The Story of Perpetual Chess

Hi, 👋 I’m Ben Johnson. Thanks for checking out the Perpetual Chess website. Here’s the story behind the podcast.

I launched the Perpetual Chess Podcast in December 2016 to address what I saw as a shortage of high-quality chess podcasts. I’m a huge fan of the podcast medium, and I love chess. As a busy working parent, I found it difficult to keep up with chess content, especially without strong audio-only options.

My goal was to create a space where chess players, educators, authors, and promoters could share their life stories, promote their work, and reveal the secrets of chess mastery and improvement. As a USCF National Master, I also wanted to help bridge the gap between professional chess and amateur players.

Perpetual Chess is a weekly chess podcast featuring interviews with top players, coaches, authors, and content creators. In recent years, the show has placed a greater emphasis on helping adult improvers, meaning adult chess players looking to improve their games. As we often discuss on the podcast, it is no easy task for a working adult to make meaningful progress in chess.

Nearly a decade after launching the show, I am still amazed by the support it has received from the chess community. As of April 2026, Perpetual Chess has been downloaded or streamed more than 7 million times in over 100 countries.  I have had the opportunity to interview World Champions, YouTube superstars, and authors who are heroes of mine.

 In addition to hosting the podcast, I review chess books and have written one of my own, sharing the most helpful lessons and improvement advice from the show. I have also created a Chessable course focused on improving decision-making for intermediate players.

Perpetual Chess is supported in part by a dedicated Patreon community. Supporters receive perks such as early access to episodes, ad-free listening, shout-outs on the podcast, and invitations to special events like grandmaster lectures and Zoom hangouts. The show also features select sponsorships. If you are interested in partnering, you can learn more here.

Over time, Perpetual Chess has grown from a time-consuming hobby into nearly a full-time profession. I am deeply grateful to everyone who has listened to, supported, or appeared on the podcast. I hope to continue improving and expanding the show as the audience grows.

If you would like to see the complete list of Perpetual Chess guests click here.

If you would like to know more about me personally, I grew up in Philadelphia and now live in Central New Jersey with my wife and two kids. I earned the USCF National Master title at age 18, although my playing strength has fluctuated since then. I still study and compete when I can, but as discussed often on the podcast, today’s young players are improving faster than ever, and it can be tough to keep up.

In addition to my work in chess, I spent seven years as a professional poker player, traded stocks independently for a period, and worked in an office job for two years after graduating from Pomona College.

I always enjoy hearing from listeners. Feel free to reach out by email, follow Perpetual Chess on Instagram for audio clips, or join the Facebook group to discuss episodes and occasionally interact with podcast guests. I also write a free weekly newsletter, The Perpetual Chess Linkfest, which helps you keep up with the best chess content on the internet.

Thanks for your interest, and I hope you enjoy the podcast.

Ben