Bonus Pod -Recapping Judit Polgar's How I Beat Fischer's Record with Jen Shahade

This month for Chess Books Recaptured, my good friend Jennifer Shahade joins me to  talk about a book that we both absolutely love,  How I Beat Fischer’s Record by legendary GM Judit Polgar. 

   Of course, Jennifer is a great person to discuss this book, as she herself is quite an ambassador for female chess players, and among other distinctions, Jen is the two-time US Women’s Champion, and the host of 2 award winning podcasts, Ladies Knight, and The Poker Grid.  In this podcast, Jen and I share our favorite quotes, stories and games from this 2012 Quality Chess publication, and we also contextualize the life and legacy of GM Judit Polgar. Please read on for lots more details, hyperlinks and timestamps.

Click here to download the episode

0:00- We kick off by discussing how we decided to discuss Judit’s book, and to talk generally a bit about how Jen personally,  and the chess world generally, are being affected by the coronavirus. 

Mentioned: Ladies Knight Podcast, The Grid Poker Podcast, Jen Shahade’s Twitch Channel  The Polgar Sisters, Training or Genius? by Cathy Forbes, IM Not a GM Speed Chess Championship, IM Greg Shahade, St. Louis Chess Club’s Clutch Chess 

10:00- We drill down more specifically into Judit’s book and her story. What is the background of the Polgars? Do Judit’s books get the credit they deserve? For what level is the book most helpful? 

Mentioned: From GM to Top 10, A Game of Queens, David Llada, IM Eric Rosen, Lennart Ootes, GM Susan Polgar 

Forward Chess- Use Promo Code “Judit” if you buy one of her e-books from them! 

20:30- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. To check out the exciting new course from World Champion Magnus Carlsen, go here:

https://www.chessable.com/the-magnus-touch-free-strategy-lesson/course/40115/

Mentioned: IM Greg Shahade, IM John Bartholomew 

23:00- We talk about how Judit changed women’s chess by eschewing Women’s Events in favor of mixed events. Will another woman follow in her footsteps? 

Mentioned: GM Hou Yifan, GM Humpy Koneru, GM Humpy Koneru on The Ladies Knight Podcast, Free Excerpt of Judit’s Book from Quality Chess here: 

https://www.qualitychess.co.uk/ebooks/HowIBeatFischersRecordExcerpt.pdf

31:00- We discuss some of our favorite quotes and stories from the book.

Mentioned: GM Boris Gelfand, GM Susan Polgar, Life and Games of Mikhail Tal, My 60 Most Memorable Games, GM Pal Benko, GM Mikhail Marin, GM Boris Gelfand, GM Vasil Ivanchuk

Gelfand-Polgar 1989, GM Jonathan Rowson, Magnus Kingdom app

48:00- It was tough to pick only a few favorite games each from the book, but we did! Here they are:

Polgar-Chilingrova 1988

Polgar-Lars Bo Hansen 1989

Tisdall-Polgar 1988

Zifroni-Polgar 1990 

Polgar-Flear 1989

Tolnai-Polgar 1991

Xie Jun- Polgar 1988

1:05:00- What are the chess improvement takeaways from this book? 

Mentioned: GM Judit Polgar’s interview on Perpetual Chess, GM Alejandro Ramirez, Polgar at London Chess Conference, Irving Chernev’s Chessboard Magic, GM Garry Kasparov 

01:27:00- Thanks so much to Jen for helping out this month. You can follow her on Twitter here. This month’s donation went to the US Chess Women Initiative. 

01:28:00- 

Next month we will be recapping The World Champion’s I Knew  by Gennadi Sosonko, and Vjekoslav Nemec, from Chessentials.com, will be helping me out! 

Here are the Blindfold puzzles:

Puzzle #1 1500 level White to move and win - White- pawns f4 and g5, king on d4, Black- pawn on a4, king on b4 

NOTE ON PUZZLE #2 I READ THE PUZZLE WRONG, IN ADDITION TO THE PIECES I NAMED, WHITE ALSO HAS A QUEEN ON A2

Puzzle 2 2100 level?- White to move, mate in 2

White: King on a1, queen on a2,  pawns on e3 and e5, Rook on h1, knight on c7

Black- king on g7, pawn on g6, knights on g8 and e7, rook on f8

Puzzle #1 1500, (no answer)

https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=p/sxHjHhQ80fM5Wyr61XVDyFOXYjK/iYLp/yrSAVD4QDSejK9esxUSalDqwfPRMa

Puzzle #1 (with answer)

https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=C5uNj27llXNFWn+fpTM5aJ5KAh6KUuvEy4NUwoMGsQu1GzQDUuWenT4JDbZIYkOT

Puzzle 2 (no answer)

https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=J7FWNzeNYfxbPbbZ0zvfhLMidbk2WTeOzHsDINW2lzM+ASdC3LiG6ffAHEHt+fYR

Puzzle 2 (with answer)

https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=52M6/pp9vjMEa4VHOSY8zwERFKd4U2rcHcmxDigzJUCyIZqEBGQD9CCR0+SjpAe2

Episode 178- IM Kåre Kristensen (Adult Improver Series)

IM Kåre Kristensen (right) takes on GM Nigel Short

What is the likelihood that a fully employed dad in his mid 40s could bring his rating from 2200 FIDE up to  2400 and earn the title of International Master at the age of 54? I didn’t know the answer to this question, but this week’s guest, IM Kåre Kristensen actually did it!  Kåre was at such a low point in his chess in 2008 that he considered quitting.   But instead he stuck with it and became one of the relatively rare folks to earn the IM title past the age of 50!  How did he do it? What did he study? How hard did he work on chess? What does he do away from the chessboard? You can hear Kåre’s inspiring story in  this week’s Perpetual Chess. Please read on for more details and timestamps. 

Click here to download the episode

0:00- We discuss the impact of the coronavirus in Denmark, as well as a bit about Kåre’s professional and family background. 

8:00- Chess talk time! IM Kristensen shares his “chess origin story,” and traces some of the ups and downs of his career, culminating in his earning the IM title at the age of 54! 

24:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable. They have just released what may be their most exciting course to date, The Magnus Touch! Check it out here:

25:00- Kåre answers a few questions from The Perpetual Chess Patreon Mailbag relating to his experiences with the effects of aging on one’s chess game, and whether he has made any age-related changes to his game. . 

Mentioned: GM Jens Kristensen, FIDE Title Application Webpage

43:00- Kåre shares the chess improvement methods that have been most effective for him, and gives a few universal tips. 

Mentioned: Tactics Trainer Endgame App. GM Mikhail Botvinnik 

57:00- Now that we know what Kåre studied, it’s time to find out how much he studied to keep improving!

Mentioned: The Anand Files by FM Michiel Abeln, The Slav Defense, Grandmaster Chess Move by Move by GM John Nunn 

1:05:00- Jaydeep Chakrabarty writes in to ask Kåre for advice about building an opening repertoire. Read more about Jaydeep’s new Digital Chess Board, named Rolling Pawn, here:

https://chessbase.in/news/The-Rolling-Pawn-Making-Digital-Chess-board-affordable

Mentioned: My 60 Most Memorable Games 

1:14:00- Another question from the Patreon mailbag: if Kåre could restart his chess career from scratch, how would he approach his studies? 

Mentioned: Bent Larsen’s Best Games , IM Christof Sielecki, 

1:23:00- Kåre tells a story from a long-ago tournament where he sat near a young Vishy Anand and took notice of his play. 

Mentioned: Anand-DeFirmian 1986

1:30:00- Thanks so much to IM Kristensen for joining the show and sharing his experiences and advice. You can keep up with him as follows: 

Email him here: 

kaarek@me.com

Reach on Facebook here:

https://www.facebook.com/karehove.kristensen

Episode 177- GM Peter Heine Nielsen

The Team Anand “war room” in Sofia- Pictured clockwise from bottom left are GM Surya Ganguly, GM Radoslaw Wotjasek, GM Peter Heine Nielsen, and GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov. Photo by Eric van Reem

This week on Perpetual Chess, we break from format a bit, as 5 time Danish Champion and world-class chess trainer, GM Peter Heine Nielsen, takes us behind the scenes of the night before a decisive game in a World Championship Match. The Match in question, was the 2010 World Championship between GM Viswanathan Anand and GM Veselin Topalov in Sofia, Bulgaria. The game was game 12, the final game of the “classical portion” of the match, with Peter Heine Nielsen and his fellow “ Team Anand” members, preparing Vishy to take the Black pieces against GM Topalov in a tied match with the World Championship and $1.2 million Euro prize for the winner.

How is it decided which opening will be played? How is work delegated among the team members? Why did 2 former World Champions and other chess heavyweights also pitch in to help with preparation this night? How did it feel when GM Anand won the game? GM Peter Heine Nielsen answers all of these questions and many more in a very fun and detailed conversation about a landmark game in modern chess history. You might want to play through the game in question before you listen, then sit back and enjoy the interview. More notes, timestamps and details can be found below. 

Click here to download the episode

0:00- We begin by discussing a bit of background about the match, with discussion of other relevant background information, and of how GM Anand and his team felt as they were going into the deciding game of the match. 

Mentioned:  Team Anand Members: GM Peter Heine Nielsen, GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov, GM Radoslav Wojtazek, and GM Surya Ganguly, Mind Master by GM Viswanathan Anand, 2008 FIDE Anand-Kramnik World Chess Championship in Bonn, Germany  For more background on this match, you can listen to the following  Perpetual Chess Interviews with:

FM Michiel Abeln, GM Vishy Anand, GM Ivan Cheparinov, GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov

10:00- What factored into GM Anand’s decision to surprise Topalov with the Queen’s Gambit Declined in Game 12?  

21:30- Friend and supporter of the podcast, IM Kåre Kristensen, writes in to ask about the role that the “supercomputer” played in the match. It was rumored, though not confirmed, that Team Topalov was accessing a turbo charged chess engine to help with preparation.

Mentioned: 

Rybka Chess Engine

24:30-  None other than World Champion, GM Magnus Carlsen has a free lesson available on Chessable.com, called “The Magnus Touch.” To check it out, go here: 

https://www.chessable.com/the-magnus-touch-free-strategy-lesson/course/40115/

25:00- Once the opening for the Game 12 was chosen how was work delegated among the Team Anand members? How did former World Champion Kramnik end up voluntarily helping Team Anand, what about GM Kasparov? 

Mentioned: Lasker Variation of Queen’s Gambit Declined, The Catalan, 2006 Kramnik-Topalov World Championship Match, aka Toilet Gate , GM Gata Kamsky, GM Magnus Carlsen, Topalov’s Manager Silvio Danailov, GM Anatoly Karpov, GM Boris Gelfand, “Elista Ending” of the Slav, as seen in Game 3 of the 2012 Match

40:45- Peter delves into the nature of the help given to Team Anand by then 19 year old GM Magnus Carlsen, and the unsung hero for prepping that night, British GM Luke McShane. 

Mentioned: GM Elizbar Ubilava, The “problem” line that Peter mentions and that Luke McShane solved, can be seen in Peter Heine Nielsen’s  tweet here. 

58:30- After all of this stressful prep, what did Peter and the other seconds do once Game 12 actually started? 

Mentioned: GM Anish Giri’s annotations can be seen here: https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=ZwNTGxiK5g4jm8Ba5hiyjQg4B+imvQdy6OM469Al0wHO6syTLjEAW3HQ0haiyTYd

1:15:30- Thanks so much to GM Peter Heine Nielsen for regaling us with his experiences. You can follow him on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/PHChess 

If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can so here:

https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate

Episode 176- GM David Howell

Photo by Wolfgang Jekel via WikiCommons

GM David Howell is the three-time champion of the United Kingdom and holds the record as the youngest player to earn the GM title in UK history. He has been a top 50 player in the world rankings and has a peak rating of 2712. He has been well-known in British chess circles since the age of 8, when he impressively beat GM John Nunn in a blitz game! As David tells, such accomplishments,have come with amazing opportunities, such as playing against and alongside GM Magnus Carlsen and training with GM Garry Kasparov, but he has also had to reckon with significant external expectations placed on him from a young age. 
In the past year, David has also been getting more involved in chess media. He is now the chess columnist for The Times of London, was one of the broadcasters of 2019 Gibraltar Chess, and has begun doing entertaining “banter blitz” shows for Chess24.com. David also recently released a great instructional DVD, called “Winning Grandmaster Methods: How I Got to 2700.” In our conversation, we discuss all aspects of David’s chess work, and David candidly relives the ups and downs of his chess career, and shares some of the standout stories and improvement advice from his DVD. Please read on for more details and timestamps.

Click here to download the episode

0:00- We chat a bit about how the coronavirus is treating David, and what he has been up to lately, including his newly released instructional DVD with GingerGM productions. 

Mentioned: Seaford UK, Fiona Steil-Antoni vlogs, Tarjei Svenson, GM Glenn Flear, Jonathan Tuck

Get David’s DVD here: 

https://www.gingergm.com/shop/winning-grandmaster-method-how-i-reached-2700

12:00- David reflects on his early successes as a chess player, which included a highly publicized victory in a blitz game over GM John Nunn when David was only 8 years old. 

Mentioned: GM Magnus Carlsen, GM Maxime Vachier Lagravel, GM Ian Nepomiatchi, GM Sergei Karjakin

GM Gukesh, GM Nihail Sarin, GM Praggnanandha 

17:00- A Patreon supporter of the podcast asks what a player of David’s caliber sees in his head when he calculates. 

Mentioned: IM Mark Dvoretsky’s books, WGM  Irina Bulmaga, IM Alex Astaneh Lopez

The challenging study David mentions is here (courtesy of GM Howell).

Study without solution-

https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=Thm/+4QGsQHfyDb55qwo4REWIVCKvhD977E7/BrRE7MFkgmTATFslXhf5s5JATWH

Study with solution and GM Howell's notes-

https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=Thm/+4QGsQHfyDb55qwo4ZWrCY08yKCmpxLo+sU05WHO9bKH07ZkGszC+OXuIZvb

26:00- What was it like to have high expectations placed on him by chess fans once David was identified as a bright chess talent? Does he think about different paths his career might have taken based on different life choices? 

Mentioned: GM Nihail Sarin, GM Alireza Firouzja

35:45- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable. If you want to work on knowing the classics and improving your calculation at the same time check out Chess Calculation Training 3: Legendary Games, by GM Romain Edouard

https://www.chessable.com/chess-calculation-training-3-legendary-games/course/1587/

 36:45- What was it like to travel to GM Garry Kasparov’s home to play training games with him in 2017? 

43:45- GM Howell also helped Peter Svidler prepare for the 2016 Candidates Tournament.  What did he learn from that experience? 

45:30- What does GM Howell think of this year’s FIDE Candidates so far? 

46:30- Out of his recent jobs as banter blitzer, chess writer, chess announcer, and chess competitor, which is David’s favorite? 

Mentioned: GM Jan Gustafsson 

50:00- In the final rounds of the 2019 Chess.com Isle of Man Grand Swiss, GM David Howell came agonizingly close to qualifying for the 2020 FIDE Candidates, but he missed out. How has he processed that experience?  Did it affect his mental health? 

Mentioned: GM Magnus Carlsen, GM Simon Williams, WIM Fiona Steil-Antoni, GM Wang Hao-Howell 2019 

57:30- David tells a few more fun stories about encounters with celebrities, both in and out of the chess world. 

GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, GM Magnus Carlsen, Woody Harrellson, Dave Grohl 

1:01:00- We discuss a bit more of what can be learned from David’s instructive and fun DVD, Winning Grandmaster Method, How I Reached 2700.  

Mentioned: Short-Timman 1991, Fischer-Benko 1963, Howell,D-Bitalzadeh 2009,  GM Simon Williams, IM Simon Ansell, 

1:05:00- Thanks to David for a fun interview.  Help him boost his follower count on Twitter and Instagram. 

David’s Twitter here:

https://twitter.com/DavidHowellGM?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

David’s Instagram here:

https://www.instagram.com/davidhowellchess/?hl=en

If you would like to help support the podcast you can do so here:

https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess

Episode 175- GM Jesse Kraai returns

Photo by Macauley Peterson

This week author, teacher, YouTube presenter and philosophy Ph. D, Grandmaster Jesse Kraai is with me again to share more of his wisdom. Given his academic background, it is always fun to hear Jesse philosophize about chess and life, and this was a good time to catch up with him as we talked about the ways that tournament chess is changing and speculated about how it might continue to change due to shifts in perspective brought on by the coronavirus. Naturally we also talked about lots of chess improvement ideas, as Jesse shared his current chess goals, his approach to chess, and outlined the vision of ChessDojo. ChessDojo is a new online chess learning community that Jesse has launched together with IMs David Pruess and Kostya Kavutskiy. As always, please read on for more details and timestamps.

Click here to download the episode

0:00- Jesse discusses his personal experiences with the coronavirus, something which fans of his Youtube videos saw him endure.   Jesse also discusses the ways that the coronavirus affects his chess teaching, Chessdojo, and how it might affect chess tournaments in coming years.  

Mentioned: 

Jesse Kraai’s first appearance on Perpetual Chess in October of 2017: 

GM Jesse Kraai’s Road Back to 2500 series

IM Kostya Kavutskiy, IM David Pruess, GM Jesse Kraai 

Chess Dojo YouTube channel    Chess Dojo discord 

22:00- This episode is brought to you in part by Chessable! 

Check out the excellent book Chess Structures with Chessable's MoveTrainer capability here.

24:00- What are Jesse’s core beliefs about how to improve at chess? 

Mentioned: 

Jesse’s video- The True Path to Chess Improvement 

The Road to Chess Improvement by GM Alex Yermolinksy , Chess24’s Magnus Invitational 

IM Greg Shahade,GM Garry Kasparov 

34:30- We discuss Chess.com’s fun ongoing tournament, The “I’m Not a GM Speed Chess Invitational”. 

Mentioned: IM Danny Rensch, IM Greg Shahade, IM Christof Sielecki, IM Lawrence Trent, IM David Pruess, IM John Bartholomew, WGM Anna Zatonskih

38:30- How can club players go about learning structures rather than lines in openings?  

The London System, The Colle, The Zukertort 

45:45- A question from a Patreon supporter of the podcast asks Jesse if his background as a student of  philosophy shapes his views on chess. 

Mentioned: GM Emanuel Lasker, Martin aka Saychess on Twitter, GM Capablanca, Chess for Life by Mathew Sadler and Natasha Regan, The Scandanavian expert whose name I was forgetting is GM Sergei Tiviakov 

1:00:00- Our conversation transitions to a discussion of whether chess books are decreasing in popularity. Mentioned: GM Fidel Corrales Jimenez, IM Cyrus Lakdawala

1:06:15- A Patreon supporter writes to ask Jesse’s opinion of the TV show Stranger Things. 

1:11:00- Thanks to Jesse for re-joining us! 

Keep up with GM Jesse Kraai here: 

Twitter:

Website

Follow ChessDojo here: 

Youtube

Twitch

Discord:

Twitter

 If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can so here

Episode 174- GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov

Photo by Winicjusz Drozdowsk via WikiCommons

This week it’s my great honor to host former World Champion of chess, GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov. In addition to winning the 2004 FIDE World Chess Championship title, Kasimdzhanov was the 1998 Asian Champion of Chess and finished 2nd overall at the 1999 World Junior Championship and the 2002 FIDE World Chess Cup. 

These days, of course, he is best known as a world-class chess trainer, as for many years he assisted former World Champion Viswanathan Anand, and today he works with the world’s 2nd highest ranked player, GM Fabiano Caruana. GM Kasimdzhanov is a renowned opening theoretician, and he has produced many video courses for Chessbase, including the recently released The Benoni is Back in Business. Given such a varied and accomplished career, obviously there was a lot to discuss, including the controversial 2020 FIDE Candidates Tournament, which he recently attended with GM Caruana. Please read on for more details and timestamps. 

Click here to download the episode.

0:00- GM Kasimdzhanov begins by discussing the Chess24 Magnus24 Cup  and shares how Fabiano will prepare and adjust for the format of this tournament. 

Mentioned: GM Fabiano Caruana, GM Ian Nepomniatchi, CNN article about Firouzja-Carlsen match, GQ-England chess article

8:00- GM Kasimdzhanov attended the now-postponed 2020 FIDE Candidates  in Yekaterinaburg, Russia with GM Fabiano Caruana. He shares his frustrations about the circumstances under which the event took place and discusses what might be done to complete the tournament. 

Mentioned: GM Teimour Radjabov, FIDE President Arkady Dvorkavich, GM Magnus Carlsen, Lev Tolstoy, GM Ding Liren  

29:30- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. You can check out Chessable’s course about the Petroff defense,  Fight 1.e4 like Caruana by IM Chrisof Sielecki here: https://www.chessable.com/fight-1e4-like-caruana/course/15717/

30:00- Rustam answers a couple of questions from the podcasts’s Patreon supporters:

1. What are the best and the worst aspects of being a second to a top player? 

2. What was it like to play Magnus Carlsen at Chess.com’s Isle of Man Tournament in 2019, given how much time GM Kasimdzhanov has spent helping Fabiano prepare for him? 

Mentioned: GM Kasimdzhanov-Korchnoi 2002, GM Alireza Firouzja 

42:30- What does GM Kasimdzhanov notice about the play of some of  the top teenagers in the chess world, including GMs Nodirbek Abdussatorov, Alireza Firouzja,  Nihal Sarin, D Gukesh? 

Mentioned: GM Nakamura 

46:00- What improvement advice could Rustam give for working chess enthusiasts? 

Mentioned: The Anand Files by Michiel Abeln, Mind Master by GM Viswanathan Anand 

49:00- Rustam shares what he discovered  in making his fun and informative new Chessbase course,  The Benoni is Back in Business, and he delves into ways that  he researches openings more generally. 

55:00- GM Kasimdzhanov discusses a couple of the books he has read recently, chess and otherwise. 

Mentioned: Caravaggio: A Life Sacred and Profane, Sacrifice and Initiative in Chess, by GM Ivan Sokolov 

If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here:

https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate

Bonus Pod- Recapping The Woodpecker Method and Rapid Chess Improvement with Neal Bruce

Photo by Neal Bruce

This month on Chess Books Recaptured, I am joined by Neal Bruce. Neal is the head of product management for a software startup, a dad, and a dedicated adult improver who has built a following on Twitter by sharing a lot of the chess puzzles on which he is always working. 

For this month’s book review podcast, Neal suggested that we discuss two groundbreaking chess tactics books, Rapid Chess Improvement (2002)  by Michael de la Maza  and The Woodpecker Method (2018) by GM Axel Smith and GM Hans Tikkanen. As we explain, these chess books have significant differences between them, but they share a common thread in that they both strongly emphasize the efficacy of using spaced repetition to better assimilate tactical patterns and to improve chess visualization skills. Whether you are a chess player, chess teacher or both, it is important to be aware of the benefits of spaced repetition and to give some thought to how best to incorporate it into a chess training routine. In our conversation, we summarize and offer our opinions of each book, and discuss the experiences that other chess players have had using the training methods that these books advocate. As always, please read on for lots more details, links and timestamps. 

Click here to download the episode.

0:00-  We begin by introducing this month’s guest co-host, Neal Bruce. 

Guest co-host application form here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/co-host

Chris Chabris Perpetual Chess interview here: 

7:40- First up is a discussion of the controversial tactics manifesto, Rapid Chess Improvement by Michael de la Maza.  

Mentioned: USCF Master Dan Heisman, Dan Heisman’s Chess.com article, The Michael de la Maza story, de la Maza’s Chess Cafe article here, GM Ben Finegold, IM Jeremy Silman, Silman review of Rapid Chess Improvement here: IM Christopher Yoo, Young-Kyu Yoo, Chess.com thread discussing Rapid Chess Improvement, Polgar’s Chess Tactics for Champions, CT-Art 

30:00- This episode is brought to you in part by Chessable. It provides a great way to train with and learn the Woodpecker Method. Check it out here: https://www.chessable.com/the-woodpecker-method/course/10582/

31:00- We introduce and discuss the excellent 2018 book, The Woodpecker Method by GMs Axel Smith and Hans Tikkanen from Quality Chess. 

Mentioned: Pump Up Your Rating by GM Axel Smith,, IM Andreas Skytte Hagen, and  Talent is Overrated by Geoffrey Colvin,  A free excerpt of the Woodpecker Method is available from this link: , IM Kostya Kavutskiy’s Steam of the Woodpecker Method can be viewed here: 

51:00- We discuss the experiences that some other chess players have had using the Woodpecker Method. Mentioned: NM Elijah Logozar, IM Kostya Kavutskiy, IM Andrew Greet’s blog regarding The Woodpecker Method is here: , FM Gabriel Petesch, 1001 Winning Chess Sacrifices and Combinations by Fred Reinfeld 

58:30-  We discuss some other tactics books that could be effective with the Woodpecker Method. 

Bain- Chess Tactics for Students: 

Simple Checkmates by Gillem

Polgars Chess Tactics for Champions 

Tactics Time 1 and 2 

Practical Chess Exercises 

1:04:00- I almost forgot to discuss Chess Twitter Superstar Mr. Dodgy’s success with De La Maza’s recommendations. 

Mentioned: CT-Art 3.0

Chess Reddit Thread about Rapid Chess Improvement here.

Jenn Shahade, How I Beat FIscher’s Record by GM Judit Polgar, The Metrowest Chess Club in Massachusets 

1:09- Thanks to Neal Bruce for joining me, you can often find him at The Metrowest Chess Club in Massachusetts, and you can follow him on twitter here:

 1:10- Blindfold Puzzle Time

Puzzle #1- 

White: Qa8, Ne2, Kb1

Black: Pawn h3, g2, King h2

Diagram without solution here:

https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=CtHlIdi7v5KwhYZKLeX8KdwATJb4Z+RYNB4gL3s0KIl/bXhLJciNi3uIyyyTvFVK

Puzzle #2- 

King on e6, Pawn on f5, Pawn on h2

Black- Pawn on g7, King on e4 

Diagram without Solution here: https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=rXk3i7RQycyvOctzSUHBDFSJro9imf2wP2eVil+22YlpuPK+wk5sBX+H3SSccNUL

Diagram with Solution here:

https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=azBNpAgXY9oGDztWmyP+q2v3Mt0fa94dgPdcUtHMz2erkqRWd4lmlQlsJtwSnpUw

If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here:

https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate

Episode 173- USCF Master Philemon Thomas (Adult Improver Series)

Photo courtesy of Jamel Mosely, Philemon Thomas pictured on left

Philemon Thomas is an Albany, NY native who has been playing competitive chess for 14 years. During this period, Philemon has endured ups and downs, but his evident passion for the game has always kept him coming back to the board. In March of 2020, all of his hard work culminated with Philemon earning the title of USCF Master! This places him in the 98.8 percentile of US Chess’ tournament players, and he also is the first African-American chess master who is based in the Albany area. To hear the study tips and advice that Philemon has picked along this journey, please tune in to the interview. More details and timestamps can be found below.

Click here to download the episode.

2:30- We begin by learning a bit more about how Philemon got hooked on chess and what he has done to improve over the years. 

Mentioned: Townsend Park in Albany NY, Franklin-Mercantile Chess Club in Philadelphia, Washington Square Park in New York City, Union Square in NYC

7:50- What books helped Philemon along the way? 

Mentioned: My System by Nimzowitch, The Art of Attack , IM Jeremy Silman, IM Mark Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual , Darryl Perkins, Bobby Rotter, Aanarian Stevens, Smyslov Endgame Virtuoso, Dave Finneman 

14:50- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. The Art of Attack in Chess is one of the many books you can read and train with on Chessable utilizing its MoveTrainer technology. Check it out here:

https://www.chessable.com/the-art-of-attack-in-chess/course/24575/

15:50- Patreon supporter of the podcast, Firas Siraf of the Apprenchess Twitch channel writes in to ask what lessons Philemon has learned from his chess learning experiences. Another listener asks about how he fights through plateaus. 

Mentioned: The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal, 

23:30- How does Philemon divide his chess study time? What his approach to chess openings? 

Mentioned: CT-Art, The Magic of Chess Tactics by GM Karsten Muller 

30:30- We walk through Philemon’s rating graph and he discusses the obstacles he encountered at various rating levels. Here is his rating graph: http://www.uschess.org/datapage/ratings_graph.php?memid=13312957

36:00- We discuss Philemon’s different approaches to different time controls. 

43:00- When did Philemon set the goal of earning the USCF Master title? What are his current goals? 

45:00- Does Philemon think that chess is less popular amongst African-Americans than people of other backgrounds? 

47:00- Philemon gives a few more chess recommendations based on his experiences.

Mentioned: Think Like a Grandmaster by Alexander Kotov, Chess Books Recaptured: Podcast talking Think Like a Grandmaster with NM Christopher Chabris 

50:00- Thanks so much to Philemon for joining the show. You can contact him or track his progress via his Facebook account:

https://www.facebook.com/philemon.thomas.94

If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do here:

https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate

Episode 172- GM Andy Soltis returns

Photo courtesy of GM Andy Soltis

Despite having retired from his day job at the NY Post, noted chess author and historian GM Andy Soltis remains quite busy writing chess books. This week he returns to Perpetual Chess to tell some great stories and discuss the books that he has been working on since our last conversation, in September of 2018. In particular, we discussed GM Soltis’ new book, How to Swindle in Chess, and his recently updated classic, Bobby Fischer Rediscovered. Andy was able to also provide some great historical perspective on topics ranging from chess in New York City in past decades, to the 2020 FIDE Candidates, to the coronavirus. Please read on for further details and timestamps. 

Click here to download the episode.

 0:00- We begin by catching up a bit on the impact that the coronavirus had on GM Soltis’ travel plans, and Andy shares some great historical perspective on some New York City chess characters. 

Mentioned: Marshall Chess Club, GM Robert Byrne and IM Donald Byrne, GM Arthur Bisguier, IM James Sherwin, GM William Lombardy, Caroline Marshall, Manhattan Chess Club, Bobby Fischer, IM Ray Weinstein, Bruce Pandolfini, GM Nicolas Rossolimo

13:15- When I spoke with Andy, the 2020 FIDE Candidates Tournament was ongoing despite the corona virus, and he was able to provide some historical perspective on other historical tournaments that took place under unusual circumstances. 

Mentioned:  Mannheim 1914 Chess Tournament, Alexander Alekhine, Frank Marshall, Efim Bogoljubov, Ian Nepomniatchi, Alexander Grischuk, Ding Liren-Caruana 2020, Capablanca-Marshall 1918, GM Mikhail Tal, Carlsen-So 2020, Fischer-Taimanov 1971 match, game 4, Bobby Fischer: The Greatest? By Max Euwe, Frank Brady, FM Asa Hoffman, My Great Predecessors: Volume 4 

29:00- Andy expounds on an interesting column he recently wrote for Chess Life magazine, called The Half Life of Truth: How long is it relevant what the result would have been in a famous chess game with best play?

 Mentioned: Bobby Fischer Rediscovered, Fischer-Celle 1964, Fischer-Blackstone 1964, Fischer-Spassky 1972 Game 1, The Complete Chess Swindler by GM David Smerdon 

37:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Check out Garry Kasparov’s My Great Predecessors, using Chessable’s MoveTrainer here:

https://www.chessable.com/my-great-predecessors-part-1/course/22994/

38:00- What did GM Soltis discover in researching his new book, How to Swindle in Chess 

Mentioned: GM Viswanathan Anand, Keres-Geller 1962, Carlsen-Van Wely, Viktor Korchnoi, GM Emanuel Lasker

48:00- How should chess improvers stuck at home with extra study time spend that time?  

Mentioned: GM Magnus Carlsen, GM Tigran Petrosian, GM Mikhail Tal, Ruth Haring, GM Peter Biyiasis, Eliot Hearst  

55:00- In closing, Andy tells a story in which he compares his experiences after September 11 in  NYC to the current tense moments we are now living through. 

Thanks, as always, to GM Soltis for sharing his chess knowledge with us. You can buy all of his books here:

https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B000APTX5I?_encoding=UTF8&node=283155&offset=0&pageSize=12&searchAlias=stripbooks&sort=date-desc-rank&page=1&langFilter=default#formatSelectorHeader

If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here:

https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate

EP.171 - Chess Twitch Streamer GoldDustTori (Adult Improver series)

Photo courtesy of GoldDustTori

In the 16 months since she got into chess, 23 year old Chess Streamer GoldDustTori has seen both her online following and her Chess.com rating grow quickly. As her chess.com rating graph shows, she has gone from not knowing what en passant is, to a blitz rating which recently topped 1600. In our conversation, Tori retells how she got into chess and chess streaming, and shares how her consistent focus on a few key aspects of chess improvement have helped her boost her rating. 

Please read on for more details and timestamps.

Click here to download the episode.

0:00- FIDE Candidates Coverage Resources: Chess.com Youtube, Chess24YouTube, US Chess YouTube, Powerplaychess 

3:00- Tori introduces herself and explains how she got into chess and chess streaming. 

Mentioned: TwitchCon, GM Eric Hansen of the Chessbrahs, WIM Alexandra Botez, IM Danny Rensch, John Urschel, World of Warcraft, GM Aman Hambleton, IM Eric Rosen 

11:30- As Tori explains, when she started streaming chess, she barely knew the rules of the game. How has she gone from 0 to 1600 in less than 1.5 years? 

Mentioned: Tori’s YouTube Channel, Her Twitch Channel, including archive 

17:30- This episode is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. You can check out their many tactics resources here:

https://www.chessable.com/chess-tactics/

19:00- Tori answers a few questions from our Patreon supporters relating to what time control she thinks one should play at in order to improve, and what she has learned from streaming with super strong players  like GM Daniel Naroditsky and GM Jon Ludvig Hammer? 

27:00- Tori reflects on her first live tournament, which took place at the North American Open in Las Vegas in December of 2019. 

Mentioned: IM Hans Niemann, GM Daniel Naroditsky, NM John Williams, chess.com drills/lessons

38:00- Tori discusses a recent special event in which participated: The Isolated Queens tournament, organized by Alexandra Botez and Jenn Shahade. 

Mentioned: GM Irina Krush, WGM Katerina Nemcova 

41:00- Tori fields a couple of questions and comments relating to how she deals with haters and trolls. 

Mentioned: Taylor Swift’s Miss Americana, Scene from From Dusk til Dawn mentioned  by IM Christof Sielecki (starting at 1:50 mark)

54:00- GM Denes Boros writes in to ask how her perception of the chess world has changed as she has gotten to know it better. 

Mentioned: National Open

57:40- What would Tori’s “bullet point” advice be for how to improve at chess? 

1:01:00-- What are Tori’s current chess and Twitch goals? 

Mentioned: IM Eric Rosen

1:07:00- Thanks so much to Tori for joining the podcast. Here is how you can keep up with her:

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/golddusttori

YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi3rJHTCrXPLn4tfWQLTELA

Twitter: https://twitter.com/golddusttori?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/golddusttori/?hl=en

Episode 170- GM Daniel King returns

Photo by Lennart Ootes, courtesy of GM King

Two weeks after Part 1 of our interview GM Daniel King returns. We catch up on the all of the drama surrounding the first 6 rounds of the FIDE Candidates Tournament, both over the board, and away from the board, as the spread of the Covid-19 virus continues to be an unwelcome, but serious disruption to some wonderful chess games.

Following the Candidates discussion, GM King updates us on the many other projects that have been keeping him busy, including a discussion of his forthcoming book, Sultan Khan: The Indian Servant Who Became Chess Champion of the British Empire.

Please read for many more details and timestamps relating to this fun and wide-ranging conversation.

Click here to download the episode.

0:00-  We begin by discussing the FIDE Candidates. Why did Daniel cancel his plans to announce at the tournament, why didn’t FIDE call it off? Should/will they call it off now? And last but not least, what does GM King think of the chess so far? 

Mentioned: GM Teimour Radjabov, Powerplay Chess, GM Jesse Kraii for Chess Dojo, GM Jacob Aagaard for US Chess, Giri-Nepomniatchi 2020

20:00- We discuss GM King’s forthcoming book, Sultan Khan: The Indian Servant Who Became Chess Champion of the British Empire. Daniel gives a bit of background about how he became enthralled by this story, and a taste of what we can read about in this book. Free excerpts of the book are available via New in Chess Magazine, and New in Chess Publishing. 

Mentioned: Sultan Khan-Capablanca 1930, Sultan Khan-Tartakower Match, GM Daniel King’s Patreon page, GM Viswanathan Anand, GM Maia Chiburdanidze 

40:55- This episode is brought to you in part by Chessable. Links for GM Harikrishna’s Game of the Day Analysis and Candidates Course and the Candidates sale are below:

Candidates Course- https://www.chessable.com/candidates-2020/course/34649/

Candidates Sale- https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/all/offer/

41:30- Daniel tackles a couple questions from a Patreon supporter of the podcast, relating to how he learned to speak German, and to the philosophy behind Powerplay Chess, Daniel’s excellent YouTube channel. 

Mentioned: Daniel King’s Powerplay DVD’s from Chessbase, GM Alexander Morezevich, GM Nigel Short, GM Ruslan Ponamariov, GM Jan Gustafsson, GM Baskiran Adhiban 

54:30- GM King discusses another project he has been busy assisting, a forthcoming Chessable course called Tournament Ready, by Alex and Sarah Longson. 

Mentioned: IM Mike Basman, FM Alex Longson, WFM Sarah Longson 

58:00- GM King shares some chess study advice for those who are stuck at home with extra time on their hands. 

1:02- Daniel shares some stories about one of his other passions- playing music. 

Mentioned: Geert van der Velde of Chessable, Juga on Jenn Shahade’s Ladies Knight Podcast 

1:10- Thanks to GM King for coming back on the show! All the links you need to keep up with him are below 

Youtube channel, Powerplay Chess:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMBATpFb--uLNAODOVWvCTA

GM King’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanielKingChess

If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here:

https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess

Bonus Pod- Chess Books Recaptured- Discussing The Road to Chess Improvement with Bryan Castro

Welcome to another edition of Perpetual Chess, Chess Books Recaptured!

 My guest co-host this month is Bryan Castro. Bryan is a dad, businessman, chess teacher and adult improver from Buffalo, NY. Bryan and I are both fans of GM Alex Yermolinksy, and we share a strong affinity for his instructive and readable 1999 chess-improvement memoir, The Road to Chess Improvement. We like this book so much that we were not going to let a global pandemic stop us from getting together and sharing our favorite quotes, games and chess-improvement takeaways from this somewhat underappreciated gem. Please read on for more details, timestamps and relevant links. 

Click here to download the episode

4:00- After a few programming notes, Bryan Castro joins the show and shares a bit about his personal background.

7:00- What does Bryan like about The Road to Chess Improvement? 

Mentioned: Jim Rohn, Tony Robbins, Brian Tracy, GM Jon Ludvig Hammer, IM John Watson’s Review of Road to Chess Improvement, Hear GM Yermolinksy’s interview on Perpetual Chess here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/perpetual-chess-podcast/id1185023674?i=1000382608741

10:00- Both of us used the original Gambit version of Road to Chess Improvement 

11:00- What was happening in the chess world when this book was released in 1999? 

Mentioned: GM Kasparov, GM Alexander Khalifman, GM Alexei Shirov, GM Viswanthan Anand 

13:00- Bryan shares a bit more about Yermolinksky’s background. 

Mentioned: GM Gregory Serper, GM Alexander Shabalov 

15:00- For what level player is this book most helpful?

16:30- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.  Check out GM Pentala Harikrishna’s 2020 FIDE Candidates “Game of the Day” analysis and accompanying course here: 

https://www.chessable.com/candidates-2020/course/34649/

 17:30-  We dive into the book, as Bryan reads some inspiring opening paragraphs from The Road to Chess Improvement  

Mentioned: GM Alekhine, GM Botvinnik, 

20:00- We discuss the structure of the book and our favorite chapters. 

Mentioned: Vladimir Zak

29:30- We share a few of our favorite quotes from the book. 

Mentioned: GM Evgeny Bareev, GM Vassilly Ivanchuk, GM Peter Svidler, GM Vladimir Kramnik, GM Sam Shankland, GM Viktor Korchnoi, GM Jan Timman, GM Alexander Beliavsky, GM Mikhail Tal, GM Mikhail Botvinnik

40:00- We each pick a favorite game from the book. 

Mentioned: GM Arthur Yusopov, Yermolinsky-Khmelnitsky 1995, Hjartarson-Yermolinsky 1996  

45:00- What are the chess improvement takeaways from The Road to Chess Improvement? 

Mentioned: IM Greg Shahade 

48:00- How useful is the book for improvement?  

49:00 What, if any, are our quibbles with the book? 

Deep Blue vs. Garry Kasparov

52:00- Closing remarks and good bye to Bryan Castro. In lieu of paying Bryan for his efforts I will be making a small donation to the East Aurora Chess Club.  You can keep up with Bryan the following ways: 

Bryan’s Youtube Channel here:

https://youtube.com/betterchesstraining

Bryan’s website, Better Chess Training here: 

http://www.betterchesstraining.com/

Follow him on twitter here:

https://twitter.com/YourBryanCastro

56:00- Blindfold puzzles of the month:

Puzzle #1- White to move, find the best move 

https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=xyVYfoozbF6iR+wCrD8E3LVWoPU8wRa2aKCSWt9SSPcJjEME8Mrb+Gps4wVo0mBi

Solution #1- 

https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=BTkwJm0GgCBPOr6bmORI2c020+oxdq6CvPpZFqSIU5JeJajZLmJQ+1Dar2t6cnXF

Puzzle #2- Black to move and win material

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Qf6 5. Nxc6 Qxc6 6. Qe2 Bc5 7. Nc3 Ne7

2. Qf3 Ng6 9. Bc4 Ne5 10. Qe2 {Black to move and win material} 0-1

https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=PORw9ncvRoVlZBKq9xADW1F9Baqw/xYlJ4PcRqNZuq6OstdGFms4ToOP81KIlbJi

Solution #2-

https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=oTOKuSqLokqFRarUHxOWMZ4rMpkpXZC0Sg8zv++1qev07Vg9PA0sgLjIvYHJXcdE

If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here:

https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate

Episode 169- FM Terry Chapman (adult improver series)

Photo courtesy of FM Terry Chapman

FM Terry Chapman is a  63-year old retired businessman, having floated his company on the main market of the London Stock Exchange in 1999, with a day one capitalization of over £100 million. The Terence Chapman Group Plc was a major sponsor of chess activities in Britain, but Terry is probably best known in the English chess community for his charity match against Garry Kasparov in 2001 (at two pawns odds), which he only narrowly lost, 1 1/2 - 2 1/2!

As he discussed in the great book, Chess for Life by GM Mathew Sadler and WIM Natasha Regan, Terry retired in 2007 and started devoting a lot of energy to competitive chess. In the next handful of years, he took his rating from 2156 to a peak of 2331! Last summer, Terry came equal first in the British over 50's Championship, a title he was proud to add to his British junior championship title won 49 years previously. In our conversation, Terry catches us up on what has occurred since the 2016 publication of Chess for Life. He shares the chess improvement lessons he has learned over the ups and downs of the last 12 years. Please read on for more details and timestamps.

Click here to download the episode

0:00- We begin by delving a bit into Terry’s chess and personal background. What life circumstances motivated him to ramp up his competitive chess in the year 2007?  

Mentioned: GM Jonathan Rowson

7:00 How had the chess world changed in the years that Terry was busy building a career and raising a family? Did he feel rusty upon returning to the board? 

Mentioned: Chessbase 

13:00- A Patreon supporter of Perpetual Chess asks FM Chapman if he thinks one should change their opening repertoire as they get older? 

Mentioned: NM Fred Wilson, GM Ben Finegold 

17:00- What coaches has Terry worked with?

Mentioned: GM Jonathan Speelman 

21:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Here are a few of the tactics resources Chessable offers: 

Mastering Mates: https://www.chessable.com/mastering-mates-1-1111-one-move-mates/course/11134/

Tactics Time: 

https://www.chessable.com/tactics-time-1/course/21108/

Woodpecker Method:  

https://www.chessable.com/the-woodpecker-method/course/10582/

22:00- Patreon supporter, and adult improver  NM Han Schut writes in to ask Terry to ask for an update about time trouble issues that Terry mentioned in Chess for Life.  

Mentioned: GM Natalia Zhukova 

32:00- What is a typical day of chess study like for Terry Chapman? 

Mentioned: Chess Calculation Training Volume 2: Endgame by GM Romain Edouard, New in Chess Yearbooks, New in Chess Magazine 

43:00- Terry has described himself as a bit of an opening specialist, but also says his memory is nothing special.  How does he pull that off? 

Mentioned: Kotrianas on the King’s Indian 

49:00 What other books does Terry recommend for Club players? 

Mentioned: Aagaard Manual Volume 1, From Amateur to IM, Winning Chess Strategies, Kasparov’s My Great Predecessors, Pump Up Your Rating, Yusopov books, Everyman Chess Move by Move series 

56:00- What is the latest on Terry’s chess progress? 

1:00- Terry tells a few stories about brushes with chess legends, including playing a charity game with Garry Kasparov. 

Mentioned: GM Tony Miles, GM Ding Liren, GM Vishy Anand, GM Vladimir Kramnik , Garry Kasparov on Desert Island Discs, Understanding Maroczy Structures by GM Adrian Mikhalchishin 

1:15- Thanks so much to Terry Chapman for sharing his tips and some great stories. You can reach him via email here: tpdchapman@gmail.com.

Episode 168- Previewing the FIDE Candidates tournament with GM Daniel King

Photo by Lennart Ootes, courtesy of GM Daniel King

With the highly anticipated FIDE Candidates tournament starting in a matter of days, I am honored to be joined by Grandmaster Daniel King to preview the tournament. GM King is well known for his accomplishments as a chess player, journalist and announcer. The videos on his YouTube channel, Powerplay Chess, are always a must-watch for me.  GM King will be part of FIDE’s announcing team for this event, and we talked to him just days before he planned to leave for Yekaterinaburg, Russia for the tournament. We recorded this interview on Tuesday, March 10.  Please read on for details and timestamps. 

Click here to download the episode.

0:00- Intro.  We set the scene for the FIDE Candidates Tournament and discuss the dramatic late entry of GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, who is replacing GM Teimour Radjabov who withdrew from the tournament due to concerns about the Corona/Covid-19 virus. 

Mentioned: FIDE World Senior Team Championship: https://www.europechess.org/fide-world-senior-team-chess-championship-2020-starts-today/ 

10:00- This episode is brought to  you in part by Chessable! Check out GM Simon Williams brand new course “The Black Lion” here. 

12:00- The odds I listed for the Candidates come from Unibet UK, you can find them here (They have changed a bit since we recorded): 

https://www.unibet.co.uk/betting/sports/filter/chess/world_championship/candidates/all/competitions/1005917216 

We discuss the individual Candidates in the following order: 

13:00- GM Kirill Alekseenko 

Mentioned: GM Ali Firouzja

16:23- GM Fabiano Caruana 

19:00- GM Anish Giri 

23:20- GM Alexander Grischuk 

Mentioned: Chess24’s Candidates 2020 A Preview: https://chess24.com/en/learn/advanced/video/candidates-2020-a-preview/candidates-2020-intro GM Peter Svidler 

26:15- GM Wang Hao 

Mentioned: Chessbase India’s IM Sagar Shah interviews Wang Hao: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_elqkx-IgI

30:30 GM Ding Liren 

34:30- GM Ian Nepomniachtchi 

39:00- GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave

Mentioned: UEFA Euro 1992 Final: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Euro_1992_Final, GM Etienne Bacrot 

45:00- Thanks so much to Daniel King for joining the show. You can watch the FIDE Broadcast with GMs King, Judit Polgar and Evgeni Miroschenko beginning on March 15 here:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9B47GnzCRFHTT1BIBWvStQ

Subscribe to GM King’s PowerPlayChess here:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMBATpFb--uLNAODOVWvCTA

Support GM King via Patreon here: 

https://www.patreon.com/powerplaychess/posts

If you would like to support Perpetual Chess via Patreon, you can do so here:

https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchessual Chess via Patreon, you can do so here:

https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess

Episode 167- IM Jop Delemarre

Photo via IM Jop Delemarre

IM Jop Delemarre is a former Dutch Youth Champion who has been a full-time chess trainer since 2004. Over the years, he has worked with many strong young players who went on to earn IM and GM titles.  Jop is an expert in the Chess Steps curriculum and was a student of one of its founders, Rob Brunia. Due to his expertise in the Steps Method, Jop recently offered a Chess Steps Certification Workshop, that I and a few other U.S. based chess teachers recently completed and greatly enjoyed. Jop joined me to discuss this workshop, share plans for potential future workshops, and to reflect on his career in general. Jop shared plenty of great advice for chess improvers and teachers alike. Please read on for more details and show notes. 

Click here to download the episode.

0:00- Jop shares some details about his life background, and the background of the Chess Steps Method. 

Mentioned: GM Robin Van Kampen, Chess Steps Method, Rob Brunia, IM Cor van Wijgerdan, NM Matan Prilleltensky, Paul Swaney, NM Shawn Hoshall, NM Han Schut, US Chess Digital Editor John Hartmann 

11:50- A Patreon supporter of the pod writes in to ask if the Chess Steps Method can be used as a “stand alone” improvement method. 

Mentioned: Chess Steps Manuals, Chess Steps Workbook, Chess Tutor CDs

21:30- IM Jop Delemarre gives more details about how an opportunity for a Chess Steps Teacher Training Workshop came about, and discusses what the future plans are for more teacher certification workshops.  

Mentioned: Paul Swaney, Geert van der Velde 

26:40- Question from friend and former guest of the podcast, NM Han Schut, about whether the Steps Teacher Trainer program is sanctioned by the founder of the Steps Method, IM Cor van Wijgerdan

Mentioned: Han Schut on Perpetual Chess 

31:00- For the teachers listening, and for those interested in learning more about this generally, I share a few of the lessons that I learned from completing Chess Steps Teacher Certification Training. 

Mentioned: Email Jop here: jdelemarre@hotmail.com, 

39:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable. You can check out FM Kamil Plichta’s new course, Four Horsemen: The Sicilian Four Knights here: https://www.chessable.com/four-horsemen-the-sicilian-4-knights-defense/course/33443/

39:30- Jop discusses the reasons why practicing things repeatedly is important to acquire chess skills. 

Mentioned: Peter Newhall, Susan Polgar series, Yusopov series  

47:00- Jop shares a few of his favorite chess books. 

Mentioned: Techniques of Positional Play, Chess Lessons by Popov, Tatiana and Nadhezda Kosintseva, Greatest 525 Puzzles by GM Csaba Balogh, IM Mark Dvoretsky’s books, Aagaard’s books, GM Boris Gelfand’s books, My Great Predecessors by GM Garry Kasparov , Tactics Time, Elizabeth Spiegel, IM Jeremy Silman, Mastering Opening Strategy by GM Johan Hellsten, IM Herman Grooten 

1:01:00- Jop shares a few highlights from his career as a chess competitor, including a mini match with Dutch chess legend GM Jan Timman. 

Mentioned: GM Alexey Dreev, GM Evgeni Bareev. GM Anatoly Karpov, Delemarre-Brodsky 1994,  Delemarre-Timman 1995, Sokolov-Delemarre 1997, GM Loek Van Wely 

1:06:00- As a polyglot, what language-learning practices is Jop able to apply to chess improvement? 

1:14:00- Thanks to Jop for joining the show! You can reach him via email here:

jdelemarre@hotmail.com Visit his website here:  https://schaaktrainer.nl/online-chess-lesson/

You can learn more about the Steps method on the official website here, and order the Steps books in the U.S. here.

If you would like to help support the podcast you can do so here:

https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate

Episode 166- GM Jacob Aagaard and GM R.B. Ramesh

GMs Ramesh and Aagaard share a laugh (courtesy of GM Aagaard)

This week we feature a double attack from two of the premier chess trainers in the world! GM Jacob Aagaard is the co-founder of Quality Chess Publishing,  is an award winning author, and has worked with many elite grandmasters including GM Boris Gelfand and GM Sam Shankland. GM R.B. Ramesh, is an award-winning trainer and author, who has coached the India National Team many times, and has worked with many young talents including GM Pragganandha. GMs Aagaard and Ramesh are both return guests  to Perpetual Chess, as they visit to discuss their new project, 365ChessAcademy.com. This new site offers dedicated chess students worldwide the ability to access daily lectures from a cadre of high level trainers, including themselves. In addition to explaining the vision behind this new project, they fielded many chess-improvement questions from Perpetual Chess listeners and provided many insights about common issues faced over the board. As always, you can find more details and timestamps below. 

Click here to download the episode.

0:00- We kick off by discussing the vision behind GM Aagaard and GM Ramesh’s new initiative, an online chess academy, called 365ChessAcademy. 

Mentioned: GM Sam Shankland, GM Ivan Salgado-Lopez, GM Julen Arizmendi Martinez, IM Renier Castellanos Rodriguez, GM Sabino Brunello 

16:00- What have been the unexpected challenges of launching this website? 

19:30- This episode is brought to you part by Chessable.com. You can check out the first two volumes of GM Arthur Yusopov’s acclaimed Fundamental chess series on Chessable, here: https://www.chessable.com/the-fundamentals-1-build-up-your-chess/course/19145/

https://www.chessable.com/the-fundamentals-2-boost-your-chess/course/14534/

20:30- We dive into some questions from the Patreon mailbag, beginning with Jacob and Ramesh tackling the age-old question of how to allocate one’s chess study time. Is it better to focus on improving your weaknesses or building your strengths in your game? As a baseline for club players, GM Ramesh recommends spending 60% of study time on middlegame, 20% on endgame, and 20% on opening. 

Mentioned: GM Elizbar Ubilava  

35:30- The next Patreon question relates to chess study.  How does one know when to switch areas of focus in study, and how to draw up chess training plans. 

Mentioned: GM Sam Shankland, GM Boris Gelfand, GM Viswanathan Anand, Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual  

45:00- Another Patreon supporter writes to ask how he can work to limit tactical oversights in his games. 

Mentioned: Quality Chess’s Yusopov Build up Your Chess Series, 365 Chess Academy’s Youtube Channel 

54:30- Another Patreon question: How can one structure studies such that they acquire actual chess skills instead of just chess knowledge? 

Mentioned: Quality Chess Academy Camps: https://qualitychessacademy.com/june2020/

1:00:00- One more question: Should we change our study approach as we get closer to a tournament? 

Mentioned: John Hartmann, GM Jan Gustafsson 

1:02:00- Why is it that GM Aagaard has said that he doesn’t believe in goals? 

Mentioned: TheBestChessBooks.com, S.M.A.R.T. goals, How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big

1:06:00- Would GM Ramesh or GM Aagaard be interested in working on a World Championship prep team if an opportunity presented itself? 

Mentioned: GM Boris Gelfand, The Anand Files, IM Christopher Yoo 

Thanks again to Jacob and Ramesh to share so much of their wisdom about chess improvement. To find out more about their academy head on over to https://365chessacademy.com/  

Bonus Pod- Chess Books Recaptured- Discussing Think Like a Grandmaster with NM Christopher Chabris

GM Alexander Kotov

Available from Amazon and other sellers

We are back with another edition of Chess Books Recaptured, a monthly bonus pod where we break down the highlights, best quotes and chess tips to be derived  from a classic chess book. This month, I am lucky that a friend of the podcast, USCF Master, author, and renowned Cognitive Scientist Christopher Chabris, has agreed to join me to discuss the classic Soviet era book, Think Like a Grandmaster, by GM Alexander Kotov. Lots and lots more details and timestamps below. Enjoy! 😀

Click here to download the episode.

0:00- Chris provides a background details and shares why he wanted to discuss this book. 

Mentioned: Christopher Chabris’ Perpetual Chess Interview, October 9, 2018, 

Recommended by Perpetual Chess guests, GM Rafeal Leitao, GM R.B. Ramesh, and Adult Improver Stepian Tomic (aka Hanging Pawns), Book versions- Batsford paperback, Kindle version,  GM John Nunn, FM Graham Burgess 

9:00- What was happening in the chess world when this classic was first published, in 1971?  

Mentioned: 1971 in Chess (link includes top 10),  Zurich 1953, GM Bobby Fischer,  The Rise and Fall of David Bronstein by GM Genna Sosonko, 

16:00- We segue into some biographical details about GM Kotov. 

Play Like a Grandmaster, GM Mikhail Botvinnik, GM Vassily Smyslov, GM Grigory Levenfish, The Soviet School of Chess, The Soviet Chess School, Averbakh-Kotov 1953, Averbakh-Kotov Kingscrusher Video, LiChess Analysis Board, GM Viswanathan Anand 

22:00- For what level of chess player is this book best suited?  

24:30- Perpetual Chess Recaptured is brought to you in part by Chessable. If you are looking for a great improvement manual for club-level players, check out Chess Strategy for Club Players by IM Herman Grooten here: https://www.chessable.com/chess-strategy-for-club-players/course/27755/

25:00- We dive into the opening paragraph of the book and discuss the structure of Think Like a Grandmaster. 

Mentioned: My System, Chess Fundamentals, Lasker’s Manual of Chess, Tree of Analysis, Candidate Moves 

33:00- What have other authors written about the idea of “candidate moves”?

Mentioned: IM Mark Dvoretsky’s Attack and Defense, Move First,Think Later, by IM Wlly Hendricks, Improve Your Chess Now by GM Jonathan Tisdall, Secrets of Practical Chess by GM John Nunn, GM Jacob Aagaard, GM Eugene Perelshteyn on Perpetual Chess, GM Arthur Yuspov 

45:00- We exchange some of our favorite quotes from the book.   There are some fun ones. :) 

Mentioned: GM Mikahil Botvinnik, GM Miguel Najdorf, Mr. Mike Shahade, Sitsfleisch, Spassky-Korchnoi 1968, Game 7, Hot-Cold Empathy Gap, IM Kostya Kavutskiy’s Blueprint: Time Management, GM Alexander Grischuk 

1:03:00- We highlight a few of our favorite games that are mentioned in Think Like a Grandmaster 

Mentioned:Rossolimo-Nestler 1950, Chessgames.com Membership, Plater-Botvinnik 1947 

Im Peter Romanovsky, GM Mark Taimanov

1:10:00- What are the chess improvement takeaways from this book?

Mentioned: Sergey Belavenets, GM Salo Flohr, Gm Vassily Smyslov, GM Jonathan Rowson, GM Jacob Aagaard, IM Erik Kislik, Blumenfeld’s Rule 

1:21:00- How useful for your chess improvement is this book?  

1:23:00- What would we change about this book if we could? 

Mentioned: Quality Chess Books

1:25:00- We share our closing thoughts on the book, including the reading of  a quote from IM Kostya Kavutskiy about why he included it in this fun and popular YouTube Video Top 4 Overrated Chess Books. 

Mentioned: Pump Up Your Rating, Improve Your Chess Now 

1:28:00- Thanks to Chris Chabris for sharing so much great insight.   You can keep up with him on Twitter or reach him via his website. 

Mentioned: Maryland Chess Association, Donate to support the Washington International here: 

Tournament Director Michael Regan’s Perpetual Chess Appearance 

1:31:00- In keeping with our tradition, I leave with 2 blindfold chess puzzles. Here is the piece placement and the diagram links. 

Puzzle #1- 

White- Pawns on c5, d5 and f4, king on b2

Black- Pawns on d7, e7 and h7, King on b5 

Puzzle- 

https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=RHhuFi0hv1fonVvn7AHKZPBb3dE65H4q4k9H27j+iKB/hlMfqSErCmr2NcYnwHmJ

Solution 

https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=PyQ8CWaYgNLRBSbjvHE34rLBbU3Gt9h8bfgm1g/pKsKRGnSA46tFfsapiV3sUxPt

Puzzle #2-

White- Pawns on f2 and g4, Bishop on f5, Queen on h8, King on d8

Black- King on g5 

Puzzle- 

https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=MGHFVw9/+CFYT8LQnSRn80+L5fcqpbxWlMLIBI2RP8uTrfCE3KgfhsKbj/pwrIw2

Solution-

https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=Hq/Y1By5LdPw3sRhFRdNF7dtVRn9oT8SgVFc92ZAWSkTS+BhVMmpF3OOdhSq3tIZ

If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here:

https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate

Episode 165- GM Viswanathan Anand

Photo by Eric van Reem, courtesy of Hachette India

This week my esteemed guest is none other than five-time World Champion and living chess legend, GM Viswanathan Anand!! Vishy has been busy as usual with high-level chess, as Tata Steel 2020 recently completed, and the Greinke Chess Classic is coming up for him in April. GM Anand also has recently released  (with co-author Susan Ninan) the inspiring and illuminating book, Mind Master: Winning Lessons from a Champion’s Life. This brilliant book provides a springboard for us to discuss various topics about which Vishy has unique insights. They include the effects of aging on his chess game, chess in the era of super engines, reflections on World Championship matches, life as a dad, and the side effects of fame. Please continue reading for more details and timestamps.

Click here to download the episode

1:00- Vishy reflects on the highs and lows of his recently completed tournament,Tata Steel 2020. Topics discussed include how he copes with tough losses as compared to how he coped earlier in life. 

Mentioned: Caruana-Anand 2020, Firouzja-Anand 2020, Anand-Vituigov 2020, Chessbase India- Anand gives an endgame lesson to Firouzja, IM Sagar Shah, GM Ivan Sokolov

9:00- The conversation segues to a discussion of the lost art of post-mortem analysis, and the broader topic of how computers have changed chess. 

Mentioned: GM Elizbar Ubilava, GM Gukesh D, GM Alireza Firouzja

16:00- A Patreon/Paypal supporter of the podcast wrote in to ask Vishy how he manages to appear so composed over the board. His answer surprised me! 

Mentioned: Chessbase India video: Vishy Anand on the 9 Best Games of his Career, Kramnik-Anand 2008

 22:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com.  Among many other great offerings, you can check out their free course, Tournament Tactics: Tata Steel Chess 2020, featuring game analysis from GM Harikrishna  

22:30- Vishy fields another Patreon mailbag question relating to how he maintains elite status into his 50th birthday. 

Mentioned: GM Magnus Carlsen, GM Ian Nepomniatchi, GM Nikita Vitiugov,  GM Ali Firouzja, GM Jordan van Foreest, Jeroen van den Berg (Tata Steel Organizer), GM Vladimir Kramnik,  October 2001 FIDE Top 100 list, 2013 FIDE World Chess Championship, 2014 FIDE Candidates Tournament , GM Judit Polgar, GM Alexander Morezevich,GM Vassily Ivanchuk, GM Boris Gelfand, 2017 FIDE World Rapid Championships

35:15- Is Vishy’s son enjoying chess? What are his other interests? 

Mentioned: Chesskid.com

38:00- Vishy reflects a bit more on prior world championship matches, and he expounds on a few memories and stories shared in Mind Master. 

Mentioned: The Anand Files by Michiel Abeln, GM Ivan Cheparinov, Silvio Danilov, Susan Ninan

44:30- Another Patreon supporter writes to ask about the standards Vishy uses in selecting a World Championship preparation team. 

Mentioned: GM Peter Heine Nielsen, GM Radoslaw Wotjaszek, GM Surya Ganguly, GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov, GM Grzegorz Gajewski, GM Sandipan Chanda

49:00- Is there a scenario in which Vishy would help out on a World Championship team in the 2020 match? How does he handicap the upcoming Candidates tournament? 

Mentioned: GM Ding Liren, GM Fabiano Caruana

54:30- Another listener writes to ask, “Are there downsides to being as famous as Vishy is, especially in chess circles?” This question led to Vishy’s sharing a couple of funny stories relating to being recognized or unrecognized in public. 

1:02:00- GM Anand’s next tournament is the Grienke Open in April of 2020. Thanks so much to GM Anand for joining me.  You can follow him on twitter, and can buy his book from Amazon and many other chess book  retailers.

If you would like to help support the Perpetual Chess, you can do so here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate

Episode 164- IM John Bartholomew returns

Photo courtesy of IM John Bartholomew

I had a lot to catch up on with IM John Bartholomew 2.5 years after his first visit to Perpetual Chess. Then,  as now, John is best known for his very popular Chess YouTube channel, and for being the co-founder of Chessable.com.   John has seen the company and his following continue to grow rapidly in the past few years, and as you may have heard, Chessable merged with GM Magnus Carlsen’s Play Magnus company in September of 2019. John also has recently released a large-scale  project, a Chessable video course , explaining the endgame classic, 100 Endgames You Must Know, and he even got to film a video testing the World Champion on the material from this vital chess book. 

In our conversation, John gave some behind-the-scenes details on all of these exciting events. He also threw in lots of good chess improvement advice in reply to some good questions from listeners. Please read on for more details and timestamps. 

Click here to download the interview.

0:00- Ways to interact with the Perpetual Chess Community include: Twitter, Perpetual Chess Facebook Group, and now, Perpetual Chess is sharing podcast clips on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/perpetualchess/

2:00- We begin by discussing John’s recent trip to Wijk an Zee in order to film a YouTube video with World Champion, GM Magnus Carlsen.

Mentioned: Perpetual Chess Episode 26 with IM John Bartholomew, Chessable CEO David Kramaley, John’s YouTube video testing Magnus on 100 Endgames You Must Know , Geert Van der Velde of Chessable, GM Fabiano Caruana, GM Nikita Vitiugov, GM Viswanathan Anand, GM Magnus Carlsen, GM Jesus de la VIlla 

 10:50- The first Patreon mailbag question of the week has to do with how the Chessable interface responds when someone (such as Magnus) inputs a solution to a puzzle that is not the primary solution. 

 16:00- John digs behind the scenes of how he made his 19+ hour video course, and discusses how this project affected his work as a chess teacher. 

Mentioned: Philidor position, Lucena Position, Vancura Position, John’s free Endgame Bootcamp Video, Floating Square, Bird’s Color Rule, IM Greg Shahade’s last Perpetual Chess Appearance 

 24:30- We discuss some of the points discussed in the Chess Reddit thread, Are Chessable video courses worth the money?  

 33:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable. As John mentioned, in addition to his video course, one can check out AlanB’s courses here: 

https://www.chessable.com/author/AlanB/

Chessable’s sale on the 100 Endgames You Must Know ends on February 16: https://www.chessable.com/100-endgames-you-must-know/course/5193/

 34:00- We switch to the topic of chess improvement and dig into the Patreon mailbag. John answers questions relating to his recent tweet  regarding planning chess study time, as well as one’s relating to the difference between IMs and FMs in chess skills, and what he notices in his most accomplished students. 

Mentioned: IM Kassa Korley, The Woodpecker Method on Chessable, Checkmate Patterns by CraftyRaf, LiChess, Internet Chess Club 

 52:00- The last Patreon question requests some additional resources to drill endgames:

Mentioned: Mastering Endgames Strategy, Chesstempo Endgame Drills, From Amateur to IM, Lifetime Repertoires: 1. E4 e5 with GM Jan Gustafsson 

 56:30- On John’s last visit to Perpetual Chess, he shared some good chess business ideas. Does he have more ideas? 

Mentioned: GM Hikaru Nakamura, GM Wesley So, Chessbrah’s YouTube, Fiona Steil-Antoni’s YouTube Vlogs , Chess.com, IM Danny Rensch, Chess24.com, Play Magnus, IM Dmitri Schneider

 1:05- What was it like for John to teach Bullet chess  phenom, GM Andrew Tang, aka Penguin GM, as a scholastic player? The puzzle John gave GM Andrew Tang can be seen here- https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=8x0P2obR3gRql0KNZaMJR9QVt5zI/QtoD/aUWVDnrOkEIL4R6/E/1C1f0qlezi/O  (to see the solution turn on the Engine icon just below the chessboard): 

Mentioned:  Tune Your Chess Tactics Antenna, GM Robert Hess 

 1:10- Thanks to John for coming back on the show. 

John’s YouTube Channel: 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6hOVYvNn79Sl1Fc1vx2mYA

John’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/fins0905?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

John’s 100 Endgames Video Course: 

https://www.chessable.com/100-endgames-you-must-know/course/5193/

Perpetual Chess Patreon Page:

https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess

Episode 163- USCF TD Michael Regan

Photo Courtesy of Michael Regan

Click here to download the episode.

By day, USCF Tournament Director Michael Regan is an Observatory Scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute.  By night and weekend, he runs some of the most player-friendly chess tournaments in the United States, primarily in the Maryland/Washington DC area. Michael joins me this week, to share all of his insights and secrets, gained from many years of figuring out to how to improve the player experience at weekend chess tournaments. We talked about everything from hotel booking, to fair play to punctuality to hygiene. This is an important conversation for any active tournament player, so please take a listen. Timestamps and more details can be found below. 

0:00- Perpetual Chess is now on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/perpetualchess/

You can also interact with me and the Perpetual Chess community  via Twitter and the Perpetual Chess Facebook Group . 

3:00- Michael goes a bit into his chess background, and shares what frustrated him about the other tournaments in which he and his son often played when he first got into chess. Michael’s primary frustration was with tournaments that often started late. 

Mentioned: DGT Chess Boards and Clocks

11:30- Michael shared a lot of insight into the mechanics of booking hotels for chess tournaments. 

Mentioned: The Baltimore Open (coming this weekend) 

19:00- Why does Michael prefer to run tournaments with time increments rather than delay? 

24:30- What does Michael think of the arguments that there needs to be shorter time control as well as more break times during chess tournaments?

Mentioned:  IM Greg Shahade’s most recent Perpetual Chess Interview 

30:00 This episode is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Check out John Bartholomew’s video course explaining the endgame classic 100 Endgames You Must Know: 

https://www.chessable.com/100-endgames-you-must-know/course/5193/

31:00- Michael answers a question from a Patreon supporter of the podcast regarding how to handle a small tournament field with large rating gaps among the players. 

33:30- We discuss the dreaded issue of fair play. How can we prevent people from cheating using engines? 

39:00- How can we promote better hygiene among chess players and thus limit the risk of illnesses and viruses being spread? 

43:00- What is going on with Michael’s chess game? 

45:00- Michael’s closing advice for those looking to make chess tournaments better are:

1. Start on time

2. Provide equipment (helps start on time) 

49:50- Why does Michael often use a prize payment structure of paying a fixed amount based on players’ scores, rather than paying “1st place, 2nd place, etc.:? 

52:00- Thanks so much to Michael for sharing his ideas and for coming on the show. If you would like to try one of his tournaments and find out what it’s like to be treated like a professional, you can see his upcoming schedule on the Maryland Chess Association website. 

If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess you can do so here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate