Episode 227- WFM Maria Emelianova

Photo Courtesy of WFM Maria Emelianova

WFM Maria Emelianova a/k/a “Photochess” is a popular Twitch streamer, photographer, translator, and chess journalist. Maria often spends more than half of her time travelling to cover and help organize chess tournaments.   She has accumulated many memorable images and great stories from her time on the chess beat. To give an idea of her schedule, Maria worked on staff at the 2020-2021 FIDE Candidates in her native Yekaterinaburg, Russia, and she joined the podcast en route home from working at the Russian Team Championship in Sochi. 

In our conversation, Maria gave a first hand perspective on the Candidates Tournament, and we also  touched on Maria’s chess book recommendations.  We talked about  her career as a chess competitor, as well as stories from her life as a chess photographer and advice regarding chess photography, Twitch streaming, and much more. Please read on for timestamps, lots more details and links related to this fun conversation. 

Click here to download the episode

0:00- As an Yekaterinaburg native and resident, Maria was part of the FIDE Candidates staff. She describes what her work entailed and gives some behind-the-scenes info from the tournament. 

Mentioned: https://www.sima-land.ru/, WGM Leya Garifullina, GM Ian Nepomniatchtchi, GM Peter Leko, Lennart Ootes 

24:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. You can check out their latest offerings here:

New Chess Courses Online - For All Levels in all - Chessable.com 

24:45- What are Maria’s favorite chess resources? 

Mentioned: My Great Predecessors , Decision Making in Major Piece Endings , Chess Life Magazine, IM Elizabeth Paehtz’s Twitch channel-

https://www.twitch.tv/ellipaehtz

32:30- Maria discusses her decision to play internationally for the United Kingdom, rather than Russia 

39:00-  Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. Check it out for free, and then, if you decide to subscribe, use the PromoCode Chess30 to save 30%.

39:45- Maria reflects on her experiences as a Twitch streamer and shares some advice for other aspiring streamers and chess professionals. 

Mentioned: Twitch Streamer MrLlamaSC- 

https://www.twitch.tv/mrllamasc

Also Mentioned: Episode 180 with IM Levy Rozman, Episode 140 with GM Aman Hambleton

53:30- Maria tells the memorable story of her first gig as a chess photographer 

Mentioned: GM Alexander Motylev, Former FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov  

1:00:00- What makes for a good chess photo? Who are Maria’s favorite players to photograph?

Mentioned: GM Magnus Carlsen, GM Ian Nepomniatchtchi, GM Anton Korobov, GM Alexander Grischuk

1:07:30- Which of Maria’s 5 cats is most beloved by her Twitch viewers? 

1:13:00- Thanks so much to Maria for joining the show. Here is how you can keep up with her:

Twitch:

https://www.twitch.tv/photochess

Webpage:

 https://photochess.com/

Chess.com: 

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

Instagram:

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

Twitter: 

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

Reddit Photo Challenge:

https://www.reddit.com/r/photoshopbattles/comments/6kywwe/psbattle_world_chess_champion_receiving_golden/

Episode 226- Tim Krabbé

Photo Courtesy of Tim Krabbe

Tim Krabbé is a popular Dutch novelist who is probably best known for the cult cycling classic The Rider, and the book The Vanishing, which was adapted into film in both The Netherlands and the U.S. 

In chess circles, Tim is a strong player who was once among the top 20 in the Netherlands, and he was a competitor in two Dutch National Championships. He has written for New in Chess Magazine, and wrote a classic (out of print)  book called Chess Curiosities. Around the late 1990s and 2000s, Tim maintained an  amazing blog which tracked chess news, shared stories  and contained many noteworthy chess studies and records. Tim no longer updates the blog, but fortunately he maintains the archive, so that chess fans still can immerse themselves in it. Tim has accumulated some great stories from his interactions with legends like GMs Jan Timman, Garry Kasparov, and Vishy Anand. In our interview, he shares a few of the stories, assesses the chess boom, and shares his wisdom on the topics of writing, cycling, longevity, and of course, chess. Please read on for more details and relevant hyperlinks. 

 Click here to download the episode

0:00- We dive right into chess talk, as Tim shares his thoughts on the FIDE Candidates tournament, and discusses his current relationship with chess. 

Mentioned: GM Anish Giri, GM Ian Nepomniatchtchi, Babson tasks , Episode 210 with Tom Vanderbilt. See Tom Vanderbilt’s profile of Tim Krabbé here- 

https://www.bicycling.com/news/a20026829/think-you-understand-the-rider-think-again/

09:45- Tim made a comeback to cycling in his 60’s, and still works hard on his writing at the age of 78.   What advice does he have for staying mentally and physically robust? This segues into Tim’s thoughts on the relative differences between chess, cycling, and racing. 

16:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. You can check out their latest offerings here:

New Chess Courses Online - For All Levels in all - Chessable.com

16:45- Tim answers a few questions from The Patreon mailbag relating to whether there are any similarities between cycling and chess. 

Mentioned: Marc Cavendish, GM Simen Agdestein, Tim’s article about Simen is here:

https://timkr.home.xs4all.nl/chess2/agd_eng.htm

23:30- Tim tells the memorable story of how Bobby Fischer’s achievement’s deterred him from pursuing professional chess. He then tells a few stories derived from his attending the Fischer-Spassky World Championship in 1972. 

Game 1 here- 

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1044722

Also mentioned: GM Friðrik Ólafsson

30:30- Patreon mailbag question: “How important does Tim think exercise is for competing at chess?” 

34:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. Check it out for free, and then, if you decide to subscribe, use the PromoCode Chess30 to save 30%.

35:00- What is Tim’s most cherished chess memory? What sites does he read? 

Mentioned: Leonid Yarosh’s Babson Task- more info here: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babson_task

Also mentioned: Chessbase.com, Chessvibes.com 

40:30- What are Tim’s favorite chess books?

Mentioned: The King by GM Jan Hein Donner, Hein Donner, The Biography, The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal 

44:00- What does Tim think about the future of chess?

Mentioned: GM Jan Timman, Read Tim’s chess short story, Master Jacobson, here:

https://timkr.home.xs4all.nl/text/jacobson.htm

49:00- What advice does Tim have for how to tell a good story? Who are his favorite novelists?

Mentioned: Lev Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Ivan Turgenev 

53:00- Tim describes a memorable interaction with legendary World Champion Garry Kasparov. 

Mentioned: Kasparov vs. Piket 1995, Tim’s piece A Walk with Garry Kasparov:

https://timkr.home.xs4all.nl/text/kaspeng.html

Thanks so much to Tim for sharing his stories and wisdom!

Read his archive here:https://timkr.home.xs4all.nl/chess/chess.html 

Purchase his books here: https://www.amazon.com/Tim-Krabbe/e/B000APEA88%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

You can reach him at timkr At xs4all.nl

Episode 225- GM Axel Smith

This week I am joined by one of my favorite modern authors, Grandmaster Axel Smith. Axel is a two-time Swedish Chess Olympiad member, who is probably best known for co-authoring the 2017 book, The Woodpecker Method, with his fellow grandmaster Hans Tikkanen. Axel has written a few other books, which are excellent guides for more advanced players. They are Pump Up Your Rating, e3 Poison, and his latest offering from Quality Chess, Street Smart Chess. In our interview we discuss all of these books, and touch on topics like the origins of The Woodpecker Method, Axel’s own experience with using spaced repetition, and his improvement advice for ambitious club players. There are lots of useful nuggets in our conversation, so I hope you will enjoy it. Please read on for more details, timestamps, and relevant links.

Click here to download the episode

0:00- We begin by discussing what is probably GM Axel Smith’s most popular book, the famed The Woodpecker Method, which he co-wrote with GM Hans Tikkanen. The book is available from Amazon and is very popular on Chessable. 

Mentioned: Book Recap #6 discussing Woodpecker Method with Neal Bruce,  Episode 187 with Christopher Chabris, Episode 216 with Dr. Jana Krivec 

15:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. You can check out their latest offerings here: 

New Chess Courses Online - For All Levels in all - Chessable.com

16:00- In Pump Up Your Rating, Axel listed the 4 key components of chess improvement: “ (1) analyzing your games and making a ‘list of mistakes;” (2) using a De la Maza-esque program to study tactics; (3) doing serious opening work via the creation of ‘opening files’ in ChessBase; and (4) mastering approximately 100 key theoretical endgames.” 

Does he still think this is the best approach?

Mentioned: 100 Endgames You Must Know 

20:45- In e3 Poison, Axel mentioned that we may be entering a post theoretical era- what does he mean by that? 

Mentioned: GM Anish Giri 

24:30- What players does Axel look up to?

Mentioned: GM Stellan Brynell, GM Ulf Andersson, YouTube Video- Play Like Ulf Andersson -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDo--EPHnfc

27:00-Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. Check it out for free, and then, if you decide to subscribe, use the PromoCode Chess30 to save 30%.

28:30 What is the theme of Axel’s newest book, Street Smart Chess? 

Mentioned: Forward Chess, Street Smart Chess, Free book excerpt from Quality Chess here:

http://www.qualitychess.co.uk/ebooks/StreetSmartChess-excerpt.pdf

GM David Navara, GM Aryan Tari, GM Baskaran Adhiban, GM Laurent Fressinet,GM Peter Heine Nielsen, GM Magnus Carlsen, My Chess World, The Secret Ingredient by Jan Markos and GM David Navara 

39:45- What is the chess culture like in Sweden? 

41:00- What are some of Axel’s favorite books?

Mentioned: Learn from the Legends, Move First Think Later, On the Origin of the Good Moves 

46:00- Axel Smith shares some life and chess advice before departing. You can keep up with him via his website:

http://www.schackstudion.se/

Episode 224 - GM Ruslan Ponomariov

Photo courtesy of GM Ruslan Ponomariov

This week’s guest is none other than former FIDE World Champion, 2 time Olympiad Gold Medalist, and 2011 Ukrainian National Champion, GM Ruslan Ponomariov! With the FIDE Candidates having concluded it was a great time to hear the thoughts of this genial super grandmaster. In our conversation, Ruslan puts the 2020-2021 FIDE Candidates into historical context, shares his perspective on GM Ian Nepomniachtchi’s victory, and then assesses the 2021 World Championship matchup between Nepomniachtchi and GM Magnus Carlsen. We then delve into GM Ponomariov’s storied career. How does he reflect on having been the youngest FIDE World Champion ever? What is he up to these days? We discuss this and much more in this fascinating, wide-ranging interview. Please read on for lots more details and timestamps.

Click here to download the Episode

0:00-  Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. You can check out their latest offerings, inclluding IM Christof Sielecki's course on the Pirc defense here: 

New Chess Courses Online - For All Levels in all - Chessable.com

2:00- We begin, of course, by discussing the just-ended FIDE Candidates Tournament. What were GM Ponomariov’s impressions of the FIDE Candidates Tournament?

Mentioned: Curacao 1962: The Battle That Shook the Chess World, GM Garry Kasparov, GM Alexei Dreev, Alexander Grischuk, GM Garry Kasparov, Rublevsky vs. Ponomariov 2007 

20:00-  How does he assess GM IanIan Nepomniachtchi’’s chances  vs. Magnus Carlsen? 

Mentioned: Bwin World Championship Odds- https://sports.bwin.com/en/sports/events/world-championship-2021-11184631

GM Fabiano Caruana, GM Peter Heine Nielsen

26:00- Ruslan answers a question from the Perpetual Chess Patreon mailbag: “How would a world championship team typically prepare for a match?”

Ruslan describes his own experiences working with Magnus Carlsen. 

Mentioned: The Anand Files, GM Wang Hao, GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, GM Sergei Karjakin, GM Boris Gelfand 

37:00- Patreon mailbag question: “How does Ruslan place his FIDE World Champion title within historical context?” 

Mentioned: GM Viswanathan Anand, GM Magnus Carlsen, GM Bobby Fischer 

43:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. Check it out for free, and then, if you decide to subscribe, use the PromoCode Chess30 to save 30%.

44:30- Patreon mailbag question: “Does Ruslan have any professional chess plans outside of continuing to compete?” 

Mentioned: Dortmund Chess Days 2021

 51:30- Patreon question: “Does GM Ponomariov have any suggestions for how to avoid information overload?”

Mentioned: GM Noel Studer’s blog- https://t.co/4zQNhZV958?amp=1

56:00- GM Ponomariov discusses some of the chess-related projects on which he is working.

Mentioned: German Bundeslga, GM Vladimir Baklan, GM Pavel Elianov, GM Yuriy Kuzubov, Russian Language Academy of Olympic Champions website here: 

Академия Олимпийских Чемпионов

1:01:00- Does Ruslan have any good stories involving GM Vasyl Ivanchuk? Has he ever played him in checkers? 

Mentioned: Ivanchuk interview with Fiona Steil Antoni: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGpT9el_9i8, GM Peter Heine Nielsen, GM Alexander Morozevich, GM Tiger Hillarp Person, GM Emanuel Lasker, GM Anatoly Karpov, GM Mikhail  Podharetz 

1:15:00- Twitter question from GM Denes Boros: “Is there anything GM Ponomariov would have done differently from his time at the top of the chess world?”

Mentioned: GM Yuriy Kryvoruchko , GM Vladimir Topolov, GM Viswanathan Anand, GM Wang Hao 

1:23:00- In view of the fact that Ruslan lives in Spain, I asked whether he does any chess work there, or is it primarily on the road, and in his native Ukraine? 

1:29:00- In 2008, GM Ponomariov told Chessbase.com of his desire to travel through the Mongolian steppes. Has he taken that trip yet? 

1:32:00- Thanks so much to GM Ponomariov for sharing his time and reflections. Here is how you can keep up with him:

Twitch:

https://www.twitch.tv/ruslanponomariov

Twitter:

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

Book Recap: Discussing Logical Chess Move by Move with Barry Katz

Welcome to another bonus book recap podcast, also known as Chess Books Recaptured! This month’s book of choice is one of the most popular beginner-oriented chess books of all time, Irving Chernev’s Logical Chess Move by Move. My guest co-host this month is Barry Katz. Barry is a Brooklyn based father of 4, and college writing instructor who discovered chess in recent years through the interest of his son. 

Irving Chernev has left quite a legacy as an accomplished and popular writer of 20 chess books. Logical Chess Move by Move was first published in 1957, so some have suggested it is outdated, but both Barry and I find it to be very readable and instructive, and an excellent book for those looking to understand the timeless principles of master level chess play. Please read on for lots more details, timestamps and relevant links. 

Click here to download the Episode

0:00- Barry shares a bit about his background, and we discuss why we chose to discuss Logical Chess Move by Move by Irving Chernev 

Guest co-host Barry Katz

Mentioned: Facebook Chess Books Collectors Group, GM Max Illingworth, GM Andy Soltis, Brian Karen, World Chess Hall of Fame, Chernev tribute: 

https://worldchesshof.org/hof-inductee/irving-chernev

Also Mentioned: Episode 221 with Chris Callhan, Lichess Study Featuring Logical Chess Move by Move: https://lichess.org/study/Wn7aMkPy, Jen Shahade, Mike Klein, Capablanca’s Best Chess Endings, The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played 

The 1979 Chernev interview from the Chess Life and Review archive  can be found here:

http://uscf1-nyc1.aodhosting.com/CL-AND-CR-ALL/CL-ALL/1979/1979_All.pdf

12:45- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. You can check out their latest offerings here: 

 Chessable.com

13:45- Is Logical Chess Move by Move secretly a good guide to openings? What other move by move chess books are available on the market? 

Mentioned: The Scandinavian Defense, Understanding Chess Move by Move by GM John Nunn, Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy by IM John Watson, Episode 41 with GM Judit Polgar 

20:30- We share a few noteworthy quotes of Chernev discussing the common early moves of  chess games. 

Mentioned: IM Andras Toth, Girl vs. Wang Hao 2021 

32:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. Check it out for free, and then if you decide to subscribe use the PromoCode Chess30 to save 30%.

33:30- We share a few more favorite quotes from the book. 

Mentioned: Dan Heisman, IM Eric Rosen, Jose Rauol Capablanca, Harry Pillsbury, GM Sam Shankland, Siegbert Tarrasch 

44:30- We discuss a couple of our favorite games from the podcast. 

Mentioned: Rubinstein-Salwe 1908, Tarrasch-Mieses 1916

48:00- What were our main chess improvement takeaways? 

Mentioned: GM Ben Finegold, Caruana-Vachier-Lagrave 2021, World’s Most Instructive Amateur Game Book by Dan Heisman, IM Cyrus Lakdawala 

59:00- Thanks so much to Barry Katz for helping out this month’s book recap. You can email him at: Iambarrykatz at gmail.com 

Mentioned: Subscribe to FM Nate Solon’s email newsletter here: Zwischenzug (substack.com), Bronstein’s Zurich 1953 book, Najdorf’s Zurich 1953 book

If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here:
Ben Johnson is creating Perpetual Chess Podcast | Patreon

Episode 223- Dr. Luka Popov (Adult Improver Series)

Photo courtesy of Dr. Luka Popov

My guest on the podcast is adult improver Dr. Luka Popov. Luka is a 39 year-old Croatian dad, theoretical physics Ph.D., software engineer and content creator. Luka started serious chess in 2017, and was primarily emphasizing over-the-board chess before the pandemic. Then he  switched to online chess, and  his Lichess rapid rating has gained about 250 points in the last 1.5 years. 

Luka shares a lot of his wisdom and experiences on his YouTube channel called “The Adult Chess Improver.”  As the channel and our interview make clear, Luka has quickly gained expertise in the topic of adult chess improvement, and our interview is filled with quality recommendations for like-minded players. Please read on for lots more details. 

Click here to download the episode

My guest on the podcast is adult improver Dr. Luka Popov. Luka is a 39 year-old Croatian dad, theoretical physics Ph.D., software engineer and content creator. Luka started serious chess in 2017, and was primarily emphasizing over-the-board chess before the pandemic. Then he  switched to online chess, and  his Lichess rapid rating has gained about 250 points in the last 1.5 years.

Luka shares a lot of his wisdom and experiences on his YouTube channel called “The Adult Chess Improver.”  As the channel and our interview make clear, Luka has quickly gained expertise in the topic of adult chess improvement, and our interview is filled with quality recommendations for like-minded players. Please read on for lots more details. 

0:00- Luka delves into his chess background. 

Mentioned: Agadmator, Hanging Pawns

12:00- Why does Luka think many titled players struggle to understand the plight of adult improvers? 

Mentioned: IM Andras Toth, Dr. Jana Krivec 

17:45- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Check out their latest offerings here: 

New Chess Courses Online - For All Levels in all - Chessable.com

18:30- Why is it important for improvers to try to acquire chess skills rather than gain chess knowledge?  

Mentioned: Neal Bruce 

26:00 What do Luka’s family and friends think of his chess hobby?

28:30- Luka answers a question from the Patreon mailbag relating to developing board visualization. 

Mentioned:: Jason Cigan, JJ Lang, Benedictine’s Basic Chess Patterns:

https://www.chessable.com/basic-chess-patterns-/course/46181/

Also Mentioned: Chesstempo, Perpetual Chess Book Recap of Woodpecker Method and Michael De La Maza’s Rapid Chess Improvement:

https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2020/4/17/bonus-pod-recapping-the-woodpecker-method-and-rapid-chess-improvement-with-neal-bruce

36:45- Patreon mailbag question: “What are the best ways to improve tactically and strategically respectively?” 

Mentioned: GM Jesse Kraai, IM John Bartholomew, IM Andras Toth, GM Jacob Aagaard’s Thinking Inside the Box 

43:00- Luka answers another Patreon question: “What is the best way to improve at endgames?”

Mentioned: 100 Endgames You Must Know, Positional Chess Handbook by FM Israel Gelfer 

45:30- Patreon question: “What advice does Luka have when it comes to setting goals?” 

50:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. If you subscribe use the PromoCode Chess30 to save 30%. 

51:00- How does Luka think about the concept of “ceilings” in chess potential? 

55:30- What are Luka’s plans for tournaments as the pandemic recedes? 

1:01:00- What other hobbies does Luka have? 

1:05:00- Thanks so much to Dr. Popov for joining the show. 

Be sure to follow his YouTube channel here: 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCChy0letCdw0KtnMnfAukLw

You can email him at drpopovchess at gmail.com - 

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

Donate — The Perpetual Chess Podcast

Episode 222- GM Peter Svidler returns

Photo by Soboky via Wikimedia Commons

This week on Perpetual Chess, we are fortunate to get a return visit from the legendary commentator, Super GM, and now Chessable author, GM Peter Svidler! Peter talked with me a few days before he was set to depart for Yekaterinaburg, Russia. Yekaterinburg, of course, is where the FIDE Candidates Tournament will resume after being postponed amidst the Covid pandemic in March 2020. The tournament resumes on April 19, and the winner of the tournament will face GM Magnus Carlsen for the World Championship in November of 2021. As a competitor in prior Candidates Tournaments, and someone who is now assisting GM Kirill Alekseenko, one of the participants, it was amazing to hear GM Svidler’s perspective on the tournament. 

Of course, GM Svidler has also just released his much anticipated Chessable course, Lifetime Repertoires: Peter Svidler’s Grunfeld. We talked about how he researched this huge project, as well as what surprised him about the process of writing his first Chessable course. 

Lastly, we got lots of questions from supporters of the Perpetual Chess Podcast. GM Svidler tackled questions relating to his famed modesty, his plans for competing and commentating in 2021, and much more. Please read on for more details, timestamps, and relevant links. 

Click here to download the Episode  

0:00- 

We begin by discussing the FIDE Candidates Tournament, which is set to resume on April 19, 2021. 

Mentioned: Russian Superfinals, GM Kirill Alekseenko, FIDE Candidates Wikipedia Page including participants and standings here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Chess_Championship_2021

Candidates odds to win:

https://sports.bwin.com/en/sports/events/candidates-tournament-2020-9514213

22:30- 

Peter answers the first question from the Perpetual Chess Patreon mailbag: “is it possible that Peter’s famed modesty gives him a competitive disadvantage?”

Mentioned: GM Sergei Shipov 

26:30- Perpetual Chess is proud to be brought to you in part by Chessable.com. You can pick up GM Peter Svidler’s The Grunfeld: Lifetime Repertoires Part 1 here:

https://www.chessable.com/lifetime-repertoires-peter-svidlers-grunfeld-part-1/course/63116/

The free short and sweet version is here:

https://www.chessable.com/short-sweet-peter-svidlers-grunfeld/course/70030/

27:00 What were the biggest challenges of creating Peter’s much- anticipated course on the Grunfeld opening? 

Mentioned: GM Danill Dubov, GM Harikrishna 

41:25- Patreon question: How can a player improve at quiet positions? 

Mentioned: Peter’s Svidler’s “Training with Tani” Youtube Series

48:30- Patreon question: “When will we see Peter and GM Jan Gustafsson announcing again?” 

53:30- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. Aimchess  collects and analyzes your online games and gives you actionable advice on what phases to work on. You can check out their site for free, and if you sign up, use the Promo Code “Chess30” to save 30%

54:00- Patreon question: “Does Peter’s love for the video game Hearthstone help his chess?” 

GM Evgeny Tomashevsky, GM Ian Nepomniatchi 

56:30- Patreon questions: “Will Peter ever write a chess book? If he did, what would it be about?” 

Mentioned: Masterclass with GM Yannick Pelletier:

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

Peters’s Recap of his Tilburg 1997 win vs. GM Garry Kasparov

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1iefMAb-Tk

Also Mentioned: GM Boris Gelfand’s books with GM Jacob Aagaard, FM Michiel Abeln’s The Anand Files, From London to Elista 

1:04:00- Patreon question: “Who are Peter’s favorite cricket players?” 

1:05:30-  Patreon question: “Does Peter think that there are similarities between learning languages and chess?” 

Mentioned: Leisure Suit Larry 

1:10:00- Thanks to much to GM Peter Svidler for re-joining the show! Here are the links for his Twitter account, Twitch Streaming, and Chessable course:

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

https://www.twitch.tv/plbrta

https://www.chessable.com/discussion/thread/242991/lifetime-repertoire-the-grunfeld-peter-svidler-/

Peter Svidler “Lifetime Repertoires” Grunfeld-Part 1- Course Giveaway Instructions! 

1. Go to Perpetual Chess Youtube page here-

   1. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtcudElmRsQYTwULtd_gnFw/videos

2. Subscribe to the channel and take a screenshot

3. Email the screenshot to ben@perpetualchesspod.com with the subject header “YouTube”

4. Done!

5. Winners will be announced via email on May 1

   I will not be able to respond to all contestants’ emails, but you all should get an email when the winners are announced. Thanks for playing!

If you would like to join the Perpetual Chess Patreon community, or to help support Perpetual Chess in other ways, you can learn more here:

Donate — The Perpetual Chess Podcast

Episode 221- Chris Callahan of Lichess.org

This week we are joined by Chris Callahan, who is the Community Organizer of LiChess.org. Lichess is a community supported, free, open-source, ad- and tracker-free chess site which plays host to over 5 million chess games per day. Back in 2017, I interviewed its founder, Thibault Duplessis, so it was past time to catch up on all that is new with this great site. It has been especially important during the past year as online chess has surged in popularity. We discussed everything from how they dealt with a huge traffic surge, to their capabilities in the area of cheating detection. We talked about the viability of their current business plan as well as their future plans. Chris also delved a bit into his own chess background, and shared his unique perspective on scholastic chess teaching and chess improvement. It was fun to catch up with him and to learn more about this website on which so many of us enjoy playing on a daily basis.

Click here to download the Episode

0:00- Chris shares a bit about his chess background, what is new with Lichess founder Thibault Duplessis, and how he became a LiChess employee, 

Mentioned: IM Christof Sielecki, LiChess Studies , Episode 25- Thibault Duplessis 

7:00- LiChess traffic doubled in 2 weeks when the pandemic hit. How did they handle it? As a donation-driven non-profit, how is LiChess holding up financially? 

Mentioned: The Lichess Costs document we reference is here:

http://lichess.org/costs

16:30- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com! Check out their latest here, including GM Peter Svidler's much anticipated course on the Grunfeld:

New Chess Courses Online - For All Levels in all - Chessable.com

17:00- Chris answers a Patreon mailbag question relating to various Lichess capabilities and future plans including what their philosophy is on sharing their open source coding. 

25:30- Chris discusses a recent controversy involving Chessbase and the open source community. It is alleged that Chessbase was not transparent about using Stockfish’s Open Source Code for its Fat Fritz engine. More info in Peter Dogger’s summary here: 

https://www.chess.com/news/view/chessbase-fat-fritz-2-stockfish-leela-chess-zero

31:00- What is Lichess’ approach to the use of a cheat detection/engine by players? 

Mentioned: Episode 18 with IM Danny Rensch, Episode 136 with IM Ken Regan, GM Wesley So, GM Raunak Sadhwhani 

48:00- What are the goals of the LiChess Twitch and YouTube channels? What other projects might LiChess work on? 

Mentioned: LiChess Study- Logical Chess Move by Move:

https://lichess.org/study/Wn7aMkPy

58:00- What is Chris’ guiding principle in teaching chess to kids? What else would Chris like to see change in the chess community? 

Mentioned: IM Eric Rosen and The Stafford Gambit, Chess for Zebras 

1:05:00- Thanks so much to Chris for sharing his knowledge and catching us up on Lichess.

Join the LiChess Discord here:

https://lichess.org/team/chesscord-discord-community

You can follow Chris on LiChess here: 

https://lichess.org/@/NoJoke

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

The Perpetual Chess Podcast

Episode 220- Bruce Pandolfini

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Bruce Pandolfini is a trailblazer for American chess who is well known as a top scholastic coach, prolific author, and consultant on landmark chess productions like the 1993 movie, Searching for Bobby Fischer, and the 2020 smash hit Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit. Bruce even served on the announcing team for PBS in the legendary 1972 Fischer vs. Spassky World Championship match. 

With such a resume, obviously Bruce has accumulated a treasure trove of stories, and perspective. In our interview, Bruce drew on his experience as an early coach of future GM Fabiano Caruana and IM Josh Waitzkin to discuss the nature of chess talent, and he told stories of a few of his interactions with Bobby Fischer as a New Yorker of the same generation. Bruce also opined on the growth of and future of chess, and discussed his involvement in The Queen’s Gambit,  both the novel and the series. Obviously,I found this to be an entertaining and informative interview, and I hope that you will as well. Please read on for more details and links related to all that we discussed. 

Click here to download the Episode

0:00- We begin by reliving some stories from Bruce’s youth in Brooklyn, and his interactions with chess legends like Bobby Fischer and GM Larry Evans. 

Mentioned: Caroline Marshall, Fabiano Caruana, Billy Wilder, Stanley Kubrick, Al Horowitz 

9:30- How did Bruce end up a part of the announcing team for PBS for the 1972 Fischer vs. Spassky “Match of the Century?” 

Mentioned: Shelby Lyman, Eugene Meyer, GM Edmar Mednis, Dustin Hoffman, GM Nicolas Rossolimo, IM Bernard Zuckerman. Bobby Fischer’s Outrageous Chess Moves, Here is the video of Bobby Fischer appearing on The Tonight Show in 1972- 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxvnEwvgfeI, Saul Bellow, Kurt Vonnegut 

22:00- Perpetual Chess is proud to be brought to you in part by Chessable.com. You can always check out what’s new there through this link: 

New Chess Courses Online - For All Levels in all - Chessable.com

23:00- Patreon mailbag question: “How does Bruce deal with students whose parents are challenging?“

Mentioned: Bill Goichberg

29:00- Does Bruce notice any traits in common amongst the top talents he has worked with such as  IM Josh Waitzkin and GM Fabiano Caruana? 

Fred Waitzkin, Bonnie Waitzkin. Lou Caruana, Robert Hess, GM Joel Benjamin, GM Miron Sher 

37:00- Another Patreon Mailbag question: “What are some of Bruce’s favorite chess books?” 

Mentioned: My 60 Memorable Games, Botvinnik: One Hundred Selected Chess Games, Alekhine’s My Best Games of Chess, Fred Reinfeld’s The Human Side of Chess, Irving Chernev, GM Andy Soltis  

39:00- Another question from a Patreon supporter: “How has Bruce’s chess improvement advice changed over the years?”

Mentioned: Shelby Lyman 

46:30- Bruce answers the question,  “How has the rise of chess on YouTube and Twitch impacted Bruce’s students?” 

Mentioned: Jose Raoul Capablanca, Wilhelm Steinitz 

52:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessmood.com. Check out their website and subscribe to their YouTube channel here: 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMBUU6aq2b07VtTAMO0xGTw

53:00- We talk about Bruce’s work on The Queen’s Gambit, both Walter Tevis’ novel and the series. 

Mentioned: John Hartmann interview with Bruce Pandolfini:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpfWu-OvAlg

Also Mentioned: Bill Horberg, Scott Frank, Anya Taylor Joy, Garry Kasparov’s talk with the US Chess Girl’s Group is here: 

https://www.kasparov.com/garry-kasparov-talks-to-us-chess-girls-group-about-the-queens-gambit/

Also Mentioned: Searching for Bobby Fischer, Lasker’s Manual of Chess, 

1:03:00- In closing, we discuss Bruce’s future projects, including whether he may ever write a memoir. Thanks so much to Bruce for joining the show! 

Mentioned: Kimberly Doo McVay

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

Ben Johnson is creating Perpetual Chess Podcast | Patreon

Episode 219- Tunde Onakoya (Founder of Chess in Slums)

Twenty-six  year-old Tunde Onakoya is one of the top 50 chess players in his native Nigeria (rated 2165 FIDE), and is the founder of a life-changing organization called Chess in Slums. This organization introduces chess to kids in the slums of Lagos, Nigeria, and uses the game as a learning tool to instill confidence and teach critical thinking. It's a much-needed program, because the kids learning about chess are often unable to go to school due to financial or other life circumstances. As Tunde tells us, he was one of those kids not that long ago. Tunde credits chess with changing his life and aims to do the same for the next generation. Tunde is also a musician, a tech aficionado, a speed chess lover, and he has a university degree in Computer Science. Despite his many talents, it is his work bringing chess to kids that inspires him the most, and Tunde joined me amidst a week where a swarm of media attention had helped convince him to devote even more time and energy to the Chess in Slums cause. Tunde tells an inspiring story which is still in its early stages. Please read on for more details, relevant links and timestamps of our interview. 

Click here to download the Episode

0:00- We begin by discussing the hectic week that Tunde had preceding our interview, in the wake of a viral tweet of his about the Chess in Slums program, that begat lots of message and media requests. 

7:30- Tunde tells the story of how he discovered chess during his own childhood, and how the game changed the trajectory of his life. 

Mentioned: Bobby Fischer, Garry Kasparov, Anatoly Karpov, Jose Raoul Capablanca 

15:45- What were the beginnings of the Chess in Slums program? 

Mentioned: Chess in Slums’ Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/chessinslums/?igshid=zmqk3bq3d52e

Here is a tweet with the story of the girl named Basirat 

https://twitter.com/Tunde_OD/status/1265289693731721216?s=20

Facebook page here-

https://www.facebook.com/pg/chessinslums/posts/

27:45- How do the kids in the slums respond to chess? 

31:30-  Perpetual Chess is proud to be brought to you in part by Chessable.com. They are having a big sale this week, to check out what's available, you can go here:

Chess Courses Online - For All Levels in all - Chessable.com

32:00- Tunde discusses Chess.com/Chesskid’s sponsorship of Chess in the Slums. 

Mentioned: Carey Fan, University of California, The Chess in Slums Go Fund Me link is here:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/chess-education-in-africa?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf%20share-flow-1&

40:30-  Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessmood.com! 

Check out Chessmood’s blog here: 

https://chessmood.com/blog  and check out their YouTube, featuring Lessons with a Grandmaster here:

https://www.youtube.com/c/ChessMood

40:30-Tunde explains a bit about how the Nigerian school system works, and about the living situation for himself and the local kids. 

48:00- Is a chess culture taking hold in Nigeria? 

51:30- We talk a bit about Tunde's own blitz game. 

Mentioned: Perpetual Chess Episode 42 with James Altucher, IM Eric Rosen, GM Simon Williams (Ginger GM), GInger GM’s Iron English course: 

https://www.chessable.com/the-iron-english-botvinnik-variation/course/50500/

Here is Tunde’s Lichess account:

https://lichess.org/@/giftedhandz

58:00 Thanks so much to Tunde for joining the show, and for the work that he is doing! Please support Chess in Slums if you are able. 

Here is all the contact info you need:

The Chess in Slums Go Fund Me link is here:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/chess-education-in-africa?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf%20share-flow-1&

Twitter-

https://twitter.com/Tunde_OD

Instagram-

https://www.instagram.com/chessinslums/?igshid=zmqk3bq3d52e

Facebook- 

https://www.facebook.com/pg/chessinslums/posts/

Book Recap: Attacking the Strongpoint by GM Igor Zaitsev and Secrets of Practical Chess by GM John Nunn

Attacking the Strongpoint is published by Russell Enterprises and Secrets of Practical Chess by Gambit Books

After a one month hiatus, Chess Books Recaptured is back to discuss two chess books, Grandmaster Igor Zaitsev’s Attacking the Strongpoint, and GM John Nunn’s Secrets of Practical Chess. The guest co-host this month is a regular visitor of the show, cognitive scientist and USCF Master Christopher Chabris. As we discuss, these books tackle chess study from opposite perspectives, as GM Zaitsev’s book has a very philosophical tone, while GM Nunn’s classic lives up to its promise of giving lots of practical advice for chess competitors. Of course, there is much to be learned from both books, and it is always a pleasure to talk chess with Dr. Chabris. Please read on for more details and timestamps. 

Click here to download the Episode 

Episode 95 with Christopher Chabris 

Episode 187 with Christopher Chabris 

Book Recap: Think Like a Grandmaster by Kotov 

Attacking the Strongpoint: The Philosophy of Chess by GM Igor Zaitsev 

Secrets of Practical Chess by GM John Nunn 

 0:00- How did we choose these two books?

Mentioned: GM Anatoly Karpov, IM Mark Dvoretsky, GM Jacob Aagaard 

08:00- We break down Attacking the Strongpoint including its title origins, highlights and weaknesses. 

 16:00 -Perpetual Chess is proud to be brought to you in part by Chessable.com. They are having a big sale this week, to check out what's available, you can go here:

Chess Courses Online - For All Levels in all - Chessable.com

17:00- Sample quotes from the book 

Mentioned: Steinitz-von Bardeleben 1895, Capablanca-Tartakower 1924, GM Genna Sosonko 

 30:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com

 31:00- What can we learn from Secrets of Practical Chess?

Mentioned: Secrets of Grandmaster Chess, Understanding Chess Move by Move, Beating the Siclian, Alexander Kotov’s Think Like a Grandmaster  , Episode 8 with GM Sam Shankland , Andersson-Mestel 1982 

IM John Watson’s The Week in Chess review of Secrets of Practical Chess is here:

https://theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/three-improvement-books

Dr. Patzer’s Review of Secrets of Practical Chess:

https://patzersreview.blogspot.com/2020/01/nunns-secrets.html

Book Recap Podcast of Woodpecker Method and Rapid Chess Improvement with Neal Bruce:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/book-recap-woodpecker-method-rapid-chess-improvement/id1185023674?i=1000471766064

Nikolaos Ntirlis (Quality Chess Author) 

 1:13:30- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessmood.com! 

Check out Chessmood’s blog here: 

https://chessmood.com/blog  and check out their YouTube, featuring Lessons with a Grandmaster here:

https://www.youtube.com/c/ChessMood

1:13:45- We summarize our thoughts on Secrets of Practical Chess and get a quick update on Christopher and his son’s latest chess studies. 

Mentioned: Chess Middlegames by Laszlo Polgar, GM Jan Markos, GM Michael Adams 

1:26:00- Thanks as always to Christopher Chabris for helping out. You can check out his website here: chabris.com

 This month’s donation will go to Washington International Chess Tournament, more info here:

https://www.mdchess.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=featured&Itemid=49

1:27:00- 

Blindfold puzzle #1- 

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e3 b5 4. a4 c6 5. axb5 cxb5

What move did Greco play to make his opponent resign? 

(Answer shown in game link) 

Blindfold puzzle #2- 

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 Ne4 4. Nf3 d6 5. exd6 Bxd6 6. g3??

Black to play and win material 

(Answer shown in game link) 

Episode 218- GM Max Illingworth

GM Max Illingworth is one of Australia’s top players and is the 2 time national Australian Champion among other distinctions. in recent years, Max has shifted his focus from competing to training. His work ethic has evident, as in the last years ce co-authored the book, Dismantling the Sicilian, contributes actively on Facebook chess forums, and has launched his own training site, Illingworth Chess Academy. In our interview, we dive deep into the topic of chess improvement, and Max provides a lot of good insights about how he became so strong at tournament chess, blitz chess, and even the chess variant called Crazyhouse! Please read on for all of the details and timestamps.

Click here to download the Episode

0:00- We begin by discussing Max’s approach to adapting the right mindset for chess.  

Mentioned: Facebook Chess Endgame Studies and Composition Group, IM Cyrus Lakdawala, Chess Improvement: Its All in the Mindset,

8:30- Max discusses his affinity for a chess variant called Crazyhouse

10:30- What did Max do to raise his online blitz rating from 2800 to 2950? 

13:50- What should non GMs do to improve their blitz ratings, and their games generally?

Mentioned: Max Illingworth interview with Bryan Castro: 

http://www.betterchesstraining.com/2019/05/gm-max-illingworth.html

The Woodpecker Method , CT-Art  

23:45-Perpetual Chess is proud to be brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Their latest offerings include, Lifetime Repertoires: The Queen’s Gambit Declined by GM Alex Colovic and The Psychology of Chess Tactics GM Darrel Johanson

24:30- Patreon mailbag question: “What advice do you have for one who wants to start solving endgame studies but finds most of them too difficult?” 

Mentioned: Philip Stamma Endgame Studies, Say Chess’ Blindfold Endgame Trainer is here:

https://saychessblog.com/blindfold-endgame-puzzles/

31:00- Another mailbag question: “What advice does Max have for club players on how to learn to evaluate positions?”

Mentioned:  Simple Chess, Podcast recapping Simple Chess 

39:00- One more Patreon mailbag question: “How can one learn to assess one’s own strengths and weaknesses?” 

Mentioned: Openingtree.com, Aimchess.com

 42:30- What Chessbooks does Max recommend? 

Mentioned: Logical Chess Move by Move, My System, Art of Attack in Chess, The Complete Chess Swindler by GM David Smerdon 

47:30- Max tells the story of the moment that his competitive fire for chess was ignited. 

Mentioned: GM Yasser Seirawan, GM Ian Rogers, GM Darryl Johansen, IM John Paul Wallace 

52:30- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessmood.com! 

Check out Chessmood’s blog is here: 

https://chessmood.com/blog  and check out their YouTube, featuring Lessons with a Grandmaster here:

https://www.youtube.com/c/ChessMood

53:00- Patreon question: “What advice does Max have for pursuing goals?” 

Mentioned: Episode 215 with Vishnu Sreekumar 

57:00- How has Max been impacted by legendary Australian players Cecil Purdy and GM Ian Rogers? 

Mentioned: Chess Fundamentals by Jose Raoul Capablanca, IM Andras Toth, Van Perlo’s Endgame Tactics, IM Stephan Solomon 

1:05:00- In closing, Max shares a few of his interests away from the board.? 

1:09:00- Thanks to Max for joining the show! Here are the best ways to keep up with him.

Web page- Illingworth Chess Academy

Facebook- Max Illingworth | Facebook

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

Episode 217- "IM to GM" special episode with IMs Lawrence Trent, Sean Nagle, and Attila Turzo

IM Lawrence Trent, IM Sean Nagle, and IM Attila Turzo

This week’s podcast is a special feature that includes three different IM guests who are working to attain the Grandmaster title! My guests are popular commentator,  IM Lawrence Trent, 9-time Minnesota State Champion IM Sean Nagle,  and Hungary-based chess trainer,  IM Attila Turzo. These guests have very different backgrounds, chess distances to travel and life situations, but they all share the common goal of wanting to earn the highest title in chess. Why is it important to them? What do they need to improve in order to climb this final steep step? What will their study routines entail? I know that many of you will also be pursuing new chess milestones and goals post-pandemic, so I hope that you find some good advice and inspiration in these 3 interviews! Please read on for more details and timestamps for each interview.

0:00- Intro

Mentioned: IM Kostya Kavutskiy, IM Eric Rosen, IM Kassa Korley, IM John Bartholomew, IM Greg Shahade, IM Abimanyu Mishru, IM Christopher Yoo, IM Carissa Yip 

Click here to download the Episode

5:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by HotSaucery.co You should try some of their delicious hot sauces.  Use the promo code PERPETUAL to save 10%.  You can Follow them on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/hot.saucery/

6:00-  IM Lawrence Trent joins the show! Lawrence is a frequent and popular chess commentator, streamer and content creator. He has served as the manager for his friend GM Fabiano Caruana, and was one of the co-hosts of the original chess podcast, The Full English Breakfast, with Macauley Peterson, GM Stephen Gordon, and GM Simon Williams. He joins us to share his reasons for deciding that now is the time for him to pursue his last GM norm and the 100 FIDE points that he requires to earn the GM title. If anyone dares to bet against Lawrence, he genuinely would appreciate it! 

. 

Mentioned: GM Magnus Carlsen, Mike McDonald, Olivier Busquet, Fedor Holz, GM Emil Sutovsoky, GM RB Ramesh 

24:00- Patreon mailbag question:   “What defines the skill gap between IM and GMs?”

Mentioned: IM Ali Mortazavi, GM Keith Arkell, GM Mark Hebden, Sunway (Sitges) Chess Festival 

45:00- Thanks to Lawrence for joining the show. Whether you would like to bet against him or root him on in his GM quest, you can follow him on Twitter here. 

45:50- IM Sean Nagle joins the show. Sean is a Minnesota based Corporate and Securities Attorney, 9-time Minnesota State Chess Champion,husband, and dad of 3 kids. 

Mentioned: IM John Bartholomew, GM Andrew Tang, GM Wesley So, FM Peter Giannatos  

57:00- Patreon mailbag question: “What does Sean specifically need to work on in order to achieve the improvement he desires?”

Mentioned: IM Greg Shahade video: Chess Opening Study for Serious Players:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93kO7OXn9Lc

Also mentioned: GM Jacob Aagaard’s Killer Chess Training, GM Maurice Ashley, Tribe of Mentors, GM Alex Shabalov, IM Lawrence Trent, Jacob Aagaard’s Grandmaster Preparation Series, Universal Chess Training by GM Wojciech Moranda, Inner Game of Tennis, The Art of Learning, Against the Rules Podcast with Michael Lewis, Chess Improvement: Its All in the Mindset, Mindset by Carol Dweck, Grit by Angela Duckworth, Getting Unstuck: Break Free of the Plateau Effect, Boris Gelfand’s Series, FM Eduard Zelkind

1:30:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessmood.com! 

Check out Chessmood’s blog here: 

https://chessmood.com/blog  and check out their YouTube, featuring Lessons with a Grandmaster here:

https://www.youtube.com/c/ChessMood

1:30:00- Thanks to Sean for joining us! You can follow him on Twitter here, or reach via chess.com here. 

1:30:30- IM Attila Turzo joins the show.  

Mentioned: GM R.B.Ramesh, GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov, GM Viswanthan Anand, GM Ben Finegold 

1:41:00- Patreon mailbag question:  “What separates Attila from the Grandmaster level?”

Mentioned: Leonid Kubbel, Slavin’s Chess series, GM Jacob Aagaard, Mark Dvoretsky, Mikhail Botvinnik. Alexander Grischuk, IM Greg Shahade, GM Pragganandha, Nagy Laszlo’s First Saturday Tournaments, IM John Bartholomew, FM Peter Giannatos 

2:01:00- Thanks so much to Attila for joining the show. Here is how you can contact him and track his quest:

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

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

YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCezDjmS_25xjLYi8_jLAWeA

First Saturday Tournament- http://www.firstsaturday.hu/2012/index.htm

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

https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate

Episode 216- Dr. Jana Krivec

Photo Courtesy of Thinker’s Publishing

This week Dr. Jana Krivec joins me. She is the seven-time Woman’s National Champion of Slovenia.  Jana is also a Professor of Psychology at the School of Advanced Social Studies in Nova Gorica, Slovenia. She has recently released a book that synthesizes her interests in chess and brain science. Her book,  Improve Your Life by Playing a Game, gives a rundown of the many psychological issues that chess players often confront, and offers actionable advice on how we all can improve our study habits and our approaches to playing chess. I had a good time speaking with Dr. Krivec, and I think that you will enjoy the interview. Please read on for more details and timestamps. 

 Click here to download the Episode

0:00- We begin by discussing the cognitive biases that are most prevalent amongst chess players. 

Mentioned: Adult Improver interview with Dr. Vishnu Sreekumar, (The book recap I mentioned with Dr. Christopher Chabris will be out later this month) , The Dunning Kruger Effect, Emanuel Lasker, Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman 

15:00- How can we combat these biases?

20:00- Perpetual Chess is proud to be brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Their latest offerings include, Lifetime Repertoires: The Queen’s Gambit Declined by GM Alex Colovic and The Psychology of Chess Tactics 

21:00- Dr. Krivec answers a question from the Patreon mailbag about how to deal with the common issue of online “chess tilt.” 

Mentioned: The Power of Habit 

39:00- Jana answers a Patreon question about how to deal with stress in online chess and she’s asked whether she thinks chess is helpful or harmful with anxiety issues. 

Mentioned: Autogenic Training, Progressive Muscle Relaxation 

55:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessmood.com! 

Check out Chessmood’s blog is here: 

https://chessmood.com/blog  and check out their YouTube, featuring Lessons with a Grandmaster here:

https://www.youtube.com/c/ChessMood

56:00- What factors were most instrumental in Jana’s chess successes? 

1:04:00- Does Dr. Krivec have an opinion about whether it is better to learn from books or from online tools like Chessable? 

1:12:00- Thanks so much to Dr. Krivec for joining the show. You can contact her via Facebook. 

You can purchase or see a free teaser of her book via Thinkers Publishing Here:

Improve Your Life by Playing a Game – Learn how to turn your life activities into lifelong skills - Thinkers Publishing

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

Episode 215- Dr. Vishnu Sreekumar (Adult Improver Series)

Photo courtesy of Vishnu Sreekumar

We are back with  another Adult Improver Edition of Perpetual Chess. My guest, Vishnu Sreekumar, is a 35 year-old cognitive scientist and dad, who has been dedicating many hours to studying and playing chess since he rediscovered his love for the game in 2018. There have been plenty of obstacles along the way, but Vishnu has had great success, as his USCF rating has  risen from 1675 to 1954 in the 1.5 years preceding the onset of Covid’s changes to all of our lives.  During this period  he has continued to work on his chess, although unfortunately work responsibilities and a pending move back to his native India may soon slow down his chess schedule. Vishnu is also a classically-trained pianist. This background gives him even more perspective on the field of adult learning. So between the chess talk and the neuroscience talk, there is a lot to learn from Vishnu. Please read on for many more details and timestamps. 

 Click here to download the episode

0:00- Intro Vishnu shares a bit about his background and his beginnings in chess, as well as his initial tentative return to tournament play in 2018. . 

Mentioned: GM Nihail Sarin,  Meet the Dojo with GM Jesse Kraai- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kAGwWsRsKU&t=1381s

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance 

How to Reassess Your Chess by IM Jeremy Silman, Pawn Structure Chess by GM Andy Soltis 

12:30- Perpetual Chess is proud to be brought to you in part by Chessable.com. To check out their latest offerings, you can go here: 

https://www.chessable.com/courses/for-beginners/

13:00- At the peak of his chess obsession, Vishnu was spending 3+ hours a day on chess while maintaining work and family responsibilities as well. In this segment, Vishnu shares some of the resources he studied, but he also reflects on that period of obsession, and the adjustments he has since made to make sure that chess doesn’t supplant his family and work responsibilities. 

Mentioned: Domination in 2,545 Endgame Studies, Grandmaster Chess- Positional Play,   Test Your Chess IQ. Understanding Chess Move by Move, Tal Botvinnik 1960 , GM Jesse Kraai, Episode 44 with GM Jesse Kraai, Episode 175 with GM Jesse Kraai 

21:00- Vishnu answers a question from the Perpetual Chess Patreon mailbag. “Is it better to study tactics from a book or from an online tactics trainer?” 

Mentioned: The Test of Time, Winning with the King’s Indian by Eduard Gufeld 

26:00- Patreon question: “What are Vishnu’s biggest regrets in how he has studied chess?” 

Mentioned: GM R.B. Ramesh 

33:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by AImchess.com which collates data from your online games and gives you actionable advice and lessons. Check out the site, and if you subscribe use the Promo code “Chess30” to get a 30% discount.

35:00- Vishnu answers a few questions from Patreon supporters  relating to the cognitive science of chess. 

Mentioned: Practical Chess Exercises, Lev Alburt Pocket Chess Training Books, Woodpecker Method, Sherlock’s Method, Universal Chess Training,  IM Elizabeth Paehtz, Van Perlo’s Endgame Tactics 

41:00- Patreon question: “As a cognitive scientist, why does Vishnu think it’s so hard for adults to improve at chess?” 

Mentioned: IM Greg Shahade, GM Hikaru Nakamura, GM Peter Svidler, GM Jan Gustafsson, IM Kostya Kavutskiiy, GM Jesse Kraai, GM Avetik Grigoryan 

57:30- Another Patreon question- “Is there a correlation between chess and long term brain health?” 

1:00:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessmood.com! 

Check out their blog here: 

https://chessmood.com/blog

 and check out their YouTube, featuring Lessons with a Grandmaster here:

https://www.youtube.com/c/ChessMood

1:01:00- Does Vishnu have advice for how to balance a desire to improve at chess with work and family responsibilities? 

1:08:00- We discuss Vishnu’s background in music, as well as his daughter’s burgeoning interest in music. He also answers a Patreon mailbag question relating to whether he thinks that chess talent and music talent are transferable? 

Mentioned: The Steps Method 

1:16:00- With Vishnu moving to India and opening a lab, what role will chess take in his life? 

Thanks to Vishnu for sharing his chess story! You can keep up with him via Twitter or Facebook. 

Episode 214- GM Vlastimil Hort

Photo of GM Vlastimil Hort in 2005 via Wikimedia Commons

Czech grandmaster Vlastimil Hort  was among the world's best players in the 1960s, '70s, and into the mid-'80s. Born in Czechoslovka, the five-time national Czech champion emigrated to West Germany in 1985  and was subsequently the 3 time West German national champ.  GM Hort has played against most World Champions of the modern era, and has memorable stories about Bobby Fischer,  Boris Spassky, Paul Keres, and countless others.  GM Hort is also the co-author of the classic instructional book, The Best Move, and his latest book,  My Chess Stories, 64 Stories From My Life Near the Top in Chess has recently been translated to English. GM Hort reflects on a few of the standout stories in our interview, including how a bribe at a chess tournament in Tunis helped him escape Czechoslovakia in 1985.  He also gives us the details of his less-than-pleasant interactions with GM Mikhail Botvinnik. So many fun stories below, and such an honor to speak with GM Hort. Please read on for timestamps and more details.

 In addition to listening via audio, a transcript is available of this podcast thanks to the efforts of Dr. Stephen Sparks. You can read the interview transcript here. 

Click here to download the episode.

0:00- We launch in by GM Hort sharing his memories of attending Hastings 1967, a tournament for which he had no money to attend, so he ended up sleeping in a park en route to the facilities. Chess has come a long way! 

Mentioned: Hastings 1967-1968

7:30- Why did GM Hort decide to emigrate from the Czechoslovakia to Germany? He tells the amazing story of bribing passport control after theTunis Interzonal in 1985. 

Mentioned: Wilfried Hilgert, Tunis Interzonal 1985, GM Mikhai Suba, GM Evgenij Ermenkov 

14:00- Hort tells a story involving his fellow Czech native who recently passed away, GM Lubomir Kavalek. 

Mentioned: GM Anatoly Karpov, Leonid Brezhnev 

16:30- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Get Chessable’s IOS app if you haven’t already, and you can check out their latest offerings here:

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

17:30- GM Hort did not have the best relationship with former World Champion, GM Mikail Botvinnik. What events led to this bit of discontent? 

Mentioned: GM Bent Larsen, GM Paul Keres 

24:00- GM Hort had a famously tough loss against GM Boris Spassky in 1977 during the Candidates cycle. How does he look back on that match? And how is GM Boris Spassky doing today? 

Mentioned: GM Vladimir Kramnik, GM William Lombardy. GM Lajos Portisch, GM Pal Benko, GM Bent Larsen, GM Viktor Korchnoi 

30:00- GM Hort answers a Patreon mailbag question: how did it feel to compete against Soviet players when one had to worry about the possibility of collusion? 

Mentioned: GM Karpov, GM Lajos Portisch, GM Bent Larsen, Wolfram Hartmann, 

34:00- It has been alleged that GM Milan Matulovic accepted a bribe to throw the Candidates match against Taimanov  in the FIDE Candidates in 1970? Does GM Hort find this story credible? 

36:30-  Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessmood.com! 

Check out their blog here: 

https://chessmood.com/blog

 and check out their YouTube, featuring Lessons with a Grandmaster here:

https://www.youtube.com/c/ChessMood

37:30- Was there a test given to Czech youth to assess chess talent? What constitutes chess talent? 

Mentioned: Lubomir Ljubovic, GM Tony Miles, GM Lajos Portisch 

42:00- How did GM Hort study middlegames? 

Mentioned: GM Hans Kmoch, Rubinstein Chess Masterpieces 

44:00- Another Patreon question: How did the idea for the classic book, The Best Move, come about? 

Mentioned: GM Boris Gelfand, GM Jacob Aagaard 

46:30- Patreon question: Who was the most intimidating player to play against? This leads to GM Hort sharing some recollections of the famed Match of the Century in 1970. 

Mentioned: GM Lev Polugaevsky 

50:00- How was GM Hort’s relationship with Bobby Fischer?

Mentioned: GM Svetozar Gligoric, GM Eugenio Torre 

55:00- What does GM Hort think of modern chess and the increased importance of computers? He also mentions the name of the player who, in his opinion,  is the best player that ever was. 

Mentioned: GM Firouzja, GM Jorden van Forrest, GM Magnus Carlsen, GM Anish Giri, Bobby Fischer 

58:00- Patreon question: What keeps GM Hort loving chess after all of those years? 

1:02:00- How does GM Hort keep up with modern chess? 

1:03:00- What are GM Hort’s favorite activities outside of modern chess? 

1:06:00- Thanks so much to GM Hort for joining us and sharing some amazing stories! His book is available here:

https://chess.co.uk/products/vlastimil-hort-my-chess-stories

Thanks to Michael Busse of the Schachgeflüster Podcast.

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

https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess

Episode 213- IM Greg Shahade is back again

Photo via Greg Shahade’s Instagram Page

In an annual tradition, IM Greg Shahade returns to the show. Greg is the founder of the Pro Chess League as well as the US Chess School, and is a former scholastic champion turned adult-improving, dangerous speed chess specialist. His Chess.com blitz rating hovers in the 2600-2700 range, and he has beaten the likes of GM Alexey Shirov and GM Praggnanandhaa in recent Chess.com TItled Tuesday tournaments. Greg breaks down the secrets to his success- it turns out it has involved a lot of hard work on his openings! He also impart lessons from his success in order to help improving players lower on the rating ladder. Additional topics include:  the growth and evolution of chess, why Greg isn’t as vocal about his chess promotion ideas anymore, plus he answers a few fun Patreon mailbag questions. Whether you agree with Greg’s views of chess or not, its always fun to hear his perspective. Please read on for lots more details and timestamps. 

 Click here to download the episode.

Prior Interviews with IM Greg Shahade 

Episode 1

Episode 55

Episode 107

Episode 159

0:00- 

Greg’s blitz rating has been consistently improving even as he hits his early 40s. What are his study tricks? What approach should he take to study openings?  

Mentioned: Chessable.com, GM Alexei Shirov, GM Kiril Alekseenko, GM Jan Gustafsson’s Lifetime Repertoires Course, GM Elshan Moriadibadi, The London System, IM Andras Toth, GM Magnus Carlsen 

10:00- A question from the Patreon mailbag. What is the best way for a beginner to study an opening repertoire? 

Mentioned: Fight like Magnus: The Sveshnikov Sicilian, Lifetime Repertories: Nimzo-Ragozin Defense, Sam Shankland’s 1. D4 Chessable course 

18:00- What is the status of Greg’s blitz game? 

Mentioned: GM Kirill Alekseenko, GM Conrad Holt 

22:00- What is the status of Greg’s Twitch streaming career? 

23:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Get Chessable’s IOS app if you haven’t already, and you can check out their latest offerings here:

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

23:45- Patreon question: “Dude, when is Greg going to start blogging again?” We also discuss the ongoing Chess.com I am Not a GM Tournament

Mentioned: IM John Bartholomew, I am not a GM Tournament, IM Levy Rozman, IM Tania Sachdev, IM Kostya Kavutskiiy, Alexandra Botez, IM Lawrence Trent 

30:00- Another Patreon question relates to the status and format of the 2021 Pro Chess League, which of course also leads to a discussion of the explosion of popularity in online chess. 

Mentioned: Klay Thompson, Lennox Lewis, Gordon Hayward, Leveon Bell

37:00- Another Patreon question: are there improvements to the Pro Chess League website in the works? 

39:00- Perpetual Chess is brought in part by AImchess.com which collates data from your online games and gives you actionable advice and lessons. Check out the site, and if you subscribe use the Promo code “Chess30” to get a 30% discount.

39:00- Patreon question- has Greg read any good books lately? This segues into a general discussion of how to study chess.  

Mentioned: Playing 1. E4 by GM John Shaw, GM Peter Svidler, 100 Endgames You Must Know 

Endgame Strategy by Mikhail Sherevsky, Vancura Defense, Frontal Defense, Jeremy Silman’s Endgame Course, GM Jacob Aagaard 

49:00- In his chess development, did Greg do any targeted blindfold chess training? 

Mentioned: Chessboard Magic by Irving Chernev, GM Jeffrey Xiong, GM Ray Robson, IM Christopher Yoo

56:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessmood.com! 

Check out their blog here: 

https://chessmood.com/blog

 and check out their YouTube, featuring Lessons with a Grandmaster here:

https://www.youtube.com/c/ChessMood

57:00- Greg answers a Patreon question pushing back against the importance of the idea that Classical Chess wouldn’t exist if chess were invented in modern times. (As Greg has previously said) 

Mentioned: GM Fabiano Caruana, GM Hikaru Nakamura, GM Alexander Grishchuk, IM Andras Toth 

1:03:00- Greg makes his brief, shining singing debut on The Perpetual Chess! And then gives some shout outs. 

Mentioned: Episode 204 with FM Nathan Resika, Episode 12 with Christopher Yoo 

 Agadmator, Chessbrahs, IM Levy Rozman, Jennifer Shahade, The Botez Sisters, GM Hikaru Nakamura, GM David Howell, GM Jovanka Houska, Kaja Snare, Mark Crowther, ChessDoJo YouTube Channel- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsFJol3ToXA&list=PLH4lD9b6ZgbeAzMlaYoWSHL_lEF5BWZA0

Thanks as always to Greg for joining the show! You can follow him on Twitter here:

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

Episode 212- IM John Donaldson is back again!

Photo by James F. Perry via Wikimedia commons

In addition to being a strong player, and often the Captain of the US Olimpiad team, IM John Donaldson is a renowned chess historian and author. He has been researching the life of Bobby Fischer for over a decade, and he has been on the podcast in the past to discuss his prior publications on Fischer. Late in 2020, IM John Donaldson published his most comprehensive, and acclaimed Fischer work yet, Bobby Fischer and his World. This book was already named Chess.com’s 2020 book of the year, despite some stiff competition in a stellar year for chess books. I greatly enjoyed John’s work, which is a combination of biography and game analysis. In our conversation, of course we discuss details of Fischer’s life in some detail, with a particular emphasis on the new details John has uncovered. We also take time to remember the life and legacy of John’s friend, legendary GM Lubomir “Lubosh” Kavalek, and to discuss the state of John’s own chess game. As always, you can get lots more details and related hyperlinks in the description or on the Perpetual Chess webpage. Enjoy!

Click here to download the Episode

0:00- We begin by discussing the legacy of John’s friend, legendary player and trainer,  GM Lubomir “Lubosh” Kavalek who recently passed away. 

Mentioned: 

Episode 54 with IM John Donaldson

Episode 143 with IM John Donaldson 

Also Mentioned: GM Bobby Fischer, GM Hikaru Nakamura, GM Gata Kamsky, GM Fabiano Caruana, GM Wesley So, GM Lubosh Kavalek, Fred Wilson’s interview with GM Lubomir Kavalek, GM Joel Benjamin, GM Lev Alburt, Jerry and Fran Weikel of the Western States Open, GM Kavalek’s Huffington Post archive,  Peter Doggers chess.com obituary of GM Lubosh Kavalek, Chess Life and Review of Archive, Milos Forman, Ivan Passer, Gufeld-Kavalek 1962, Portisch-Kavalek 1975, GM Andrew Soltis  

18:00- Perpetual Chess is brought in part by AImchess.com which collates data from your online games and gives you actionable advice and lessons. Check out the site, and if you subscribe use the Promo code “Chess30” to get a 30% discount. 

18:45- Are there any fact that John and his friend and fellow eminent Fischer biographer Frank Brady disagree on? 

Mentioned: GM Boris Gelfand’s Technical Decision Making in Chess, FM Andrey Terekhov’s The Life and Games of Vasily Smyslov, IM Stuart Rachels’ The Best I Saw in Chess, GM William Lombardy, Dragoljub Minec, Jackie Beers 

27:00- John’s book is published by the publishing company of IM Jeremy Silman and his wife, Gwen Feldman- Did John work directly with Silman on this book? 

Mentioned: Silman-James press 

29:00- A question from the Patreon Mailbag: Which modern player most resembles Fischer in playing style? 

Mentioned: GM Peter Leko, Leko discussing studying with Fischer. GM Miguel Najdor

33:00- How would Bobby have enjoyed modern chess with faster time controls? 

Mentioned: GM Walter Shipman 

35:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Get Chessable’s IOS app if you haven’t already, and you can check out their latest offerings here:

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

37:00- How close was Bobby Fischer to playing a comeback match against GM Yasser Seirawan? Is John glad that Fischer did make a comeback? 

Mentioned: Lou Hays, GM Alex Sherzer, GM Larry Christiansen, GM Boris Spassky, GM Duncan Suttles 

43:00- Patreon question: Did Bobby have any students or proteges? 

Mentioned: GM Michael Bezold, Carmine Nigro, GM Reuben Fine, Episode 202 with Dr. Frank Brady, No Regrets, Fischer-Spassky 1992 

48:30- How is this book different from John’s prior publications about Fischer? 

Mentioned: A Legend on the Road

53:00- Will there be more Fischer projects forthcoming from John? What mysteries still remain from the details of Bobby’s life? 

Mentioned: World Chess Hall of Fame, GM Jesse Kraai’s interview with John Donaldson, David Delucia, GM Svetozar Gligoric, James Gore, IM Anthony Saidy, John Collins 

1:05:00- As an expert on American chess history, can John think of any historically accomplished adult improvers? 

Mentioned: GM Akiba Rubinstein, Jerry Hanken, GM Mihai Suba, Abe Turner, Carmine Nigro, 

1:09:30- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessmood.com! 

Check out their blog here: 

https://chessmood.com/blog

 and check out their YouTube, featuring Lessons with a Grandmaster here:

https://www.youtube.com/c/ChessMood

1:10:00- John discusses the underappreciated  chess legacy of IM Bernard Zuckerman 

1:13:00- From 1988-2000, John and GM Yasser Seirawan published a legendary chess magazine called Inside Chess, how does John recall those years? 

Mentioned: Hanon Russell, IM Nikolay Minev, GM Alexander Baburin, TheChessLibrary.com, FM Michael Shahade 

1:21:00- Now that this book has been published, will John be resuming OTB chess? If he were to resume chess training, what would he do to sharpen up? 

Mentioned: Mark Pinto, Your Jungle Guide to Chess Tactics by GM Peter Prohaszka, IM Yuriy Krykun, Quality Chess, Thinker’s Publishing, New in Chess Books, Russell Enterprises, GM Boris Gelfand 

1:29:00- What will John work on next?

Mentioned: IM Eric Tangborn, GM Hein Donner, GM Pal Benko

1:33:00- Book giveaway instructions!

1. Write a review of Perpetual Chess on ANY PODCAST REVIEW PLATFORM

2. Take a screenshot before hitting submit

3. Email the screenshot to Ben at perpetualchesspod.com

4. Winner will be announced on February 14, 2020

1:34:00- Thanks to John for joining the show! 

Order the book here:

https://www.amazon.com/Bobby-Fischer-World-John-Donaldson/dp/1890085197/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=john+donaldson+chess&qid=1612108311&s=books&sr=1-2

You can email John at imwjd at aol.com 

Book Recap: The Seven Deadly Chess Sins

Perpetual Chess is back with another monthly bonus edition of Chess Books Recaptured. This month  Chicago-based law professor, dad, and speed chess specialist, David Franklin joins me. Like me, David is a long-time fan of the writing of GM Jonathan Rowson, and of his 2000 book, The Seven Deadly Chess Sins, in particular.  Due to its  uniquely philosophical, digressive tone and its advanced chess subject matter, The Seven Deadly Chess Sins is not universally loved. Nonetheless, both podcast hosts and many other chess fans consider it to be a classic. In our conversation, we define and discuss each of GM Rowson’s 7 "chess sins", as well as sharing a bit of information about the author, the guest-co-host, and of course, a few of our favorite quotes. Please read on for many more details, links, and timestamps!

Click here to download the Episode.

0:00- Why does David love this book? Why is this book somewhat polarizing despite many rave reviews? 

Mentioned: Perpetual Chess Episode 193 with Tom Murphy, Adult Improver Episode 151 with JJ Lang 

08:30- We discuss GM Rowson’s background and his other chess books briefly. 

Mentioned: Understanding the Grunfeld, Chess For Zebras, The Moves that Matter, Perpetual Chess Episode 150 with GM Jonathan Rowson, IM Andras Toth, IM John Watson’s review of Seven Deadly Chess Sins: Some Products and Two First-Rate Books

12:00- What other books might have been the intellectual inspirations of this unique book? 

Mentioned: Facebook Chess Collectors Group, The Chess Mind by Gerald Abraham,  Secrets of Practical Chess, Improve Your Chess Now, Genius in Chess, Improve Your Chess Now Book Recap Podcast with FM Alex Chua, Alex King, Godol, Escher and Bach, Emotional Intelligence, Richard James, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance,  Dynamics of Chess Strategy, GM David Navara 

15:00- For what rating level is this book best suited? 

20:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessmood.com! 

Check out their blog here: 

https://chessmood.com/blog

 and check out their YouTube, featuring Lessons with a Grandmaster here:

https://www.youtube.com/c/ChessMood

20:45- We discuss Sin #1- “Thinking”- lack of faith in intuition, and “bureaucracy”

Mentioned: “Talking to Your Pieces”, Tom Murphy 

27:00- Sin #2- “Blinking” Identifying, missing critical moments 

Mentioned: Bobby Fischer, Russians vs. Fischer , GM Alex Yermolinksy’s The Road to Chess Improvement, The Road to Chess Improvement Recap Podcast, Episode 7 with GM Jon Ludvig Hammer 

31:00-  Sin #3- “Wanting” Attachment to results, carelessness, ‘chalking it up’ expectation 

Mentioned: “The Theory of Infinite Resistance,” FM Bill Jordan, GM Ian Rogers, GM David Smerdon, Jerry Wheeler 

42:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com! Be sure to download the much-anticipated Chessable app for IOS, and Seven Deadly Chess Sins will be available on Chessable later this year! 

43:00- Sin #4- “Materialism” Lack of dynamism, oversights

Mentioned: Plato’s Symposium, 

49:30- Sin #5- “Egoism” ‘forgetting the opponent’- fear - how many results am I playing for?

54:00- Sin #6- “Perfectionism”  time trouble, jam-lust (asking too much of your position), moralizing (punishing the opponent), copy-cat crime (trying to emulate another player)

Mentioned: GM Alexander Grischuk, Chess Explained’s YouTube Channel , GM Michael Adams 

1:03:30- Sin #7- Looseness-  losing the plot, drifting (playing without a plan), “neural hijackings” (emotions overwhelm the thinking brain, whether consciously or not), “tension transference” (relieve tension at all costs, uncomfortable with discomfort) 

Mentioned- Anand-Carlsen 2013, Kasparov-Sokolov 1999 

1:07:00- We share a few favorite quotes from the book. 

Mentioned: Endgame Strategy, GM Tiger Hillarp Person, GM Jonathan Levitt, GM Jan Gustafsson, GM Luke McShane 

1:11:30- A question from Patreon supporter and friend of the pod- is it a fair characterization  that Rowson characterizes this book in hindsight as “a good first draft?”

1:14:00- What were David’s personal interactions with GM Rowson like? 

1:18:30- Does David get more nervous before a tournament chess game or before arguing before the Supreme Court? 

1:19:30- Thanks to David for contributing his time and knowledge! You can keep up with David on twitter or Facebook. Next month will likely feature a recap of Attacking the Strongpoint by GM Igor Zaitsev

Twitter- https://twitter.com/DFranklinChi

Facebook- David Franklin | Facebook

Episode 211- IM Andras Toth

Photo Courtesy of IM Andras Toth

IM Andras Toth is a Canberra, Australia-based chess trainer who has built a loyal online following due to his no-nonsense YouTube chess videos and popular Chessable courses. Andras originally hails from Hungary, where he trained under the same trainer as the Polgar sisters and  was the two-time Hungarian Junior Champ. Andras’ background as a school teacher is evident in his engaging and energetic teaching style. As is clear from our conversation, Andras is not shy about expressing his hard-earned chess opinions. Andrey answers questions such as, should you play the London System?--do you need to hire a coach?--can one improve by focusing only on chess calculation?-- plus many more pertinent queries. This was a fun conversation that revealed many insights about chess improvement. Please read on for more details and relevant hyperlinks.  

 Click here to download the episode

0:00- Andras begins by discussing his chess and chess-training background a bit. 

Mentioned: IM Laszlo Hazai, The Polgar Sisters

0:8:15- Does Andras agree that club players should not learn much opening theory? 

Mentioned: The Road to Chess Improvement 

16:30- Andras answers the first of many questions from the Perpetual Chess Patreon mailbag: Neal Bruce asks, “ How important is it to have a chess coach?” 

23:00- Perpetual Chess is brought in part by Chessable.com! Be sure to download the much-anticipated Chessable app for IOS, and  you can check out Andras Toth’s courses here:

https://www.chessable.com/profile/ChesscoachAndras/

 24:00- Another Patreon listener question: “What is the proper way to analyze one’s own games and to study strategic concepts?” 

Mentioned: Alexander Alekhine: My Best Games of Chess, Paul Keres: The Road to the Top 

The book and game to which Andras refers can be found here: 

Mark Dvoretsky’s School of Chess Excellence, Tactical Play, Borkowski-Nunn 1974

 34:00- Why is Andras so blunt in his communication as a teacher and presenter?  

Mentioned: IM Jop Delemarre 

 41:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessmood.com! 

Check out their blog here: 

https://chessmood.com/blog

 and check out their YouTube, featuring Lessons with a Grandmaster here:

https://www.youtube.com/c/ChessMood

 42:00- How much can a 1500 player improve by working on calculation alone? How should we divide our study time?  

Mentioned: GM Jacob Aagaard 

 55:30- Another Patreon question:   “How can one transition from slower games, like Correspondence chess, to rapid games?” 

Mentioned: Episode 191 with GM Daniel Naroditsky 

 1:05:00- What are the pros and cons of correspondence or “daily” games? 

IM John Bartholomew. Tata Steel Masters 

 1:14:00- What Chessable courses would we recommend for a player rated below 1000?

Mentioned: Jan Gustafsson’s Lifetime Repertoires 1. E4 e5, Endgame Bootcamp with IM John Bartholomew, Learn Chess the Right Way Series, with GM Susan Polgar, 100 Endgames You Must Know, The Checkmate Patterns Manual, Mastering Mates, 1001 Deadly Checkmates ,

Andras’s book recommendations, via YouTube videos, are here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCwQyNLblm0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eg-u_HlZKco&t=1334s

 1:18:00- What books have informed Andras’ teaching style? What is his background? How did he end up in Canberra, Australia? 

Best Lessons of a Chess Coach. 

 1:30:00- Why has making Chess YouTube videos been frustrating for Andras? 

Check out his channel here:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcYZTGsTO5TbCaA1O0wcBzw

Mentioned: Perpetual Chess Episode 180 with IM Levy Rozman 

 1:34:00- Another listener question: “ What is the chess culture like in Australia and New Zealand?” 

Mentioned: GM Murray Chandler, FM Nicholas Croad

 1:43:00- One last Patreon question… “Why did Andras stop playing OTB chess?”

 Thanks to IM Toth for joining the show! Here are all the links you need in order  to keep up with him:

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

YouTube-https://t.co/RgSPMwU9Is?amp=1

Chessable- https://www.chessable.com/profile/ChesscoachAndras/

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