As tension escalates in the FIDE World Chess Championship we are back with one more “bonus pod” to discuss the blunders, bouncebacks, opening choices and teachable moments of this epic match. Following GM Ian Nepomniathchi’s devastating loss in round 12, and a draw in round 13, the match is now tied with just one classical game to go. My guest this time is GM Alex Lenderman. Alex is a former World Youth Champion who has won tournaments including the World Open and the US Open, and whose peak rating placed him in the top 100 players in the world. Alex is quite insightful on the psychology of high stakes chess matches, and the challenges of attempting to stay psychologically strong after encountering OTB setbacks. Alex is an insightful trainer, and also shares some chess advice and a book recommendation later in our discussion. You can find timestamps of the topics Alex and I discuss below.
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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 them 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
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 mis play 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