It was an honor to talk to GM Peter Svidler about some of his many interests. Naturally, we talk about his illustrious chess career and his near-term tournament plans. Other topics of interest include poker, hearthstone, Norm Macdonald, Radio Jan and Russian chess. This interview was a treat for me so I hope listeners enjoy it as much as I did. Watch Peter’s videos and broadcasts on chess24.com and follow him on twitter here.
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.org
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10 year old Christopher Yoo has been making lots of headlines lately in the chess world. He recently became the youngest USCF master in history and has also been entertaining the chess masses with his enthusiastic Pro Chess League Commentary. Christopher and his father, Young-Kyu , joined me to tell us the secrets of Christopher's early successes and his plans for upcoming tournaments. You'll want to stay tuned until the end when Christopher unveils his singing talents.
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NM Christopher Yoo at the US Chess School.
Photo courtesy of chess.com
27 year-old GM Alex Lenderman has won prestigious tournaments ranging from the World Open to the World Youth Championship, but he still feels like his chess has room to improve. We talk about why that is the case, his plans for 2017, and of course, we dig deep on his unforgettable experience coaching the gold medal winning US Olympiad Team. We also talk intuition vs. calculation in chess, as it relates to his interesting game in London vs GM Simon Williams. The Topalov Master Class that Alex references is here.
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Kevin Bordi, (Blitzstream on YouTube) has quickly become the most popular chess YouTuber in France thanks to his entertaining and informative videos. In this podcast we talk about how he built his following. Bordi lived in Moscow for 10 years, and he shares some of his observations about chess in Russia. Other topics include the Cannes team of the Pro Chess League, poker. the NFL and what he teaches his chess students.
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Photo courtesy of US Chess Champs.com
GM Finegold has been a fixture on the American chess scene for decades. In this entertaining interview, Ben reflects on his time as resident Grandmaster at the St. Louis chess club and opines on America's young chess talents. Ben also discusses his recent move to Atlanta and reveals his plan to open a chess center in his new hometown.
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Photo Courtesy of Chessbase.com
25 year old GM Sam Shankland is already one of United States' best chess players and he hopes to achieve even greater heights in the chess world. In this interview we discuss his Chess Olympiad successes, his study habits, his plans for 2017 and his interests away from the board. It was an honor to talk to Sam, so I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.
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GM Jon Ludvig Hammer shares what it's like to be a top-level player in chess-crazed Norway. We also discuss the highs and lows of his playing career, and we're privileged to hear his first-hand perspective on what separates Magnus Carlsen from other grandmasters.
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IM Sielecki (Chess Explained on youtube) started competing in chess at the relatively late age of 13 and only recently turned chess teaching into a career. In this interview Sielecki shares freely about the beginnings of his chess playing life in central Germany, and traces the growth of his hugely popular and informative Youtube channel, which is nearing 25,000 subscribers. Christof also discusses his chess philosophy and shares practical ideas of how to improve one's results. Follow him on twitter and check out his youtube channel here.
Photo Courtesy of Youtube
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Simon Williams (aka the Ginger GM) is an entertaining and original chess player, educator and personality. In this fun interview we discuss his background, the chess culture in England, and detail his transition from primarily playing chess to teaching chess online. We also talk about his travels, both to international chess tournaments and to local British pubs. To find more about him go to gingergm.com
Photo courtesy of Hammersmith Chess Club Webpage.
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Photo courtesy of UsChess.org
Fresh from earning his 3rd and final IM norm, Kostya joins the podcast to tell us about his initial introduction to chess as a young kid in Los Angeles, and then about the event that rekindled his dormant interest in chess as a teenager. We then discuss his ascendant career playing, teaching and writing about chess. You can read Kostya's writing on chess.com and in Chess Life, and follow him here on twitter.
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Image courtesy of http://nazipaikidze.com/
While only 23, Nazi Paikidze has already achieved a great deal in chess, including recently winning the U.S. Women's championship. We talk about this experience as well as the Olympiad, and her journey from Georgia to Moscow to Las Vegas.
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In addition to being the funniest person in Germany, Jan Gustaffson is a pretty good chess player. He was once among the 100 highest rated players in the world and is widely respected for his vast opening knowledge. He also co-founded the popular chess site chess24.com and frequently announces grandmaster tournaments, where he provides both humor and insight for top level games. In this interview we talk about his chess career, new fatherhood, and of course about American pop culture.
Photo courtesy of chess.db.com
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Greg Shahade is an innovative and dedicated chess player, teacher and promoter. He is best known for founding the U.S. Chess School, the New York Masters, and the U.S. Chess League (now the Pro Chess League). In this episode we talk about these projects and others, as well as his sometimes controversial ideas to further popularize chess. If you would like to read his rants, check out his blog... http://www.gregshahade.com/
Photo courtesy of CrossFit
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This is a quick introduction in which I explain what possessed me to make a podcast about chess.
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