This week GM Elshan Moradiabadi joined me. In addition to being a former champion in Iran, Elshan is a chess trainer and author. During our interview, Elshan explained why he and his fiance, WGM Sabina Foisor, have relocated to North Carolina and how they are enjoying life there. We also discussed Iran's unique chess history- chess was banned there from 1980 to 1999.  Elshan shared the prevailing theories on the reasons for Iran's chess ban. He also explained how he was able to ascend to the GM level, despite his native country's checkered chess history. Before I let him go, we touched on some perennial Perpetual topics, such as his experiences at chess Olympiads, the role of luck vs talent in chess, book recommendations, and his favorites in the upcoming Candidates tournament. Thanks to Elshan for a great talk. You can email him here. If you enjoy this podcast, you can support it here. To take the Perpetual listener survey, go here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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