EP 333- IM James Sherwin- A US Chess Hall of Famer Looks Back on his Chess Career and Shares Stories about Fischer, Reshevsky, Seirawan and Many More!

This week’s guest on Perpetual Chess is U.S. Chess Hall of Famer, IM James Sherwin. An 89-year-old New York City Native, Sherwin has played and met many chess legends. He knew Bobby Fischer from his teenage years. Jim did not pursue chess professionally and had a successful career as an attorney and a corporate executive, but he still managed to compete extensively and participated in 8 US Championships, often finishing near the top of the standings. Sherwin now lives in the London area, and as recently as three years ago, was still winning chess tournaments! After talking to him, I can see why he is still able to perform so well, because James’ memory of his games and encounters with Fischer, Petrosian, Tal, Reshevsky, and many others was truly dazzling. You can find timestamps for the topics discussed below. 

Click here to Download the Episode

0:00- 0:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com! You can check out some of my recommended courses here:

https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/

Check out what's new here:

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

0:03- Jim begins by discussing his childhood summers in Vermont, where he improved at chess by practicing against himself. 

Mentioned: My System, Cambridge Springs 1904, Dr. Elliot Hearst 

10:00- Jim discusses the Columbia University Chess Team, which won the intercollegiate championship.

CORRECTION- When discussing the Columbia University chess team, Jim notes that he regrets not mentioning that Ralph Italie and Ed Sher also both performed substantial service for the team.

12:30- Did Jim ever consider becoming a chess professional? 

15:00- Jim reminisces about a few tournaments including the World Junior Championship in Copenhagen in 1953 and Portoroz 1958, an Interzonal tournament, featuring Fischer, Tal and many others. 

Mentioned: Boris Ivkov, Penrose, Reshevsky, Penrose 

22:00- What are Jim’s first memories of Fischer? 

Mentioned: Fischer-Sherwin 1958

32:00- Jim shares his recollections of Fischer-Spassky 1972, as well as his own games against Fischer. 

Mentioned: Sherwin-Fischer Log Cabin Open 1957, Fischer-Sherwin 1957

37:00- What does Jim recall about his games with Tal and Petrosian? 

40:30- Does Jim ever review his old games? Does he use an engine? 

43:30- Jim’s Memories of the legendary tournament in Lone Pine 1976,  featuring Petrosian and Smyslov.. How did his blitz battles with a young Yasser Seirawan go?

47:00- Did Jim know the well-known authors like Fred Reinfeld, Al Horowitz and Irving Chernev? 

50:00- Jim discusses his time supporting American professional chess as head of the American Chess Foundation.

Mentioned: GM Boris Gulko, GM Gata Kamsky, GM Judit Polgar, Allen Kaufman

57:00- How are Jim’s chess skills at age 89? How does he keep up with the game? 

1:03:00- Jim recalls the only game in which he beat GM Andy Soltis, where Fischer joined the post mortem analysis. 

1:09:00- What were Jim’s closest friendships in the chess world?

Mentioned: IM Donald Byrne, GM Larry Evans, Dr. Edward Lasker, GM Arthur Bisguier, GM Edmar Mednis, Dr.  Eliot Hearst  

1:11:00- Which is Jim’s favorite of his games?

Mentioned: Sherwin-Gligoric 1958

EP 332- GM Vinay Bhat: A Former Child Prodigy Turned Data Scientist Shares Lessons Learned and Memorable Stories from his Chess Career

This week’s guest is Author and Data Scientist, GM Vinay Bhat. Vinay was one of the top chess prodigies in modern US History. He amassed many scholastic titles and held the record of the youngest ever US National Master before Hikaru Nakamura broke his record. Despite Vinay’s extraordinary chess success, he always maintained many interests and put a particular emphasis on his school work, and then his career. Now 38 years of age, Vinay has written an excellent new book with Quality Chess, How I Became a Chess Grandmaster. Part memoir, part chess manual, in the book, Vinay reflects on his career, annotates memorable games, and takes a big picture look at the study choices and decisions he made over the years, including the tough decision to walk away from chess as a profession. Vinay places a particular emphasis on the few steep plateaus he faced in his development. In our conversation, Vinay reflects on his career and shares plenty of chess lessons and memorable anecdotes. A Bay Area native and resident, Vinay has gotten to know many people who will be familiar to Perpetual Chess listeners. Please read on for timestamps of topics discussed. 

Click here to Download the Episode

0:00- My Recommended Chessable Courses:

https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/

Check out ChessDojo’s 1.e4 Repertoire for White here:

https://www.chessable.com/chessdojos-1e4-repertoire-for-white/course/150049/

0:02- As Vinay reflects on his chess career, how does he reflect on his first real plateau, which occurred around 2200. 

Mentioned: The Best I Saw in Chess by IM Stuart Rachels, GM Gregory Kaidanov, Episode 295 with GM Gregory Kaidanov 

13:45- What is Vinay’s advice for when an opening change might be in order?

Mentioned: Vinay’s Chessbase India interview with IM Sagar Shah

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4IIiYe5Vb8

20:00- What conclusions does Vinay draw from reflecting on his whole chess career?

Mentioned: Savely Polovets 

24:00- How did Vinay utilize one page writeups in his opening prep?

28:00- Vinay shares his thoughts on various players he knows and has met, including GM Sam Shankland, GM Daniel Naroditsky, GM Magnus Carlsen, GM Eduard Gufeld, the RZA from Wutang Clan, 

Mentioned: Joe Lonsdale Jr., Peter Thiel, The GZA, Josh Waitzkin 

45:00- What were Vinay’s first impressions of Wesley So and Fabiano Caruana?

47:00- What was it like to live in the “chess house” with IM David Pruess and GM Jesse Kraai?

49:00- Vinay is an avid reader and discusses some of his favorites. 

Mentioned: ChessDoJo video- The Best Chess Books , New York 1924, Life and Games of Mikhail Tal, How Not to Play Chess, The Books of Irving Chernev 

57:00- What have Vinay’s interactions with GM Viswanathan Anand been like? What about Spassky, Kasparov and Karpov?

1:01:00- Patreon Mailbag Question: As a data scientist has Vinay discovered any useful statistical patterns in his play?

1:05:00- What does Vinay think of the acceleration of Chat GBT and similar products? Could it have a further impact on the chess world?

1:10:00- Vinay reflects on the difficult decision he made not to pursue professional chess. 

1:15:00- Is there anything Vinay wishes he could have done differently?

1:18:00- Thanks so much to Vinay for joining the show! Here are the links for his excellent book:

Check out the book here:

Quality Chess

https://www.qualitychess.co.uk/products/2/436/how_i_became_a_chess_grandmaster_by_vinay_bhat/

Free Excerpt of the Books:

https://www.qualitychess.co.uk/ebooks/HowIbecameaChessGrandmaster-Excerpt.pdf

Forward Chess

https://forwardchess.com/product/how-i-became-a-chess-grandmaster?section=

Vsbhat02 at gmail

EP 331- Adult Improver John Neely (aka Benedictine) on lessons learned and recommendations from a long journey to 1800.

The Perpetual Chess Adult Improver Series returns to hear some more reflections from an accomplished chess amateur.  This week we are joined by John Neely. John started competitive chess at the age of 36 in 2011 and has had a long road to the ECF equivalent of about 1800. John has put in plenty of hours, both as a student of the game, an OTB competitor, and as a Chessable community author who created the popular series Visualize. In our interview, John reflects on the lessons he has learned in his years of studying chess. John is pleased with his approach in some aspects of his study, but he also thinks he could have done a few things differently. Finally, we discuss John’s new project, as he is taking a break from competitive chess in order to work on a series of mystery novels. You can find timestamps of topics discussed below. 

Click here to download the Episode

0:00- Be Sure to Sub to the Free Newsletter, The Perpetual Chess Linkfest!

https://benjohnson.substack.com/

0:01- Thanks to recent Perpetual Chess Patreon subs, you can join the community here:

https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess

0:02- My Recommended Chessable Courses 

Fire on Board 

GM Niclas Huscenbeth;s 1. E4 Repertoire 

Benedictine’s Chessable Courses 

03:00- John Neely joins the show! He begins by discussing how he got into competitive chess at age 36 in 2011. 

12:00- What did John do to improve his game? 

Mentioned: Dan Heisman’s YouTube channel, ChessTempo Tactics Trainer 

16:00- How do team leagues work in Great Britain? 

21:30- When John was playing online games as a training method, did he feel like they worked as well as training by playing OTB League games?

26:00- How did John come up with the idea for his Visualize series on Chessable? 

https://www.chessable.com/visualise-1/course/25695/, Episode 327 with Geert van der Velde 

35:00- John shares his approach to analyzing his games

Mentioned: How to Batch Analyze Your Games, Blunder Busters 

44:00- What would John do differently if starting serious chess all over again?

Mentioned: Silman’s Endgame Course, Alekhine’s Best Games of Chess 

50:00- How did John get into writing mystery novels? 

Mentioned: Lavender and Brown: York Mysteries 

56:00- What was it like to play GMs like David Howell, Luke McShane, GM Simon Williams and Mickey Adams in simuls? 

EP 330- Chess Improvement Q and A with Top Trainer and Author, GM Wojciech Moranda Topics Include: Annotating Games, Improving Positional Chess, and Learning from Playing

GM Wojciech Moranda is an insightful author, trainer, and one of the top players in Poland. He rejoins Perpetual Chess this week to do a deep dive on all things related to chess improvement. Wojciech answers questions related to memorizing and annotating games, improving at positional chess, the value of playing compared to reading, plus many more questions that can help your game and study routine. In the second half of the interview we expand our conversation to discuss Wojciech’s excellent new book Supreme Chess Understanding, Wojciech discusses his experience coaching IM Levy Rozman, he shares advice for becoming a chess trainer, and of course,  shares his thoughts on Nepo-Ding. I always learn a great deal when  speaking with Wojciech, and this week’s pod is no exception. You can find timestamps for the many topics discussed below. 

Click here to download the Episode

Wojciech’s Prior Appearance, Episode 203 

Universal Chess Training 

Supreme Chess Understanding 

0:00- Check out some of my favorite Chessable courses here:

https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/

Stomp the Stafford Gambit

Shankland’s Neo-Catalan 2 

03:00- Chess Improvement Q and A begins- Is it worthwhile to memorize complete games as a chess improvement method? 

Mentioned: Rapid Chess Improvement, Book Recap #6- Woodpecker Method/Rapid Chess Improvement with Neal Bruce 

08:00- Is it worthwhile for amateurs to annotate GM games as an improvement method? 

Mentioned: Zurich 1953, San Luis 2005, The Power of Defence and the Art of Counterattack in 64 Pictures, The Road to Chess Improvement 

18:00- Wojciech shares his thoughts on the AI revolution 

22:00- How should a 1600 level player with little opening knowledge approach learning them? 

Mentioned: Everyman Move by Move Series 

27:00- Should a lower-rated player study imbalances? (The topic of Wojciech’s new book) 

33:00- What method  is the most effective for getting better at positional chess?  Mentioned: GM Johan Hellsten’s Mastering Chess Strategy (on Amazon) (and on Chessable) 

38:00- What are the traits of Wojciech’s most successful students? 

45:00- What are the most common mistakes that Wojciech sees students making in different phases of the game? (Openings/Tactics/Endgames)

Mentioned: 100 Endgames You Must Know (on Amazon) (and on Chessable)

51:00- Should Dr. Kevin Scull of Chess Journeys stop reading chess books and play more in order to improve? 

1:00:00- We discuss Supreme Chess Understanding.  How does Wojciech find so many original and creative puzzle positions?

Mentioned: Available on Forward Chess, Free Preview of the Book via Thinker’s Publishing 

1:08:00- What are the “three types of chess players” when it comes to sacrificing material? 

Mentioned: Beyond Material (on Amazon) (and on Chessable)

1:12:00- What was it like to coach Gotham Chess? 

1:20:00- Patreon mailbag question: “What resources would Wojciech recommend for someone thinking of becoming a chess trainer?” 

Mentioned: WFM Michalina Rudzińska,  Episode 201 with FM Peter Giannatos, Episode 66 with Adam Weissbarth, The Chess Instructor 2009, Chess Training for Budding Champions by IM Jesper Hall, How to Study Chess on Your Own, For Friends and Colleagues by IM Mark Dvoretsky, Thinking Inside the Box by GM Jacob Aagaard , Chess for Educators by Karel van Delft

1:42:00- Wojciech’s World Championship Thoughts

 Mentioned: Sean Ingle’s story on Nepo’s Missing Sleeping Pill, written for The Guardian 

1:47:00- Thanks to Wojciech for joining the pod! 

You can contact him via his Lichess and his Chess.com Coaches Pages:

https://lichess.org/coach/gmmoranda

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

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

https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess

EP 329- GM Sam Shankland: One of the the top Players in the U.S. on How he Improved His Rapid Game and his Endgame Play, His 2023 Tournament Plans and his Advice for Overcoming Setbacks in Chess

This week’s guest on Perpetual Chess is one the United States’ top players, GM Sam Shankland. Sam is a two- time Olympic Gold Medalist, the 2018 US Champion, and an acclaimed author and Chessable creator. A dedicated teacher, Sam is also a lead trainer and the co-founder of Killer Chess Training. As a late starter by the standards of a chess professional, Sam is always especially insightful on the topic of chess improvement. In our conversation, we reflect on his own ups and downs in recent years, as well as the common traits of his most successful students. Sam also shares his thoughts on the first half of the World Championship match, discusses what he did to improve at endgames and at rapid chess, and outlines his 2023 tournament schedule. There is always lots to learn from chatting with Sam, and I greatly enjoyed our discussion! Timestamps of topics discussed can be found below. 

Click here to Download the Episode

Interview Recorded on Monday, April 24, 2023. 

Prior interview with Sam, Episode 8 

0:00- Check out some of my favorite Chessable courses here:

https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/

02:00- How does Sam follow the World Championship? What were his impressions after Round 11? 

09:00- How is Sam feeling about his own chess game at the moment? What is his study routine? 

Mentioned: Prague Masters, FIDE World Cup 

15:00- What inspired Sam’s choice to write the forthcoming book, Theoretical Rook Endings? 

Mentioned: GM Jacob Aagaard, FM Nate Solon’s blog post, What’s the Point of Studying the Endgame

21:00- What was Sam’s approach to endgames as an up-and-coming player? 

Mentioned: GM Alex Yermolinsky’s Every Russian School Boy Knows 

24:45- Does Sam think he can make another leap forward as he did in 2018? 

27:00- Does Sam track the progress of his students? 

Mentioned: GM Abhimanyu Mishra, IM Shahil Dey

29:00- Sam discusses the explosion of chess learning tools 

32:00- Who from the younger generation does Sam think might someday be World Champion? 

35:00- Will Sam make it a priority to try to get into the 2023 Candidates? 

Mentioned: 2021 FIDE World Cup 

41:00- What did Sam do to strengthen his rapid game? 

41:30- What, in Sam’s opinion, is the best way for adult amateurs to try to improve? 

43:30- Does Sam think one should do “Puzzle Rush” type tactics as well? 

46:00- Patreon mailbag question: “Should strong amateur players try to find less-explored opening moves to gain an edge on their opponents?” 

51:00- What is Sam’’s advice for how to study opening structures? 

55:00- How is Sam using engines?

58:00- What is Sam’s advice for overcoming setbacks?

1:04:00- What advice did Sam give IM Levy Rozman when he was mired in an OTB chess slump?

1:08:00- Does the explosive growth of chess affect Sam’s life at all? Should top GMs be jealous of lower rated chess content creators with big followings? 

1:14:00- What can we expect in Sam’s new Chessable course on the Neo-Catalan?

1:16:00- Is Sam watching any new TV shows? 

1:20:00- Thanks to Sam for joining me! Here are the links to keep up with Sam and his educational material:

Chessable courses

Books

Killer Chess Training 

Twitter

Sam’s Website 

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

https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess

EP 328- Ding delivers in dramatic fashion! World Championship wrapup with Dutch National Champion and Top Trainer, GM Erwin L’Ami.

Photo by Stev Bonhage via FIDE

On the heels of a thrilling rapid playoff, I am joined by GM Erwin L’ami to discuss the crowning of GM Ding Liren as the FIDE 17th World Chess Champion. Erwin is a return guest, and a popular Chessable author, who has worked on the team of former FIDE World Champion GM Veselin Topalov, and of GM Anish Giri. In our interview, Erwin shares his impressions of the dramatic playoff, the opening choices, and the psychological ups and downs that both players endured over the course of a long and closely-contested match. We also take an early look ahead at the next World Championship cycle and discuss Erwin’s plans for a busy 2023. Timestamps of topics discussed can be found below. 

Click here to download the Episode

GM Erwin L’Ami’s Prior Appearances: 

Episode 186

Episode 257

0:00- Check out some of my favorite Chessable courses here:

https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/

0:04:30- GM Erwin L’Ami joins the pod. We begin by discussing the clinching game in the rapid tiebreak. 

Mentioned: Kasparov-Topalov 1999

16:00- What did Erwin think of Ding’s opening choices?

23:00- What about Nepo’s propensity to move too quickly at times? 

30:00- Were they playing at a higher level in the rapid than the classical? 

32:00-  Patreon mailbag question:  “As a high-level trainer, what would Erwin do to try to help coach his player to avoid some of the psychological pitfalls on display in the Ding-Nepo match?”

38:00- Should the format of the press conferences be changed? 

40:00-   Patreon mailbag question:  “Does Erwin think that Ding caused Nepo’s difficulties in

Game 12 or was it the pressure of the moment?”

47:00- What does Erwin think of the format of the match, and of the existence of the Rapid playoff in particular?

54:00- Early discussion of the next Candidates/World Championship cycle. Will Magnus return?

1:03:00- What are Erwin’s plans for the rest of 2023?

Mentioned: Norway Chess 2023, TePE Seigman 2023 in Malmo, Sweden

Bonus Pod- Tied with Just One Classical Game to Go! GM Alex Lenderman helps break down the Blunders and the Bouncebacks of this Fascinating FIDE World Championship

As tension escalates in the FIDE World Chess Championship we are back with one more “bonus pod” to discuss the blunders, bouncebacks, opening choices and teachable moments of this epic match. Following GM Ian Nepomniathchi’s devastating loss in round 12, and a draw in round 13, the match is now tied with just one classical game to go.  My guest this time is GM Alex Lenderman. Alex is a former World Youth Champion who has won tournaments including the World Open and the US Open, and whose peak rating placed him in the top 100 players in the world. Alex is quite insightful on the psychology of high stakes chess matches, and the challenges of attempting to stay psychologically strong after encountering OTB setbacks. Alex is an insightful trainer, and also shares some chess advice and a book recommendation later in our discussion. You can find timestamps of the topics Alex and I discuss below. 

Click here to Download the Episode

0:00- 

Check out some of my favorite Chessable courses here:

https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/

Check out what’s new from Chessable here: 

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

01:30- Ben goes over some programming notes and does a quick rundown of recent games

05:30- GM Alex Lenderman joins the pod! We begin by discussing how to recover from difficult losses, a recurring them in this match. 

Mentioned: Video of Ding and Rapport walking to the hotel elevator:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvtdAgLW1xo

17:00- Openings- Will the unusual opening choices continue?

Mentioned: Naroditsky-Lenderman 2023 

23:30- What openings might we see in Game 14? 

25:00- Is one player a favorite if it goes to rapid tiebreak? Is it possible nervousness might subside for the players in a rapid tiebreak?

29:00- Patreon mailbag question: Does Alex have any advice for players who misevaluate positions and thus mis play positions as a result? 

Mentioned: Analyzing the Chess Mind by Dr. Joel Sneed and GM Boris Gulko 

37:00- What advice would Alex have given Nepo coming into today if he were on his team?

46:00- Does Alex have trouble sleeping during tournaments? Might that be a factor again for Nepo? 

53:00- Chess improvement talk- Why does Alex disagree with IM Andras Toth’s recent statement that he doesn’t believe anyone suffers from a problem of calculating too much? 

Mentioned: ChessDojo interview with GM Avetik Grigoryan:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=JVfoM6kkaVw&t=83s

1:01:00- Alex recommends a chess book!

Mentioned: The Seven Deadly Chess Sins, also on Chessable, Book Recap #14 discussing The Seven Deadly Chess Sins

1:07:00- Final thoughts on the match and goodbye! 

You can email Alex at:

Alexlenderman33 at hotmail.com

Here is his Facebook: 

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100076504712336

EP 327- Geert van der Velde, CEO of Chessable, on the Chess.com Merger, “Chessable 3.0,” Including the Courses and Improvements Chessable Users Can Expect this Year

Recorded in Washington Square in New York City on April 8, 2023. 

This week’s guest on Perpetual Chess is the CEO of Chessable, Geert van der Velde. As longtime listeners know, Geert is a former rock star, devoted chess improver, dad, and avid runner. We recorded on location from the “chess tables” at Washington Square Park on April 8, 2023, in NYC, where Geert was visiting. In our interview, we discussed Geert’s “visitor’s perspective” on the iconic chess tournaments in Reykjavik and Wijk an Zee, forthcoming Chessable courses, the many user interface upgrades that are coming for Chessable, and the impact of Chessable’s recent merger with Chess.com. We also discussed Geert’s own chess game. As a bonus, we were briefly visited by National Master Han Schut, Chessable Author, who was in New York playing a tournament. As always, links and topics of timestamps discussed can be found below. 

Geert's Prior Appearance- Episode 161

Click here to Download the Episode

0:00-

Check out some of my favorite Chessable courses here:

https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/

0:02- Introduction: Geert’s recent travels to NYC, filming content with Gotham Chess 

0:08- Geert shares a quick trip report on the Reykjavik Open, which he attended in a non-playing capacity. 

14:30- Geert discusses the transition in the wake of the acquisition of Chessable by Chess.com 

22:00- How will Chessable’s focus shift with multiple courses on all of the major openings now available? 

Mentioned: How to Chess Podcast, IM Alex Banzea, IM Christof Sielecki 

27:00- Is there still room for non-titled community members to create Chessable courses? 

Mentioned: The Checkmate Patterns Manual 

29:00- How does Geert respond to critics who say that Chessable opening courses are too voluminous? 

33:00- What is Chessable 3.0? What upgrades is Chessable planning? 

Mentioned: Email Chessable at hello at Chessable.com 

43:00- Geert’s own chess study and play: What was it like to play in an amateur section of Wijk an Zee? 

48:00- Special guest, Chessable Author, and Chess Steps Trainer, NM Han Schut joins the interview!

Mentioned: Benji Portheault’s Blog, Han’s Forthcoming Course is on The Milner Barry Gambit

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

https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess

Bonus Pod - World Championship Round 9 Update- Dramatic Games, Leaked Prep and Chess Improvement Takeaways for Amateur Players with IM Andras Toth

We are back with another "bonus pod" discussing the unpredictable and riveting World Championship Match between GM Ian Nepomniatchtchi and Ding Liren. After Round 9, Nepo clings to a one game lead as they head into a rest day Saturday. To discuss this eventful match, I am joined by return guest, the popular YouTuber, Twitch Streamer and Chessable Author, IM Andras Toth. Andras is especially insightful when it comes to helping amateur chess players, so I thought he was the perfect person to discuss all of the drama of the match, as well as what we can lessons we can learn for our own games. You can find timestamps of topics discussed below.

CORRECTION- I mention "5 wins in a row" having taken place in the match a few times- it was actually only 4 wins in a row. My apologies.

Click here to Download the Episode

0:00- Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsors, Chessable. Check out IM Andras' Toth's excellent courses here:

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

Check out some of my favorite Chessable courses here:

https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/

2:00- Big picture - What has made this match so compelling?

14:30- Patreon mailbag question- what does Andras think of the approach the players have taken to opening prep

20- Patreon mailbag question why haven’t we seen a Sicilian or a Kings Indian Attack? 

24- We discuss the “leaked prep” via anonymous Lichess accounts that were playing several opening lines that subsequently appeared in the match- More info here

30- What are the chess improvement lessons to be taken from the match so far?

1:04- Closing thoughts on the match

Thanks to Andras for joining again, be sure to sub to his YouTube channel here:

https://www.youtube.com/c/ChessCoachAndras/videos

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

https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess

EP 326- Popular YouTuber and Streamer WGM Dina Belenkaya on Lessons Learned from Recent Tournaments, Streaming OTB Games and Her Content and Chess Goals for 2023

Photo by Daniel Schipper of the Charlotte Chess Center

This week’s guest on Perpetual Chess is the ever popular Commentator, Streamer, YouTuber and traveling chess professional, WGM Dina Belenkaya.  Dina is a 4 time Women's champion of St. Petersburg, which is no small feat given her native city's rich chess legacy. These days, Dina is based in France, represents Israel internationally, and competes frequently in various locations. Dina joined me shortly after returning home from the Reykjavik Open, an annual open tournament which is always popular among professionals and amateurs alike. This year several streamers competed and streamed their games, including Dina, Alexandra Botez, Eric Rosen and Simon Williams. In our interview, Dina discusses her recent tournaments, her study regimen, and how she balances streaming, content creation and her competitive chess goals. We also discuss her “chess upbringing” including her study tips and learning methods,and her childhood interactions with GM Anish Giri who was an early chess student of her mother’s. You can find timestamps for all of the topics discussed below. 

Click here to Download the Episode

This episode was recorded live on April 7 on Dina’s Twitch stream (before the World Championship started) 

0:00- Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsor, Chessable.com. You can check out some of my favorite Chessable courses for different rating levels here: 

https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/

02:00- Reykjavik Open- trip report. How did Dina decide to attend and compete along with other streamers such as Alexandra Botez, Eric Rose, Anna Cramling and Simon Williams? 

Mentioned: Charlotte Chess Center and Scholastic Academy, Johnson-Belenkaya, Belenkaya-Gajewski 2023, Dina’s YouTube 

26:00- What has changed since Dina switched from representing Russia to Israel? 

30:00- Who is Dina’s secret chess trainer? What advice does he give her?

Mentioned: GM Brendan Jacobsen, The GM Ran Away From Me

36:00- What will Dina do to work on her chess? Does Puzzle Rush help her calculation abilities? 

Mentioned: Puzzle Rush

42:00- What was Dina’s chess upbringing like in the chess mecca of St. Petersburg?

Mentioned: IM Andrey Praslov, Asya Kovalyova (Dina’s Mother), Anish Giri, Endgame Studies 101 

 50:00- Does Dina remember GM Anish Giri as a kid in St. Petersburg? 

1:01:00- What are Dina’s 2023 Chess and Content plans? 

1:05:00- Does Dina get nervous when playing OTB games on stream? 

1:07:00- Dina trash talks my chess skills (mildly) 

1:11:00- If DIna had children would she encourage them to play chess? 

1:12:00- Does Dina have a favorite chess “destination” tournament?

Mentioned: Reykjavik Open, Sunway Sitges Open 

1:14:00- Thanks to Dina for joining the show!

Check out her YouTube channel here:

Dina’s YouTube channel:

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

Dina’s Twitch channel: 

https://www.twitch.tv/thebelenkaya

Instagram:

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

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/DinaBelenkaya

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

https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess

Bonus Pod- Ding Deadlocks the World Championship Match after 4 games, with FM Mike Klein of Chess.com

An ongoing World Championship match means more bonus coverage from Perpetual Chess! I am joined by FM Mike Klein from on-site in Astana, Kazakhstan. Mike and I chat about the surprising turns that have taken place in a match that has already seen 2 decisive results in 4 games, and GM Ding Liren looks to have overcome a rocky start. In addition to discussing the openings, Mike shares details about what the venue is like and how it compares to the other World Championships he has attended. You can find brief notes and timestamps below.

Photo by FM Mike Klein for Chess.com

Click here to Download the Episode

02:00- What is the venue like, are there lots of fans there? Which chess personalities are at the match?

10:00- Ding’s mindset- has he turned the tides in the match after a slow start?

18:00- We have seen a different opening in all 4 games, will we start to see some variety?

23:00- How does Astana compare to Dubai and the other World Championships Mike has attended?

28:00- Thanks to Mike Klein for joining me! Follow him on Twitter here:

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

This is the ad free version for Patreon subs, thanks for supporting Perpetual Chess! 

EP 325- Adult Improver Chris Duncan on the Popularity of Chess in the US Military and the Connective Power of the Game to bring Cultures Together

The Perpetual Chess Adult Improver Series returns to spotlight another amateur from the chess community. This week’s guest is Chris Duncan. Chris is a 24 year-old Army logistician and Psychology Graduate Student who shares a powerful story of the power of chess to bridge cultural gaps.In our interview, we discuss Chris’ background and “on/off” relationship with chess, but we primarily focus on the way that chess became a welcome distraction from the stresses of being stationed abroad in 2022. As Chris explains, a shared interest in chess among many military members culminated in a memorable chess tournament that brought together US and Polish military members. Chris also discusses some of his favorite chess- learning resources, and the role that he hopes chess will play in his life for the rest of his life. I really enjoyed hearing Chris’ unique story and thank him for sharing it with us. Timestamps for topics discussed and relevant links can be found below. 

Click here to Download the Episode

0:00- 

Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsor, Chessable.com. You can check out some of my favorite Chessable courses for different rating levels here: 

https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/ 

Sign up for Patreon here

https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess

To be considered as a future Adult Improver Guest, please fill out this form here: 

https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/adultimprover

Adult Improver Webpage:

https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/adultimprover

Adult Improver Spotify Playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/75Uoqz2BoRt2IiTCeOfuky?si=d3cb77595b0049e7

0:03:00- What was Chris’ introduction to chess, and how did he get back into it? 

0:05:00- What is the chess scene like within the US Armed War Forces? 

10:00- What did Chris do to work on his game?

Mentioned: Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess, Seirawan Winning Chess Series, The Seirawan series is also available on Chessable,   Episode 303 with Kyle Boddy

14:00- Chris tells the remarkable story of how he and other members of the US Armed Forces, stationed in Poland, played in a tournament with members of the Polish military. 

28:00-  Patreon mailbag question: Does chess improve Chris’ graduate school studies in psychology? 

Mentioned: Logical Chess Move by Move

31:00- Would Chris ever try an OTB tournament? 

35:00- How does Chris approach following chess content that is a bit complex for his chess level?

Mentioned: St. Louis Chess Club YouTube Channel 

40:00- Thanks again to Chris for coming on to the podcast, and for his service in the US Military.  

EP 324- IM Levy Rozman/Gotham Chess on Surpassing 3 Million YouTube Subs, Retiring from OTB, his DMs with Magnus, and his 2023 Plans

Design by Adam Genesis Art

This week we are excited to catch up with the most popular chess content creator in the world, IM Levy Rozman aka Gotham Chess. With a Chessable course launching, and a book coming soon, Levy took a break from his busy schedule to reflect on another year of explosive growth in his content. His YouTube channel recently passed 3 million subs, and Levy’s TikTok account went from 0 to 1 million+ followers in about 3 months! In our interview, Levy takes us behind the scenes of the work that goes into the growth, and speculates about what type of chess fans might be driving the latest surge in popularity. It has been almost 2 years since my last interview with Levy, so there are many other topics to catch up on, including the FIDE World Championship, his retirement from OTB chess, his DMs with Magnus Carlsen and much more. It is always entertaining and enlightening to hear Levy reflect on chess and on his success! Timestamps of topics discussed are below. 

Click here to Download the Episode

0:00- You can check out some of my favorite Chessable courses for different rating levels here: 

https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/ 

Sign up for the Perpetual Chess Linkfest- https://benjohnson.substack.com/

Prior Levy appearances: 

Episode 180

Episode 233

0:02: How much does Levy know about his audience? 

0:08- What drives him to keep trying to grow his channel? 

0:16:00- Does Levy think this recent growth is propelled by high school kids? 

21:00- Does Levy still do his own editing? Who else helps him? 

27:00- Has Levy interacted with Magnus one-on-one? 

33:00- Levy’s thoughts on the Ding-Nepo World Championship

40:00- How does Levy reflect on his abandoned pursuit of the GM title? 

47:00- Patreon mailbag question: What is Levy’s advice to a parent who may be trying to encourage a scholastic player to stick with tournament chess? 

56:00- Patreon mailbag question: “Does Levy still have opening novelties he keeps to himself?” 

58:00- What lines does Levy recommend in his new Chessable course? What rating range does it target? 

1:04:00- Patreon mailbag question: “What differentiates Levy’s course from other Chessable 1. E4 courses?” 

1:07:00- How did Levy’s visit to YouTube headquarters come about? 

1:12:00- Has Levy’s daily life in New York changed much since our 2021 interview? 

1:13:00- Life as a dog dad 

1:15:00- Levy discusses his upcoming book, How to Win at Chess. 

1:17:00- Levy’s 2023 plans 

1:19:00- Thanks again to Levy for catching up with us! 

You should check out his YouTube channel! 

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

https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess

EP 323- Ding-Nepo World Championship Match Preview- GM Daniel King on the Players and Historical Context, NM Matt Jensen on the Match Analytics (+ other chess talk)

Photo of GM Daniel King by Lennart Ootes

With the 2023 FIDE World Chess Championship less than 2 weeks away, we bring you a double episode dissecting the match between GM Ian Nepomniatchtchi and GM Ding Liren. Since we feature 2 knowledgeable guests, we also discuss topics ranging from chess improvement, to the Sicilian defense, to online rating deflation. First up is popular YouTuber, commentator, author and Chessable Author, GM Daniel King. Daniel has attended multiple World Championships and was able to provide helpful context on a match that many feel ambivalent about given the historical and geopolitical circumstances. Despite many valid reservations, Daniel points out that this is an extremely compelling chess matchup between the #2 and #3 players in the world. Daniel also discusses his new Chessable course, King’s Anti-Sicilians, recalls the first Kasparov-Karpov match, and shares some reflections on what his passion for guitar and bass has taught him about chess improvement. 

Guest #2 (1:22:00) is NM Matt Jensen, a statistician and the co-founder of the chess education site, Chessgoals.com. Matt gives us a look at the analytics of the match. Who do his mathematical projections favor? How likely is a tiebreak? Who would be favored in a tiebreak? Matt has done extensive research on ratings comparisons across chess sites, and with Chessgoals, designs study plans for different level players, so we also talk some chess improvement and chess books. As always, timestamps for all of the topics discussed with both guests can be found below. 

Click here to Download the Episode

0:00- You can check out some of my favorite Chessable courses for different rating levels here: 

https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/ 

01:00- Basic facts on the match including venue, time control, dates from Ben

06:00- GM Daniel King joins the show. We begin by discussing the Ding-Nepo match. 

22:00- Should Nepo be allowed to play in a World Championship, given his past ties with the Russian government? 

Mentioned: Nepomniatchtchi Signed Open Letter to Putin by Peter Doggers 

28:00-Patreon Mailbag Question: “What does Daniel think of the possibility of selecting Openings for the World Championship in order to limit draws”?

39:00- How does Daniel compare the modern era to prior eras during which the highest rated player was not the undisputed champion, such as with Kasparov in the 1990s?

44:00- Daniel's thoughts on the Carlsen-Niemann scandal 

Mentioned: Professor David Franklin on the Hans Niemann Lawsuit

50:00- Daniel's recommendations against the Rossolimo and Alapin

Mentioned: Episode 315 with World Correspondence Champion, Dr. Jon Edwards, King’s Kalashnikov Sicilian 

1:05:00- Daniel shares his memories of attending the 1985 Kasparov-Karpov World Championship match, and he talks about a memorable game he played against Mikhail Tal.

Mentioned: GM Jon Tisdall, IM David Goodman, King-Tal 1985, How to Win at Chess by GM Daniel King 

1:13:00- What has playing music taught Daniel about Chess Improvement? 

1:21:00- Thanks, as always to GM Daniel King for joining me! 

Check out his Chessable courses here:

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

Subscribe to Power Play Chess here:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMBATpFb--uLNAODOVWvCTA

1:22:00- NM Matt Jensen joins the show, and we dive into what his predictive model says about the Ding-Nepo match, including the odds of a tiebreak, and who would be favored in the tiebreaks? 

1:36:00- Has Matt seen ratings deflation on Lichess and Chess.com? 

Mentioned: Episode 249 with Dr. Mark Glickman, Chessgoals’ Rating Comparison Data here

1:43:00- What does Matt’s research reveal about how best to study chess? 

1:46:00- Patreon Mailbag Question: “Has Matt’s thinking on the best study plans evolved as he has worked with more students? 

1:49:00- Matt’s favorite Chess Books

Mentioned: Yusupov Build Up Your Chess Series, Reassess Your Chess by IM Jeremy Silman, Silman’s Endgame Course 

1:53:00- Thanks to Matt for sharing his insights! Check out his study plans at Chessgoals.com.

EP 322- IM Willy Hendriks- The Groundbreaking Author and Trainer on Chess Improvement, Chess History, and The Books that Most Influenced Him

IM Willy Hendriks is a Netherlands based chess trainer, and an author of three books: Move First Think Later ( 2012 ECF Book of the Year), On the Origin of Good Moves, and his new book, Ink War: Romanticism vs. Modernity in Chess. Ink War is an entertaining and informative look at the first World Championship Match between Wilhelm Steinitz and Johannes Zukertort. As we discuss the two players had some common biographical traits, but were bitter rivals away from the board. Willy explains why the job of a chess professional was harder in those days, and shares some common misconceptions about the contributions that each player made to the advancement of chess. Since Willy is an accomplished player, trainer and improver, we also discuss Willy’s chess improvement philosophy, his own OTB game, and a few of his favorite chess books. Timestamps of topics discussed can be found below. 

Click here to Download the Episode

0:00- Thanks to our presenting Chess Education sponsor, Chessable! You can check out their new courses here: 

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

Info on GM Daniel King’s upcoming March 24 Masterclass here: 

https://www.chessable.com/using-the-outpost-masterclass/course/156548/

Episode 182 - IM Willy Hendriks’ Prior Appearance 

3:00- How is Willy’s OTB game progressing?  

06:30- Does Willy have an overall chess improvement philosophy? 

16:30- What gave IM Hendriks the idea to write about the Steinitz-Zukertort Match? 

21:00- Patreon Mailbag Question- What led to Zukertort’s 2nd half collapse in the match against Steinitz, and what is Zukertort’s chess legacy? 

28:00- Why does Willy think that the writings of Lasker, Euwe and Reti led to a misinterpretation of chess history? 

Mentioned: Masters of the Chessboard, Lasker’s Manual of Chess 

33:00- Where does the title The Ink War come from?

41:00- Did the famous game, Grimshaw-Steinitz actually occur or was it made up?

Mentioned: Grimshaw-Steinitz

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1718604

46:00- Patreon Mailbag Question- Does Willy know what his next book project will be? 

50:00- What Chess Books were influential for Willy? 

Tarrasch’s 300 Games, Nunn’s Secrets of Practical Chess, Pawn Power in Chess, Kotov’s Think Like a Grandmaster 

53:00- Does Willy have favorite players or personal favorite games? 

57:00- Patreon Mailbag Question- When Willy evaluates a position does he consciously count material? 

Mentioned: Move First Think Later

1:04:00- As someone who has just written about the first World Championship, what does Willy think of the potential phasing out of the Classical World Championship tradition?

Mentioned: Episode 319 with Dr. Howard Burton

Thanks to IM Hendriks for joining us! Links for his books are here:

New in Chess: 

https://www.newinchess.com/the-ink-war

Free Sample Here- 

https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/9134.pdf

Move First Think Later

On the Origin of Good Moves

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

Patreon

EP 321- GM Cristian Chirila on Past and Upcoming World Championship Matches, his OTB game, and the Growth of the C Squared Podcast

This week on Perpetual Chess we catch up with GM Cristian Chirila. A former Romanian youth champion, GM Chirila is now based in Missouri and has many roles in the chess world including commentator for the Grand Chess Tour, coach of the St. Louis University Chess Team, and co-host, with GM Fabiano Caruana, of the C-Squared podcast. On C Squared, GM’s Chirila and Caruana are often joined by prominent guests to discuss top-level chess news. The podcast is highlighted by its excellent production and has quickly found a large audience. In our interview, we discuss the origins of and future plans for C Squared. We also touch on World Championships, past and present, Cristian’s OTB game and lots more. We also briefly talk about the sexual assault allegations against GM Alejandro Ramirez although, to hear Cristian and Fabiano’s full thoughts, one should listen to the latest episode of C Squared. The notes to topics discussed can be found below. 

Click here to Download the Episode

Episode recorded February 28, 2023

0:00- Brief addendum regarding the allegations against GM Alejandro Ramirez (Recorded March 9, 2023)

04:00- Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsor, Chessable.com! Check out their latest courses here: 

https://www.chessable.com/courses/#!/new

05:00- Cristian joins! What lessons has Cristian learned from launching the C Squared Podcast? 

Mentioned: Episode 47 with GM Cristian Chirila

15:00- Patreon mailbag question:” Do Chirila and Caruana have a long-term vision for C Squared?” 

Ben Johnson | creating Perpetual Chess Podcast | Patreon

18:00- Is Cristian surprised by how forthcoming Fabiano has been on the podcast? 

20:00- Patreon mailbag question: Does Cristian worry that professionally collaborating with Fabiano could impact their friendship? 

24:00- Cristian discusses C-Squared’s plans for the World Championship and his own thoughts on the Ding-Nepo match

29:00- Cristian discusses his experience of working as one of Fabiano’s seconds during the World Championship match. 

34:00- Patreon mailbag question: “Were there moments in the 2018 World Championship where Cristian thought Fabiano would take the lead in the match?” 

41:00- What was your day-to-day life like as a second during the match in London? 

46:00- Patreon mailbag question:” Does Cristian think we will continue to see Rapid and Blitz elevated over classical chess?” 

51:00- Cristian discusses his recent OTB tournament and upcoming plans. 

57:00- Patreon mailbag question: “What is Cristian’s role as head coach of the University of Missouri?” 

1:03:00- We discuss the allegations against GM Alejandro Ramirez (recorded February 28) 

1:08:00- Cristian discusses his upcoming tournament plans 

EP 320- Adult Improver Ben Hunt of “Chess Boot Camp" YouTube Channel on going from 0-1500, “The Goldfish Method” and Transitioning to OTB Chess

This month, The Adult Improver Series welcomes Ben Hunt of the Chess Boot Camp YouTube Channel. Through his channel and a Chess.com forum, Ben has built a community around helping players rated 500-1200 improve. Ben started pursuing chess seriously in 2019 and shares tons of helpful reflections including his favorite content creators, the challenges of transitioning to OTB, and what he has learned from creating a YouTube channel geared towards fellow chess amateurs. Ben’s enthusiasm for chess is contagious, and I really enjoyed hearing his perspective. 

Click here to Download the Episode

0:00- Thanks to recent Patreon subs, if you would like to join the community you can do so here:

https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess

Sub to the Perpetual Chess linkfest here:

https://benjohnson.substack.com/

02:00- Ben got very interested very quickly in chess in 2019- what precipitated that? 

Mentioned: Chess.com Lessons 

07:00- Who are Ben’s favorite chess content creators?

Mentioned: Ginger GM, IM Alex Banzea, GM Daniel Naroditsky, St. Louis Chess Club, Jonathan Schrantz, IM John Bartholomew

10:00-Patreon mailbag question: “What is the goldfish method?” Why does Ben sometimes struggle to implement it?” 

Mentioned: Ben’s Goldfish Method Video, Move First Think Later, Chess Steps Method 

17:30- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Check out their latest courses here: https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/

18:30- What has it been like for Ben to try out OTB play in the UK?

23:00- Ben discusses his opening repertoire a bit as we discuss whether openings are overemphasized for club players. 

Mentioned: IM Andras’ Toth’s The Beginners 1. D4 Repertoire, SImon Williams’ The British Grand Prix, The Dvoretsky Endgame Manual, Silman’s Complete Endgame Course, 100 Endgames You Must Know 

34:00- Patreon mailbag question: “What advice does Ben give to those who are struggling translating increased knowledge to an OTB performance above the 1000 level?”

42:00- What is Ben’s tactics regimen? 

Mentioned: Chessbootcamp.club, The Woodpecker Method, Book Recap #6: The Woodpecker Method 

50:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. Aimchess’ algorithm reviews your games and gives you actionable advice on how to improve your game. Check it out for free, and if you choose to subscribe you can use the code Perpetual30 to save 30%.

Or use this link for the same discount:

https://aimchess.com/try?ref=benjohnson12

51:00- What kind of material does Ben present on his YouTube channel? 

55:00- Patreon mailbag question: “What are Ben’s chess goals?” 

1:01:00- Patreon mailbag question: “When you are showing a tactical puzzle, how important is it to show the moves that preceded the puzzle?”

1:05:00- What are Ben’s interests outside of chess? 

1:07:00- As we say our goodbyes, Ben gives 3 tips for getting to 1000. 

Thanks to Ben for joining! Here is how to keep up with him:

Chess.com profile

https://www.chess.com/member/benhunt72

Chess Bootcamp YouTube

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

Chess Bootcamp Live 

https://chessbootcamp.club/

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

https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess

EP 319- Dr. Howard Burton- An Award Winning Documentary Filmmaker and Author on the Growth Opportunity for Chess the Genius of Morphy, Fixing FIDE, and Whether Chess Skills Transfer to Other Domains

Dr. Howard Burton is a documentary filmmaker and author. Howard holds a PhD in theoretical physics and an MA in Philosophy. He is also the founder of the award-winning multimedia initiative Ideas Roadshow. Their latest documentary, Through the Mirror of Chess: A Cultural Exploration, is a 4 part documentary that shows the cultural impact and history of chess from its origins to modern times. It is very informative and well produced, and features many familiar faces including GM Hou Yifan, IM Daniel Rensch, GM David Smerdon and Award Winning Chess Teacher Elizabeth Spiegel. In conjunction with the documentaries, Dr. Burton has written a book of opinion essays about the role of chess in culture, called Chessays: Travels Through the World of Chess. It is enjoyable and provocative and discusses all that is right as well as what could be fixed within the chess world. Our conversation touches on both Howard’s book and his documentaries, and as his work does, helps to contextualize the role of chess in the world. Topics include the shortcomings of FIDE, Howard’s admiration for Paul Morphy, whether chess skills are transferable beyond chess, and Howard’s own history with chess Timestamps of topics discussed can be found below.

Click here to Download the Episode

0:00- What framed Howard’s approach to separating his book of essays and documentaries?

07:00- As somewhat of an outsider to chess, how would Howard change the chess world if he could?

13:00- What should the role of a chess governing body be? 

26:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. Aimchess’ algorithm reviews your games and gives you actionable advice on how to improve your game. Check it out for free, and if you choose to subscribe you can use the code Perpetual30 to save 30%.

28:00- What does Howard admire about Paul Morphy? Why does Howard think that Morphy isn’t placed on the same level as Fischer? 

Mentioned: Paul Morphy: Pride and Sorrow of Chess 

36:00- How do the misogynistic statements of Fischer and Kasparov affect chess culture? 

Mentjioned: GM Alejandro Ramirez under Investigation for Misconduct 

44:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Check out their latest courses here: https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/

45:00- How did Howard interview people from all over the world for Through the Mirror of Chess? 

Mentioned: Seven Games: A Human History, Episode 263 with Oliver Roeder

52:00- Does Howard play much chess? 

 Howard’s One Move at a Time Interview 

55:00- What frustrates Howard about suggestions related to the transferable skills of chess? 

Mentioned: Brooklyn Castle featuring Elizabeth Spiegel 

1:02:00- What role can chess play in social empowerment?

Mentioned: Tunde Onakoya, Russell Makofsky of The Gift of Chess, GM Pontuss Carlsson 

Thanks to Howard for joining the show! Here are the links to keep up with him: 

Chess.com Blog (including more thoughts on Fixing FIDE) 

Info on watching the documentary here:

Through the Mirror of Chess: A Cultural Exploration

And Get the Book Here:

 Chessays: Travels Through the World of Chess

EP 318 - Trainer and Chessable Author IM Yaacov Norowitz on How he Became a Blitz Specialist, His Early Encounters with Hikaru and Gothamchess & His Unique Approach to Chess Learning

This week I am joined by IM Yaacov Norowitz. Yaacov is a trainer, a Chessable author, and a speed chess specialist who has won the World Open Blitz tournament 5 times.   He has a Chess.com peak blitz rating of nearly 3000. Yaacov has a unique background, and he had some entertaining stories to tell about topics that include : 

• His over 12000 blitz and bullet games against Hikaru Nakamura. Yaacov has known Hikaru since Hikaru was age 6, before he started playing competitive chess. 

• His early interactions with Gotham Chess, whom Yaacov taught  when Levy was a kid. 

• Yaacov’s  “dacha method” approach to chess learning 

• How Yaacov’s strict Orthodox Jewish upbringing impacted his chess playing. 

Yaacov also is an avid chess reader and has plenty of book recommendations. As always, you can find timestamps for topics discussed below. 

Click here to Download the Episode

0:00- Yaacov discusses his early blitz battles with a young Hikaru Nakamura and how Yaacov became a blitz specialist? 

8:00- What differentiated Hikaru’s bullet peak from that of everyone else? Has Yaacov played other bullet wizards, Alireza and Andrew Tang? 

14:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. Aimchess’ algorithm reviews your games and gives you actionable advice on how to improve your game. Check it out for free, and if you choose to subscribe you can use the code Perpetual30 to save 30%.

16:00- What did Yaacov learn from his coach, the legendary player GM Roman Dzindziashvilli? Also what is “The Cheesecake Opening”? 

22:00- Yaacov loved to read chess books as a kid. What were his favorites? 

Mentioned: Dojo Talks Podcast Episode 72, Capablanca’s Endings, Chess Praxis, How to Reassess Your Chess, Logical Chess Move by Move 

27:00- How did Yaacov balance playing blitz and playing classical chess? 

32:00- What were Yaacov’s blitz battles against GM Viswanathan Anand like? 

36:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Check out their latest courses here: https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/

37:00- Patreon mailbag question: “Will Yaacov make a Chessable course on his “dacha theory” of chess learning?” 

44:00- Yaacov discusses the origins of his collaboration with Elijah Logozar, a former Adult Improver guest. 

50:00- Yaacov was raised in an Orthodox Jewish family. How did chess and religion intersect for him? 

57:00- Yaacov taught IM Levy Rozman as a kid.  What was he like?

58:00- Yaacov discusses his chess academy, Yaacattack.com 

1:02:00- How does Yaacov advise one to spend their chess study time? 

1:04:00- Thanks to Yaacov for joining the show! 

Website- Yaacattack.com 

The Yaac Attack Stonewall Chessable course-https://www.chessable.com/the-yaac-attack-stonewall-for-white/course/31827/

The Yaac Attack- Caro Kann for Black 

https://www.chessable.com/the-yaac-attack-caro-kann-for-black/course/49678/

Book Recap #31- San Luis 2005- Dr. Christopher Chabris on a A Tournament Book with Sparkling Games and Annotations, A Mini Cheating Scandal, at a Crossroad Moment in Chess History

Available via Amazon or Quality Chess

The Perpetual Chess Book Review Series Chess Books Recaptured  returns to discuss the award winning book, San Luis 2005 by GM Alik Gershon and Igor Nor. San Luis 2005 chronicles a crucial tournament in modern chess history, a double round robin whose winner determined the FIDE World Champion. The tournament featured nearly all of the top players of the time including GM Viswanathan Anand, Judit Polgar, Peter Svidler, and the winner, GM Veselin Topalov. As we discuss, GM Vladimir Kramnik was conspicuously absent, as he was already champion of a competing World Championship Faction that was originally founded by GM Garry Kasparov.  Kramnik ultimately played the winner of this tournament in a 2006 Championship reunification match. 

  My guest co-host is Dr. Christopher Chabris, a renowned author, cognitive scientist and USCF Master. As Christopher and I discuss, it is a beautiful book with lucid prose and great photos and game analysis. The tournament it covers did not have a suspenseful ending, but it did contain some drama in the form of cheating accusations that were lodged against the tournament winner. As we discuss, these unproven accusations have a lot of parallels to the Carlsen-Niemann scandal. We also discuss why tournament books “don’t sell” and compare this book to other classic tournament books like Zurich 1953. Lastly, I catch up a bit with Dr. Chabris on his OTB tournament plans, and his forthcoming book  Nobody’s Fool: Why we Get Taken in and What we Can do about it. As always, timestamps and links for topics discussed can be found below. 

Click here to Download the Episode

Prior appearances by Dr. Christopher Chabris:

Episode 95 with Christopher Chabris 

Episode 187 with Christopher Chabris 

Book Recap #4: Think Like a Grandmaster by Kotov 

Book Recap #15: Secrets of Practical Chess and Attack the Strongpoint 

Book Recap #25 (Mammoth Games) 

02:00- Why did we choose San Luis 2005?

Mentioned: Book Recap #17- Zurich 1953 with FM Nate Solon and special guest GM Andy Soltis 

04:00- Historical context: What was happening with the World Championship cycle in 2005? 

Mentioned: Linares! Linares! By Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam

14:00- Chessable Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Check out their latest courses here: https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/

16:00- We discuss the origins of the books and the background of the authors 

Mentioned: 2008 Chessbase article about the book, Lichess Study with the Games from the Tournament  

23:00- Why do they say books recapping tournaments “do not sell”? 

Mentioned: Zurich 1953, New York 1924, World Championship 1948

29:00- We share a few quotes from the Intro and preface by GMs Nigel Short and Mihail Marin. 

36:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. Aimchess’ algorithm reviews your games and gives you actionable advice on how to improve your game. Check it out for free, and if you choose to subscribe you can use the code Perpetual30 to save 30%.

38:00- What notable games took place? 

Anand-Adams 2005, Polgar-Kasimdzhanov, Kasimdzhanov-Polgar, Leko-Topalov, Wijk an Zee 1975 by Lubomir Kavalek

48:00- Why was Toplov accused of cheating in this tournament? Was there merit to this claim?

57:00- Dr. Chabris shares his thoughts on the Carlsen-Niemann scandal 

Mentioned: Discussion of the Niemann/Carlsen saga with GMs Jonathan Rowson and David Smerdon 

1:04:00- Patreon mailbag question: Has Chris’ expertise in cognitive science helped his chess game?

1:10:00- What chess books are we looking forward to? 

Mentioned: Book Recap #30 with Carsten Hansen, Dojo Talks- The Best Chess Books, Quality Chess coming in 2023  

Thanks to Dr. Chabris for helping out with this book discussion! 

You can follow him on Twitter here:

https://twitter.com/cfchabris

Order his forthcoming book here: 

 Nobody’s Fool: Why we Get Taken in and What we Can do about it.