www.chessable.com/lifetime-repertoires-nimzosemi-tarrasch-part-1/course/66522/
Surya’s Twitter:
https://twitter.com/suryachess64?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
Surya’s Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/suryasekharchess/?hl=en