GM Michael “Mickey” Adams is a legend of British chess who has been an elite chess player for the last 30 years. He is a former World Champion finalist, the 7 time champion of Great Britain and has been ranked as highly as #4 in the world. Michael is also an author, most recently of the very original and instructive new book, Think Like a Super GM, with co-author Philip Hurtado. Michael is normally one of the most active players on the tournament circuit, and as Covid subsides he is preparing to resume a busy schedule, beginning with the Tepe Siegman invitational in May. In our fascinating and entertaining conversation, Mickey shares some memorable stories, and discusses whether he has made adjustments to his game as he turns 50. We also discuss Michael’s new book in detail and shared some of its chess improvement takeaways. Please read on for lots more details, timestamps, and links to topics that were referenced.
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0:00- Mickey has a tournament coming soon, how does he prepare especially after the pandemic?
Mentioned: Tepe Sigeman Tournament, Development of a Grandmaster, Chess in the Fast Lane by Bill Adams and GM Mickey Adams , GM Gawain Jones, GM David Howell, GM Luke McShane, GM Matthew Sadler
10:00- How has Mickey maintained his chess strength up to age 50?
18:00- What is Mickey’s approach to using engines?
Mentioned: Episode 257 with GM Erwin L’Ami
21:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. Aimchess collects and analyzes your games and gives you actionable tips based on that data. If you choose to subscribe to Aimchess, please use the code Perpetual30 to save 30%.
22:00- Patreon mailbag question: Who is the most naturally talented player that Mickey has ever played against?
Mentioned: GM Viswanathan Anand, GM Vasyl Ivanchuk, GM Magnus Carlsen
27:00- What was it like to play chess with legends like Spassky and Tal?
30:00- Patreon mailbag question: What is Mickey’s favorite victory over a fellow Super GM?
Mentioned: Ivanchuk-Adams 1991, Adams-Topalov 2006, Best of British Chessable Course with GM Simon Williams
33:00- Mickey tells a few entertaining stories from his younger years involving Kasparov . Kramnik and GM Joel Lautier.
Mentioned: GM Julian Hodgson, GM Vasyl Ivanchuk
43:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Check out their latest offerings here:
Best of British Chessable Course with GM Simon Williams
44:00- Chess improvement takeaways from Mickey’s new book
Mentioned: You can read my reviews of Think Like a Super GM on my Lichess blog or Chess.com blog. Thought and Choice in Chess by Adriaan de Groot, Forward Chess version of Think Like a Super GM
57:00- Patreon mailbag question: Will Mickey ever write a games collections book?
1:02:00- Patreon mailbag question: What self-study methods did Mickey use, and which does he recommend?
Mentioned: GM Mark Hebden, GM Keith Arkell
1:07:00- Patreon mailbag question: What is Mickey’s advice for how to approach big open Swiss tournaments?
1:11:00- Patreon mailbag question: Who does Mickey think will win the Candidates tournament?
Mentioned: BWin Candidates Betting Odds
1:20:00- Patreon mailbag question: What does Mickey think of the possibility that Magnus won’t play the next World Championship match? He also shares some ideas of alternative World Championship formats.
1:30:00- Is it true that Mickey has never had a “real job?”
Mentioned: New in Chess Magazine
1:34:00- Does Mickey still have a condo in Florida?
Mentioned: Mickey’s Blog
1:36:00- What is Mickey’s favorite chess venue?
Mentioned: GM David Norwood, Wijk an Zee, Episode 5 with GM Simon Williams
1:39:00- Thanks so much to Mickey for joining the pod! Here are the best ways to keep up with him.
Think Like a Super GM (free excerpt here) (Forward Chess version)
Best of British Chessable Course with GM Simon Williams
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