Perpetual Chess Podcast

In the 16 months since she got into chess, 23 year old Chess Streamer GoldDustTori has seen both her online following and her Chess.com rating grow quickly. As her chess.com rating graph shows, she has gone from not knowing what en passant is, to a blitz rating which recently topped 1600. In our conversation, Tori retells how she got into chess and chess streaming, and shares how her consistent focus on a few key aspects of chess improvement have helped her boost her rating.  Please read on for more details and timestamps.  0:00- FIDE Candidates Coverage Resources: Chess.com Youtube, Chess24YouTube, US Chess YouTube, Powerplaychess  3:00- Tori introduces herself and explains how she got into chess and chess streaming.  Mentioned: TwitchCon, GM Eric Hansen of the Chessbrahs, WIM Alexandra Botez, IM Danny Rensch, John Urschel, World of Warcraft, GM Aman Hambleton, IM Eric Rosen  11:30- As Tori explains, when she started streaming chess, she barely knew the rules of the game. How has she gone from 0 to 1600 in less than 1.5 years?  Mentioned: Tori’s YouTube Channel, Her Twitch Channel, including archive  17:30- This episode is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. You can check out their many tactics resources here: https://www.chessable.com/chess-tactics/ 19:00- Tori answers a few questions from our Patreon supporters relating to what time control she thinks one should play at in order to improve, and what she has learned from streaming with super strong players  like GM Daniel Naroditsky and GM Jon Ludvig Hammer?  27:00- Tori reflects on her first live tournament, which took place at the North American Open in Las Vegas in December of 2019.  Mentioned: IM Hans Niemann, GM Daniel Naroditsky, NM John Williams, chess.com drills/lessons 38:00- Tori discusses a recent special event in which participated: The Isolated Queens tournament, organized by Alexandra Botez and Jenn Shahade.  Mentioned: GM Irina Krush, WGM Katerina Nemcova  41:00- Tori fields a couple of questions and comments relating to how she deals with haters and trolls.  Mentioned: Taylor Swift’s Miss Americana, Scene from From Dusk til Dawn mentioned  by IM Christof Sielecki (starting at 1:50 mark) 54:00- GM Denes Boros writes in to ask how her perception of the chess world has changed as she has gotten to know it better.  Mentioned: National Open 57:40- What would Tori’s “bullet point” advice be for how to improve at chess?  1:01:00-- What are Tori’s current chess and Twitch goals?  Mentioned: IM Eric Rosen 1:07:00- Thanks so much to Tori for joining the podcast. Here is how you can keep up with her: Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/golddusttori YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi3rJHTCrXPLn4tfWQLTELA Twitter: https://twitter.com/golddusttori?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/golddusttori/?hl=en   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Two weeks after Part 1 of our interview GM Daniel King returns. We catch up on the all of the drama surrounding the first 6 rounds of the FIDE Candidates Tournament, both over the board, and away from the board, as the spread of the Covid-19 virus continues to be an unwelcome, but serious disruption to some wonderful chess games. Following the Candidates discussion, GM King updates us on the many other projects that have been keeping him busy, including a discussion of his forthcoming book, Sultan Khan: The Indian Servant Who Became Chess Champion of the British Empire. Please read for many more details and timestamps relating to this fun and wide-ranging conversation. If you are not seeing embedded hyperlinks in your podcast feed, you can find them here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2020/3/24/episode-170-gm-daniel-king-returns 0:00-  We begin by discussing the FIDE Candidates. Why did Daniel cancel his plans to announce at the tournament, why didn’t FIDE call it off? Should/will they call it off now? And last but not least, what does GM King think of the chess so far?  Mentioned: GM Teimour Radjabov, Powerplay Chess, GM Jesse Kraii for Chess Dojo, GM Jacob Aagaard for US Chess, Giri-Nepomniatchi 2020 20:00- We discuss GM King’s forthcoming book, Sultan Khan: The Indian Servant Who Became Chess Champion of the British Empire. Daniel gives a bit of background about how he became enthralled by this story, and a taste of what we can read about in this book. Free excerpts of the book are available via New in Chess Magazine, and New in Chess Publishing.  Mentioned: Sultan Khan-Capablanca 1930, Sultan Khan-Tartakower Match, GM Daniel King’s Patreon page, GM Viswanathan Anand, GM Maia Chiburdanidze  40:55- This episode is brought to you in part by Chessable. Links for GM Harikrishna’s Game of the Day Analysis and Candidates Course and the Candidates sale are below: Candidates Course- https://www.chessable.com/candidates-2020/course/34649/ Candidates Sale- https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/all/offer/ 41:30- Daniel tackles a couple questions from a Patreon supporter of the podcast, relating to how he learned to speak German, and to the philosophy behind Powerplay Chess, Daniel’s excellent YouTube channel.  Mentioned: Daniel King’s Powerplay DVD’s from Chessbase, GM Alexander Morezevich, GM Nigel Short, GM Ruslan Ponamariov, GM Jan Gustafsson, GM Baskiran Adhiban  54:30- GM King discusses another project he has been busy assisting, a forthcoming Chessable course called Tournament Ready, by Alex and Sarah Longson.  Mentioned: IM Mike Basman, FM Alex Longson, WFM Sarah Longson  58:00- GM King shares some chess study advice for those who are stuck at home with extra time on their hands.  1:02- Daniel shares some stories about one of his other passions- playing music.  Mentioned: Geert van der Velde of Chessable, Juga on Jenn Shahade’s Ladies Knight Podcast  1:10- Thanks to GM King for coming back on the show! All the links you need to keep up with him are below  Youtube channel, Powerplay Chess: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMBATpFb--uLNAODOVWvCTA GM King’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanielKingChess 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

Welcome to another edition of Perpetual Chess, Chess Books Recaptured!  My guest co-host this month is Bryan Castro. Bryan is a dad, businessman, chess teacher and adult improver from Buffalo, NY. Bryan and I are both fans of GM Alex Yermolinksy, and we share a strong affinity for his instructive and readable 1999 chess-improvement memoir, The Road to Chess Improvement. We like this book so much that we were not going to let a global pandemic stop us from getting together and sharing our favorite quotes, games and chess-improvement takeaways from this somewhat underappreciated gem. Please read on for more details, timestamps and relevant links.  4:00- After a few programming notes, Bryan Castro joins the show and shares a bit about his personal background. 7:00- What does Bryan like about The Road to Chess Improvement?  Mentioned: Jim Rohn, Tony Robbins, Brian Tracy, GM Jon Ludvig Hammer, IM John Watson’s Review of Road to Chess Improvement, Hear GM Yermolinksy’s interview on Perpetual Chess here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/perpetual-chess-podcast/id1185023674?i=1000382608741 10:00- Both of us used the original Gambit version of Road to Chess Improvement  11:00- What was happening in the chess world when this book was released in 1999?  Mentioned: GM Kasparov, GM Alexander Khalifman, GM Alexei Shirov, GM Viswanthan Anand  13:00- Bryan shares a bit more about Yermolinksky’s background.  Mentioned: GM Gregory Serper, GM Alexander Shabalov  15:00- For what level player is this book most helpful? 16:30- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.  Check out GM Pentala Harikrishna’s 2020 FIDE Candidates “Game of the Day” analysis and accompanying course here:  https://www.chessable.com/candidates-2020/course/34649/  17:30-  We dive into the book, as Bryan reads some inspiring opening paragraphs from The Road to Chess Improvement   Mentioned: GM Alekhine, GM Botvinnik,  20:00- We discuss the structure of the book and our favorite chapters.  Mentioned: Vladimir Zak 29:30- We share a few of our favorite quotes from the book.  Mentioned: GM Evgeny Bareev, GM Vassilly Ivanchuk, GM Peter Svidler, GM Vladimir Kramnik, GM Sam Shankland, GM Viktor Korchnoi, GM Jan Timman, GM Alexander Beliavsky, GM Mikhail Tal, GM Mikhail Botvinnik 40:00- We each pick a favorite game from the book.  Mentioned: GM Arthur Yusopov, Yermolinsky-Khmelnitsky 1995, Hjartarson-Yermolinsky 1996   45:00- What are the chess improvement takeaways from The Road to Chess Improvement?  Mentioned: IM Greg Shahade  48:00- How useful is the book for improvement?   49:00 What, if any, are our quibbles with the book?  Deep Blue vs. Garry Kasparov 52:00- Closing remarks and good bye to Bryan Castro. In lieu of paying Bryan for his efforts I will be making a small donation to the East Aurora Chess Club.  You can keep up with Bryan the following ways:  Bryan’s Youtube Channel here: https://youtube.com/betterchesstraining Bryan’s website, Better Chess Training here:  http://www.betterchesstraining.com/ Follow him on twitter here: https://twitter.com/YourBryanCastro 56:00- Blindfold puzzles of the month: Puzzle #1- White to move, find the best move  https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=xyVYfoozbF6iR+wCrD8E3LVWoPU8wRa2aKCSWt9SSPcJjEME8Mrb+Gps4wVo0mBi Solution #1-  https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=BTkwJm0GgCBPOr6bmORI2c020+oxdq6CvPpZFqSIU5JeJajZLmJQ+1Dar2t6cnXF Puzzle #2- Black to move and win material e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Qf6 5. Nxc6 Qxc6 6. Qe2 Bc5 7. Nc3 Ne7 Qf3 Ng6 9. Bc4 Ne5 10. Qe2 {Black to move and win material} 0-1   https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=PORw9ncvRoVlZBKq9xADW1F9Baqw/xYlJ4PcRqNZuq6OstdGFms4ToOP81KIlbJi   Solution #2- https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=oTOKuSqLokqFRarUHxOWMZ4rMpkpXZC0Sg8zv++1qev07Vg9PA0sgLjIvYHJXcdE   If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, 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

FM Terry Chapman is a  63-year old retired businessman, having floated his company on the main market of the London Stock Exchange in 1999, with a day one capitalization of over £100 million. The Terence Chapman Group Plc was a major sponsor of chess activities in Britain, but Terry is probably best known in the English chess community for his charity match against Garry Kasparov in 2001 (at two pawns odds), which he only narrowly lost, 1 1/2 - 2 1/2! As he discussed in the great book, Chess for Life by GM Mathew Sadler and WIM Natasha Regan, Terry retired in 2007 and started devoting a lot of energy to competitive chess. In the next handful of years, he took his rating from 2156 to a peak of 2331! Last summer, Terry came equal first in the British over 50's Championship, a title he was proud to add to his British junior championship title won 49 years previously. In our conversation, Terry catches us up on what has occurred since the 2016 publication of Chess for Life. He shares the chess improvement lessons he has learned over the ups and downs of the last 12 years. Please read on for more details and timestamps.    0:00- We begin by delving a bit into Terry’s chess and personal background. What life circumstances motivated him to ramp up his competitive chess in the year 2007?   Mentioned: GM Jonathan Rowson 7:00 How had the chess world changed in the years that Terry was busy building a career and raising a family? Did he feel rusty upon returning to the board?  Mentioned: Chessbase  13:00- A Patreon supporter of Perpetual Chess asks FM Chapman if he thinks one should change their opening repertoire as they get older?  Mentioned: NM Fred Wilson, GM Ben Finegold  17:00- What coaches has Terry worked with? Mentioned: GM Jonathan Speelman  21:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Here are a few of the tactics resources Chessable offers:  Mastering Mates: https://www.chessable.com/mastering-mates-1-1111-one-move-mates/course/11134/ Tactics Time:  https://www.chessable.com/tactics-time-1/course/21108/ Woodpecker Method:   https://www.chessable.com/the-woodpecker-method/course/10582/ 22:00- Patreon supporter, and adult improver  NM Han Schut writes in to ask Terry to ask for an update about time trouble issues that Terry mentioned in Chess for Life.   Mentioned: GM Natalia Zhukova  32:00- What is a typical day of chess study like for Terry Chapman?  Mentioned: Chess Calculation Training Volume 2: Endgame by GM Romain Edouard, New in Chess Yearbooks, New in Chess Magazine  43:00- Terry has described himself as a bit of an opening specialist, but also says his memory is nothing special.  How does he pull that off?  Mentioned: Kotrianas on the King’s Indian  49:00 What other books does Terry recommend for Club players?  Mentioned: Aagaard Manual Volume 1, From Amateur to IM, Winning Chess Strategies, Kasparov’s My Great Predecessors, Pump Up Your Rating, Yusopov books, Everyman Chess Move by Move series  56:00- What is the latest on Terry’s chess progress?  1:00- Terry tells a few stories about brushes with chess legends, including playing a charity game with Garry Kasparov.  Mentioned: GM Tony Miles, GM Ding Liren, GM Vishy Anand, GM Vladimir Kramnik , Garry Kasparov on Desert Island Discs, Understanding Maroczy Structures by GM Adrian Mikhalchishin  1:15- Thanks so much to Terry Chapman for sharing his tips and some great stories. You can reach him via email here: tpdchapman@gmail.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

With the highly anticipated FIDE Candidates tournament starting in a matter of days, I am honored to be joined by Grandmaster Daniel King to preview the tournament. GM King is well known for his accomplishments as a chess player, journalist and announcer. The videos on his YouTube channel, Powerplay Chess, are always a must-watch for me.  GM King will be part of FIDE’s announcing team for this event, and we talked to him just days before he planned to leave for Yekaterinaburg, Russia for the tournament. We recorded this interview on Tuesday, March 10.  Please read on for details and timestamps.  0:00- Intro.  We set the scene for the FIDE Candidates Tournament and discuss the dramatic late entry of GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, who is replacing GM Teimour Radjabov who withdrew from the tournament due to concerns about the Corona/Covid-19 virus.  Mentioned: FIDE World Senior Team Championship: https://www.europechess.org/fide-world-senior-team-chess-championship-2020-starts-today/  10:00- This episode is brought to  you in part by Chessable! Check out GM Simon Williams brand new course “The Black Lion” here: https://www.chessable.com/the-black-lion/course/34040/ 12:00- The odds I listed for the Candidates come from Unibet UK, you can find them here (They have changed a bit since we recorded):  https://www.unibet.co.uk/betting/sports/filter/chess/world_championship/candidates/all/competitions/1005917216  We discuss the individual Candidates in the following order:  13:00- GM Kirill Alekseenko  Mentioned: GM Ali Firouzja 16:23- GM Fabiano Caruana  19:00- GM Anish Giri  23:20- GM Alexander Grischuk  Mentioned: Chess24’s Candidates 2020 A Preview: https://chess24.com/en/learn/advanced/video/candidates-2020-a-preview/candidates-2020-intro GM Peter Svidler  26:15- GM Wang Hao  Mentioned: Chessbase India’s IM Sagar Shah interviews Wang Hao: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_elqkx-IgI 30:30 GM Ding Liren  34:30- GM Ian Nepomniachtchi  39:00- GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave Mentioned: UEFA Euro 1992 Final: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Euro_1992_Final, GM Etienne Bacrot  45:00- Thanks so much to Daniel King for joining the show. You can watch the FIDE Broadcast with GMs King, Judit Polgar and Evgeni Miroschenko beginning on March 15 here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9B47GnzCRFHTT1BIBWvStQ Subscribe to GM King’s PowerPlayChess here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMBATpFb--uLNAODOVWvCTA Support GM King via Patreon here:  https://www.patreon.com/powerplaychess/posts If you would like to support Perpetual Chess via Patreon, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchessual Chess 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

IM Jop Delemarre is a former Dutch Youth Champion who has been a full-time chess trainer since 2004. Over the years, he has worked with many strong young players who went on to earn IM and GM titles.  Jop is an expert in the Chess Steps curriculum, and was a student of one of its founders, Rob Brunia. Due to his expertise in the Steps Method, Jop recently offered a Chess Steps Certification Workshop, that I and a few other U.S. based chess teachers completed and greatly enjoyed. Jop joined me to discuss this workshop, share plans for potential future workshops, and to reflect on his career in general. Jop shared plenty of great advice for chess improvers and teachers alike. Please read on for more details and show notes.  0:00- Jop shares some details about his life background, and the background of the Chess Steps Method.  Mentioned: GM Robin Van Kampen, Chess Steps Method, Rob Brunia, IM Cor van Wijgerdan, NM Matan Prilleltensky, Paul Swaney, NM Shawn Hoshall, NM Han Schut, US Chess Digital Editor John Hartmann  11:50- A Patreon supporter of the pod writes in to ask if the Chess Steps Method can be used as a “stand alone” improvement method.  Mentioned: Chess Steps Manuals, Chess Steps Workbook, Chess Tutor CDs 21:30- IM Jop Delemarre gives more details about how an opportunity for a Chess Steps Teacher Training Workshop came about, and discusses what the future plans are for more teacher certification workshops.   Mentioned: Paul Swaney, Geert van der Velde  26:40- Question from friend and former guest of the podcast, NM Han Schut, about whether the Steps Teacher Trainer program is sanctioned by the founder of the Steps Method, IM Cor van Wijgerdan Mentioned: Han Schut on Perpetual Chess  31:00- For the teachers listening, and for those interested in learning more about this generally, I share a few of the lessons that I learned from completing Chess Steps Teacher Certification Training.  Mentioned: Email Jop here: jdelemarre@hotmail.com,  39:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable. You can check out FM Kamil Plichta’s new course, Four Horsemen: The Sicilian Four Knights here: https://www.chessable.com/four-horsemen-the-sicilian-4-knights-defense/course/33443/ 39:30- Jop discusses the reasons why practicing things repeatedly is important to acquire chess skills.  Mentioned: Peter Newhall, Susan Polgar series, Yusopov series   47:00- Jop shares a few of his favorite chess books.  Mentioned: Techniques of Positional Play, Chess Lessons by Popov, Tatiana and Nadhezda Kosintseva, Greatest 525 Puzzles by GM Csaba Balogh, IM Mark Dvoretsky’s books, Aagaard’s books, GM Boris Gelfand’s books, My Great Predecessors by GM Garry Kasparov , Tactics Time, Elizabeth Spiegel, IM Jeremy Silman, Mastering Opening Strategy by GM Johan Hellsten, IM Herman Grooten  1:01:00- Jop shares a few highlights from his career as a chess competitor, including a mini match with Dutch chess legend GM Jan Timman.  Mentioned: GM Alexey Dreev, GM Evgeni Bareev. GM Anatoly Karpov, Delemarre-Brodsky 1994,  Delemarre-Timman 1995, Sokolov-Delemarre 1997, GM Loek Van Wely  1:06:00- As a polyglot, what language-learning practices is Jop able to apply to chess improvement?  1:14:00- Thanks to Jop for joining the show! You can reach him via email here: jdelemarre@hotmail.com Visit his website here:  https://schaaktrainer.nl/online-chess-lesson/ You can learn more about the Steps method on the official website here: https://www.stappenmethode.nl/en/index.php And you can order the Steps books in the U.S.here: https://www.chess-steps.com/home.php 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

GM Jacob Aagard and GM R.B. Ramesh discuss their new project, 365ChessAcademy.com, providing daily lectures for chess students. They answer chess improvement questions, offer insights, and discuss effective training strategies and preparation schedules. They mention their diverse coaching team, recommended courses, and the importance of enjoying chess. Gratitude expressed to supporters.

We are back with another edition of Chess Books Recaptured, a monthly bonus pod where we break down the highlights, best quotes and chess tips to be derived  from a classic chess book. This month, I am lucky that a friend of the podcast, USCF Master, author, and renowned Cognitive Scientist Christopher Chabris, has agreed to join me to discuss the classic Soviet era book, Think Like a Grandmaster, by GM Alexander Kotov. Lots and lots more details and timestamps below. Enjoy! 😀 0:00- Chris provides a background details and shares why he wanted to discuss this book.  Mentioned: Christopher Chabris’ Perpetual Chess Interview, October 9, 2018,  Recommended by Perpetual Chess guests, GM Rafeal Leitao, GM R.B. Ramesh, and Adult Improver Stepian Tomic (aka Hanging Pawns), Book versions- Batsford paperback, Kindle version,  GM John Nunn, FM Graham Burgess  9:00- What was happening in the chess world when this classic was first published, in 1971?   Mentioned: 1971 in Chess (link includes top 10),  Zurich 1953, GM Bobby Fischer,  The Rise and Fall of David Bronstein by GM Genna Sosonko,  16:00- We segue into some biographical details about GM Kotov.  Play Like a Grandmaster, GM Mikhail Botvinnik, GM Vassily Smyslov, GM Grigory Levenfish, The Soviet School of Chess, The Soviet Chess School, Averbakh-Kotov 1953, Averbakh-Kotov Kingscrusher Video, LiChess Analysis Board, GM Viswanathan Anand  22:00- For what level of chess player is this book best suited?   24:30- Perpetual Chess Recaptured is brought to you in part by Chessable. If you are looking for a great improvement manual for club-level players, check out Chess Strategy for Club Players by IM Herman Grooten here: https://www.chessable.com/chess-strategy-for-club-players/course/27755/ 25:00- We dive into the opening paragraph of the book and discuss the structure of Think Like a Grandmaster.  Mentioned: My System, Chess Fundamentals, Lasker’s Manual of Chess, Tree of Analysis, Candidate Moves  33:00- What have other authors written about the idea of “candidate moves”? Mentioned: IM Mark Dvoretsky’s Attack and Defense, Move First,Think Later, by IM Wlly Hendricks, Improve Your Chess Now by GM Jonathan Tisdall, Secrets of Practical Chess by GM John Nunn, GM Jacob Aagaard, GM Eugene Perelshteyn on Perpetual Chess, GM Arthur Yuspov  45:00- We exchange some of our favorite quotes from the book.   There are some fun ones. :)  Mentioned: GM Mikahil Botvinnik, GM Miguel Najdorf, Mr. Mike Shahade, Sitsfleisch, Spassky-Korchnoi 1968, Game 7, Hot-Cold Empathy Gap, IM Kostya Kavutskiy’s Blueprint: Time Management, GM Alexander Grischuk  1:03:00- We highlight a few of our favorite games that are mentioned in Think Like a Grandmaster  Mentioned:Rossolimo-Nestler 1950, Chessgames.com Membership, Plater-Botvinnik 1947  Im Peter Romanovsky, GM Mark Taimanov 1:10:00- What are the chess improvement takeaways from this book? Mentioned: Sergey Belavenets, GM Salo Flohr, Gm Vassily Smyslov, GM Jonathan Rowson, GM Jacob Aagaard, IM Erik Kislik, Blumenfeld’s Rule  1:21:00- How useful for your chess improvement is this book?   1:23:00- What would we change about this book if we could?  Mentioned: Quality Chess Books 1:25:00- We share our closing thoughts on the book, including the reading of  a quote from IM Kostya Kavutskiy about why he included it in this fun and popular YouTube Video Top 4 Overrated Chess Books.  Mentioned: Pump Up Your Rating, Improve Your Chess Now  1:28:00- Thanks to Chris Chabris for sharing so much great insight.   You can keep up with him on Twitter or reach him via his website.  Mentioned: Maryland Chess Association, Donate to support the Washington International here:  Tournament Director Michael Regan’s Perpetual Chess Appearance  1:31:00- In keeping with our tradition, I leave with 2 blindfold chess puzzles. Here is the piece placement and the diagram links.  Puzzle #1-  White- Pawns on c5, d5 and f4, king on b2 Black- Pawns on d7, e7 and h7, King on b5  Puzzle-  https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=RHhuFi0hv1fonVvn7AHKZPBb3dE65H4q4k9H27j+iKB/hlMfqSErCmr2NcYnwHmJ Solution  https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=PyQ8CWaYgNLRBSbjvHE34rLBbU3Gt9h8bfgm1g/pKsKRGnSA46tFfsapiV3sUxPt Puzzle #2- White- Pawns on f2 and g4, Bishop on f5, Queen on h8, King on d8 Black- King on g5  Puzzle-  https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=MGHFVw9/+CFYT8LQnSRn80+L5fcqpbxWlMLIBI2RP8uTrfCE3KgfhsKbj/pwrIw2 Solution- https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=Hq/Y1By5LdPw3sRhFRdNF7dtVRn9oT8SgVFc92ZAWSkTS+BhVMmpF3OOdhSq3tIZ   If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, 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

This week my esteemed guest is none other than five-time World Champion and living chess legend, GM Viswanathan Anand!! Vishy has been busy as usual with high-level chess, as Tata Steel 2020 recently completed, and the Greinke Chess Classic is coming up for him in April. GM Anand also has recently released  (with co-author Susan Ninan) the inspiring and illuminating book, Mind Master: Winning Lessons from a Champion’s Life. This brilliant book provides a springboard for us to discuss various topics about which Vishy has unique insights. They include the effects of aging on his chess game,chess in the era of super engines, reflections on World Championship matches, life as a dad, and the side effects of fame. Please continue reading for more details and timestamps. (If embedded hyperlinks are not visible in your podcast feed, you can find them here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2020/2/18/episode-165-gm-viswanathan-anand) 1:00- Vishy reflects on the highs and lows of his recently completed tournament,Tata Steel 2020. Topics discussed include how he copes with tough losses as compared to how he coped earlier in life.  Mentioned: Caruana-Anand 2020, Firouzja-Anand 2020, Anand-Vituigov 2020, Chessbase India- Anand gives an endgame lesson to Firouzja, IM Sagar Shah, GM Ivan Sokolov 9:00- The conversation segues to a discussion of the lost art of post-mortem analysis, and the broader topic of how computers have changed chess.  Mentioned: GM Elizbar Ubilava, GM Gukesh D, GM Alireza Firouzja 16:00- A Patreon/Paypal supporter of the podcast wrote in to ask Vishy how he manages to appear so composed over the board. His answer surprised me!  Mentioned: Chessbase India video: Vishy Anand on the 9 Best Games of his Career, Kramnik-Anand 2008  22:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com.  Among many other great offerings, you can check out their free course, Tournament Tactics: Tata Steel Chess 2020, featuring game analysis from GM Harikrishna   22:30- Vishy fields another Patreon mailbag question relating to how he maintains elite status into his 50th birthday.  Mentioned: GM Magnus Carlsen, GM Ian Nepomniatchi, GM Nikita Vitiugov,  GM Ali Firouzja, GM Jordan van Foreest, Jeroen van den Berg (Tata Steel Organizer), GM Vladimir Kramnik,  October 2001 FIDE Top 100 list, 2013 FIDE World Chess Championship, 2014 FIDE Candidates Tournament , GM Judit Polgar, GM Alexander Morezevich,GM Vassily Ivanchuk, GM Boris Gelfand, 2017 FIDE World Rapid Championships 35:15- Is Vishy’s son enjoying chess? What are his other interests?  Mentioned: Chesskid.com 38:00- Vishy reflects a bit more on prior world championship matches, and he expounds on a few memories and stories shared in Mind Master.  Mentioned: The Anand Files by Michiel Abeln, GM Ivan Cheparinov, Silvio Danilov, Susan Ninan 44:30- Another Patreon supporter writes to ask about the standards Vishy uses in selecting a World Championship preparation team.  Mentioned: GM Peter Heine Nielsen, GM Radoslaw Wotjaszek, GM Surya Ganguly, GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov, GM Grzegorz Gajewski, GM Sandipan Chanda 49:00- Is there a scenario in which Vishy would help out on a World Championship team in the 2020 match? How does he handicap the upcoming Candidates tournament?  Mentioned: GM Ding Liren, GM Fabiano Caruana 54:30- Another listener writes to ask, “Are there downsides to being as famous as Vishy is, especially in chess circles?” This question led to Vishy’s sharing a couple of funny stories relating to being recognized or unrecognized in public.  1:02:00- GM Anand’s next tournament is the Grienke Open in April of 2020. Thanks so much to GM Anand for joining me.  You can follow him on twitter, and can buy his book from Amazon and many other chess book  retailers. If you would like to help support the Perpetual Chess, 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

I had a lot to catch up on with IM John Bartholomew 2.5 years after his first visit to Perpetual Chess. Then,  as now, John is best known for his very popular Chess YouTube channel, and for being the co-founder of Chessable.com.   John has seen the company and his following continue to grow rapidly in the past few years, and as you may have heard, Chessable merged with GM Magnus Carlsen’s Play Magnus company in September of 2019. John also has recently released a large-scale  project, a Chessable video course , explaining the endgame classic, 100 Endgames You Must Know, and he even got to film a video testing the World Champion on the material from this vital chess book.  In our conversation, John gave some behind-the-scenes details on all of these exciting events. He also threw in lots of good chess improvement advice in reply to some good questions from listeners. Please read on for more details and timestamps.  If you aren’t seeing embedded hyperlinks in your podcast feed, you can find them on the podcast website here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2020/2/11/episode-164-im-john-bartholomew 0:00- Ways to interact with the Perpetual Chess Community include: Twitter, Perpetual Chess Facebook Group, and now, Perpetual Chess is sharing podcast clips on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/perpetualchess/ 2:00- We begin by discussing John’s recent trip to Wijk an Zee in order to film a YouTube video with World Champion, GM Magnus Carlsen. Mentioned: Perpetual Chess Episode 26 with IM John Bartholomew, Chessable CEO David Kramaley, John’s YouTube video testing Magnus on 100 Endgames You Must Know , Geert Van der Velde of Chessable, GM Fabiano Caruana, GM Nikita Vitiugov, GM Viswanathan Anand, GM Magnus Carlsen, GM Jesus de la VIlla  10:50- The first Patreon mailbag question of the week has to do with how the Chessable interface responds when someone (such as Magnus) inputs a solution to a puzzle that is not the primary solution.  16:00- John digs behind the scenes of how he made his 19+ hour video course, and discusses how this project affected his work as a chess teacher.  Mentioned: Philidor position, Lucena Position, Vancura Position, John’s free Endgame Bootcamp Video, Floating Square, Bird’s Color Rule, IM Greg Shahade’s last Perpetual Chess Appearance  24:30- We discuss some of the points discussed in the Chess Reddit thread, Are Chessable video courses worth the money?   33:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable. As John mentioned, in addition to his video course, one can check out AlanB’s courses here:  https://www.chessable.com/author/AlanB/ Chessable’s sale on the 100 Endgames You Must Know ends on February 16: https://www.chessable.com/100-endgames-you-must-know/course/5193/ 34:00- We switch to the topic of chess improvement and dig into the Patreon mailbag. John answers questions relating to his recent tweet  regarding planning chess study time, as well as one’s relating to the difference between IMs and FMs in chess skills, and what he notices in his most accomplished students.  Mentioned: IM Kassa Korley, The Woodpecker Method on Chessable, Checkmate Patterns by CraftyRaf, LiChess, Internet Chess Club  52:00- The last Patreon question requests some additional resources to drill endgames: Mentioned: Mastering Endgames Strategy, Chesstempo Endgame Drills, From Amateur to IM, Lifetime Repertoires: 1. E4 e5 with GM Jan Gustafsson  56:30- On John’s last visit to Perpetual Chess, he shared some good chess business ideas. Does he have more ideas?  Mentioned: GM Hikaru Nakamura, GM Wesley So, Chessbrah’s YouTube, Fiona Steil-Antoni’s YouTube Vlogs , Chess.com, IM Danny Rensch, Chess24.com, Play Magnus, IM Dmitri Schneider 1:05- What was it like for John to teach Bullet chess  phenom, GM Andrew Tang, aka Penguin GM, as a scholastic player? The puzzle John gave GM Andrew Tang can be seen here- https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=8x0P2obR3gRql0KNZaMJR9QVt5zI/QtoD/aUWVDnrOkEIL4R6/E/1C1f0qlezi/O  (to see the solution turn on the Engine icon just below the chessboard):  Mentioned:  Tune Your Chess Tactics Antenna, GM Robert Hess  1:10- Thanks to John for coming back on the show! John’s YouTube Channel:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6hOVYvNn79Sl1Fc1vx2mYA John’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/fins0905?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor John’s 100 Endgames Video Course:  https://www.chessable.com/100-endgames-you-must-know/course/5193/ Perpetual Chess Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices