EP 440- GM Alexandr Fier: “I Blunder a Lot” – One of the World’s Most Active Grandmasters on Intuition, Endgame Studies, and Maintaining His Love For the Game

GM Alexandr Fier is five- time champion of Brazil and nine- time chess Olympian. He also recently qualified for the FIDE World Cup for the 8th time by finishing at tied for first at the American Continental Tournament. But aside from all of his impressive accomplishments, what interests me most about GM Fier is how frequently he competes. Last year alone, he played nearly 200 classical games, and he has now travelled to over 50 countries. In our conversation we discussed:

How he maintains his energy and positive outlook through a busy tournament calendar
Why he thinks playing quickly gives him a competitive advantage. (Hence the nickname “No Fear”)
How he reacted to getting some harsh feedback from legendary trainer IM Mark Dvoretsky at age 18.

We also talked about GM Fier’s recent qualification for the 2025 FIDE World Cup, his plans for the rest of 2025, and of course, chess books. It was a pleasure to chat with one of Brazil’s top players, and I look forward to following his nonstop tournament adventures in the years to come.

Click here to Download the Episode

Thanks to our sponsor, Chessable.com! If you sign up for Chessable Pro in order to unlock discounts and additional features, be sure to use the following link:

https://www.chessable.com/pro/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=benjohnson&utm_campaign=pro

And you can check out their new offerings here:

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

You can also check out special offers for free trials and/or discounts from our partner websites including Chessmood, ChessDojo, and Chess.com via the link below:

https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/partners

0:02- Alexandr is one of the most active Grandmasters in the world. How does he stay motivated?

0:06- How does Alexandr prepare for opponents?

0:11- How did Alexandr begin to collaborate with Imperial sports?

0:13- How did Alexandr qualify for the World Cup?

Mentioned: Fier-Shankland 2025

https://www.chess.com/events/2025-american-continental-chess-championship/05/Fier_Alexandrandr-Shankland_Sam

0:16- Why Alexandr plays quickly.

Mentioned: GM Giga Quparadze

18:00- What makes the World Cup special to Alexandr?

22:00- Alexandr’s early Chess Development and Influences

Mentioned: Blokh’s Combination Art, Domination by Kasparian, Laszlo Polgar’s Chess: 5334 Combinations and Games