Perpetual Chess features weekly conversations with the chess world's best players, trainers and accomplished amateurs about their careers, current projects, best practices and the latest in chess news. Learn more at PerpetualChessPod.com
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EP 260 - IM Christof Sielecki is back!
This week’s guest on Perpetual Chess marks the return of award-winning author, Chessable writer, and noted opening theoretician, IM Christof Sielecki. Christof has recently released, Keep it Simple: Black, an ambitious course which provides solid opening lines against every possible White first move. We discuss how Christof’s process for creating Chessable courses, using engines and choosing opening lines, has evolved over the years. Of course, there was quite a bit of chess news in the form of the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz, so we also spent some time discussing this tournament, its standout performances, and its many attendant controversies. Lastly, Christof always has a few fun stories to share, and this interview was no exception. He shared some details about the process behind helping to create The Magnus Touch with Magnus and his team. As always, you can read on for more details and show notes below. Prior interviews with IM Christof Sielecki: Episode 6 Episode 153 Book Recap 18- My System 0:00- FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Recap and discussion Mentioned: Dude fell from his chair!, GM Magnus Carlsen-GM Nodiberk Abdusattorov Blitz game 26:15- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. You can check out IM Christof Sielecki’s courses, including free “Short and Sweet” previews of his new course here. 27:30- How did Christof decide which openings to include in “Keep it Simple Black?” Mentioned: Lifetime Repertoires: Pirc Defense, Lifetime Repertoires: Caro-Kann, Lifetime Repertoires: Nimzo-Ragozin 44:00- How has Christof’s use of engines evolved during the process of designing courses? Mentioned: Chessify Cloud Engine Rental 49:30- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by AImchess.com. Aimchess analyzes your online games and provides actionable improvement insights. Check out their updated website, and if you decide to subscribe please use the code “Perpetual30” to save 30%. 51:00- Christof tells the story of meeting and working with GM Magnus Carlsen and family in conjunction with Magnus’ course The Magnus Touch. 1:02:00- What will Christof be working on next? Mentioned: Episode 257 with GM Erwin L’Ami 1:05:00- Patreon mailbag question: “What role should openings and Chessable opening courses play for amateur club-level players?’ 1:17:00- Thanks so much to Christof for rejoining us! Here are links to keep up with him: Keep it Simple Black is ON SALE now. Get it here: Keep It Simple For Black - MoveTrainer™ Course - Chessable.com Short and sweet free previews here and here Follow Christof on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/ChessExplained Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
EP 259- Ben Johnson
On this holiday week, with The Perpetual Chess Podcast having recently turned 5 years old, it seemed like an appropriate time to feature myself as “the guest” on Perpetual Chess. In order to help out, I brought in longtime listener of the pod, chess journalist and improver, Chris Wainscott, to perform hosting duties. Chris and I covered lots of ground, as he asked me about the origins of Perpetual Chess, its growth over the years, my approach to interviewing people, favorite interview types and “dream guests.” He asked probing questions about my own chess origins and improvement efforts. Although I do prefer being the interviewer rather than the interviewed, it was fun to play the other role and to answer so many good listener questions. Details and show notes are below. 0:00- My chess background, and when did chess initially captivate me? 15:00- There are always great new courses from Chessable including FM Kamil Plichta’s Lifetime Repertoires: Accelerated Dragon. Check out what else is new here: https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/ 16:00- Patreon mailbag question:’When will GM Yasser Seirawan be on the show?” Mentioned: EP 134 with Megan Chen 19:00- Patreon mailbag question: “How did Perpetual Chess come to be?” 23:00- Patreon mailbag question: ‘To what do you attribute the podcast’s success?” 25:00- Patreon mailbag question: “What do you wish you had known at the beginning? Any regrets?” 26:00- Patreon mailbag question: “ How has your interviewing style/approach evolved?” 31:00- Patreon mailbag question: “What do you consider to be the highlights of the show?” 35:00- Twitter question: “Which handful of episodes are most representative of Perpetual Chess?” Mentioned: Ep. 193 Tom Murphy, EP 250- FM Asa Hoffmann, EP. 76 Andrez Kryzdwa, GM Jan Timman, EP 15 GM Alex Yermolinksky. plus I forgot to mention my favorite episode, a World Championship prep oral history with GM Peter Heine Nielsen 40:00- Twitter question: “When will you do a Chessable course?’ 42:00- Twitter question: “What are the most challenging types of interviews? What are your favorite non-chess podcasts?” Rights to Ricky Sanchez, Animal Spirits Podcast, WTF with Marc Maron, Fresh Air, The Ezra Klein show, Death, Sex and Money 46:00- Patreon mailbag question: “What is your work flow/chess study regimen like in a given week?” 50:00- What value does my producer, Mathew Passy bring to the podcast? 52:00- Perpetual Chess is also brought to you in part by AImchess.com. Check out the site, and if you decide to subscribe use the code Perpetual30 to save 30%. 53:00- Patreon mailbag question: “How has your approach to chess studying changed over the years?” Mentioned: Greg and Jen Shahade, GM Maurice Ashley 58:00- Patreon mailbag question: “What are your own favorite training tools? What guests’ advice resonated with you?” Mentioned: Neal Bruce, GM Jacob Aagaard, Thinking Inside the Box, GM Jan Gustafsson 1:03:00- When it comes to competitive chess? What is my “why? Mentioned: GM Jonathan Rowson’s The Moves that Matter 1:07:00- What are my goals in OTB chess? Mentioned: Episode 241 with FM Peter Giannatos, Episode 232 with James Altucher 1:10:00- Patreon mailbag question: What are my favorite learning tools? Mentioned: Episode 257 with GM Erwin L’Ami 1:13:00- How has life changed since Queen’s Gambit? 1:16:00- My evolving philosophy for choosing Adult Improver guests Mentioned: Episode 256 with Alex Crompton 1:19:00- Who are my “dream guests?” Mentioned: Lazslo Polgar, Magnus’ Bullet Twitch Stream, GM Ljubomir Ljubojevic, GM Ulf Andersson 1:25:00- Thanks so much to Chris for guest co-hosting! You can read his blog and book reviews here: http://ontheroadtochessmaster.com/ And follow him on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/cwainscottmke Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
EP 258- GM Matthew Sadler
This week’s guest on Perpetual Chess is 2 time British champion, and award winning author, GM Matthew Sadler. Matthew has been one of Great Britain’s top players for decades and is currently ranked #41 in the world. He has impressively managed to maintain his form well into his 40s while working outside of chess. Matthew has also made quite a mark as an author. His books,Gamechanger and the adult improver focused, Chess for Life, both co-authored with WIM Natasha Regan, are both favorites of this podcast. You can hear us discuss these books in Episode 112. In Matthew’s new book, The Silicon Road to Chess Improvement, Matthew goes beyond just Alphazero and extracts lessons for humans from many of the other modern chess super engines. He is also the regular book reviewer for NIC magazine, and did game recaps of the 2021 FIDE World Championship with none other than GM Garry Kasparov! I am happy to report that Matthew was very generous with his time, so we managed to cover all of these areas of chess interest in our conversation. Timestamps and relevant links are below. 0:00- As a full time IT professional, author, New in Chess book reviewer, content creator and top player, how on earth does Matthew get so many things done? 04:45- What are some of Matthew’s favorite recent chess books? Mentioned: Winning by GM Nigel Short , The Creative Power of Boguljubov, The Unstoppable American 10:00- What did Matthew observe from Magnus’ play in the World Championship. Mentioned: Silicon Road to Chess Improvement YouTube Channel, Chessbase India video with GM Peter Heine Nielsen, More Info on the TCEC- Top Engine Chess Championship, Games from the match here 24:00- What can club players learn from super engines? Mentioned: Small Steps to Giant Improvement 31:00- Does Matthew see an engine footprint in GM Alireza Firouzja’s play? Mentioned: Erdos-Firouzja 2021, Acquisition of Chess Knowledge in Alpha Zero 36:00- Patreon mailbag question: “Did Alphazero’s opening acquisition trace the path of the evolution of chess?” 38:00- There are always great new courses from Chessable including FM Kamil Plichta’s Lifetime Repertoires: Accelerated Dragon. Check out what else is new here: https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/ 40:00- Why does it seem like the numerical evaluations of engines are getting more extreme, i.e. “+5 in an even position?” 45:00- Patreon mailbag question: “Do engines still threaten to end competitive chess"?” Mentioned: GM Pia Cramling, GM Juan Bellon, GM Robin van Kampen 50:00- What are Matthew’s thoughts on Magnus’ recent mention of potentially dropping out of the World Championship cycle? 55:00- Perpetual Chess is also brought to you in part by AImchess.com. Check out the site, and if you decide to subscribe use the code Perpetual30 to save 30%. 57:00- Patreon mailbag question “If chess is fundamentally a draw, why do top engines still sometimes beat each other? 1:00:00- Patreon mailbag question; “Will engine play become more “human” in the future?’ Plus, Matthew on Magnus’ uncanny ability to play mistake-free chess. Mentioned: Maia bots on Lichess, Topalov interview with Chess24 1:09:00- Matthew describes the experience of working with Kasparov on World Championship recap videos 1:15:00- Patreon mailbag question: “Does correspondence chess have a future given the preponderance of draws?’ 1:22:00- Patreon mailbag question: “Are there engines that are more instructive about how to convert advantages in a “human” way that avoids complications?” 1:28:00- Patreon mailbag question: What chess improvement and maintenance tips can Matthew share for other adults? 1:38:00- Patreon mailbag question: Why does The Carlsbad structure fascinate Matthew so much?” 1:41:00- Thanks so much to Matthew for being so generous with his time. Here are the links to keep up with his content. Twitter Silicon Road to Chess Improvement YouTube Channel Buy the Book here Or The E Book from New in Chess here Chess for Life Gamechanger Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
EP 257- GM Erwin L'Ami with a World Championship Wrap Up (and more!)
Perpetual Chess is back for one more World Championship wrap-up (among other topics) with top Dutch player, trainer, and popular Chessable author, GM Erwin L’Ami. As the second to GM Anish Giri, and a former member of GM Veselin Topalov’s World Championship team, Erwin shares his general reflections on the Carlsen-Nepomniatchtchi match, as well as lots of insights about the opening choices of each player. We also talk about chess improvement. Erwin himself is gearing up to compete in the prestigious Tata Steel tournament in Wijk an Zee after a long layoff from OTB chess. He also answers some listener questions relating to how amateurs should approach openings. Lastly, I was quite interested to hear how chess engines and opening theory have changed, even in the time since Erwin last was a guest on Perpetual Chess, in 2020. There is always lots to learn from GM L’Ami, so please enjoy the conversation, and check out the relevant links and timestamps below if needed. Prior interview: Episode 186 with GM Erwin L’Ami 0:00- Erwin shares his thoughts about the World Championship, especially the openings chosen. Mentioned: The games we discuss can be viewed here, Chessbase India interview with GM Peter Heine Nielsen and GM Vladimir Potkin, Sesse Engine 30:00- There are always great new courses from Chessable including FM Kamil Plichta’s Lifetime Repertoires: Accelerated Dragon. Check out what else is new here: https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/ 30:30- Perpetual Chess is also brought to you in part by AImchess.com. Check out the site, and if you decide to subscribe use the code Perpetual30 to save 30%. 31:30- How is Erwin preparing for the Challenger’s group of the upcoming Tata Steel Chess Tournament? Mentioned: More on the Dubov-Karjakin issue here. Perpetual Chess W.C. Pod with GM Jan Timman, 44:00- How does Erwin work on his tactics? Mentioned: The Silicon Road to Chess Improvement, FM Frank Erwich’s 1001 Chess Exercises for Advanced Club Players Silicon Road YouTube Channel, Kasparovchess World Championship Game Recaps 49:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessmood.com. They offer a huge video library with instruction on every phase of the game. 50:00- Patreon mailbag question: “Is 1. e4 still ‘best by test’?” Mentioned: Carlsen-Tari 2021 55:00- Patreon mailbag question: Have super-engines recently refuted any openings? 57:00- Patreon mailbag question: “Would having a second for a round robin event be of any use for a 2200 level player?” 1:02:00- Patreon mailbag question: ‘What approach and opening resources does Erwin recommend for club level players?” 1:05:30- How did IM Cor van Wijgerdan, co-creator of the Chess Steps Series come up with so many cool puzzles? Mentioned: Episode 142 with Han Schut, Episode 167 with IM Jop Delemarre 1:08:00- Are cloud-based engines taking over from heavy duty private machines? Mentioned: Chessify 1:12:00- We wrap up with a bit more World Championship and Candidates Cycle talk Mentioned: FIDE Grand Prix 2022 1:18:00- Thanks so much to Erwin for sharing his insights. You can follow him on Twitter here. Keep up with his Chessable courses here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
World Championship Bonus Pod #5- GM Vasyl Ivanchuk on His Career, Twitch Streaming and his Thoughts on the Match
GM Vasyl Ivanchuk is a modern chess legend who has won countless tournaments including the 2016 World Rapid Championship and the 2007 FIDE World Blitz Championship. He has been ranked #2 in the World on 3 separate occasions. Vasyl is known for his creative play and his wide opening repertoire. Vasyl joined me just after the World Championship concluded to share his thoughts on the match, and to discuss his recent foray into Twitch streaming, his passion for checkers, and to answer my many questions about his illustrious career. So much fun to talk chess with "Chucky!" You can follow/subscribe to Vasyl's Twitch channel here: https://www.twitch.tv/ivanchukchess 0:00- Intro, Match Wrapup 6:00- GM Vasyl Ivanchuk joins the podcast! If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here: Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Book Recap #21- Discussing A First Book of Morphy with Mads Jønsson
We are back for another Book Review podcast, a series called Chess Books Recaptured. This month we tackle Frisco Del Rosario’s First Book of Morphy, which is a Paul Morphy game collection book geared towards novice to intermediate players. My guest co-host this episode is Danish chess enthusiast, dad and linguist Mads Jønsson. As we note, First Book of Morphy does have some flaws, but Morphy’s games are amazing, and the annotations are helpful enough to make this book well-suited to its target audience. Please read on for lots more details, show notes, and relevant links. 0:00- We introduce our guest go-host, Mads Jonson, and he shares for his suggestion that we recap the First Book of Morphy. 6:30- We talk a bit about the book's background. Mentioned: Lichess Study games 1-60, and 61-69 11:30- There are always great new courses from Chessable including FM Kamil Plichta’s Lifetime Repertoires: Accelerated Dragon. Check out what else is new here: https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/ 12:00- Perpetual Chess is also brought to you in part by AImchess.com. Check out the site, and if you decide to subscribe, use the code Perpetual30 to save 30%. 13:00- Patreon mailbag question: “Did Morphy play at the level of a modern IM?” Mentioned: IM Ken Regan’s Intrinsic Rating Compendium, Chess Metrics Morphy 17:00- What chapters did Mads find most helpful? Mentioned: Book Recap #16 Logical Chess Move by Move 25:00- What other changes could have been made stylistically? 28:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessmood.com. They offer a huge video library with instruction on every phase of the game. 29:00- We share a few of our favorite games and quotes. Mentioned: Morphy-Guibert 1958, Ben Finegold’s Paul Morphy videos, 36:00- We give a list of pros and cons related to the books. 39:00- What other “move by move” style books might one consider reading? (They are listed below in order of difficulty) Logical Chess Move by Move (Podcast about it in Book Recap 16) The Most Instructive Chess Games of All Time Instructive Chess Miniatures World's Most Instructive Amateur Game Book Chess: The Art of Logical Thinking: From the First Move to the Last Nunn- Understanding Chess Move by Move Morphy Move by Move Chess Master vs. Amateur 46:00- Tune in next month for a recap of Lipnitsky’s Questions of Modern Chess Theory with Martin Justesen a/k/a Say Chess! Be sure to follow Mads on Twitter here. And we are always happy to support Chess in Slums. 50:00- Blindfold puzzles are back! Puzzle #1- Meek-Morphy 1855 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 Bc5 5. Ng5 Nh6 6. Nxf7 Nxf7 7. Bxf7+ Kxf7 WHITE TO MOVE AND REGAIN MATERIAL Solution here: https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1335871 Puzzle #2- Morphy-Conway 1959 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. Bc4 g4 5. d4 gxf3 6. Qxf3 Bh6 7. O-O Ne7 8. Bxf4 Bxf4 9. Bxf7+ Kxf7 10. Qxf4+ Kg7 FIND MATE in TWO FROM THIS POSITION Solution here: https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=2036628 If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
World Championship Bonus Pod #4- GM Jacob Aagaard on the match, plus Shaun McCoy with a report from Dubai
GM Jacob Aagaard is an award winning author, and a founder of Quality Chess and of Killer Chess Training.com. With Magnus Carlsen firmly ahead in the match (by a score of 6.5 to 3.5), I thought it would be fun to check back in with GM Jacob Aagaard, who had written a prescient prediction for the match which was shared with our listeners in Episode 254. In our conversation, Aagaard expounds a bit on his thoughts on the match, and also shares his concerns about future World Championships when it comes to potential match formats and venues. It is always illuminating to hear GM Aagaard's thoughts! Following the Aagaard interview Shaun McCoy of Chess.com joins the show to give an update from Dubai. Shaun shares his highlights so far and discusses what it was like to be on the premises for Magnus' historical win in Game 6. As always, you can find the timestamps for the interviews below. 0:00- Intro 10:00- GM Jacob Aagaard interview 43:45- Shaun McCoy joins the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
EP 256- Alex Crompton (Adult Improver Series)
Welcome back to another Adult Improver Edition of Perpetual Chess. In this episode, we feature another Queen’s Gambit convert to Perpetual Chess. 30-year-old tech executive and musician Alex Crompton recently became obsessed with the game and dove headlong into the best ways to improve at it. Alex is quick to note that his accomplishments are modest, but as he detailed on his blog, he has gone from total beginner to a respectable 1500 FIDE rating in less than a year. As our conversation reveals, lots of research and work went into this improvement. In our conversation, Alex shares tons of good study tips and reflections about the science of learning, including the ways that the study of languages has helped him improve his chess. It was a lot of fun hearing about Alex’s chess progress, and any listener of any rating can learn from this conversation. Please read on for lots of details, timestamps and relevant links. 0:00- For more information about the Harvard Chess Cognition Study go here. 3:00- Alex joins the show, and we begin by discussing why Alex finds it challenging to follow the World Championship despite his enthusiasm for chess. Mentioned: The Art of Learning by IM Josh Waitzkin 12:00- We discuss Alex’s adult improvement journey, which you can read about in his blog post here. 18:30- NEW SPONSOR! Chessvis is an app designed designed to help you train your visualization skills. Search for it at an app store or get the links here. https://www.chessvis.com/ 19:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessmood.com. They offer a huge video library with instruction on every phase of the game. 20:00- What were Alex’s first steps to develop a system to study chess? Mentioned: Squareoff Chess, Bryght Labs’ ChessUp, Woodpecker Method on Chessable, Woodpecker Method Podcast with Neal Bruce, Michael De La Maza article- 400 Points in 400 Days, Tim Brennan’s Tactics Time on Chessable 39:00- How did Alex approach the study of openings? Mentioned: Make it Stick by Peter C. Brown 41:00- Alex shares some interesting research about why adults may improve at chess more slowly than kids. Mentioned: Some of the research Alex referenced is here. Lichess study, Episode 231 with Braden Laughlin, James Heisig: Remembering the Kanji, Episode 215 with Dr. Vishnu Sreekumar 54:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Check out what's new from them here: New Chess Courses Online - For All Levels- Chessable.com Don’t forget to subscribe to the How to Chess podcast as well! 54:30- Perpetual Chess is also brought to you in part by AImchess.com. Check out the site, and if you decide to subscribe use the code Perpetual30 to save 30%. 55:30- Patreon mailbag question: “What is Alex’s approach to learning openings?” Mentioned: My First Chess Opening Repertoire for White, Lifetime Repertoires: Chessable 1. b3, Logical Chess Move by Move 1:11:00- Patreon mailbag question: “Any theories on why ratings tend to repeatedly plateau and then jump?” Mentioned: Episode 181 with Elijah Logozar 1:15:00-What resources have helped Alex blunder less, rather than just solve tactics? Susan Polgar’s How to Learn Chess the Right Way Volume 3, FM Peter Giannatos’ Everyone’s First Chess Workbook 1:19:00- What are Alex’s next chess goals, if any? Mentioned: Sean Carroll’s Mindscapes: Episode 169 Games 1:28:00- Thanks so much to Alex for sharing his insights. You can keep up with him via his blog here: https://www.alexcrompton.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
World Championship Bonus Pod #3- GM Jan Timman on the match so far, NM John MacArthur with a Dubai trip report.
After 8 rounds, things have changed! As you may have heard, Magnus Carlsen has taken a 5-3 lead in the 2021 World Championship, highlighted by a record breaking, unforgettable win in Game 6. Please listen in as a do a quick rundown of the highlights of the match, then bring in two great guests: Grandmaster Jan Timman is the 9 time champion of the Netherlands, an award winning author, and was one of the highest rated players in the world for decades. Among other topics, Jan shares his thoughts on the match so far and discusses the ascendance of young Super GM Alireza Firouzja, who we could potentially see in the next World Championship. My second guest, John MacArthur is an accomplished scholastic coach and Twitch streamer who joined me just after returning from Dubai on Monday. Dubai was the 6th World Championship match he has attended. John shares some great stories and contrasts this event with the many other memorable matches he has attended. Timestamps and the links you need are below. 10:00- GM Jan Timman joins me! Jan is a founding editor and columnist for New in Chess Magazine His latest book is, The Unstoppable American: Bobby Fischer's Road to Reykjavik 33:30- NM John MacArthur joins Check out his photos from Dubai on his Instagram here. Follow him on Twitch here. On Twitter here If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
World Championship Bonus Pod #2- FM Mike Klein joins from Dubai to recap 5 tense, deadlocked rounds.
After 8 rounds, things have changed! As you may have heard, Magnus Carlsen has taken a 5-3 lead in the 2021 World Championship, highlighted by a record breaking, unforgettable win in Game 6. Please listen in as a do a quick rundown of the highlights of the match, then bring in two great guests: Grandmaster Jan Timman is the 9 time champion of the Netherlands, an award winning author, and was one of the highest rated players in the world for over a decade. Jan shares his thoughts on the match so far and discusses the ascendance of young Super GM Alireza Firouzja. John MacArthur is an accomplished scholastic coach and Twitch streamer who joined me just after returning from Dubai on Monday. Dubai was the 6th World Championship match he has attended. John shares some great stories and contrasts this event with the many other memorable matches he has attended. Timestamps and the links you need are below. 9:00- GM Jan Timman joins New in Chess Magazine His latest book, The Unstoppable American: Bobby Fischer's Road to Reykjavik 33:00- NM John MacArthur joins Check out his photos from Dubai on his Instagram here. Follow him on Twitch here. On Twitter here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
EP 255- WGM Tatev Abrahamyan returns
This week’s guest on Perpetual Chess marks the return visit of one of the top female players in the US, WGM Tatev Abrahamyan. I caught up with Tatev after a hectic few months in which she competed in the FIDE Women’s World Cup and also competed in and placed 4th in the US Women’s Championship. For good measure, she moved from Southern California to Kansas City to begin her work as the Director of Chess Content at chess startup Bryght Labs. Tatev’s busy schedule gave us plenty to talk about, as Tatev gave some insightful tournament reports, discussed her new job, and, of course, dispensed some chess improvement advice and some reflections on dealing with setbacks in chess. It is always fun to talk chess with Tatev, so we hope you make time for this interview in between World Championship rounds. Please read on for more details and show notes. 0:00- GM Johan Sebastian Christiansen recently expressed his extreme frustration with a slump in his competitive chess. Tatev talks about how common such feelings of frustration can be for be top players, and ways to work through it. Mentioned: Episode 49 with WGM Tatev Abrahamyan , Chess.com Article with GM Alireza Firouzja’s quote regarding chess and mental health 11:00- How does Tatev reflect on her 4th place finish in the 2021 US Women’s Chess Championship? Mentioned: GM Alejandro Ramirez, You can review Tatev’s games here, How to Chess Episode 17 with IM Lawrence Trent, 26:00- Now that she has a 9-5 job, Tatev reflects on how she will manage her chess career as well as a new job in a new town (Kansas City, MO). 29:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessmood.com. They offer a huge video library with instruction on every phase of the game. 31:00- Tatev gives the trip report from the FIDE Women’s Chess World Cup in Sochi, Russia, and we discuss the Women’s World Championship Cycle. Mentioned: Episode 243 with GM Anna Muzychuk, Information on the 2022 FIDE Woman’s Candidate Tournament is here, Goryachkina-Motylev 2021 39:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Check out what's new from them here: New Chess Courses Online - For All Levels- Chessable.com Don’t forget to subscribe to the How to Chess podcast as well! 39:30- Perpetual Chess is also brought to you in part by AImchess.com. Check out the site, and if you decide to subscribe use the code Perpetual30 to save 30%. 40:00- Does Tatev think that US Women's Champion IM Carissa Yip will be competing for a World Championship someday? Mentioned: FM Jennifer Yu, IM Annie Wang 43:00- What sort of products is Tatev working on at her chess startup, Bryght Labs? Mentioned: ChessUp, GM Levon Aronian 1:01:00- Patreon mailbag question: “What tips can we share for how to evaluate a position?” 1:05:00- We discuss GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov’s recent interview about chess engines and his work with GM Fabiano Caruana. Mentioned: More information about Kasimdzhanov’s interview with Ilya Levitov here 1:14:00- Patreon mailbag question: What is the secret to Tatev’s success in her OTB games against Latvian/American legend GM Alex Shabalov? Mentioned: Krush-Abrahamyan 2021, 1:17:00- Thanks so much to Tatev for joining us! If you decide to order ChessUp from BryghtLabs.com, use the promo code “Perpetual” or the promo code should be inputted directly with this link. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
World Championship Bonus Pod #1- The match so far + interviews from Dubai with Geert van der Velde and Jonathan Corbblah
With the Carlsen-Nepomniatchtchi World Championship match tied after 3 hard-fought draws, I do a quick rundown of the main story lines emerging from what has been a tense and entertaining battle so far. Then, we get reports from Dubai from Chessable C.E.O. Geert van der Velde, followed by Chess.com reporter/Trivia Whiz Jonathan Corbblah. Timestamps and the links you need are below. 0:00- Ben on the 3 key story lines from the match so far. 14:00- Chessable C.E.O. Geert van der Velde on what its like to watch the match from the Play Magnus lounge in Dubai. 30:30- Trivia Whiz turned Chess.com reporter Jonathan Corbblah on how he wound up in Dubai, and his favorite foods and memories from his trip so far. Links: Geert’s Twitter Jonathan’s Twitter Chessable Classroom (as Geert mentioned) Jonathan's Chess: A Reflection of Us is being premiered each day on Chess.com’s World Championship Broadcasts. Perpetual Chess Episode 161 with Geert van der Velde Perpetual Chess Episode 48 with Jonathan Corbblah Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
EP 254- World Chess Championship Preview Part 2 with Tai Pruce Zimmerman
My guest for Part 2 of the World Chess Championship preview is chess blogger Tai Pruce Zimmerman. Tai is an accountant by training, who created the excellent Chess by the Numbers blog to write about elite chess from a statistical perspective. With the World Championship just days away, I was excited to have the opportunity to ask Tai to walk us through various scenarios in the upcoming showdown between GMs Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniatchtchi. We tackled questions such as the following: Based on rating, how likely is Magnus to win? How likely are we to see tiebreaks? Would Magnus be as big a favorite if the match were to go to rapid tiebreaks? How likely would it be that one player “adopt” another? We take on all of these questions and more, as Tai describes how his model is made and tells all of the numbers we need to know for the match. As always, please read on for more details, timestamps, and relevant links! 0:00- Info from the Intro: Be sure to go to MagnusNepo.com to join Aimchess’ Prediction Challenge! Check out Chess.com’s easy-to-read World Championship schedule breakdown here. Perpetual Chess Bonus World Championship Pods are planned for: November 29, December 2, December 6, December 9 and December 13 3:00- We briefly review the format of the World Championship Match, and then Tai dives into what goes into his statistical model, and what it says about the upcoming match. Mentioned: Episode 249 with Dr. Mark Glickman, Nate Solon’s article about the World Championship 11:00- How would Tai’s model assess a potential rapid playoff? 16:00- What did Tai do to guess the competitors rating strengths other than just use their current FIDE ratings? Mentioned: Pinnacle Sports World Chess Championships Odds 20:30- If the match goes to blitz tiebreaks, who would be the favorite to win the match? Mentioned: Matt Jensen’s World Championship Preview of Chess.com 27:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Check out what's new from them here: New Chess Courses Online - For All Levels- Chessable.com Don’t forget to subscribe to the How to Chess podcast as well! 27:30- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. ACT NOW to enter their free Magnus-Nepo challenge on this site: https://magnusnepo.com/ 29:00- Patreon mailbag question: “How does acclaimed trainer and author, GM Jacob Aagaard of KillerChessTraining.com assess the World Championship?” Mentioned: Tarjei Svenson’s summary of a recent Magnus Carlsen interview 31:00- Patreon mailbag question “What are the odds of Magnus adopting Nepo?” 33:30- How does the Aimchess.com algorithm assess the players strengths and weaknesses? Mentioned: Aimchess analysis here 35:00- We briefly discuss GM Alireza Firouzja’s recent dominance. 42:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessmood.com. They offer a huge video library with instruction on every phase of the game. 43:00- Patreon mailbag question: “Any chance of Tai’s blog being sponsored by a major chess site?” Mentioned: TwoPlusTwo chess forum, New in Chess Free World Championship Digital Magazine, Dennis Monokroussos’ The Chess Mind Blog 50:00- Tai shares a few more details about the methodology of his model. 54:00- Tai shares a bit more about his background and his other interests outside of chess. 56:00- In terms of rating differential, what prior World Championship provides the best historical analogue? 57:00- Thanks so much to Tai for sharing his data with us. Check out and subscribe to his blog here: https://chessnumbers.wordpress.com/ You can follow him on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/ChessNumbers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
EP 253- GM Daniel King Previews the World Championship, plus more!
Grandmaster Daniel King is a popular Commentator, Author, YouTube Creator and Chessable Author. As a player, he has represented England internationally, won many tournaments, and has beaten the likes of Anand and Korchnoi! On his excellent YouTube channel, Powerplay Chess, Daniel has recently been sharing his analysis of key games between Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniatchtchi. With such a resume, he is the perfect person to join me for a preview of the World Championship match, which is less than a week away. Of course, when Daniel visits the podcast there is always more to be discussed. Other highlights include his unforgettable interactions with GM Viktor Korchnoi, and his long relationship with the Kalashnikov Sicilian, which is the subject of his excellent new Chessable course. Please read on for all of the details and relevant links. 0:00- Info from the Intro: Be sure go to MagnusNepo.com to join Aimchess’ Prediction Challenge! Check out Chess.com’s easy-to-read World Championship schedule breakdown here. Perpetual Chess Bonus World Championship Pods are planned for: November 29, December 2, December 6, December 9 and December 13 6:00- Daniel King joins me to share his thoughts on the World Championship match. Mentioned: Wang Hao 2021-Nepomniatchtchi Candidates 2021, Vachier-Lagrave-Nepomniatchtchi Candidates 2021, GM Nigel Short, GM Michael Adams, GM John Nunn, Peter Doggers interview with GM Fabiano Caruana, Caruana-Carlsen Game 1, 2018, World Championship Odds on Pinnacle.com 32:00- Patreon mailbag question: “What is the etiquette for former seconds discussing their work with a World Championship contender, a la Rustam Kasimdzhanov’s recent comments about GM Fabiano Caruana. ?” 35:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chess.com- be sure to check out their new Game Review feature after every game 35:30- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessmood.com. They offer a huge video library with instruction on every phase of the game. 37:00- What is Daniel’s history with the Kalashnikov opening, the opening that is the subject of his new Chessable course? 45:30- Does Daniel have a favorite opening? 47:00- Patreon mailbag question:” Does Daniel have any plans to update his classic book Mastering the Spanish?” Mentioned: Chess Magazine 52:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Check out what's new from them here: New Chess Courses Online - For All Levels- Chessable.com Don’t forget to subscribe to the How to Chess podcast as well! 52:30- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. ACT NOW to enter their free Magnus-Nepo challenge on this site: https://magnusnepo.com/ 53:00- Patreon mailbag question: “Will Daniel ever flip the board so Black is on the bottom when showing the Black POV on Powerplay Chess?” 56:00- Patreon mailbag question- “Is there any video of Daniel playing the bass?” Mentioned: Nette Robinson art 58:00- What were Daniel’s interactions with Korchnoi like? Mentioned: Book Recap #20- Talking Korchnoi with John Fernandez, Korchnoi-Karpov Game 31, 1978 Thanks as always to Daniel for joining the show! If you enjoy his content, feel free to support his Patreon page, as I do. Youtube- Powerplay Chess Free short and sweet version of Daniel’s Kalashnikov course: https://www.chessable.com/short-sweet-kings-kalashnikov-sicilian/course/83454/ Purchase the full course here: King’s Kalashnikov Sicilian Follow Daniel on Twitter here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
EP 252- GM Andy Soltis returns!
GM Andy Soltis is an award winning journalist,World Chess Hall of Fame member, a Chess Life Magazine columnist , and a prolific author who has written over 50 books. In this interview, we discuss Andy’s most recents works, Smyslov, Bronstein, Geller, Taimanov and Averbakh: A Chess Multibiography with 220 Games, and 500 Chess Questions Answered: for all new chess players. We also discuss Andy’s own chess improvement journey, as well as the upcoming World Chess Championship. Andy is always fun to chat with due to his encyclopedic knowledge of all things chess. For lots more details, relevant links, and timestamps, please read on. Previous appearances by GM Andy Soltis: Episode 91 with GM Andy Soltis Episode 172 with GM Andy Soltis Book Recap #17 - Discussing Zurich 1953 with FM Nate Solon and GM Andy Soltis 0:00- We begin by getting Andy’s chess improvement advice, including a Patreon question about whether Andy thinks chess books are superior to online learning tools as means for improving your game. Mentioned: DeGroot’s Thought and Choice in Chess, GM Hikaru Nakaura, GM Yasser Seirawan Weltgeschichte Des Schachs Lieferung 27- Boris Spassky, GM Daniel Gormally, GM Walter Browne 12:45- What is the proper mix between studying and playing? Mentioned: GM Alireza Firouzja 15:30- What most helped Andy improve at chess? Mentioned: GM Reuben Fine 17:30- How did GM Yefim Geller go from Candidate Master to World Class player in his early 20s? Mentioned: GM Bobby Fischer, 22:00-Patreon mailbag question: What was Andy’s most memorable Marshall Chess Club Championship victory? Mentioned: FM Orest Popovich 26:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Check out what's new from them here: New Chess Courses Online - For All Levels- Chessable.com Don’t forget to subscribe to the How to Chess podcast as well! 26:30- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. ACT NOW to enter their free Magnus-Nepo challenge on this site: https://magnusnepo.com/ 27:00- We discuss a bit about each player in GM Soltis’ beautiful new book, Smyslov, Bronstein, Geller, Taimanov and Averbakh starting with former World Champion GM Vassily Smyslov. 33:00- What should we know about GM David Bronstein? Was his Candidates match with Boleslavsky in 1950 really fixed? Mentioned: Episode 80 with GM Genna Sosonko, Ruth Haring, GM Bobby Fischer 42:00- What should we know about legendary Ukrainian GM, Yefim Geller? Mentioned: GM Boris Spassky 44:00- Mark Taimanov was a world class pianist and chess player both. What else distinguished him from his chess contemporaries? Mentioned: I was the Victim of Fischer, Vspominiaia-Samykh-Samykh, GM Eduard Gufeld, Chessgames.com Taimanov-Matulovic “Caveat Emptor” 53:00- What should we know about GM Yuriy Averbakh? Mentioned: GM Boris Spassky, GM Lubomir Kavalek 59:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessmood.com. They offer a huge video library with instruction on every phase of the game. 1:00:00- Patreon mailbag question: “What book would Andy love to write that he hasn’t written yet?” 1:03:00- What does Andy think are the most important factors in which of his books sell the best? Mentioned: GM John Fedorowicz, GM Arthur Bisguier, GM Pal Benko: My Life Games and Compositions, Magnus Carlsen: 60 Memorable Games, Pawn Structure Chess, Chess Fundamentals, Episode 240: Pawn Book Championship with Neal Bruce 1:12:00- Patreon mailbag question: What does Andy think of the World Championship match? Has Magnus been out of form recently? 1:19:00- Thanks as always to Andy for sharing his immense chess knowledge. You can check out his latest books here: 500 Chess Questions Answered Smyslov, Bronstein, Geller, Taimanov and Averbakh If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here: Donate — The Perpetual Chess Podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices