What Makes Magnus So Good?

Magnus has always been number one in the world. What makes him so good it's hard to say but what I kind of noticed is that he just understands the game better than others. You can become a very very strong chess player even if you have not as much talent as Magnus does.

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This week we are joined by a young star of the chess world, Dutch GM and Chessable Author GM Jorden van Foreest. Just 23 years of age, Jorden already has a wide range of chess experience. As a player, Jorden has a peak rating of 2715 and was the Dutch National Champion in 2016 and the Tata Steel Champion in 2021. He also has already had the opportunity to work extensively with his Dutch compatriot, GM Anish Giri, as well as on the preparation team of GM Magnus Carlsen. Jorden reflects on all of these experiences, as well as shedding some light on top-level opening prep. He also offers his opinion on why he is known for his creativity as a player. Fun interview! You can find timestamps of topics discussed below.

0:00- Be sure to Sub to How to Chess on your favorite podcast app as Season 3 approaches:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-chess/id1572917817

And you can sub to the free weekly chess round up, The Perpetual Chess linkfest here:

https://benjohnson.substack.com

02:00- We discuss Jorden’s in-tournament prep and how he finds his famously creative opening ideas, particularly the exchange sacrifice he uncorked against Anish Giri in 2023 Tata Steel.

Mentioned:

van Foreest-Giri 2023 , Jorden’s C Squared interview, Jorden’s Gotham City Podcast Interview

15:00- Patreon mailbag question: “How does Jorden find the balance between venturing his creative lines and playing solid, tested lines?”

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

19:00- Is Jorden a naturally creative player or is it a skill he developed?

21:00- What did Jorden do to learn to limit blunders?

Mentioned:

Jorden’s mom’s RealChess App is here!

https://vanforeest.com/realchess/index.html

Survive and Thrive on Chessable by FM Dalton Perrine

https://www.chessable.com/survive-thrive-how-to-blunder-less-and-defend-better/course/80629/

24:00- Patreon mailbag question: “What does Jorden think contributes to his family’s unusual success at chess?”

26:30- What did Jorden observe about Magnus Carlsen’s chess talent while doing training camps with him?

29:30- Is Jorden using PC based or cloud-based engines? What type of cloud engine does he use?

More info on the possibility of leaked prep in the Carlsen-Nepo match here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/chess/comments/r4cw22/was_the_prep_for_game_3_leaked/

35:30- Jorden takes us behind the scenes of his recent appearance with Anish Giri on Khalid and Sophie, a Dutch general interest talk show appearance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IMPMAruaV0

38:00- Does Jorden agree with Magnus Carlsen that classical chess could be phased out?

40:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. Aimchess’ algorithm reviews your games and gives you actionable advice on how to improve your game. Check it out for free, and if you choose to subscribe you can use the code Perpetual30 to save 30%.

Or use this link for the same discount:

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

42:00- What tournaments are coming up for Jorden?

44:30- How does Jorden work on his game now?

Mentioned: Rock Solid Chess by GM Sergei Tiviakov

46:00- How did Jorden decide to do a course on The Tarrasch Defense?

Free Short and Sweet version-

https://www.chessable.com/short-sweet-tarrasch-defense/course/139270/

Full version-

https://www.chessable.com/lifetime-repertoires-tarrasch-defense/course/128906/

50:30- Who does Jorden favor in the Ding-Nepo match? Would he consider working on one of their teams?

56:00- Thanks to Jorden for joining me!