Episode 194- FM Yuriy Krykun

Photo courtesy of FM Yuriy Krykun

FM Yuriy Krykun is a young and accomplished chess player, graduate student, trainer and author. As a player, Yuriy was the 2018 Under 20 Champion,  is rated nearly 2500 USCF, and in 2019, he attained 2 IM norms.  Since Yuriy’s hopes to earn one more IM Norm have been delayed by coronavirus, he has been focusing on churning out quality opening courses and books. 

I was particularly eager to discuss Yuriy’s new Chessable course, The Dynamic Italian Game, which focuses on the Evans Gambit. As we discuss, modern chess engines have made lots of new discoveries in the famed Evans, so it was a fun course for him to write, and it’s a fun opening to play if you are a club player looking for dynamic positions. Lastly, since Yuriy is norm chasing himself, and is also an active coach, he had lots of good chess improvement recommendations. As always, you can find lots more details, timestamps and relevant links below. 

Click here to download the episode.

0:00- We begin by discussing how Yuriy has been impacted by coronavirus. He got stranded when visiting his native Ukraine, but now he has returned to St. Louis, where he can train with the powerhouse Webster University Chess Team. Yuriy also discusses why he decided to study at Webster. 

Mentioned:Webster University, Yuriy’s Chessable Course page,  A Complete Repertoire for Black after 1. e4-e5 ,  Squeezing the King’s Indian Defense

GM  Ilya Nyzhnyk, GM Lázaro Bruzón Batista, GM Alexander Lenderman, GM Peter Prohaska, GM Aram Hakobyan, GM John Burke,GM Emilio Cordova, GM Yuniesky Quesada 

10:00- Yuriy shares his reasons for designing a Chessable course on the historic Evans Gambit, The Dynamic Italian Game,

Mentioned: Stacia Pugh, GM Jan Gustafsson 

22:00- As always, Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. In addition to Yuriy’s courses, FM Kamil Plichta is out with a new course on the Budapest Gambit (free preview here) and there is tons more to check out on the site.  

22:45- We discuss Yuriy’s approach to engine use, as well as his advice for how much improvers should be using them. 

Mentioned: Stockfish, AlphaZero, LeelaZero, Fat Fritz, GM Patrick Wolff, Stockfish NNUE

29:30- What study tools did Yuriy use during his quick ascent up the chess-rating ladder? What study advice does he have for current adult improvers of different levels? 

Mentioned: GM Alex Yermolinsky’s The Road to Chess Improvement, Zurich 1953, Endgame Strategy, Yusopov Chess School Series, Logical Chess Move by Move, How to Reassess Your Chess  

40:00- What are Yuriy’s current chess goals and plans?

Mentioned: Charlotte Chess Center 

44:30- What is next for Yuriy, chess-content wise? How is life in St. Louis? 

Mentioned: Check for Yuriy’s YouTube Channel here

49:30- Despite coronavirus, FIDE has announced that the 2020 Candidates will resume in November. What does Yuriy think about it?

Mentioned: GM Teimour Radjabov 

53:00- Thanks to Yuriy for joining the show.  He has lots more stuff coming out, so it would be wise to keep up with him the following ways: 

Twitter-

YouTube-

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

Episode 193- Tom Murphy

Photo by Nathan Kelly of the National Blitz League

USCF expert Tom Murphy is undoubtedly one of the most renowned “park speed chess” players to live in the U.S. in the last few decades. He is a local legend in the cities in which he has lived:  Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and Chicago, and has often been featured in the local media in those cities. It’s hard to miss Tom in popular chess hotspots due to his strong play and his entertaining banter. In our conversation we cover topics ranging from blitz and trash-talking tips, to Tom’s unique improvement advice, to the most money he has made in a day while gambling on chess. Tom shares many great stories and has an evident love of chess, but his life has not always been easy. As we also discuss, Tom has battled addiction at times, and even had a short stint in jail as a result of these issues. As you can tell, Tom has quite a story to tell! More details can be found below, along with time stamps and relevant links. 

Click here to download the episode.

0:00- Perpetual Chess Happy Hour info here:

https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/happyhour

2:45- Tom tells the origin story of how he discovered chess as a teenager in Philadelphia and began to take it increasingly seriously over time. 

Mentioned: Central High School, NM Norman “Pete” Rogers, A Contemporary Approach to the Middle Game by GM Alexei Suetin, NM Wilbert Paige

8:30- Tom tells the formative story of a moment when a top player underestimated him, and how this served to motivate him to work to improve.

Mentioned: IM Anthony Saidy, GM Yasser Seirawan, GM Robert Byrne 

11:30- Does Tom consider himself a chess hustler? 

Mentioned: Daaim Shabazz of The Chess Drum’s coverage of Tom Murphy: https://www.thechessdrum.net/blog/2018/10/24/tom-murphy-wins-chicagos-3rd-tate-memorial/

Tim Ferris video in which GM Maurice Ashley plays a park player - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5vnpOp0U_g

14:45- Tom Murphy answers a question from the Patreon mailbag about the art of trash- talking. 

Sideline: The History of Chess from a Black Point of View preview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVEWz_mzT8Q 

16:45- What is the story behind the birth of the Chicago based National Blitz League? 

Mentioned: Nathan Kelly,  https://www.nblchess.com/, Daniel X Jones, George Li

19:45- Tom reveals his “3 Ps” for chess improvement- Patience, Perseverance and a Peaceful Mind 

Mentioned: IM Greg Shahade, WGM Jennifer Shahade 

23:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Check out all of their latest offerings here. 

https://www.chessable.com/courses/

24:00- Who is Tom’s best “customer” of all time in terms of playing him in blitz for money? 

Mentioned: FM Sunil Weerumantry 

27:15- Who is the strongest player Tom ever faced? What were the reasons for his moving from Philly to DC, and then later to Chicago?

GM Roman Dzindzichashvilli, GM Ben Finefold, GM Nikola Mitkov 

30:30- Does Tom think that park chess is dying? 

The National Blitz League Facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/NationalBlitzLeague

Henry Getz, Steve Jennings 

32:00- Tom has battled addiction in the past, has been homeless for periods and even spent six months in jail due to addiction issues, so he reflects on that experience and offers advice to others battling addiction. 

37:30- Is Tom stronger online or over the board? 

38:00- What are Tom’s favorite chess publications to read? 

Mentioned: New in Chess Magazine,  Endgame Strategy, The Art of the Middle Game in Chess, My System, 500 Master Games of Chess 

44:00- How does Tom use computers to work on his chess game? 

Mentioned: The Perpetual Chess Facebook Group

46:00- What is Tom’s blitz chess advice? 

Mentioned: GM Pablo Riccardi

48:30- IM Greg Shahade writes in to ask about the state of Tom Murphy’s Ms. Pac Man skills, then Tom discusses his enthusiasm for poker and backgammon. 

Mentioned: Paul Baraz 

55:00- Thanks so much to Tom for sharing his great stories! If you would like to contact him about online lessons, you can text him at 202-279-1442

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

Adult Improver follow up - Andrzej Kryzdwa and Stacia Pugh return!

This week we have a special edition of Perpetual Chess, as the two first adult improver guests return to the show to update us on the state of their chess games, their lives, and their improvement regimens. The guests are Andrzej Krzydwa and Stacia Pugh, who both originally appeared on the show 2+ years ago (links to their interviews below.) Andrzej is a Polish small business owner, dad and programmer who manages to devote a ton of time to his chess improvement. At the time of our first interview he had just earned an IM norm by posting a dazzling 2579 performance rating in a tournament called the Katowice Spring 2018 . Stacia is a former professional cornhole player who now devotes all of her time to studying chess and teaching with Ohio’s Progress with Chess. At the time of our first interview she had gained 300 rating points in the prior years, and Stacia exuded an evident passion for chess improvement. Both guests come back with new improvement tips in addition to a continued appreciation of some of their favorite study methods mentioned in their first interviews. Lastly, I wanted to thank another former adult improver guest, Jason Cigan. A follow up with Jason was originally planned to be part 3 of this episode, but through no fault of Jason’s we encountered technical issues that forced me to postpone that interview. Please read on for more details and show notes. 

Episode 76 with Andrzej Krzydwa, June 3,2018

Episode 87 with Stacia Pugh, August 14, 2018

Click here to download the episode.

0:00- Here is the info you need for the announcements made at the top of the show. 

1. If you are interested in signing up for the randomized trial of best improvement methods sign up at the following link or email empirical.chess@gmail.com

I make a couple of announcements at the top of Tuesday’s episode.   First, a devoted improver is going to run a proper randomized trial of best improvement methods. It is only for certain ratings, but go to the link below to get all the details. Matt is hoping to run a similar study in the future for higher rated players as well. 

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=DQSIkWdsW0yxEjajBLZtrQAAAAAAAAAAAAN__g8mdqpUOVhEQTBKRUlKQzNDQTlVMDdWUkpOR0s5Ti4u

1. You can find more information about the Perpetual Chess Happy Hour here: 

https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/happyhour 

6:00- Andrzej  Krzyydwa rejoins the show, and we dive right into an update of how his chess games have been going. 

Mentioned: Kasparov on Kasparov 

11:45- What does Andrzej  notice from analysing his games? What are the tournament fields like in Poland? 

Mentioned: GM Bartosz Soćko  

19:30- Andrzej  discusses the ways that he finds chess competition meditative, and also discusses his actual meditation practice. 

23:00- How is Andrzej able to maintain his morale when results aren’t going as well as he would like? He also answers a question from the Patreon mailbag about whether or not he ever suffers from chess burnout, and he gives a few improvement recommendations. 

Mentioned: GM David Navara, Perpetual Chess Episode 173 with Philemon Thomas, 365ChessAcademy.com, Chessable.com, Hiarcs Chess Explorer, ChessPublishing.com, FM Kamil Plichta 

32:00- Thanks to Andrzej for coming back on the show, you can keep up with him via the following outlets:

Facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/From2100ToInternationalMaster

Twitter- https://twitter.com/From2100ToIM

33:00- Perpetual Chess Yasser Seirawan’s classic book Winning Chess Strategies is now available on Chessable.com! Check out a free sample of it here: 

https://www.chessable.com/winning-chess-strategies-free-lesson/course/50034/

33:30- Stacia Pugh rejoins the show to talk about how her life and chess have progressed since our previous conversation. 

NM Michael Joelson, IM Calvin Blocker, IM Marc Esserman, Stacia’s blog is here:

https://www.chess.com/member/midnaslament 

44:00- Why did Stacia revamp her opening repertoire, and how has it affected her results? 

49:00- In our first interview Stacia was an advocate of the use of flashcards, does she still believe in them? She also delves into her current chess study regimen. 

Mentioned: The Art of Checkmate, Progress with Chess’ Tuesday Tussle 

56:00- We revisit Stacia’s top 10 improvement tips, shared in our first interview. 

59:00- Stacia shares her advice regarding how to deal with burnout in chess. 

1:00:00- Have Stacia’s goals changed since our first conversation? 

1:01:00- Thanks to Stacia for stopping by and catching up.  Here is how to keep up with her:

Chess.com blog-https://www.chess.com/member/midnaslament

YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn2k14U03rNRHApDIloxOkA

Twitter- https://twitter.com/StaciaMelinda

Episode 192- GM Avetik Grigoryan

Photo courtesy of Chessmood.com

Avetik Grigoryan is an Armenian grandmaster and chess trainer, who is also the founder and lead instructor of Chessmood.com. Chessmood is a subscription based educational chess site that offers a large library of instructive videos, covering all phases of a chess game. Avetik has a team of grandmasters working with him on the site, who also answer member questions, stream shows, and write articles. In our conversation, Avetik shares his vision for chessmood, gives some  improvement tips and book recommendations, and tells some great stories of a few key moments in his life that changed his perspective about life and about chess. It was a fun and wide ranging conversation. Please read on for more details and timestamps. 

Click here to download the episode.

0:00- We begin by discussing a bit about the background of Chessmood, and the day-to-day life of running Chessmood.com and generating tons of videos related to all phases of the chess game. 

07:30- What issues does Avetik see in the students he works with through Chessmood.com?

13:00- GM Kevin Goh’s recent Perpetual Chess Interview (Episode 184) really resonated with listeners, and in the interview Kevin gave Avetik a lot of credit for helping him attain the grandmaster title. What is Avetik’s perspective on Kevin’s accomplishments? 

Mentioned: Kevin Goh on Perpetual Chess- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-184-gm-kevin-goh-adult-improver-series/id1185023674?i=1000483159400

19:00- What type of material is available on Chessmood? 

Mentioned: GM Ulf Andersson, GM Vassily Smyslov, GM Akiba Rubinstein , The Scotch Game, The Benko Gambit, The Maroczy Bind, The London System, The Open Sicilian, Caro Kann, The Grand Prix Attack, The King’s Gambit 

28:30- Avetik answers a Patreon mailbag question about whether Chessmood will be covering 1. d4 in addition to 1. e4, This leads to a general discussion about its philosophy regarding course design. 

Mentioned: The Benko Gambit, The Scotch Game

34:00- Perpetual Chess is proud to be sponsored in part by Chessable.com. They are releasing new courses practically every day, including a new course on the Chebanenko Slav, and GM Anish Giri on the French Defense. Check out their latest offerings here: 

https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/

35:00- Avetik tells the story of how a taxi ride as a teenager changed his life, and then discusses the chess culture and general lifestyle in his native Armenia. 

Mentioned: WGM Tatev Abrahamyan, GM Melik Khachiyan, GM Levon Aronian, GM Tigran Petrosian, GM Alex Colovic interview with Avetik-https://www.alexcolovic.com/2020/01/interview-with-gm-avetik-grigoryan/

42:30- Why did GM Grigoryan transition from focusing on OTB competitive chess to training? 

Mentioned: GM Patrick Wolff, GM Viswanthan Anand, GM Hrant Melkumyan, Anand-Grigoryan 2011

51:00- Avetik answers a question from the Patreon mailbag about what it was like to play at the St. Louis Chess Club, and whether he would do so again despite being partially retired from competitive chess. 

56:30- What did Avetik study when he was working to achieve the grandmaster rating? What does he recommend? 

Mentioned: GM Zaven Andriasian, IM Mark Dvoretsky, Gelfand’s My Most Memorable Games, GM Vladimir Akopian

1:03:00- How should we divide our chess study time? Once your opening repertoire is decent, Avetik recommends dividing study time evenly between openings and tactics. 

GM Daniel Naroditsky 

1:08:00- Is it true that Avetik is a Kung Fu GM? What other interests does he have outside of chess? 

Way of the Peaceful Warrior, IM Josh Waitzkin’s The Art of Learning, Tools of Titans, Arnold Schwarzenegger, IM Sagar Shah of Chessbase India  

1:15:00- Thanks so much to Avetik for coming on the show!

Here is how to reach him:

Chessmood.com

Avetik’s Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=avetik%20gm%20grigoryan

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

https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate

Book recap: Talking Blindfold Chess with guest co-host Jerry Wells

Illustration in Harper's Weekly, November 1858, of Paul Morphy playing eight simultaneous games blindfold is from from Fred Wilson's book "A Picture History of Chess".

This month on Chess Books Recaptured, guest co-host Jerry Wells and I do a deep dive on the topic of Blindfold Chess. Jerry is an Arkansas-based school teacher, chess coach, and dedicated adult improver who has emphasized blindfold chess in his study regimen. The first half of the show is devoted to discussing the definitive work on blindfold chess, called Blindfold Chess, History, Psychology, Techniques, Champions, World Records, and Important Games. The book is by NM Eliot Hearst and John Knott, and it was clearly a labor of love from two passionate chess enthusiasts. Following our conversation about this detailed historical tome, Jerry and I summarize and share many other resources you all can check out if you are interested in improving your own blindfold and visualization skills. We’ve got lots of detailed links and show notes for this one, so please read on to find them along with timestamps. 

Click here to download the episode

0:00- We begin by learning a bit about the background of our guest co-host, Jerry Wells, and about why he was interested in the book Blindfold Chess, History, Psychology, Techniques, Champions, World Records, and Important Games, by Eliot Hearst and John Knott, and why he has worked on his own blindfold game. 

Mentioned: Perpetual Chess 191 with GM Daniel Naroditsky, Link for forthcoming blindfold study book by Martin Justesen: https://saychessblog.com/100-blindfold-endgame-studies/

10:30- As we discuss, Blindfold Chess is primarily available in paperback from Macfarland Publishing. There are no e-books available. 

Mentioned: GM Richard Reti, GM George Koltanowski 

12:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. One way to work on your visualization skills is through Chessable’s excellent, Visualize series by Benedictine. Check it out here: https://www.chessable.com/visualise-1/course/25695/

13:00- We read the opening paragraphs of the book and dive into its contents. 

Mentioned: GM Alexander Alekhine, Alfred Binet, Harry Pillsbury, GM Timur Garyev, GM Andy Soltis, John Knott’s essay on Timur Garyev’s Blindfold Simul Record: https://www.blindfoldchess.net/blog/2017/07/timur-gareyev-and-blindfold-chess . NM Christopher Chabris, Andre Philidor, Lionel Kieseritzky, Louis Paulson, Paul Morphy, Joseph Blackburne, Johannes Zukertort, GM Patrick Wolff 

31:00-  A recurring question in the book is whether or not performing many blindfold simuls can drive you insane? What did the authors conclude? 

Mentioned: Harry Pillsbury George Koltanowski 

35:30- We discuss a few of the other notable players mentioned in the book. 

Mentioned: GM Miguel Najdorf, GM Ken Rogoff, The simul Polgars, GM Robert Hungaski 

40:00- We answer a Patreon mailbag question about the ranking of  George Koltanowski in the pantheon of blindfold players throughout chess history. 

Mentioned: GM Hans Ree, GM Erich Eliskases 

48:30- We discuss part 2 of the book, which synthesizes a lot of the research available regarding how chess players learn, and whether they have superior memories, etc. 

Mentioned: NM Christopher Chabris, The Melody Amber Blindfold Tournaments: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amber_chess_tournament, GM Peter Svidler, GM Vasyl Ivanchuk, GM Aman Hambleton 

56:30- We share a few of our favorite quotes from the book. 

Mentioned: GM Richard Reti, GM Reuben Fine. GM Alexander Alekhine 

1:03:00- We briefly discuss a few of the highlight games from the book. 

Mentioned: Alekhine-Schwartz 1926- https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1012453

Koltanowski-Burnett 1937- https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1080667

The Polgar game Jerry mentions is not available online. :( 

1:05:00 What blindfold-playing tips are shared within the book? 

Mentioned: George Koltanowski, Branco Tchabritch, GM Anthony Miles, IM John Watson

1:11:00- We synthesize a lot of Blindfold Tips from other chess books and other resources. 

Here are the resources we discuss: 

Improve Your Chess Now by GM Jonathan Tisdall 

Noir Chess- http://www.noirchess.com/

Chessvis- https://www.chessvis.com/

IM Danny Rensch’s- Achieving Full Board Awareness and Nivana videos- https://www.chess.com/video/player/achieving-full-board-awareness

https://www.chess.com/video/player/achieving-full-board-nirvana

Chess Steps Thinking Ahead Volume 2- 

https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Chess-Thinking-Chess-Steps-Stappenmethode/dp/9077275991

Visualize 1 on Chessable by Benedictine-

https://www.chessable.com/visualise-1/course/25695/

ChessFox Visualwize-

https://chessfox.com/discover-visualwize/

NM Elliott Neff’s Step by Step Blindfold Tips- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4U336yifjg

NM Elliott Neff on Perpetual Chess- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-94-uscf-master-and-author-elliott-neff/id1185023674?i=1000420893461

Blindfold Chess Podcast- 

https://open.spotify.com/show/28ktA1QA3CDeVlsmqyBNjU?si=-xR-VwdQSE2p3ostg_B60g

1:28:00- Thanks so much to Jerry Wells for suggesting this great topic and preparing so much. You can follow him twitter here: https://twitter.com/jerrywaynewells

And thanks to his suggestion of another donation to Books Through Bars: http://booksthroughbars.org/

1:31:00- Blindfold Puzzle Time! 

1.  (from Chess steps thinking ahead)- 1. E4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nf3 c5 4. d5 Nc6 5. ?

Answer in link 

https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=i/SeZIPEV+zgh1vQyYxcsHPf4zRuWjC/BEK3DPMwAJMLK3ZaqBz4oIh/i6Lj2FcH

1. Mate in 2 from Chess Steps vol. 3)

White: pawn on a5, queen on h1, King on c5

Black: King on a7, White to move and mate in 2

Puzzle here- https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=i/SeZIPEV+zgh1vQyYxcsPBGfWNYaw1qv8rv75i7wdqAgWRjQ5ZJJsHKak3PbZpn

Solution here- 

https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=i/SeZIPEV+zgh1vQyYxcsAPaHMPl3f4XVKuYmauWUmXuob4BDxSjxMtMPOQGmvN7

1. Pillsbury- BVD Dixon, 1900, Blindfold Simul- what move did Pillsbury “overlook” on move 10 for Black 

[Event "Pillsbury blindfold sim"]

[Site "New Orleans"]

[Date "1900.03.08"]

[Round "?"]

[White "Pillsbury, Harry Nelson"]

[Black "Dixon, B."]

[Result "0-1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bc5 5. O-O O-O 6. Nxe5 Qe7 7. Nxc6 dxc6

2. Bd3 Qe5 9. h3 Bxh3 10. gxh3 

What move did Pillsbury “overlook” on move 10 for Black? 

Game link with conclusion here… 

https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=c57YHXax2Ne7ie/drf4LwuRfIo9w1v+xHVLGC+AXsXkMMdtS+IPivvhL+brTDBwn

Thanks for listening everyone! If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate

Episode 191- GM Daniel Naroditsky

Photo by LavaPK/CC0 via Wikimedia Commons 

24 year old GM Daniel “Danya” Naroditsky is one of the top players in the US, and won many scholastic titles in his career, including the 2007 World Under 12 Championship. He also has written two chess books, and graduated last year from Stanford University with a degree in history. Since graduating, Danya has relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina and turned his attention to chess full time. Aside from his classical chess accomplishments, Danya is making a name for himself as an entertaining and insightful Chess.com announcer, Twitch Streamer and Youtube presenter. GM Naroditsky is especially talented at fast chess, and has had many blitz and bullet battles with the likes of GM Magnus Carlsen, GM Alireza Firouzja and GM Andrew Tang. Danya sometimes wins and sometimes loses these matches, but the results are always entertaining. In our interview,  we discuss Danya’s many roles in the chess world, and Danya also provides the usual helping of chess improvement talk and entertaining stories. Please read on for more details and timestamps. 

Click here to download the episode

0:00- We begin by discussing GM Daniel Naroditsky’s favorite Perpetual Chess interviews and the dramatic conclusion to the recent tournament, Impact Chess, which concluded last week. 

Mentioned: Perpetual Chess Episode 46 with IM John Watson, Perpetual Chess Episode 190  with Andrew Zinn, GM Magnus Carlsen, GM Hikaru Nakamura  

7:30- I love watching Danya play blitz, so I had to ask him about his rise up the ranks, and his battles with the likes of Magnus Carlsen, Andrew Tang and other great bullet and blitz players. 

Mentioned: Mechanics Institute Chess Club in San Francisco, IM John Donaldson 

14:00- Our conversation segues into Danya’s practical advice for improving at fast chess, expanding on a great series he wrote for Chess.com, starting with The Blitz Chess Manifesto:

https://www.chess.com/article/view/the-blitz-chess-manifesto

Mentioned: How to be Lucky in Chess: The Swindle, GM Hikaru Nakamura, GM Alireza Firouzja

24:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Chessable  is constantly releasing new courses utilizing its MoveTrainer technology. It helps players assimilate patterns and learn opening lines efficiently. One of their latest is  a brand new course on the French by Super GM Anish Giri. Check out a free mini-course on it here:

https://www.chessable.com/short-sweet-french-defense/course/48354/ 

24:30- We delve more into Danya’s blitz escapades including some great stories of his first encounters with Magnus Carlsen in online blitz. 

Mentioned: Limitless,  Daniel’s YouTube Video- One of My Best Wins Against the World Champion: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9rd97X9Too

34:45- How could Danya get better at fast chess? What could he do to crack 2700 ELO at Classical Chess? 

Mentioned: GM Lev Psakhis, FIDE World Cup 

44:00- Despite Danya’s success with multiple chess platforms, chess teaching remains his #1 passion? Why? And what are the pros and cons of streaming? 

Mentioned: IM Levy Rozman 

55:00- a Patreon supporter of the podcast writes in to ask Danya to discuss a story he had heard about Danya’s taking  tons of notes about his games when he was a child. If you  are interested in supporting Perpetual Chess and submitting questions for guests, you can find out more here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate

Mentioned: Mastering Positional Chess, Mastering Complex Endgames 

1:01:30- Danya tells a great story of a personal encounter, as a promising young chess player,  with Garry Kasparov.  Then he names a few of his favorite books. 

Learn from the Legends, Zurich 1953, My 60 Memorable Games, Capablanca’s Chess Primer, IM John Donaldson 

1:04:30- We talk chess improvement, as I ask Danya the age old question of how to manage chess study time. 

Mentioned: The Best Move 

1:07:30- GM Naroditsky answers a Patreon mailbag question regarding whether he enjoys announcing scholastic tournaments, and how the presentation of these events could be improved. 

Mentioned: GM Robert Hess, Chess.com’s “I am Not a GM tournament”

1:11:00- Why are all these Chess Twitch stars so good at chess impersonations? Here is Danya doing GM Yasser Seirawan and GM Garry Kasparov 

Mentioned: IM Levy Rozman, GM Aman Hambleton, GM Alexander Grischuk

1:14:00- Why did Daniel relocate to Charlotte, and how is life there?

Mentioned: FM Peter Giannatos, Charlotte Chess Center and Scholastic Academy, Charlotte Chess Center Summer 2020 Norm Invitationals 

1:19:00- Thanks so much to GM Naroditsky for his insights, impersonations and fun stories. Here is how to keep up with him:

His Website- http://danielnaroditskychess.com/Home.html

YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHP9CdeguNUI-_nBv_UXBhw

Twitch-https://www.twitch.tv/GMNaroditsky

Twitter-https://twitter.com/gmnaroditsky?lang=en

Episode 190- Andrew Zinn (Adult Improver Series)

Andrew Zinn at the venerable Marshall Chess Club

Andrew Zinn is a 29 year old Mathematics graduate student who also works in the finance industry . Despite his busy career, Andrew managed to take his USCF rating from 1567 to 2027 in the two years leading up to the coronavirus shutdown. How did he do it? As Andrew tells us, he has an approach based on playing lots of tournament chess, reading classic chess books, and really focusing on improving his visualization skills. Of course, there is more to Andrew’s approach than that, as you will hear in the interview.  Andrew has much to say about what contributed to his remarkable rating leap. Please read on for more details and timestamps.

Click here to download the episode.

0:00- Andrew tells the story of his discovery of chess as a kid, and his rediscovery of the game in recent years. As Andrew explains it, his approach has changed a lot as an adult. 

Mentioned: GM Alex Shabalov, NM Jerry Meyers, Richard James, GM Magnus Carlsen

09:45- Andrew is also an adult improver as a piano player.   How did learning piano as an adult inform his chess learning? 

Mentioned: Chess by Laszlo Polgar, Blindfold Chess: History, Psychology, Techniques, Champions, World Records, and Important Games, Pillsbury, Alekhine, Lasker’s Manual of Chess, The Ideas Behind the Chess Openings by Reuben Fine   

22:30- A supporter of the podcast aska  Andrew what classical player he most likes to study. 

Mentioned: Masters of the Chessboard by Richard Reti, GM Alexander Alekhine

25:30- We discuss tournament chess. Andrew discusses how often he played competitively,  and answers a Patreon mailbag question about his approach to analyzing those games. 

Mentioned: Marshall Chess Club 

Mentioned: GM Jesse Kraai 

34:00- How much time per week has Andrew been devoting to chess? 

37:30- Chessable is out with another new course by none other than World Champion Magnus Carlsen. Like all of Chessable’s courses, it utilizes spaced repetition to make sure you remember what you learn. Check it out here:

https://www.chessable.com/the-magnus-touch-endgame/course/42361/

38:00- What has Andrew done to improve his chess visualization abilities? 

Mentioned: Think Like a Grandmaster by GM Alexander Kotov, IM John Donaldson, GM Jacob Aagaard, Chess Books Recaptured discussing Think Like a Grandmaster with NM Christopher Chabris. https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2020/2/21/bonus-pod-chess-books-recaptured-discussing-think-like-a-grandmaster-with-nm-christopher-chabris

44:00- Andrew answers one more Patreon question about which training technique he thinks has given him the best return on time invested. 

Mentioned: Zurich International Chess Tournament, 1953

52:00- What is Andrew’s approach to studying openings? 

54:30- What about endgames? 

Mentioned: Chess Endgames by Laszlo Polgar 

57:00- In closing, Andrew discusses his future plans for chess as his life continues to get busier. Thanks to Andrew for joining the show!

You can keep up with Andrew via Lichess:

https://lichess.org/@/Andrew_Zinn or you can email  him via email at zinn.andrew.m at gmail.com

Episode 189- GM Patrick Wolff

Photo courtesy of GM Patrick Wolff

Two-time US Chess Champion GM Patrick Wolff retired from competitive chess in 1998 and has led a busy life away from the board. He is married with two kids, and has had a successful career in the hedge fund industry. Nonetheless, Patrick shares, he still thinks about chess “all the time,” and he follows top level chess whenever he can. On the topic of top level chess, in the 1990’s Patrick had a ringside seat to World Championship Level chess, as he was a member of young Viswanthan Anand’s inner circle. Patrick wrote a great book about these experiences, Kasparov vs. Anand, The Inside Story, and shares some vivid recollections from observing the historic 1995 World Championship up close. Patrick is also the author of the popular series, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Chess (newly updated with the title, Learn to Play Chess Like a Boss.) As his unique background might suggest, Patrick is full of insights and ideas about the past and future of chess, artificial intelligence in chess, and the ways that chess could potentially be promoted differently to increase its popularity even more.I greatly enjoyed our conversation, and I think you will too! More details and timestamps can be found below. 

Click here to download the episode

0:00- We begin by talking about GM Wolff’s current relationship with chess. Despite being retired from competitive chess for decades, a day doesn’t go by during which Patrick  doesn’t think about chess, and he has had periodic binges of internet blitz addiction, which ultimately leave him unsatisfied. 

Mentioned: Chess24, Chess.com, GM Viswanathan Anand, Internet Chess Club, Christopher Chabris, GM Viktor Korchnoi. GM Vassily Smyslov, Anand-Wolff 1984

9:00- Patrick dives deeper into his working and professional relationship with GM Viswanathan Anand. He worked on his team for a few key matches, including his world championship match with Kasparov. 

Mentioned: PDF link for Kasparov vs. Anand, The Inside Story- here: http://chabris.com/pub/Wolff/index.html , GM Vasyl Ivanchuk, GM Boris Gelfand, Tim Henke, American Chess Journal featuring GM Wolff’s article about the 1992 Anand-Ivanchuk match can be read here: http://chabris.com/pub/acj/1/AmericanChessJournalPremiereIssue.pdf, Luis Rentero, Ivanchuk-Anand 1992 

21:00- Patrick walks us through his decision to pursue a career outside of chess. 

Mentioned: IM Stuart Rachels, American Gambit documentary (not “American Grandmaster”, as I called it in the show)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYoEvvYi3YI

27:00- We return to the topic of GM Viswanathan Anand, as Patrick reflects on working on his team for the 1995 World Championship Match against Kasparov.

Mentioned: GM Elizbar Ubilava, GM Jonathan Speelman, GM Artur Yusopov, Anand-Kasparov Game 11: https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1018626, GM Vladimir Kramnik 

39:00- Chessable has many great ways to study the World Champions, including a brand new Free Endgame Course from World Champion, GM Magnus Carlsen. You can get it here:

https://www.chessable.com/the-magnus-touch-free-endgame-lesson/course/48079/

40:00- Patrick has a keen interest in the use of AI in chess and took this opportunity to expand here on a great lecture he gave regarding the topic at the St. Louis Chess Club. (Talk here- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oc6ePHTsqn0) 

Mentioned: AlphaZero, Leela, Learn to Play Chess Like a Boss, IM David Levy, Deep Thought, GM Walter Browne, GM Alex Fishbein, Deep Blue, Hydra, GM Michael Adams,  

47:30- We are all enjoying the recent online chess boom, but Patrick shared some fascinating ideas for ways to promote online chess even more.

Mentioned: 2015 Patrick Wolff interview with GM Maurice Ashley: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQgJO_bMZcQ, 

Chess24.com, CHess.com , GM Yasser Seirawan, GM Peter Svidler, IM Greg Shahade 

Professional Chess Association, 

1:02:30- Patrick answers a question from the Patreon mailbag about which skills as a chess player have helped his career in finance, and then tells some stories about how chess has intersected with his professional life. 

Mentioned: Emanuel Lasker, Peter Thiel, Warren Buffett, Charlie Munger 

1:09:30- Patrick shares a few tips from his experiences doing blindfold chess exhibitions. 

Mentioned: GM Michael Wilder, GM Kenneth Rogoff, Peter Thiel 

1:12:30- My 60 Memorable Games by Bobby Fischer was a formative book for Patrick. He discusses the reasons for its powerful impact and gives a few other book and improvement recommendations. 

Mentioned: Wolff-Rachels 1992, Fischer-Trifunovich, R. Byrne-Fischer, Pawn Structure Chess, Art of Defense in Chess, The Art of Attack in Chess, which is also available from Chessable,  Alexander Alekhine. Mikhail Botvinnik, Mikhail Tal, Zurich 1953

1:21:00- Patrick answers another listener question relating to whether he will ever write a chess book for intermediate players. 

1:25:00- Thanks to Patrick for sharing his experiences! If you would like to reach him his email is: Patrick at grandmastercap.com

Episode 188- GM S.P. Sethuraman

Photo by Sophie Triay

Photo courtesy of GM Sethuraman by St. Louis Chess Club

S.P. Sethuraman is a Grandmaster and Author based in Chennai, India. GM Sethuraman is known as a dynamic and well-prepared player, and he has earned lofty titles such as the 2016 Asian Chess Champion and the 2014 National Champion of India among many others. He has now put his formidable opening knowledge to use by publishing a new book with Thinker’s Publishing. Beat the Najdorf and Taimanov Sicilians. It offers sharp lines against two of the more popular Sicilian variations. We discuss this book, as well as topics ranging from the life of a traveling chess pro during quarantine, to the highs and lows of his career, to why chess players should practice yoga and meditation.   I also enjoyed our usual discussion of chess books, chess engines, chess improvement and more. As always, please read on for more details and timestamps.

Click here to download the episode.

0:00- We begin by discussing how coronavirus is impacting India and GM Sethuraman, and he discusses his new book, Beat the Najdorf and Taimanov Siclians

Mentioned: GM Viswanathan Anand, GM R.B. Ramesh, Geert van der Velde of Chessable, Archangel Variation of the Ruy Lopez, Sicilian Najdorf, Siclian Taimanov, Daniel Vanheirzeele of Thinker’s Publishing, Sethuraman-Giri FIDE World Cup 2017, Anand-Ding Liren 2020

11:30- Chennai is one of the strongest chess cities in the world with both established and up and coming GMs among its residents. GM Sethuraman discusses how chess has grown there and in India generally, and answers a Patreon mailbag question about whether he has picked up any new hobbies during the time he’s been stuck at home.

Mentioned: GM Baskaran Adhiban, GM Pragganandha, GM Aravindh Chatrambaram, GM Sasrikan, GM R.B. Ramesh , GM Surya Ganguly’s YouTube Channel, GM Wesley So, GM Vidit Gujrathi’s Twitch Channel, Chessbase India YouTube Channel 

21:30- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. There are great courses for purchase as well as free of charge. One of the latest is GM Pascal Charbonneau’s free, Short and Sweet: Legendary Chess course. Check it out here:

https://www.chessable.com/short-sweet-legendary-tactics/course/47106/

22:30- What did GM Sethuraman learn from training with GM R.B. Ramesh

Mentioned: GM Jacob Aagaard, GM Sam Shankland, IM Stuart Rachels 

29:00- What were GM Sethuraman’s toughest losses and most memorable victories?

Mentioned: Le Quang Liem vs. Sethurman 2019, Wei Yi vs. Sethuraman 2016, Le Quang Liem vs. Ganguly 2016

32:00- GM Sethuraman tells a story about how seeing an interesting game, Karjakin-Anand 2006, ignited a fierce interest for him in opening theory and made an impression on his trainer, GM R.B. Ramesh. 

Mentioned: GM R.B. Ramesh, https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1385670

36:00- What are GM Sethuraman’s recent preferred books and training methods?

Mentioned: Python Strategy by Tigran Petrosian, Alekhine’s Greatest Games, Positional Decision Making in Chess by GM Boris Gelfand, Gata Kamsky: Chess Gamer, David Navara: My Chess World

40:45- How widely available and affordable are chess books in India? What is the “chess business” landscape like there?

Mentioned: Chess.com India, Chessbase India, Chess24.com,

44:00- How would GM Sethuraman recommend that club players utilize engines?

 GM Lawrence Kaufman, GM Erwin L’Ami, Stockfish, LeelaChessZero

49:00 GM Sethuraman takes a couple of questions from the chess Twitter community 

Mentioned: IM Venkat Saravanan, Tal Chess Club in Chennai, Chessable

53:45- Thanks so much to GM Sethuraman for joining us. Keep up with him here:

Twitter- https://twitter.com/sethuramanchess?lang=en

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

Book via Thinker’s Publishing (with a link to a downloadable free preview)- https://thinkerspublishing.com/product/s-p-sethuraman-beat-the-najdorf-taimanov-sicilians/

Book via Forward Chess- https://forwardchess.com/product/beat-the-najdorf-and-taimanov-sicilians

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

https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate

Episode 187- USCF Master and Cognitive Scientist Christopher Chabris returns

Photo courtesy of Christopher Chabris

Christopher Chabris is a renowned cognitive scientist, and co-author (with Daniel Simons) of the best selling book, The Invisible Gorilla.  Long-time Perpetual Chess listeners will know that he is also a USCF Master, an adult-improver, and a chess dad, thus making him a great recurring guest.  Since we have been discussing the science of learning a lot in recent conversations, I thought it would be a great time to check back in with someone with specific domain knowledge. Christopher walks us through the latest in scientific research, as it pertains to learning. This includes explanations of spaced repetition and how aging effects chess skill. Christopher also shares some thoughts about ways that chess learning could be properly studied scientifically.   Of course, there was a lot more to discuss than just the science of learning, so Christopher and I also talked about the latest, greatest chess books, what he learned from an online camp with GM Jacob Aagaard. He also told a few more  fun stories from his many chess adventures. As always, keep reading for more information and timestamps.

Click here to download the episode

0:00- Since Christopher is a frequent Perpetual Chess Listener, we begin by hearing his perspective on the recent chess improvement tips that have been shared on the show, especially as they relate to the science of learning. 

Mentioned: Listen to Christopher’s prior Perpetual Chess interview here: https://podcasts.apple.com/jm/podcast/ep-95-uscf-master-cognitive-scientist-christopher-chabris/id1185023674?i=1000421410393

Also Mentioned: IM Erik Kislik 

8:45- What do we really know for sure when it comes to chess learning? 

Mentioned: Spaced repetition. Some of the information cited comes from a study by 

Yana Weinstein, Christopher R. Madan, & Megan A. Sumeracki- Teaching the Science of Learning

Christopher recommends this book for a general overview of the science of learning: https://www.amazon.com/Make-Stick-Science-Successful-Learning/dp/0674729013

GM Jacob Aagard, Perpetual Chess: Woodpecker Method book recap with Neal Bruce, Perpetual Chess Interview with NM Elijah Logozar, interleaving 

20:30- Christopher tackles a couple of good Patreon mailbag questions relating to how one could conduct a study to test best practices in chess learning and how to correct any misconceptions that are cited about brain science in the chess world.  

Mentioned: GM Jan Gustafsson, Malcolm Gladwell 

33:00- What do scientists know about aging as it relates to brain function? 

37:45- As always, Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. One of the many free courses that I like is GM Alex Colovic’s Short and Sweet: Queen’s Gambit Declined. 

38:00- Christopher gives a “trip report” on an online chess camp he did with renowned trainer, GM Jacob Aagaard.

Also mentioned: GM Leonid Shamkovich, NM Bruce Pandolfini, IM Erik Kislik 

49:00- Christopher’s son is playing chess fairly actively, and gives an update on his progress.  Then he discusses the aspect of chess he is finding most challenging in his competitions these days, and how he is spending his study time.

Mentioned: IM Jim Rizzitano, Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy

57:00- Christopher is an avid chess reader, so he gives a detailed update on some chess books he has recently enjoyed.

Mentioned: Gambit App Books here: http://www.gambitbooks.com/webapp/appbooks.html, The Anand Files, The Road to Chess Improvement, Game Changer

Improve Your Chess Now, Secrets of Practical Chess, GM Jonathan Rowson

We also mentioned, but haven't yet read the following: 

Think Like a Machine, GM Tukmakov ‘s Modern Chess Formula, The Powerful Impact of Engines

1:02:00- Christopher discusses some of the online leagues in which he has played and gives preparation tips as well as a general comparison of playing online compared to OTB.

Mentioned: Lichess4545.com

1:16:30- Christopher was ready this time for the question of brushes with famous chess players!

Mentioned: IM Dan Edelman, GM Anatoly Karpov, Deep Thought, GM Walter Browne, GM Patrick Wolff, GM Viswanathan Anand, Murray Campbell, GM Magnus Carlsen, GM Fabiano Caruana, Dan Smith, Twitter Chess Tournament 

1:25:00- Thanks as always to Christopher for stopping by and sharing his knowledge and stories. Here is his info:

Website

Twitter

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

https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate

Book Recap: Bobby Fischer's My 60 Memorable Games with guest co-host FM Donny Ariel

Photos from WikiMedia

On this month’s edition of Chess Books Recaptured, I am joined by FM Donny Ariel to discuss one of the most acclaimed chess books of all time, Bobby Fischer’s My 60 Memorable Games.  This book, of course needs little introduction. It is a game compilation that covers the period 1957-1967, a stretch that saw Fischer ascend from talented teen to the world’s elite. The book has been mentioned as a favorite countless times on Perpetual Chess, and was a formative one for both Donny and me. My co-host, like Fischer, is a New York native, who used to frequent the Manhattan Chess Club, and has heard stories passed down about Fischer throughout his chess-playing life.

When Donny is not helping me recap chess books, he is a bankruptcy lawyer with 2 young kids at home, so I greatly appreciate his taking the time to help with this project. As always, you can find lots more details and timestamps below.

Click here to download the episode

0:00- We begin by talking about Donny’s background, and about the long shadow that Fischer casts in New York City, where Donny lives. 

Mentioned: Profile of a Prodigy by Frank Brady, GM Garry Kasparov on Fischer in the NY Review of the Books, GM Alex Fishbein, Fischer-Geller 1967, Fred Wilson books- https://www.fredwilsonchess.com/, The Art of Chess Analysis by GM Jan Timman, IM Kamran Shirazi, GM Larry Evans, 

19:00- We share a few stories from those who had the experience of being alive when Fischer’s book came out in 1969.

Mentioned: NM Fred Wilson, Richard Reich, GM William Lombady, Fischer-Gligoric Candidates 1959, Spassky-Fischer Game 1 1972 

31:00- We discuss the available formats of the book. It is available on Kindle, but there it is not available on Chessable, Forward Chess or another e-book app that enables you to play through the moves. ,A LiChess study compilation here has all 60 games: https://lichess.org/study/fokh9Tmy,and Chessgames.com lists the games here:

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chesscollection?cid=1000498, GM Jesse Kraai

34:00- My Great Predecessors Part 4 by Garry Kasparov is largely about GM Bobby Fischer, and it is a great way to study his games. It is available with MoveTrainer technology on Chessable.com:

https://www.chessable.com/my-great-predecessors-part-4/course/29726/

35:00- We read the introduction and then discuss the themes of the book a bit. 

Mentioned: GM Larry Evans, GM Emanuel Lasker, NM Nick Conticello, Fischer-Lombardy 1960, GM Mark Taimanov, GM Bent Larsen, GM Tigran Petrosian, GM Peter Svidler 

44:30- We share and discuss some of our favorite quotes from the book and talk about some of the most famous games.

Mentioned: Fischer-Larsen 1958, Fischer-Larsen 1963/4, Agadmator’s Fischer-Botvinnik Recap, The Old Riddle of Fischer-Botvinnik by Karsten Muller for Chessbase.com, Botvinnik-Fischer brief YouTube footage, Szabo-Fischer 1960, Fischer-Tal 1961, Endgame by Frank Brady , Fischer-Lombardy 1960, Fischer-Bolbachan 1962, Walther-Fischer 1959, Fischer-Gligoric 1959

1:10:00- Why did he choose the title “My 60 Memorable Games?” 

Fischer-Celle 1964, IM Anatoly Lein, IM Kostya Kavutskiy 

1:17:00- Getting back to our favorite games, Fischer-Geller 1967 is another fascinating game, despite its being one of the 3 in the book that Fischer lost. 

Mentioned: Fischer-Benko 1963, Pal Benko: My Life, Games and Compositions, GM Jan Gustaffson, Fischer-Najdorf 1962

1:29:00- What chess improvement lessons can we learn from My 60 Memorable Games? For what level student is it appropriate?

Mentioned: GM Hikaru Nakamura,GM Jesse Kraai,  Logical Chess Move by Move, Zurich 1953

1:48:00- Thanks to FM Donny Ariel for helping out! Next month’s book recap will be Blindfold Chess: History, Psychology, Techniques, Champions, World Records, and Important Games

By Eliot Hearst and John Knott 

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

https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate

Episode 186- GM Erwin L'Ami

Photo by IM Alina L’Ami

35 year-old Grandmaster Erwin L’Ami has had quite a varied and interesting chess career thus far. He is one of the top players in the Netherlands, and has competed on every Dutch Olympiad team since 2006. He has had many impressive finishes in individal tournaments, including winning the 2015 Reykjavik Open.

When not competing himself, Erwin is a highly respected opening theoretician, who has worked with former FIDE World Champion Veselin Topalov and currently works with perennial top 10 player, GM Anish Giri. All of this makes Erwin the perfect person to publish a Lifetime Repertoires course on the Caro-Kann defense for Chessable. In our conversation, we touch all aspects of his chess career. Topics included how he works with engines, the life of a traveling second, the 2020 FIDE Candidates, Anish Giri and Magnus’ Carlsen’s twitter banter, the latest in Caro-Kann theory, improvement advice,and the identity of his favorite player of all time. As you can imagine, there is lots to dig into! Show notes and timestamps can be found below: 

Click here to download the episode

0:00- We begin by chatting a bit about the Caro-Kann and about Erwin’s new course. Why was now a good time to do a course on the Caro-Kann? This also includes talk of what sort of engine use goes into top-level opening preparation generally. 

Mentioned: Leela Chess Zero, Stockfish Open Source Engine, Setting up Engines in Chessbase Video with John Hartmann of US Chess- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_G-tvePe6Q, Jon Edwards, GM Viswanthan Anand

14:00- Erwin tells some stories about working with GM Veselin Topalov during his 2010 World Championship Match 

Mind Master by GM Viswanthan Anand, The Anand Files by VIshwanathan Anand, Episode 177 with GM Peter Heine Nielsen

19:00- Should the format of the World Chess Championship be changed?

Mentioned: Daryl Morey interview with GM Hikaru Nakamura- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prI_EEq6Xsc

IM Greg Shahade, GM Magnus Carlsen, FIDE Candidates Tournament 2011

23:30- We talk about what it was like for GM Erwin L’Ami to travel to the 2020 FIDE Candidates tournament in Yekaterinburg, Russia and what he thinks of how the tournament was handled generally. 

Mentioned: Perpetual Chess Episode 174 with GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov , GM Teimour Radjabov, GM Emil Sutovsky 

33:00- GM Anish Giri has been showing great results in rapid and blitz chess lately. What is his secret to his improvement? 

Mentioned: GM Ian Nepomniatchi, Chessable Masters 2020, GM Mikhail Botvinnik

41:00- We finally tackle the Girl-Carlsen “Twitter Beef!” Erwin answers two related questions from the Perpetual Chess Patreon mailbag!

Mentioned:  IM Anna Rudolf

46:30- As always, Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable!

Check out GM Erwin L’Ami’s Free Short and Sweet Caro Course here:

https://www.chessable.com/short-sweet-the-caro-kann/course/45388/

Check out his comprehensive and impressive,  Lifetime Repertoire Caro-course here: 

https://www.chessable.com/lifetime-repertoires-caro-kann/course/37366/

47:30- We talk about some of Erwin’s favorite chess books and a novel he has been enjoying. 

Mentioned: On the Origin of Good Moves by IM Willy Hendriks, Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann, My Great Predecessors, GM Jacob Aagaard, Game Changer by GM Mathew Sadler and WIM Natasha Regan 

54:00- What is GM Erwin L’Ami’s Best Chess Improvement Advice? 

Mentioned: GM Peter Svidler 

59:00- Erwin tells the story of being in attendance while Garry Kasparov, his favorite player,  played one of his most famous games, vs. GM Veselin Topalov in Wijk an Zee in 1999. 

Mentioned: Test of Time by GM Garry Kasparov

1:02:00- A Patreon supporter of the podcast asks about the role that body language plays in top level chess. 

Mentioned: GM Viswanthan Anand, GM Michael Adams, IM Stuart Rachels’ The Best I Saw in Chess, see Chess24’s coverage of Magnus’ 2014 blunder against Anand, here: 

https://chess24.com/en/read/news/carlsen-blunders-but-wins-game-6-video-recap

1:08:00- Erwin briefly discusses what it was like to be the student of famed trainer GM Vladimir Chuchelov, who has also worked with GMs Caruana and Anand. 

1:10:00- What is life on the road like  for the second of a top 10 player? 

Mentioned: GM Max Euwe, GM Jan Timman, IM Alina L’Ami, Jeroen Van Den Berg, organizer of Tata Steel Chess 

1:20:00- We bring it back to the Caro-Kann, and Erwin answers some questions, including one from a Patreon supporter, relating to the theoretical state of the Caro Kann defense. 

Mentioned: Panov-Botvinnik attack, Shirov variation, Short variation of the Advanced Caro 

Mentioned: GM Danil Dubov, GM Alireza Firouzja, GM Vladislav Artemiev, GM Jan Gustafsson 

1:28:00- Thanks to GM Erwin L’Ami for an insightful and enjoyable interview. 

Get his Caro-Kann Chessable course here:

https://www.chessable.com/lifetime-repertoires-caro-kann/course/37366/

Follow him on Twitter here: 

https://twitter.com/erwinlami?lang=en

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

https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate

Episode 185- IM Stuart Rachels

In 1993 IM Stuart Rachels was one of the top young chess players in the United States. He was the winner of  the U.S. Junior Championship in 1988, was United States co-champion in 1989-1990, and had played casual and tournament games with the likes of GM Garry Kasparov, GM Viswanathan Anand, GM Boris Spassky, and many others. So why did he decide to hang up the chessboard when he pursued a doctorate in philosophy? Stu answers this question in our interview, as well as discussing a few of the highlights from his great new book The Best I Saw in Chess. In the book, he tells some amazing stories and provides high level analysis of his many memorable chess skirmishes. In our conversation, we talk about how this 8 year project came to be, as well as Stu's future plans related to the chess world.  Please keep reading for more details, links and timestamps.

Click here to download the episode

0:00- Stuart walks us through the eight- year process of writing this book

Mentioned: FM Dave Gertler, NM Kyle Therrell, GM Garry Kasparov 

8:00- How did IM Rachels, as a young chess prodigy, get to play Garry Kasparov in 2 simuls? 

Mentioned: American Gambit (Some videos have recently been removed, so you have to jump around YouTube to different excerpts to watch the whole thing, but here is part 1 )

GM Alex Fishbein, GM Patick Wolff, Kudrin-Rachels 1989, GM Andy Soltis, GM John Nunn, FM Dave Gertler, My Great Predecessors, GM Yasser Seirawan 

17:30- IM Rachels shares one of his many Yasser Seirawan stories, and shares a few more of his favorite memories from his life in chess. 

Mentioned: IM John Donaldson, GM Samuel Reshevsky, GM Robert Byrne, GM Alexander Kotov, GM Miguel Najdorf, GM Boris Spassky, GM Tony Miles, GM Anatoly Karpov, Karpov-Miles 1980

25:00- GM Ben Finegold told me to ask Stu who he thinks is better, Kasparov or Carlsen? So I did! 

Mentioned: Howard Stern, NM Dan Heisman, IM Vivek Rao, IM Jim Rizzitano, GM Patrick Wolff 

33:00- My Great Predecessors Part 5 is now available on Chessable! Get it here:

https://www.chessable.com/my-great-predecessors-part-5/course/34892/

34:00- We dive into the Perpetual Chess Patreon mailbag. Why did Stu decide to retire from tournament chess after so much success?  

Mentioned: IM Vivek Rao, FM Mike Klein, GM Tal Shaked, IM Boris Kogan, GM Gata Kamsky, GM Viswanathan Anand, GM Ben Finegold, GM Larry Christiansen, Alexey Troitsky, Genrikh Kasparyan, Francois Labelle, GM Jonathan Rowson, Andrew Metrick, Joel Friedman, GM Maxim Dlugy 

52:00- In 2017 Stu drove to St. Louis to see Kasparov, Anand and other greats at the St. Louis Rapid and Blitz. What was that experience like?  

Mentioned: Allen Kaufman , GM Vassily Smyslov

57:00- What are some of Stuart’s favorite chess books? 

Tal, Petrosian, Spassky and Korchnoi by GM Andy Soltis, The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal, Secrets of Practical Chess by GM John Nunn

1:04:00- A Patreon supporter of the podcast asks Stu a question related to a story that  he heard about Stu’s ability to calculate as a kid and about the abilities of strong players generally to calculate and visualize. 

1:10:00- Has Stu kept up with his chess peers from his active days?

Mentioned: GM Ben Finegold, Adam Lief, Andrew Metrick, GM Joel Benjamin 

1:14:00- Thanks so much to Stuart for sharing his experiences! 

You can read an excerpt of his book from New in Chess Publishing here.

You can buy the book from Amazon, New in Chess, or Forward Chess.

Lastly, you can email IM  Rachels here

Episode 184- GM Kevin Goh (Adult Improver series)

Photo via GM Kevin Goh’s Facebook page

GM Kevin Goh Wei Ming is the seven- time champion of Singapore, and is a renowned  opening theoretician who wrote Chess Developments, Sicilian 6. Bg5 Najdorf, and has published many articles for ChessPublishing.com. 

This year, Kevin earned the GM title at the relatively late age of 36 while working full time as the CFO of an oncology company! As Kevin tells us, earning the title was the culmination of a 10 year quest, which  involved many setbacks, much travel and time off from work and an indispensable support network of friends, family and a few GM mentors. Kevin’s story is very inspiring and is full of good improvement advice no matter what title or rating you may be chasing. You can find many more details of our conversation and the related links and timestamps below. 

Click here to download the episode

02:00- We begin by discussing the current state of Coronavirus and chess in Kevin’s native Singapore, and the Chess against Covid initiative that Kevin and some friends of his recently started. 

Mentioned: Chess against Covid initiative, Junior Tay, Olimpiu Urcan (see his great Patreon page here: https://www.patreon.com/urcan ), GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov

8:30- Kevin walks us through his long journey to the GM title, which has been a nearly a decade-long quest as well as the highlight of his chess career. 

Mentioned: IM John Bartholomew 

14:00- Once Kevin decided to pursue chess full time, what study routine did he implement? 

Mentioned: Perfect Your Chess, IM Erik Kislik, GM Gyula Sax, see Gyula-Sax-Kevin Goh 2011 here: 

https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=N1Q2wYdh/tNWwlrJVxBDAkPiax9hdmoywl1jMwd0KJF0mYtLI6YQ7V3O/cExPR3z

Secrets of Spectacular Chess by GM Jonathan Levitt and FM David Friedgood, GM Daniel Fernandez, Chessbase India feature on Kevin Goh by Junior Tay here: https://chessbase.in/news/Dressed_to_Impress_How_IM_Kevin_Goh_prepped_and_persevered_for_his_final_GM_norm, Episode 178 with IM Kare Kristensen

36:00- When Kevin got his 3rd norm in 2018, he needed just 7 more ELO points for the title, little did he know that these last rating points were far from a formality! 

Mentioned: GM Ashwin Jayaram, IM Elect Donny Ariel!, GM Avetik Grigoryan, GM Boris Avrukh, Chessmood.com 

49:00- What did it feel like to finally earn the GM title in 2020 after all of these struggles? 

51:00- Chessable.com has many excellent  “Lifetime Repertoire” courses including ones by GM Jan Gustafsson, IM Christof Sielecki and a brand new one on the Caro Kann, from GM Erwin L’ami. The place  to see the all of Chessable’s Lifetime Repertoire courses is here:

https://www.chessable.com/chess-openings/s/lifetime

51:45- What is Kevin Goh’s chess improvement advice for fellow adult improvers? 

GM Karsten Muller, GM David Smerdon, GM Tigran Petrosian, GM Anatoly Karpov, Positional Sacrifices by GM Neil McDonald, Karpov-Gelfand 1993: https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1048256

GM Jonathan Rowson , IM Willy Hendriks On the Origin of Good Moves, NM Elijah Logozar, 

1:08:00- What is Kevin’s opinion and experience with The Woodpecker Method and spaced repetition generally? 

Mentioned: GM Hans Tikkanen and GM Alex Smith, Recapping the Woodpecker Method with Neal Bruce , The Road to Chess Improvement. Caruana-Carlsen Game 1 2018

1:14:00- Patreon supporter of the show, FM Andrey Terekhov, writes in to ask his friend Kevin what his next goal is now that he has gotten the GM title. 

Mentioned: Aeroflot Open, FIDE Online Olympiad 

1:20:00- What advice did GM Jacob Aagaard give Kevin when he was stuck at a plateau? 

1:23:00- Thanks so much to Kevin for sharing his story and his wisdom. Here is his contact info: 

Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/GMkevingwm?__tn__=%2CdlC-R-R&eid=ARAnkjbSRRYN_2CulGTyid0y7WpIDj2QMkJ-wDYtOOFN7ip64ExECRkK2BWZ-uqeSv4gU3bJXgZ7rSR5&hc_ref=ARQT0DEi2WlenxdbN_3NX6qg3_ffFhCYDVGMLIwg9I3xJoAFO0UpEuGwqcO5wrPM8Iw

Twitter- https://twitter.com/kevingohwm

Email- kgwm83 at hotmail.com

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

Episode 183- Rochelle Ballantyne

Photo courtesy of Rochelle Ballantyne

Rochelle Ballantyne is best-known in the chess world as one of the star scholastic chess players featured in the excellent 2012 documentary, Brooklyn Castle, which chronicles the lives of the students and teachers  at the scholastic chess powerhouse school, IS 318 in Brooklyn, New York. In the years since that movie, Rochelle has continued to pile up impressive achievements. She earned 2 BAs from Stanford University, a Masters of Education Policy degree from Columbia University, and has been accepted into the New York University Law School for the fall. Rochelle also had many scholastic chess successes, she attained a peak US Chess rating of 2127, and she actively promotes chess as an educational tool. Last, but most importantly, Rochelle has long been a staunch advocate for criminal justice reform and the Black Lives Matter movement.   She shares her perspective on this movement, both as it pertains to the chess world, and to the world at large. Please enjoy our wide-ranging conversation. Timestamps and relevant links can be found below. 

0:00- We catch up on what Rochelle has been doing since she was featured in Brooklyn Castle.

Click here to download the episode.

0:00- We catch up on what Rochelle has been doing since she was featured in Brooklyn Castle. 

Mentioned: 

Elizabeth Spiegel on Perpetual Chess December 10, 2019 , 

Brooklyn Castle’s Website Lists Where You Can Watch The Movie, here: https://brooklyncastle.com/#watch1l’ 

Read Melinda Mathews’ 2018 Interview with Rochelle here: https://new.uschess.org/news/qa-rochelle-ballantyne-representation-important

7:00- What is the update on Rochelle’s Chess Playing? 

Mentioned: IM Greg Shahade, US Chess School

12:00- From her viewpoint as a woman and an African American chess player, what were Rochelle’s interactions like in the chess world? 

Mentioned: FM Justus Williams, NM James Black, FM Joshua Colas, Stanford University, 

23:45- A Patreon supporter of the podcast writes in to ask Rochelle how tournament players can help be supportive African American chess players.

Mentioned: Alexandra Botez shares a personal experience about sexual harassment in the chess world: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6W8EgX9Uc0   

29:00- The latest and greatest from Chessable is an updated and expanded comprehensive checkmate pattern course by CraftyRaf- check it out here: 

https://www.chessable.com/the-checkmate-patterns-manual/course/17841/

30:00- What is Rochelle’s opinion of how race relations have been handled by the US Chess Federation and other entities? 

Mentioned: Read the US CHess statement on Black Lives Matter here: 

https://www.chessable.com/the-checkmate-patterns-manual/course/17841/

Chess GIrls DC, 

Chess.com’s Peter Doggers interview series, On Racism, can be read here: 

https://www.chess.com/article/view/on-racism-nm-daniel-jones

https://www.chess.com/article/view/on-racism-gm-pontus-carlsson

https://www.chess.com/article/view/chess-racism-watu-kobese

Bill Goichberg 

38:00- Rochelle answers a few more listener-questions relating to education policy, both inside and outside of the chess world. 

Mentioned: IS 318 Vice Principal John Galvin, GM Maurice Ashley, Queen City Classic Chess Tournament  

47:00- Has Rochelle been attending any of the Black Lives Matter protests? 

Mentioned: IM Greg Shahade’s Twitter and Facebook,  

54:00- Does the fact that White moves first in chess have racist undertones in Rochelle’s opinion? 

Mentioned: Jen Shahade, Alexandra Botez 

1:00- Thanks to Rochelle, for sharing her perspective with us. Here is a list from Rochelle of Black Lives Matter causes and organizations that could use some support:

https://linktr.ee/cdr3?fbclid=IwAR1URl1PP7wBQNIF2Tt1DvYdSz_XodqZBXqJR0Vle0TGLTzdCO8jY-0n-WQ

Bonus Pod- Recapping The World Champions I Knew by GM Genna Sosonko

Photo of GM Sosonko by Koen Suyk via Wikimedia

Welcome back to another monthly edition of Perpetual Chess, Chess Books Recaptured! This month, I am joined by electrical engineer, Chessable author, and chess blogger, Vjekoslav “Vjeko” Nemec. Like me, Vjekoslav is a big fan of GM Genna Sosonko’s writing, so we were eager to discuss one of his books. Vjeko and I agree that The World Champion’s I Knew may not be Sosonko’s best book, but due to its prominent subjects,  it might be the most accessible. Like his other books, The World Champions I Knew is marked by vivid first hand accounts and beautiful prose, and its high points make the book well worth reading. In his book, GM Sosonko writes about 7 different world chess champions, so Vjeko and I spent time sharing quotes and reflections about each essay, and ranked our favorite chapters. Please read on for more details and timestamps.

Click here to download the episode.

1:00- We begin by discussing why Vjeko Nemec wanted to discuss a book by Grandmaster Genna Sosonko, why we settled on The World Champions I Knew , and we share a few details from GM Sosonko’s fascinating life story. 

Mentioned: Perpetual Chess interview with GM Genna Sosonko (June 2018), Smart Chip from St. Petersburg, Russian Silhoettes, The Reliable Past,  Evil-Doer: Half a Century with Viktor Korchnoi, GM Garry Kasparov 

13:45- As always, Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable. Two of the many courses that you can check out right now are Vjekoslav Nemec’s The Modern Against Everything, and GM Sam Shankland’s new course, Lifetime Repertoires: Black Against the English, The Reti, and sidelines

14:30- We read a bit of the introduction to the book and give an overview of the book before discussing the book chapter by chapter. 

Mentioned: The Rise and Fall of David Bronstein, John Hartmann, 

19:00- The first chapter we discuss is the one about Jose Raoul Capablaca, which focuses on GM Sosonko’s interactions with Capablanca’s then wife, Olga Clark Capablanca. 

The Genius and The Princess by Edward Winter

26:30- Next up is legendary world champion Alexander Alekhine

Mentioned: Chess Historian Edward Winter on Sourcing

32:45- Smyslov 

Mentioned: Smyslov on the Couch, The Gulag Archipelago by Solzhenitsyn

45:00- Legendary Dutch Champion Max Euwe 

Mentioned: Todd Bryant, Mike Zaloznyy

54:00- We discuss the chapter about Sixth World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik

Mentioned: Soviet Outcast: The Life and Games of Grigory Levenfish, GM Viktor Korchnoi

1:02- GM Tigran Petrosian 

Mentioned: GM Boris Spassky, GM Efim Geller 

1:13- Tal time! We discuss the best part of the book, the chapter GM Mikhail Tal. Tal-Lautier 1992, Timman’s Titans, The Longest Game, Chess Duels by Yasser Seirawan, Tal Keller Zurich 1959, Steve Doyle, GM Alexei Suetin, Lev Tolstoy, Bacchus, Mythos by Stephen Fry

1:35:00- Thanks to Vjeko for helping out and sharing his knowledge! In lieu of payment for his efforts, Vjeko is donating to Tunde Onakoya’s Chess in Slums Program. You can donate to support them here:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-support-chess-in-the-slums-in-nigeria

1:39:00- Blindfold puzzles of the month courtesy of SayChess1

Puzzle #1- White to move 

White

Pawn h4

King b1

Queen c2

Black

Pawns g7 and h5

King h7

Queen g6 

https://lichess.org/study/2Jj2xWA5

Puzzle #2- White to move

White 

Rook a1

King d2

Black

Pawns on b2 and c2

King b4

https://lichess.org/study/z7M9gUy5! 

Follow Vjeko on twitter here: https://twitter.com/chessentials_

Read his Chessentials blog here: https://chessentials.com/

Buy his Chessable course here: https://www.chessable.com/the-modern-defense-against-everything/course/27749/

Episode 182- IM Willy Hendriks

Photo by Zhaoqin Peng, courtesy of IM Willy Hendriks

IM Willy Hendriks is a Netherlands based chess trainer, and an award winning author of two books:  Move First Think Later (2012) and his excellent new book, On the Origin of Good Moves. IM Hendriks is quite an impressive chess player and adult improver. He has two GM norms, and he attained his peak rating at the age of 43.  Eleven years later his 2438 FIDE rating is still not far from his personal  best. IM Hendriks and I had a fascinating conversation about both of his books ,and about the subject of chess improvement generally. Please read on for more details and time stamps. 

Click here to download the episode.

2:30- After a brief intro we dig into how IM Hendriks came up with the original presentation style that distinguishes both of his books, as well as the unifying vision of chess that ties his books together. 

Mentioned: Richard Dawkins, Steven Pinker 

12:00- Willy’s first book, Move First Think Later was critical of some well-known chess authors. Did the controversy that this book caused in the chess world surprise him? 

Mentioned: IM Jeremy Silman, FM Carsten Hansen, Logical Chess Move by Move, Lasker’s Manual of Chess 

18:15- We transition to discussing IM Hendriks new book, On the Origin of Good Moves, Mentioned:  Emanuel Lasker, Wilhelm Steinitz, William Purdy, Adolf Anderssen, and Paul Morphy 

31:30- What sort of feedback has he gotten for his new book so far? 

Mentioned: Richard James’ Review of Move First Think Later from British Chess News

34:30- Why does IM Hendriks think that one should, in fact, study openings frequently? 

Mentioned: IM Kare Kristensen 

40:00- Check out Alan B’s Free Chessable series focusing on attacking with each piece type here:  https://www.chessable.com/knights-on-the-attack/course/16475/

45:45- As a strong player near his peak rating in his 50’s, what are Willy’s own chess study methods? What are his general opinions about best adult improvement practices? 

Mentioned: IM Levy Rozman, NM Christopher Chabris, Encyclopedia of Chess Combinations 

58:30- OK but really, how is Willy staying so strong? :) 

65:30- Thanks to IM Willy Hendriks for joining the show. You can reach him and keep up with him via his website: 

https://movefirstthinklater.com/

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

https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/

Episode 181- USCF Master Elijah Logozar (Adult Improver Episode)

 Tennessee-based teenage improver (19 years old)  and prolific Chessable author and superuser NM Elijah Logozar has taken his rating from the 1700s to the USCF Master title (2200) in about 3 years!  He has probably improved even more in online blitz and puzzle rush, which he utilizes as serious training tools. As Elijah tells us, his “secret” is that he often spends 10 hours per day on chess, an approach that admittedly is not replicable for most of us. But Elijah also takes the science of chess improvement very seriously, and despite his young age, he is well-versed on the topic of chess improvement and aging. Elijah is also a big advocate of and exemplar of using spaced repetition and The Woodpecker Method, and he answers questions and shares insight on how he thinks to best use these training tools.  So all in all, there is a lot to learn about chess improvement in this densely packed conversation. Please sit back and enjoy.   As always you can find more information, timestamps and hyperlinks below. 

Click here to download the episode.

04:00- After a brief intro Elijah dives into his experiences with spaced repetition in his training, and he talks about The Woodpecker Method in particular. 

Mentioned: Recapping The Woodpecker Method and Rapid Chess Improvement wiith Neal Bruce, David Milliern, The Mozart Effect 

19:30- Elijah Logozar’s Chessable courses are on sale at Chessable.com! Check them out here:

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

20:00- Elijah fields a question related to frustrations with using the Woodpecker Method. For what level chess player is it really appropriate? Is solving for accuracy or speed more important? Mentioned: IM Kostya Kavutskiy, Flamingo Chess’s Woodpecker-Related Blog Post , Pokerram’s Chess Diary on ChessTempo, Randy Julian, ChessIMO app 

29:00- Elijah answers a question from a Patreon Supporter regarding other recommended methods of tactics training. 

Mentioned: Kasparov’s My Great Predecessors, Dvoretsky’s Analytical Manual 

40:00- Openings talk! A Patreon supporter asks, “What should you do if you consult two different authors on chess openings and they each recommend a different move?” 

GameChanger by GM Mathew Sadler and Natasha Regan, Questions of Modern Chess Theory by Isaac Lipnitsky, Crush the Taimanov by Elijah Logozar 

52:00- A Patreon mailbag question relates to how Elijah uses Chessable in his study regimen, and another relates to how to incorporate analyzing one’s games. 

Mentioned: 100 Endgames You Must Know, Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual 

57:00- This episode is brought to you in part by Decode Chess- a company whose software explains the suggestions of chess engines in plain language that you can understand. Go here to try it out for free: 

https://decodechess.com/

58:00- One last Patreon mailbag question asks whether Elijah plays with training partners, and then we segue into the topic of Elijah’s favorite chess books. 

Mentioned: ChessDojo Discord Channel, Aagaard’s Thinking Inside the Box, Secret’s of Modern Chess Strategy by IM John Watson, Move First Think Later, Quality Chess Books, Small Steps to Giant Improvement,  Dynamic Chess Strategy, The Road to Chess Improvement 

1:13:00- Elijah volunteered to do an impromptu blindfold chess puzzle, so I read him a miniature that ends in a tactic. The game is here:

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1250708

1:17:00- Thanks to Elijah for coming on and sharing his chess improvement experiences. You can reach him on these platforms:

Chessable- https://www.chessable.com/author/logozar/

Chess.com- https://www.chess.com/member/logoczar

Twitter- https://twitter.com/ElijahLogozar

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

https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate

Episode 180- IM Levy Rozman

Photo courtesy of IM Levy Rozman

IM Levy Rozman is a 24 year-old, New York-based chess streamer, Chess.com announcer and instructor. Levy has quickly found an audience online due to his ability to explain chess in a humorous and accessible way. In our conversation, we talk about the origins of Levy’s announcing career, his chess ambitions, and about the fast-changing world of Twitch chess streaming in 2020. 

Please read on for lots more details, and timestamps. Embedded hyperlinks can be found on the podcast website here:

https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog

Click here to download the episode.

0:00- We dive right into a discussion of the ways that chess coverage on Twitch has been making news recently. This includes the continued ascension of GM Hikaru Nakamura’s popular Twitch channel

Mentioned: GM Ben Finegold, Chessbae94, Alexandra Botez, GM Daniel Naroditsky 

6:45- Levy traces the origins of his popular Twitch channel, Gotham Chess. 

Mentioned: IM Eric Rosen, IM Alex Ostrovsky, Alexis Parades, Brooklyn Castle, Baruch College, 

15:00- Friend and Patreon supporter of the podcast, Chris Wainscott, asks Levy about whether he plans to pursue the Grandmaster title. 

Mentioned: Chess.com’s  I am not a GM tournament 

23:00- What are  Levy’s goals for his Twitch channel? What recommendations would he give to others thinking of getting into Twitch streaming? 

28:00- The Magnus Touch by Magnus Carlsen is still on sale at Chessable.com. Get it here:

https://www.chessable.com/the-magnus-touch-chess-strategy/course/39478/

29:00- Levy tells the story of how he got his start as an announcer for Chess.com.

Mentioned: GM Robert Hess, GM Daniel Naroditsky, IM Danny Rensch, Levy’s Recap of one of Magnus’ Recent Blitz Games,  Mr. Dodgy’s compilation of GM Magnus Carlsen’s recent Twitch stream, GM Peter Leko, GM Alexander Grischuk, GM Anish Giri, GM Fabiano Caruana, GM Jan Gustafsson  

35:00- Chris Wainscott asks Levy about the status of his amusing chess show, Post Mortem.

39:00- We also dive into a recent controversy involving Chess.com and Chess24.com, and the way that the sites broadcast events that are sponsored by their competitors. 

44:30- Levy answers another question from the Patreon mailbag, and gives some advice to a newer player who is having trouble avoiding blunders. 

Mentioned: You can buy Levy’s opening repertoire course here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf-75djkXcEvJns9wvhony5bItA8Bv_f63lLUyXmvMPlCfIRg/viewform

51:00- A related question has to do with how a newer player should be using Chessbase. 

Mentioned: The London System, The King’s Indian Attack 

59:00- Levy fields a few fun questions from Twitter, and tells the story of why he got kicked out of legendary GM Arthur Yusupov’s chess camp as a kid. 

Mentioned: International Chess Academy, Sam Copeland’s interview with Levy Rozman, Greg Shahade, IM Teddy Coleman, Jen Shahade, IM John Bartholomew, IM Alex Ostrovsky

Thanks to Levy for coming on the show. Here is how you can keep up with him:

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQHX6ViZmPsWiYSFAyS0a3Q

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

Episode 179- John Hartmann returns again!

Photo courtesy of John Hartmann

US Chess’s John Hartmann is always a popular guest on Perpetual Chess due to his relatability and his encyclopedic knowledge of chess books. As of June 2020, John will no longer be the book reviewer, because he has been promoted to Editor of Chess Life Magazine!  Nonetheless, John’s passion for chess books remains strong, and he gives us a comprehensive rundown on some of the best recent chess books. John also gives an update on his chess improvement ambitions,  and we spend a lot of time talking about how coronavirus is affecting US Chess, and how it might change tournament chess. 

Click here to download the episode

0:00- We begin by discussing how coronavirus is affecting tournament chess and especially the US Chess Federation. They are launching many exciting initiatives, but they are also facing some financial headwinds, as the US Chess President Allen Priest recently discussed in  a video. . 

Mentioned: John Hartmann Perpetual Chess Appearance #1, John Hartmann Perpetual Chess Appearance #2, Chris Bird’s The TD Show, Jen Shahade, IM Carissa Yip, WGM Sabina Foisor, US Chess’ YouTube Channel, Chess.com, IM Eric Rosen, Sunway Sitges Chess, GM Jesse Kraai, Steve Doyle, US Chess President Allen Priest, Melinda Mathews, Chess Life and Review Online Archives, Bob Sostack, Chess Life for Kids, Chessable.com, GM Jacob Aagaard on the US Candidates, Brian Karen, Ding Liren-Caruana 2020 

You can renew Your US Chess Membership here: https://secure2.uschess.org/webstore/member.php

35:40- Chessable’s newest release is from GM Simon Williams AKA the Ginger GM. Simon has recorded 30+ hours of video to accompany the classic chess book, The Art of Attack. It’s on sale now. Check it out here:

https://t.co/R93A3rez9K?amp=1

36:00- We talk about changes with the book review column for Chess Life Magazine, and about John’s favorite recent chess books. 

Mentioned: IM John Watson, Beyond Material, Keep it Simple, 1. d4 , GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov’s The Benoni is Back in Business, Hein Donner: The Biography, GM Max Euwe 

The Best I Saw in Chess by Stuart Rachels, On the Origin of Good Moves by IM Willy Hendricks The Nemesis: Geller’s Greatest Games, Douglas Griffin,  Coaching Kasparov, The Anand Files, Training Program for Chess Players, 1st Category , Bob Long, The Search for Chess Perfection, Dale Brandreth, Bobby Dudley, Fundamental Chess Strategies in 100 Games,  

55:00- John talks a bit about what it is like to be a member of 365ChessAcademy, and to learn from GMs Aagaard, Ramesh and others. 

Mentioned: GM Reinier Castellanos, IM Christopher Yoo, Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual, GM Karsten Muller, GM Alex Fishbein, Megan Chen’s Perpetual Chess Interview, Harold Stenzel 

1:06:00- John answers some Patreon mailbag questions regarding the conditions under which OTB tournaments might eventually return.  

Mentioned: IM Steffan Löffler’s Chessbase Article on Long-Distance Chess, GM Jesse Kraai, Jack Spence, Nassau Chess Club, IM Jay Bonin 

1:18:00- Thanks again to John for joining the show once again. You can follow all of US Chess’ Podcasts here: https://new.uschess.org/category/podcast/

Follow John on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/hartmannchess?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Sign up for the US Chess Fundraiser, “Blitzing Covid,” here:

https://new.uschess.org/news/top-stars-register-blitzing-covid-event-may-30th/

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