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.161 - Geert van der Velde (Chief Content Officer of Chessable.com)
This week’s guest, Geert van der Velde, is a semi-retired rock star who has recently managed to turn his passion for all things chess into the role of Chief Content Officer for Chessable.com. Geert is quite knowledgeable about chess books, chess history, and chess teaching, and we hit all of these topics in our conversation. Geert was also able to share lots of information about some exciting projects in the works at Chessable, as well as trends of which we should be aware in the chess education space generally. More details and timestamps can be found below. If you are not seeing embedded hyperlinks in your podcast feed you can find them here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2020/1/21/episode-161-geert-van-der-velde-chief-content-officer-of-chessablecom 0:00- Geert delves into his chess background and talks about how his passion for chess was born and how it was revived in the past decade. Mentioned: BIll Wall’s Chess Website, My Great Predecessors, My Best Games of Chess by Alexander Alekhine, Alekhine BBC Interview YouTube clip, GM Neil McDonald, Chess Books Recaptured: Bobby Fischer goes to War 9:00- Geert shares how he ended up in his current role as Chief Content Officer at Chessable.com. 12:30- We take a detour into Geert’s background as a successful touring rock musician, most prominently for a band called The Black Atlantic. Check out their music here: https://blackatlantic.bandcamp.com/ 14:45- We return to Geert’s chess background. Mentioned: How to Reassess Your Chess by Jeremy Silman , Grenke Chess Open, Chessable’s 100 Endgames You Must Know, IM John Bartholomew, GM Jorden Van Foreest, GM Jan Gustafsson, 22:00- What does Geert’s work for Chessable entail? Mentioned: GM Sam Shankland’s Small Steps 2 Success on Chessable, GM Wesley So, Chessable’s “Lifetime Pro” Membership deal will only be available for a few more weeks, Chessable CEO David Kramaley on Perpetual Chess, GM Alex Colovic, GM Pentala Harikrishna, Memory Champ Simon Reinhard, Memory Games on Netflix, Moonwalking with Einstein 35:50- This show is brought to you in part by Chessable- As we discussed, one of the many great books you can learn online is 100 Endgames You Must Know: https://www.chessable.com/100-endgames-you-must-know/course/5193/ 36:50- A supporter of the podcast sent in some great Chessable-related questions pertaining to when Chessable’s IOS app will be coming and other Chessable business-related questions. Mentioned: NM Mike Zaloznyy, IM Dmitri Schneider 44:00- What books would Geert most love to bring to Chessable? As a chess dad and part time chess teacher, what are Geert’s favorite apps for kids who are learning chess? ERROR ALERT- Contra what I said, Magnus Trainer is available on Ipad. I apologize for the mistake! Mentioned: How to Reassess Your Chess by Jeremy Silman , The Chess Steps Method, Magnus Trainer, Chesskid.com, Chess Steps: Chess Tutor Program , Cor van Wijgerden 53:00- We discuss Geert’s plans for attending the ongoing Tata Steel Chess Tournament. Can spaced repetition be used to learn music? Mentioned: Black Atlantic’s Most Popular Song,I Shall Cross this River, has been streamed 31,000,000. Thanks to Geert for being on the show, you can keep up with him via Chessable and Twitter. If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Book Recap #3 : Bobby Fischer Goes to War with guest co-host Chris Wainscott [Chess Books Recaptured Series]
Welcome to another edition of Chess Books Recaptured, a monthly Bonus Pod. This month, we tried something different and are recapping an enjoyable and informative chess history book, Bobby Fischer goes to War by David Edmonds and John Eidenow. This book gives a deep and broad history of the “Match of the Century” between challenger Bobby Fischer, and World Chess champion, GM Boris Spassky, in Reykjavik, Iceland in 1972. To help me discuss the book, I enlisted the help of long time friend of the podcast, Chris Wainscott. Chris is a part time chess journalist, and a full time chess junkie and adult improver. For lots more details of what we discussed, please keep reading. If you aren’t seeing hyperlinks in your podcast feed, you can find them here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2020/1/17/bonus-pod-recapping-the-book-bobby-fischer-goes-to-war-with-chris-wainscott-chess-books-recaptured-series 2:00- We being by introducing guest co-host Chris Wainscott, and discussing why we picked Bobby Fischer goes to War for this month's book recap. Mentioned: Recap of Life and Games of Mikhail Tal here, and Reassess Your Chess by IM Jeremy Silman, here. One Move at a Time podcast with Chris Wainscott 8:00- I read the Kindle Version of Bobby Fischer goes to War, Chris read the Paperback version. Audiobook link here. 9:00- What was going on in the chess world in 2005 when Bobby Goes to War was published. Mentioned: GM Garry Kasparov, FIDE World Champion GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov, GM Vladimir Kramnik 14:00- What other writing should we be aware of regarding the Fischer Spassky match? Mentioned: Edward Winter post on Fischer-Spassky, Fischer gegn Spassky by Freysteinn Jóhannsson and Friðrik Ólafsson (Reykjavik, 1973), and Fischer World Champion! by Max Euwe and Jan Timman 15:30- We give a few biographical details about the writers, David Winter and John Eidenow 16:30- For what level chess player is this book suited? 18:30- This episode is brought to you in part by Chessable, check out My Great Predecessors, Volume 4, on Chessable to see GM Garry Kasparov’s reflections and annotations on Bobby Fischer (among others). 19:30- We dive into the book, Chris reads the opening paragraphs and we discuss some key events surrounding the match and the structure of the book. 28:30- What were the major themes of the match/book? Fischer-Spassky Game 1, Game 5, The Anand Files by Michiel Abeln 31:30- We read a few of our favorite quotes from the book. Fischer-Spassky Game 13, GM Awonder Liang, Bobby Fischer Against the World, IM Anthony Saidy, Paul Marshall, GM Nikolai Krogius, Psychology in Chess by Nikolai Krogius, GM Larry Evans, GM Anatoly Karpov, GM Mark Taimanov 41:00- What were our favorite games that were mentioned in the match? Spassky - Petrosian Game 5 1969 , Spassky-Fischer Game 3, GM Evgeny Bareev, IM John Watson’s The Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy 44:50- What were our favorite anecdotes from the book? GM Lothar Schmid, Chester Fox, Saemi Palsson, Jim Slater, Reykjavik Open 2020 , Victor Jackovich 53:20- Are there chess improvement lessons to be derived from this book? 57:00- What are our quibbles with this book? Mentioned: George Steiner’s Field of Force, Paul Morphy, NY Times Review of Bobby Fischer Goes to War 1:02:00- Coming next month, recapturing Think Like a Grandmaster by Alexander Kotov, with Christopher Chabris. 1:02:00- Thanks to Chris Wainscott for helping out this month! He will be generously donating his compensation for this project to US Chess Women. Keep up with Chris via twitter, Facebook and his blog 1:04:00- Blindfold chess puzzles of the month, here they are: Puzzle #1- Black to move and win White- Pawns on h2, g2, d5, a2, Rook on f1, King on h1, Queen on d7, Bishop on a3 Black- Pawns on h7, g7, f7, d6. King on g8, Bishop on f8, Rook on e8, Queen on d4 Puzzle- https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=uRdvz3KWpscHk859Tf87okC5Ilmx1QQ7Pn/QduKIb67T7QTMUs43v9M5sPtBM1pH Solution- https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=uzikPPig87+Zc0vNm2QP8BZf19uVsqrRv1PmSOFg83BKFkyixUDgfiD4Vu5cuhDB Puzzle #2- Black to move and mate in 4, only the checkmating solution counts! White- pawns on h2, g3, f2, e3, king on e2, queen on f3 Black- pawns on g7, f7, king on g8, Queen on c3,Bishop on b3 Puzzle- https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=HJ2B61vb+nCxTLUIfIk3rHGsBFlRB0wJEdRdU2OP85FFWlvargvwm7soeflbP5LM Solution- https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=U31R2/dyPiHjEUMyeksXuxy1+aQGm4eS9LN2NAWxrnsjibxsTDWK/nEMItY67c6R Thanks for listening. if you would like to help support the podcast, you can do so here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
EP.160 - Antonio Radić (aka Agadmator)
This week it is my honor to be joined by Antonio Radić, the creator of the most popular Youtube Chess Channel in the world, Agadmator’s Chess Channel! In about 3 years, Agadmator has taken his channel from 0 to an astounding 539,000 subscribers! In our conversation, Agadmator takes us from the channel’s modest beginnings to its current status. We spent a lot of time talking about his “secret sauce,” and discussing the past and future of Antonio’s content creation. Antonio is also a strong chess player, with a peak ELO at over 2000, so we also discused his chess playing goals, chess improvement and chess books as well. Timestamps and links can be found below. If you are not seeing embedded hyperlinks on your podcast feed you can find here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2020/1/14/episode-160-antonio-radi-aka-agadmator 0:00- To check out the World Championship chess mugs, go toChessmugs.com. If you decide to buy a set of mugs, use the code “perpetualchess” at checkout to save 15%. 2:00- We begin by discussing the origins of Antonio’s chess channel. What were his goals and visions? Mentioned: IM Sagar Shah of Chessbase India’s Interview with Agadmator, Bobby Fischer Beats a Chess Grandmaster in 10 moves, Mikhail Tal vs. Alexei Suetin: Not Bad for a Dead Man Video, Chess Network’s Chess Channel, Here are Agadmator’s Videos sorted from oldest to newest, Ivanchuk vs. Shankland video, GM Eric Hansen 11:00- Did Antonio’s enthusiasm for video games inform the way he presents his chess videos? 14:30- When did Antonio first think of quitting his job to focus on his Youtube channel? 17:00- What is the origin of his deep love for chess history? Mentioned: GM Mikhail Tal, GM Anatoly Karpov, GM Garry Kasparov, GM Judit Polgar, Paul Morphy, Blue Yeti microphone 20:00- Antonio gives some details on the podcast that he has hinted at starting. Mentioned: Jose Raoul Capablanca 23:00- Antonio reflects on his trip to London for the last World Chess Championship match in London, and we discuss the 2020 World Chess Championship match a bit. Mentioned: GM Ivan Saric 26:00- Antonio fields a couple of questions from Patreon supporters of the show on the subjects of how he learned English, and why he thinks his chess channel is so popular. 33:45- When the Agadmator channel began, what were the most popular chess channels? How does he build a community via his YouTube channel? Mato Jelic, KingsCrusher, The Chess Channel, John Bartholomew, A Song for Bobby Fischer, by GM Eugene Torre, Rashid Nezhmetdinov Chess Biography This episodes is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Check out GM Alex Colovic's latest Chessable offering, Break-down Anti-Sicilian's here: https://www.chessable.com/break-down-anti-sicilians/course/31178/ 39:30- Does Antonio have a rooting interest in the Candidates Tournament that will determine who will face Magnus Carlsen for the World Championship? Mentioned: GM Vassily Ivanchuk, GM Ding Liren, Fabiano Caruana, 41:00- What are a few of his favorite chess books? Dimitrije Bjelica- My Friend Bobby Fischer (not available in English?) , Spassky Move by Move, Chess Fundamentals by Capablanca , Strategy and Tactics books by Georgy Lisitsyn, Olympiu Urcan, Video: Imagine if he Were a Najdorf Specialist 44:30- Antonio breaks down a recent tournament in which he played, how it went for him, and shares his plans (or lack thereof) for future tournaments. 48:00- Another Patreon question- Can Antonio tell whether a GM game is a fast or slow game based on the quality of the moves? Mentioned: GM Magnus Carlsen, GM Andrew Tang 49:30- We talk about Agadmator’s beloved dog Medo, who can often be seen in the background of his video. 52:30- What other projects is Antonio working on? In closing we discuss his channel a bit more, specifically how Antonio deals with haters and negative feedback. 58:30- Thanks to Antonio for coming on the show! Here is his info: YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL5YbN5WLFD8dLIegT5QAbA Twitter-https://twitter.com/agadmator?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/agadmator/?hl=en If you would like to help support the podcast, you can do so here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
EP.159 - IM Greg Shahade Returns Again
With the Pro Chess League (of which he is the commissioner) set to resume on Monday, January 6, it was a great time for my old friend, IM Greg Shahade to make another visit to Perpetual Chess. Greg broke down all of the changes that have taken place with the league’s format, and previewed some some of the interesting matches and players that we will see this season. We also had a lot of chess news to talk about, ranging from the World Championship Candidates selection process to some recent speed chess controversies involving prominent chess professionals. Greg also dispensed some great advice on chess improvement in our wide ranging conversation. Please read on for more details and timestamps! If you are not seeing embedded hyperlinks in your podcast feed, you can find them here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2020/1/5/episode-159-im-greg-shahade-is-back-again 0:00- We start off by getting Greg’s perspective on some recent chess controversies, both “online” and offline. These include a controversial blitz game between Magnus Carlsen, and strong young GM Alireza Firouzja, and a not safe for work, viral clip of a blitz game by super GM Gata Kamsky. Mentioned: IM Lawrence Trent, Video of IM Shahade vs. IM Trent Grudge Match, FIDE World Rapid and Blitz, Zhigalko-Nakamura controversy, Chess24 “Famous Effing Legend”, 16:00- We follow up on another controversy, GM Kirill Alekseenko’s selection for the wildcard spot in the upcoming Candidates’ Tournament. CORRECTION- I mentioned the wrong tournament in which Alekseenko excelled, he came in 3rd place in the FIDE Grande Swiss, not the FIDE World Cup. Mentioned: Maxime Vachier-Lagrave’s Open Letter regarding qualification process, MVL interview with Chess.com’s Peter Doggers, GM Anish Giri 26:00- The Pro Chess League is coming back, with major changes to the format! Greg tells us the reasons for the changes and discusses some of the teams to watch out for. The first match takes place on Monday, January 6 at 2pm EST. Mentioned: St. Louis Arch Bishops, Fabiano Caruana, GM Leinier Dominguez, GM Wesley So,GM Le Quang Liem, GM Alexander Grischuk, GM Alireza Firouzja, GM Ivan Saric, GM Anish Giri, New York Marshalls, GM Hikaru Nakamura, GM Sam Sevian, Turkey Knights, Armenia Eagles,GM Gabriel Sargissian, Poland Hussars 36:30- We discuss the exciting changes that are taking place with faster time controls and Chess960 becoming more popular at the Elite level. Mentioned: Puzzle Rush World Championship, Chess.com Speed Chess Championship, New in Chess Magazine 44:00- A Patreon supporter of the podcast asks, “How would Greg change tournament formats for the casual chess players?” Mentioned: Bill Goichberg of the Continental Chess Association 53:30- Chess improvement talk! A couple of Patreon supporters submitted questions to Greg regarding improvement. Questions include: 1) Is there is a chess book that hasn’t been written, but should be? Mentioned: GM Jan Gustafsson, A Grandmaster, actually tried the novelty Greg mentioned. 1:04- Greg submits his resume to join #TeamScandi! Mentioned: IM Lawrence Trent, GM Bryan Smith 1:08- A couple more Patreon mailbag questions- Who was the youngest IM Greg lost to in a serious game? And a listener asks for practical advice about how to think about the imbalances from Jeremy Silman’s Reassess Your Chess. Mentioned: GM Alex Lenderman, Perpetual Chess Recaptured: Reassess Your Chess 1:17- Is chess a sport? Does it really burn one zillion calories? 🤔 Mentioned: The Grandmaster Diet: How to Lose Weight While Barely Moving 1:19- A Patreon supporter asks: “What does Greg do for a living anyway?” Mentioned: The 5 Best Chess Books I Read in 2019, IM Lawrence Trent, GM Simon Williams 1:26- Greg tells the story of a long-ago blitz match he played with a young GM Hikaru Nakamura 1:29- We discuss some nonsense relating to Greg’s television viewing habits. Mentioned: Humans, Brooklyn Nine Nine 1:31- Has Greg read any chess books lately? Mentioned: Tal-Botvinnik 1960, FM Mike Shahade, Inside Chess Magazine, IM John Donaldson, GM Yasser Seirawan, IM Vivek Rao 1:36- Thanks to Greg for coming back on. Be sure to tune in to the Pro Chess League starting Monday, January 6 at 2pm EST. If you would like to help support the podcast, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
EP.158 - GM Jan Gustafsson returns again!
It’s an annual tradition! Popular Chess24 personality, noted opening theoretician and friend of Perpetual Chess, GM Jan Gustafsson returns to the show! Jan has just released his first Chessable course, Lifetime Repertoires: Jan Gustafsson’s 1. e4 e5 , so it was a great time to catch up with him. In addition to discussing the details of his course, and a bit about the theoretical trends of double king pawn openings, we also discussed Jan’s near term plans with Chess24, past and future World Championship matches, plus much more. Please read on for more details and timestamps. 0:00- We kick off by discussing a few recent Bundesliga games of Jan, and Jan’s impressive new Chessable course, Lifetime repertoires: 1. e4 e5 Mentioned: German Chess Bundesliga (aka Schachbundesliga), Fatih Baltic-Jan Gustafsson 2019, Gustafsson-Naumann 2019, LeelaZero, Rybka, Stockfish, IM Christof Sielecki, GM Larry Kaufman, IM David Vigorito 15:00- We transition to discussing a popular Chess Reddit thread, in which Jan dared to criticize the theoretical status of the King’s Gambit opening. Mentioned: The End of the King’s Gambit by GM Ivan Salgado. The Petroff defense 21:00 - A couple of our Patreon supporters ask some questions relating to Jan’s current work plans and the business of Chess24.com Mentioned: Essential Pawn Structures by GMs Jan Gustafsson and Laurent Fressinet, GM Magnus Carlsen 28:00- How much credit does Jan deserve for GM Magnus Carlsen’s Fantasy Football (soccer) League dominance? What are the latest trends in coffee consumption? . Mentioned: flat white coffee, cold brew coffee, Bulletproof coffee, GM Laurent Fressinet, GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave 31:30- We revisit a topic we discussed in our very first Perpetual Chess interview. How important is talent in chess? Mentioned: Magnus documentary 34:30- Jan recently read The Anand Files by recent guest of Perpetual Chess, FM Michiel Abeln, so I was very excited to pick his brain about it, based on his experiences on World Championship prep teams. Mentioned: GM Peter Heine Nielsen, GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov, GM Radoslaw Wotjasek, GM Surya Ganguly, The Exchange Slav, IM Gary Lane, Facebook Chess Book Collectors Group, GM Cristian Chirilia, GM Alejandro Ramirez, GM Leineir Dominguez 47:00- What are Jan’s early thoughts on who will win the 2020 World Championship Candidates Tournament (for the right to face Magnus Carlsen in the next World Championship Match)? Mentioned: GM Fabiano Caruana, GM Ding Liren, GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, GM Peter Svidler, GM Alexander Grischuk, GM Anish Giri, Wijk an Zee chess (aka Tata Steel Chess) 54:30- We discuss a few movies, TV shows and podcasts, with a tinge of chess improvement philosophizing at the end. Mentioned: Barry, Succession, Bill Burr, Jeselnik and Rosenthal Vanity Project, How Neal Feel, Two Bears One Cave, Frozen 2, Parasite, FM Fatih Baltic , IM Yochanan Afek, The Lowe Post, The Bill Simmons Podcast, Hollinger and Duncan NBA Podcast, and US Chess Podcasts Thanks to Jan for coming on the show! The best place to keep up with him is on Chess24.com Catch Jan Gustaffson’s prior Perpetual Chess visits here: Episode 2- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-02-grandmaster-jan-gustafsson/id1185023674?i=1000378779364 Episode 62- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-62-grandmaster-jan-gustafsson-returns/id1185023674?i=1000405079252 Episode 115- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-115-gm-jan-gustafsson-returns-again/id1185023674?i=1000430646087 If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate If you would like to help support the podcast via Patreon, you can do so here. https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Episode 157- IM David Vigorito
IM David Vigorito is a Massachusetts-based chess player, author and trainer. As a player, David been the state champion of Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Nevada. He has also competed in the U.S. Championship and has been among the top 50 player in the US. David and his publisher, Quality Chess, have just released his 9th book, Playing the Najdorf. David also has been a tremendously accomplished adult improver. As his USCF rating graph shows, he took his rating from the 2200s in his early 20s to a peak of 2565 in his 40s in 2013! In our conversation, we dug into how David was able to improve so much at a phase when many others stall. Naturally, we also spent some time discussing the state of the Najdorf variation of the Sicilian. Please read on for timestamps and more details! 0:00- We begin by discussing David’s chess background, with an emphasis on how he gained so many rating points in his 20s. Mentioned: FM Dennis Monokroussos, Pawn Structure Chess by Soltis, Art of Defense, IM Mark Dvoretsky, GM Ulf Andersson, Inside Chess Magazine, New in Chess Magazine, Chess Informants 16:00- David answers a question from the Perpetual Chess Patreon mailbag about what advice he would give to other working parents who want to improve at chess. 20:30- One of David’s old schoolmates writes in to ask for David’s thoughts about the nature of chess talent. 30:00- David traces the arc of his career as a chess writer, beginning with his decision to write his first Quality Chess book, Challenging the Nimzo-Indian. Mentioned: Gambit Chess Books, IM James Rizzitano, Everyman Chess, The Sicilian Dragon, GM Daniel King’s Winning with the Najdorf, GM Larry Kaufman, IM Christof Sielecki, Sozin, Nikolaos Ntirlis, The Sicilian Sozin by Golubev 46:00- Chess opening talk! How can a non-professional player handle the complexity of the Najdorf? What can attacking players play against 1.d4? Mentioned: The King’s Indian Defense, The Grunfeld Defense 55:00- Another supporter of the show writes in to ask David to assess the past and present of the Boston, Massachusetts chess scene. Mentioned: GM Alex Ivanov, 2020 Charlotte Open, North American Open, 2020 Foxwoods Open 1:02- Does David worry about giving away too many opening secrets? GM Alex Khalifman, GM Hikaru Nakamura Thanks to David for a fun conversation! You can keep up with him via his website here: https://www.vigoritochess.com/ His book is available through Quality Chess and Forward Chess. If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Book Recap #2 : Talking Silman's Reassess Your Chess by Jeremy Silman with Todd Kennedy [Chess Books Recaptured Series]
We are back with another Chess Books Recaptured Bonus Pod. This month, we recap the classic chess improvement manual, Reassess Your Chess (4th Edition), by Jeremy Silman. To help me discuss the book, I enlisted the help of Todd Kennedy. Todd is an adult improver, as well as being a dad, husband, actuary, chess player and chess fan. For lots more details of what we discussed, please keep reading. If you aren’t seeing hyperlinks in your podcast feed, you can find them here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2019/12/20/bonus-pod-discussing-reassess-your-chess-with-todd-kennedy-chess-books-recaptured-series 0:00- My guest go-host, Todd Kennedy, shares a bit about his life and his chess background, and discusses why Reassess Your Chess is a favorite book of his. Mentioned:Robert Katende initiative , Chess Books Recapured Episode #1- Recapping The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal with NM Sam Copeland 12:00- I share a couple reflections and observations about the impact of Reassess Your Chess, from prior guests of the show, IM Sagar Shah , and IM Cyrus Lakdawala, and we discuss some biographical details about IM Silman. Mentioned: Chess Historian Edward Winter’s post on Chess book sales, Amazon’s Best Selling Chess Books 22:50- To order or find out more about the Chess World Championship Mugs go to Chessmugs.com, if you decide to purchase them, you can save 15% if you use the discount code “perpetualchess” 23:40- We dive into the book, beginning with Todd’s reading the first sentence, and a discussion of the structure of the book and our favorite chapters. Here are the imbalances Silman covers in the book: Superior minor piece, pawn structure, space, material, control of a key file, control of a weak square, lead in development, initiative, king safety, and statics vs. dynamics. 30:45- We take turns reading and discussing our 3 favorite quotes from the book. 40:00- We each pick some favorite games from the book. Mentioned: Volokitin-Delchev 2004 (p. 292), Catig-Mills (p.266), Karpov-Yusopov 1993 (p.304) Read Silman’s chess.com follow up post about the Micky Mills game here: https://www.chess.com/article/view/the-greatest-amateur-game-of-all-time 45:00- We discuss our primary takeaways for chess improvement from the book. Mentioned: The Seven Deadly Chess Sins, Chesssentials.com, Adrien Demuth’s Chess24 London Course 53:00- How useful is this book for chess improvement? 56:00- Do we have any quibbles with the book? Mentioned: Forward Chess, The Anand Files, E-plus Chessbooks App, Chessify 1:02- Thanks to Todd for his great work recapping Reassess Your Chess. Keep up with Todd on chess.com here. Puzzle #1- from Reassess Your Chess, page 45, 4th edition, guessing 1400 level White: King on h1, Pawn on a4, Bishop on a2 Black: King on g7, knight on d8 White to move and win Puzzle #2- guessing 2200 level? From Pocket Training Chess Book #2 by GM Lev Alburt and Al Lawrence White- King on c1, Pawn on h6, Bishop on B8 Black- King on h4, Pawn on e5, Bishop on d4 White to move and win Puzzle 1 diagram- https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=DWzguclcWL54tXH/y4uoLZSjPnXil4VrnRc9nw6Pwx236uPtOR9MB2rkUtOgTFx0 Puzzle #1 solution- https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=vtSdUaXGfpaq288H+oQuaqvfRskiXpy6usEDJSql9756jJOQ3m42yfi3CQzsPNX0 Puzzle #2- diagram https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=BcSBW9vQ+bcalu1mUPqQn2PyRbyr6tB0bCy0NNlS+lYHdnwittsLQiizALPVuLZU Puzzle 2 Solution- https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=LzHwAYecjcalMYqO3gXPmG7P4jGgTuwNoRPpfVJx3yxmgHL29PQar08eHyb6Eu9w If you would like to help support the podcast, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
EP.156 - FM Michiel Abeln
In addition to his day job, in which he maintains a senior leadership role at Shell Oil, FM Michiel Abeln is a chess trainer and a chess journalist. Late this year, he and Quality Chess Publishing released his book, The Anand Files: The World Championship Story 2008-2012. It is an incredible book, which goes deep into the ups and downs, games, opening theory, and most of all, the emotions of GM Viswanathan Anand’s team during the 2008, 2010 and 2012 world championship matches. In our conversation, Michiel takes us from the nervous beginnings of this project, through to many of the interesting details he learned and decisions he made in terms of how to structure the book. Please read on for more details and timestamps. If you are not seeing embedded hyperlinks on your podcast feed, you can find them here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2019/12/16/episode-156-fm-michiel-abeln 0:00- We dive right into the Anand files, as Michiel discusses why he decided to donate the proceeds of The Anand Files to charity. Michiel also tells the fascinating story of how this project came into existence. Mentioned: Eric Van Reem, Cathy Rogers, GM Vladimir Kramik, GM Viswanathan Anand, GM Surya Shekhar Ganguly, GM Peter Heine Nielsen, GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov, GM Radoslaw Wojtasek 18:30- Why did Michiel decide to delve so deeply into opening analysis in his book? Mentioned: IM Sagar Shah’s interview with Michiel Abeln, GM Veselin Topalov 23:00- For more info on the strong chess robot Square Off! Order now atsquareoffnow.com and enter online coupon code SCHACH for 20 percent reduction! If you are in Cologne, you can visit the intercultural chess club: Satranç Club 2000 in Cologne (satranc2000.de , Mail: satrancclub2000@gmx.de ) 24:00- How did Michiel keep up with all of the opening theory shared in the book? Mentioned: GM Peter Heine Nielsen, GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov, The Meran 29:30- Friend and Patreon supporter of the podcast John Hartmann wonders what sort of preparation work was done, aside from opening work, if any? Mentioned: GM Anatoly Karpov, The Sicilian Dragon, To see IM Sagar Shah’s excellent “Anand quizzes” with various elite players, go here, The Slav, 2012 World Championship between Gm Boris Gelfand and Anand 44:00- I ask Michiel a question posed by IM Gary Lane in the Facebook Chess Book Collectors Group, “Do World Championship teams try to find out which GMs are helping the opposing teams?” Mentioned: GM Wojtasek, GM Ganguly, GM Laurent Fressinet, GM Sergei Rublevsky, GM Danil Dubov 53:00- Will there be a Forward Chess or Chessable version of The Anand Files? Mentioned: Hugh Jordan, Michiel Abeln’s Philidor article in the 2006 New in Chess Yearbook 58:00- A Patreon supporter asks what lessons from Anand’s team can be applied away from the chessboard? 1:08- Nicolas Noel asks, what can club players learn from this book? Anand-Kramnik Game 6, 2008, Bonn 1:11- Where will Michiel donate the proceeds of the book sales? Mentioned: Mark Crowther of The Week in Chess 1:15- In closing, we discuss the state of Michiel’s own chess game and have a brief discussion of chess books. Mentioned: Mig Greengard’s chess blog, Brian Karen, Mark Dvoretsky’s books, Bent Larsen’s Best Games, My Great Predecessors, Max Euwe’s books, From London to Elista 1:26- Thanks again to Michiel Abeln for the fantastic book and interview. You can email him here, or keep him with him via his Tumblr, Twitter and Facebook If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do here: https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
EP.155 - Elizabeth Spiegel
Elizabeth Spiegel is a USCF expert who played in the US Championship in 2006 and the US Women’s Championship in 2007. Of course, her greatest accomplishments have come in the realm of coaching, as she is an award winning and renowned scholastic coach, as well as a New York Public City School teacher. Elizabeth has been a guiding force for the incredibly successful Junior High School chess program at IS-318 in Brooklyn. The students at IS 318 have amassed 57 National Championship Titles (!!), and the program was featured in the award-winning, outstanding 2012 documentary, Brooklyn Castle. Elizabeth was honored as the 2019 Chess Educator of the Year by University of Texas at Dallas, and her teaching was also memorably featured in the excellent book, How Children Succeed. In our conversation, Elizabeth shared tons of insights from her experiences as a chess teacher, and parent. We also talked about ways to further popularize chess, and a bit of US Chess politics, as Elizabeth voiced her frustration about some recent rule changes relating to age groupings at US Chess Scholastic Nationals. Please read on, as always for more details. If you are not seeing any embedded hyperlinks in the episode description, you can find them here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2019/12/10/episode-155-elizabeth-spiegel 0:00- We begin by talking about the chess activity in Elizabeth’s own household. Wiith chess-obsessed 12 and 6 yr old’s living under her roof, she sees a lot of chess learning first hand. Mentioned: FM Mike Klein of Chesskid (aka FunMasterMike), Chessable, The Steps Method 13:50- How much is it appropriate for typical scholastic players and club level players and study openings? Mentioned: Elizabeth’s 2019 Chess Educator of the Year Acceptance Speech, FM Justus Williams, NM James Black, FM Donny Ariel 19:30- 2 Patreon supporter of Perpetual Chess submit questions for Elizabeth asking for some teach tips.1) How to motivate students to do chess puzzles? 2) How to manage classes with disparate skill levels? Mentioned: The great chess Books for kids by Jeff Coakley 25:00- How has Elizabeth’s teaching changed since Brooklyn Castle was released in 2012?IS 318 Web Site Mentioned: IS 318 Vice-Principal John Galvin, Facebook Chess Teacher’s Forum, Katie Dellamaggiore (Director of Brooklyn Castle), John Hamm of Mad Men 32:00- To check out the World Championship chess mugs, go toChessmugs.com. If you decide to buy a set of mugs, use the code “perpetualchess” at checkout to save 15%. 33:00- Elizabeth shares a few more book recommendations. Mentioned: Mastering Chess Strategy, Positional Decision Making in Chess, Chess School: The Manual of Chess Combinations. More of Elizabeth’s favorite books for teaching can be found here and here. 37:00- How could chess be better marketed? Elizabeth thinks there should be more titles in scholastic chess, and that chess could be better marketed to autistic students. Mentioned: IM Cyrus Lakdawala 45:00- As Elizabeth details on her blog, in 2019 the US Chess Scholastic Committee changed the rules regarding which grade levels are eligible for Junior High Nationals prizes. Despite the fact that most schools labeled “Junior High” in the U.S. go up to 8th grade, the US scholastic Nationals allows 9th graders to compete for Junior High prizes as well. As Elizabeth explains, this primarily benefits private schools and magnet schools, at the expense of more traditional junior highs, such as, IS 318. A Patreon supporter of the podcast asks for Elizabeth’s thoughts on this issue, as well as whether it may have effected her winning the 2019 Chess Educator of the Year prize from University of Texas at Dallas. Mentioned: Elizabeth’s blog, FM Sunil Weerumantry, WIM Beatriz Marinello, J.J Lang’s Perpetual Chess Interview 1:03- We discuss Elizabeth’s developing thoughts on chess parenting. Mentioned: GM Jonathan Rowson’s All the Moves that Matter , Elizabeth’s beginner curriculum is available for download here, Elizabeth’s “pin and skewer puzzle” here- https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=Ohq5ew6aMX8jfa/9PpWEh02Z/+kYuDvPO6m93orqYYhrxTLkgkYoQifCP5/kltL7 Solution here- https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=9X/QHzGoTQrE3QVL9browbeYG4G76LfpL8sT73650khNCeYFbxN1wTRYJhcptlP0 1:09- Thanks to Elizabeth for joining us! You can keep up with her via Facebook and her blog. If you would like to help support the kids at IS 318, you can do so here: https://t.co/YUUvGHIl1L?amp=1 If you would like to help support the podcast, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
EP.154 - GM Larry Kaufman
Among his many chess distinctions, GM Larry Kaufman was the 2008 World Senior Chess Champion. He is also quite accomplished as a chess author, and a developer of chess engines. He helped to develop many renowned chess engines over the years, and currently works on Komodo with its co-creator Mark Lefler. When he sits down to write a chess book, GM Kaufman puts his vast knowledge of chess engines to good use. His new work, Kaufman’s New Repertoire for Black and White is filled with fresh opening ideas and its moves have been vetted by multiple 3500+ elo engines. In addition to discussing chess engines generally, and GM Kaufman’s new book in particular, we had some other fascinating topics to discuss. For one thing, GM Kaufman was the best non-Japanese born Shogi player in the world for many years. For another, his son, Raymond Kaufman has also ascended to the level of International Master. Please sit back and enjoy GM Kaufman talk about his illustrious career and share some great stories. As always, more details and timestamps can be found below. (If you are not seeing embedded hyperlinks on your podcast app, you can find them at the podcast website here:) https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2019/12/3/episode-154-gm-larry-kaufman 0:00- We begin by discussing GM Larry Kaufman’s new/forthcoming book, New Repertoire for Black and White. Our conversation starts with GM Kaufman’s providing some details about which engines and computers he used for his research of openings for this book. Mentioned: LcZero, Komodo MCTS, NM Jeremy Kane, FM Larry Gilden, Chessbase’s Fat Fritz, GM Fabiano Caruana, Keep it Simple 1. e4 16:30- We transition to discussing some of the broader conclusions from GM Kaufman’s engine work. Is White getting an advantage? If so, with which openings, and how big is the edge? Mentioned: The Grunfeld, The Nimzo-Indian, The Spanish, The Ruy Lopez, The Tarrasch French 27:30- Larry fields a few questions from a Patreon supporter of the podcast, Han Schut, relating to which modern engine is the strongest, and whether his new book will be published on Chessable? Mentioned: Stockfish, New in Chess Publishing, Sabotage the Grunfeld by GM Larry Kaufman 33:30- Larry explains the nature of the partnership between Komodo and Chess.com 36:00- To check out the World Championship chess mugs, go to Chessmugs.com. If you decide to buy a set of mugs, use the code “perpetualchess” at checkout to save 15%. 37:30- As a 72 year old chess player who has remained active for decades, what advice does Larry have for other adult chess players? How should we be utilizing chess engines? How is Larry’s chess game aging? 47:30- Larry tells some fun stories about some well-known chess players of the past and present. . Mentioned: Harold Phillips, Wilhelm Steinitz, GM John Fedorwicz, GM Bobby Fischer 57:30- We discuss GM Kaufman’s groundbreaking research on how to assign point values to chess pieces. Mentioned: IM Erik Kislik, NM Dan Heisman, The Evolution of Material Imbalances (by GM Larry Kaufman). Here are Larry’s more accurate point values for chess pieces: Pawn= 1, Bishop = 3.5 Knight = 3.5, Bishop pair = 7.5, Rook = 5.25, Queen = 10 1:05- Supporter of the podcast Peter Newhall writes in to ask GM Kaufman some salient questions about the differences between shogi and chess. Mentioned: Toshiyuki Moriuchi, IM Jack Peters, GM Jonathan Rowson’s The Seven Deadly Chess Sins, GM Magnus Carlsen, GM Peter Heine Nielsen, The Art of Shogi by Tony Hosking 1:19- Larry shares his experiences as a chess parent. His son is IM Raymond Kaufman. Mentioned: GM Arthur Bisguier 1:24- Thanks to Larry for sharing his wisdom and stories. Keep up with him via the Facebook Komodo group or his Chess.com account. Pre-order his book from Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Kaufmans-Repertoire-Black-White-User-Friendly-ebook/dp/B07ZQT4NVH/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=kaufman+chess&qid=1575310518&s=books&sr=1-1 or get it from Forward Chess (available now) here: https://forwardchess.com/product/kaufman's-new-repertoire-for-black-and-white?sscid=91k3_fazxa If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here: ttps://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
EP.153 - IM Christof Sielecki returns
IM Christof Sielecki is a popular YouTube presenter and an award-winning chess author. He has published 9 courses for Chessable, and his book, Keep it Simple, 1. e4 won the 2018 Chesspub Book of the Year. Christof talked with me a few days after releasing his latest Chessable course, Fight like Magnus: The Sicilian and a few years after his first visit to to Perpetual Chess. We talked in detail about Christof’s newest course, but also caught up on chess books, chess improvement and lots of other stuff. Please keep reading for timestamps, more details and hyperlinks. (If you are not seeing hyperlinks on your podcast app, you can find them at the Perpetual Chess webpage here :https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2019/11/26/episode-153-im-christof-sielecki-returns 0:00- The next Perpetual Chess, Chess Books Recaptured will actually be released on December 20. Keep up with the project here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/recaptured 3:00- We dive right into Christof’s great new Chessable course, Fight Like Magnus. Topics include Christof’s research methods, and how he went about sharing it with GM Magnus Carlsen and his trainer, GM Peter Heine Nielsen. Mentioned: Christof’s Chessable Course Keep it Simple 1.d4, The Wing Gambit, Leela Zero, Stockfish, The Najdorf Sicilian , IM Greg Shahade, The Sicilian Rossolimo Variation , Svidler-Carlsen Greinke 2019, AlphaZero 23:30- Fellow Chessable author (and recent guest on Perpetual Chess), Han Schut, writes in to ask Christof some questions relating to the Quickstarter Guide in his course, Short and Sweet: The Magnus Sicilian. 34:00- What kind of feedback did Christof get from GM Magnus Carlsen and his second, GM Peter Heine Nielsen on his Sicilian course? Check out Chessable’s free short and sweet Magnus course by clicking here: https://www.chessable.com/sicilian/?utm_expid=.Z4IcSo2-T1qBINX0FGr-jA.0&utm_referrer= Check out Chessable’s ongoing Black Friday sale, here. https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/all/offer/ 38:00- Another Patreon supporter of the podcast, writes in to ask what IM Sielecki thinks of the future role of paper chess books, as opposed to digital chess books? In this segment, Christof also shares a few chess book recommendations. Mentioned: Positional Decision Making in Chess, Grandmaster Repertoire 1. e4 , Playing 1.e4: French Defense and Sicilian Sidelines , Endgame Strategy by Mikhail Shereshevsky, Game Changer 59:45- What Perpetual Chess episodes has IM Sielecki most enjoyed? Mentioned: Perpetual Chess Interviews:GM Vladimir Tukmakov, GM Gata Kamsky, Megan Chen 1:04- In what way does Christof think chess books have improved in recent years? Mentioned: Ulf Andersson-Huebner 1981, From Amateur to IM, Botvinnik-Capablanca Avro 1938, Small Steps to Giant Improvement, Small Steps to Success (on Chessable) , Endgame Virtuoso: Magnus Carlsen, Karpov’s Strategic Wins 1:15- If you are focused on studying endgames, is it better to study the endgame greats, or to learn specific endgames like the Lucena position, etc.? 1:18- What was it like to announce a chess event with the legendary GM, Artur Yusopov? Mentioned: Tarjei Svensen, 1:30- Goodbye! You can keep up with IM Sielecki via his webpage here: http://www.chessexplained.com/ If you would like to help support the podcast, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
EP.152 - GM Adrien Demuth
GM Adrien Demuth is a 28 year old chess trainer, author and competitor. Adrien has worked as a trainer for the French National Team at Olympiads, and due to his own performance over the board, he recently qualified to play in next year’s French Closed Championship. He has published two opening books with Thinkers Publishing, The Modernized Reti, and The Modernized Dutch and also created a course on the London System for Chess24. In our conversation, we discussed all of these openings, and also touched on Adrien’s career highlights and interests away from the board. Please read on for more details, timestamps and links. (If hyperlinks aren’t showing up in your podcast feed, go to the podcast webpage to see them: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2019/11/19/episode-152-gm-adrien-demuth ) 0:00- We begin by discussing a recent tournament in which Adrien played. He tied for first in the “Accession” section of the French championship, which qualifies him to play in next year’s closed French Championship. Mentioned: 2019 French Chess Championship 9:30- Adrien discusses the current state of chess in France, as well as giving some historical perspective. Mentioned: GM Boris Spassky, GM Anatoly Vaisser, GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, 13:00- We dive into Adrien’s recent publications on openings, these include The Modernized Reti, The Modernized Dutch and a Chess24 course on the London System. 16:00- We discuss one of Adrien’s career highlights, a victory over former World Champion Viswanathan Anand in 2016. Mentioned: Anand-Demuth 2016, GM Richard Rapport, Rapport-Demuth 2016, Grande-Zuniga-Demuth 2014 26:00- We return to the topic of Adrien’s opening publications. Which is a better choice for club players- the Reti or the London? Mentioned: GM Josif Dorfman, Gledura-Demuth 2019, GM Boris Gelfand, GM Fabiano Caruana, The Stonewall Dutch, The Leningrad Dutch, GM Gata Kamsky, GM Hikaru Nakamura 40:00 GM Demuth shares improvement advice that he often gives to his students. Mentioned: Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual, Silman’s Endgame Course, Practical Endgame Play by Glenn Flear, Chess Calculation Training , Lichess Tactics Trainer , Greatest 460 Puzzles by Csaba Balogh 48:30- Adrien grew up partially in Tahiti, a tropical paradise. What’s it like to play chess there? Where else has he enjoyed playing chess? Mentioned: Fahim: The Little Chess Prince Thanks to GM Adrien DeMuth for coming on the show- you can keep up with him on Facebook. Find his books here: Modernized Dutch from Thinker’s Publishing Modernized Reti from Thinker’s Publishing Modernized Dutch on Amazon Modernized Dutch on Forward Chess Modernized Reti on Amazon Modernized Reti on Forward Chess Chess 24 Course on the London System If you would like to help support the podcast, you can do so here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Book Recap #1: The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal with NM Sam Copeland [Chess Books Recaptured Series]
It is my great pleasure to announce a new monthly podcast project, called Perpetual Chess: Chess Books Recaptured. This series will be on the same podcast feed as “regular” Perpetual Chess, and on the show, we will reflect upon and synthesize classic chess books! We will try to place the book in historical context, give a few favorite quotes from the book and and offer some chess improvement takeaways. We will even drop a couple of chess blindfold puzzles at the end! This series will feature a rotating cast of guest co-hosts, and this month I am happy that USCF Master Sam Copeland of Chess.com is hosting with me to discuss one of everyone’s favorite chess books, The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal. Please check it out and then let me know what you think, whether via email, The Perpetual Chess Facebook Group or Twitter. Show notes, timestamps and links below, as always. I hope you like it! Note- if you are not seeing hyperlinks, you can find them at the podcast website: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2019/11/15/bonus-pod-bonus-pod-discussing-the-life-and-games-of-mikhail-tal-with-nm-sam-copeland-chess-books-recaptured-series 0:00- My somewhat rambling introduction of the vision for Perpetual Chess: Chess Books Recaptured. Mentioned: The Overdue Podcast, Animal Spirits: Re-Kindled, The Ringer: Rewatchables, Affiliate links: If you buy a Forward Chess book using this link, or an amazon product using this link, it helps support the podcast without costing you any additional money. The same is true if you sign up for a chess.com premium account (as you should) using this link. 4:15- This month’s guest co-host, Sam Copeland joins the conversation Mentioned: GM Murray Chandler, IM Jeremy Silman’s Review of The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal 7:30- About the authors, Mikhail Tal, Iakov Damsky Mentioned: Kramnik: My Life and Games, The Art of Defense in Chess, Chess Brilliancy, Ken Neat (translator), The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Fire on Board 13:30- We jump into the meat of The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal, commencing with Sam's reading the opening quote of the book and recalling a few other favorite quotes and games. Mentioned: Alexander Koblencs 28:00- We add in a bit more color of lessons drawn from GM Genna Sosonko’s The World Champions I Knew and Tal-Botvinnik 1960. 32:30- We select a few favorite games from the book. Mentioned: Botvinnik Tal 1960, Game 6 , Tal’s Most Famous Quote, Donner-Tal 1961, Capablanca, Alekhine, Smyslov-Tal 1964, John Nunn, Chess.com’s CAPS System, Dr. Kenneth Regan 41:30- Chess improvement takeaways: This book can increase your love of chess, which is ultimately indispensable if you want to improve. Chess is a game between humans- initiative in a game can be more important than objective truth Play openings that suit your style and get you excited to play. Mentioned: The Benoni Defense 51:00- Quibbles. I mentioned the lack of quality e-book for this book- I am happy to report that Everyman Chess has now informed that The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal is coming soon to Chessable and Forward Chess! Mentioned: Sam’s excellent video recap of Tal vs. Flesch 1981, The Magic of Mikhail Tal, Checkmate: The Love Story of Mikhail Tal and Sally Landau 57:00- Thanks so much to Sam Copeland for all of his work on this project! Keep up with him via-Chess.com blog, Twitter, YouTube, and Twitch. Here is the home page for Perpetual Chess Chess Books Recaptured. To apply to be a co-host fill out this form. If you would like to help support this project, and Perpetual Chess generally, go here. Email Ben here. 1:01- Blindfold puzzles! To see the puzzles and answers click here (answers may be visible upon clicking): Puzzle #1: White K on f4, White R on c5, White pawn on b6. Black pawn on b2 Black K on a6. White to move and win. Puzzle 1 diagram (adapted from IM Kostya Kavutskiy's twitter feed) Puzzle #2: White to move and mate in two: White Q on b5, White N on f5, White K on c1. Black K on c3. Puzzle 2 diagram (adapted from Step Workbook 4 of the Steps Series) Last chance to find out more and/or support the “Square Off Chess robot” Kickstarter project , check it out here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
EP.151 - JJ Lang (Adult Improver Series)
Jonathan “JJ” Lang is a Chicago-based 28 year old Philosophy grad student, chess player and chess teacher. In July 2018, JJ returned to tournament chess after a 7 year hiatus. In the following 17 months, he has taken his rating from 1798 to a high of 2106!! How has he done it? Can it be easily replicated? Tune in to hear all of JJ’s reflections on the keys to his rapid improvement. Timestamps, links and more details can be found below (or if the links aren't showing up, check for them at PerpetualChessPod.com) Enjoy! 0:00- We dive right into JJ’s chess background. What brought him back from a 10 year hiatus from tournament chess? To which factors does he attribute his impressive success? Mentioned: Marshall Chess Club, JJ’s coach, WGM Adriana Nikolova, Charlotte Chess Center, FM Peter Giannatos 14:00- A few of the secrets of JJ’s success include: 1) Play in tournaments as frequently as possible 2) Address your biggest weaknesses (openings in his case). In this segment JJ expounds on these lessons. 19:00- JJ reveals a good rule of thumb for when to calculate in faster time control games, and we discuss JJ’s approach to different time controls generally. Mentioned: Nathan Kelly, Chicago Chess Blitzers, National Blitz League, Stephen Jennings, Tom Murphy 33:45- Back to openings! How did JJ fix his opening repertoire? Mentioned: Chess Structures by Mauricio Flores Rios, Listen to GM Flores' Perpetual Chess Interview here 40:00- How did JJ allocate his chess study time, and what would he recommend for others? JJ has a unique approach to studying openings that could be helpful for many. Mentioned: GM Ding Liren, FM Kamil Plichta, Jay Bonin, Rubinstein-Janowski 1907 (30… Qb8!) 47:30- How does JJ recommend tweaking his approach to study for lower rated players? This includes some tactics books recommendations for the 1500-1800 level. Magnus Carlsen’s explanation for the move he missed vs. GM Matlakov can be found within this recap by Peter Doggers of Chess.com Mentioned: ChessTempo, Chess.com tactics trainer, Chess Tactics for Champions by Susan Polgar, Chess by Laszlo Polgar, LiChess, Chess Calculation Training by GM Romain Edouard, Grandmaster Preparation: Calculation by Jacob Aagard, Vladimir Kramnik, Viswanathan Anand, Carlsen-Matlakov 2019, Tactics Time by Tim Brennan, Winning Chess Exercise for Kids by Jeff Coakley, The Steps Series, Can You be a Positional Chess Genius by Angus Dunnington, Practical Chess Exercises by Ray Zheng 1:05- We talk a bit how JJ’s approach to playing has changed since he moved to Chicago, and what tournaments he is planning. Mentioned: Chicago Class Tournament, Amateur Team Midwest, Adia Onyango 1:10- We go back to discussing JJ’s opinion on how to allocate one’s study time. Mentioned: 100 Endgames You Must Know, NM William Aramil of Dynamic Chess, 100 Endgames You Must Know on Chessable, GM Jan Gustafsson, Christopher Chabris, Prior Adult Improver Interview with Jason Cigan, My Great Predecessors on Chessable 1:23- JJ gets philosophical (as is his wont) about why he quit chess and why he came back. 1:34- We wrap up with JJ’s contact info. Find him on Facebook, chess.com or contact him via email If you would like to find out more and/or support the “Square Off Chess robot” Kickstarter project that I mentioned at the top of the show, check it out here. If you would like to help support the podcast, you can do so here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
EP.150 - GM Jonathan Rowson
GM Jonathan Rowson is a philosopher, a researcher, the 3-time British Chess Champion, and an acclaimed chess author. Many chess fans will be familiar with his classic books, The Seven Deadly Chess Sins, and Chess for Zebras. Today GM Rowson joins me to discuss his eagerly anticipated new book, The Moves that Matter: A Chess Grandmaster on the Game of Life . In our conversation, GM Rowson shares some of the memories and life lessons that chess has provided him, and he helps us contextualize the contributions that chess can make to society at large. Please read on for timestamps and relevant links. 0:00- GM Rowson discusses the genesis of and themes of his new book, which has been 13 years in the making! As Jonathan tells us, his new book is primarily about what chess has taught him about life. 9:30- One of my favorite themes of Jonathan’s new book, is that chess is a pretext for concentration, which is a “precious experience.” In this segment Jonathan expounds on this idea. 15:30- Jonathan’s 10 year-old son has recently become interested in competitive chess. How does he approach chess parenting? Mentioned: GM Viswanathan Anand 20:00- GM Rowson reflects on his experiences working on GM Anand’s team during the 2008 Anand-Kramnik World Championship match. Mentioned: GM Peter Heine Nielsen, Bobby Knight 27:30- Now that he has stepped away from competitive chess, what is GM Rowson’s current relationship with the chess world? Mentioned: McShane-Caruana 2019, Peter Heine Nielsen, GM Alex Baburin, GM Lev Psakhis, GM Alexander Grischuk 34:00- Jonathan discusses his day to day work at the research institute that he co-founded, called Perspectiva. One of the primary issues that his institute tackles is the challenge posed by climate change. Mentioned: Royal Society of the Arts, Tomas Björkman 43:00- What is GM Rowson’s view of the proper role of chess in schools and in education? 49:00- Good news, audio chess content fans! There will be an audiobook forthcoming for The Moves that Matter. GM Rowson talks about the experience of doing the voice work for his own book. The audiobook will be available on November 14. 55:00- A supporter of the podcast asks GM Rowson about whether or not there will ever be an update or electronic version of his classic opening book, Understanding the Grunfeld. Mentioned: Han Schut 57:00- In closing, GM Rowson tells a story of a crucial realization that he had during a memorable game with GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov. Mentioned: Kasimdzhanov-Rowson 2000, GM Vladimir Kramnik, GM Vishy Anand, GM Luke McShane, GM Levon Aronian, GM Nigel Short, GM Matthew Sadler, GM Mickey Adams, GM Magnus Carlsen Thanks to GM Rowson for coming on the show, you can order his book here, and keep up with him on twitter here. To hear more from GM Rowson, check out his interview with "On Being with Krista Tippett" podcast here. If you would like to find out more and/or support the “Square Off Chess robot” Kickstarter project that I mentioned at the top of the show, check it out here. If you would like to help support the podcast, you can do so here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices