This week’s guest on Perpetual Chess is the hardest-working man in chess. He is Twitch Streamer, Chess.com commentator, and ambitious improver, FM James Canty. I have been a fan of James for a long time, so I was glad to finally get to ask him some questions about what motivates him to work so hard on his game. Naturally we also discussed what James specifically is studying, his pursuit of the IM and GM titles, and some of his favorite chess improvement resources. I find it energizing and motivating to talk chess with James, and I think you all will as well. As always, timestamps for topics discussed can be found in the show description. 

02:00- What motivates James to keep working on his OTB game? What is his goal?

Mentioned: Simon Sinek’s Start With Why, GM Maurice Ashley

05:00- What is James’s current study regimen? How does he balance working on his game with streaming tons of chess?

Mentioned: Test Your Tactical Skill, GM Kenny Solomon, GM Amon Simotowe 

16:00- What are James’s favorite Chessable courses and books? 

Mentioned: GM Jacob Aagaard’s Grandmaster Preparation, Thinking Inside the Box, Encyclopedia of Combinations, Woodpecker Method, Tactics Time, Benedictine’s Visualization Series 

28:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Check out their latest courses here: https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/

29:00- James discusses his love for the Scotch Gambit and his pending Chessable courses 

35:00- What is his upcoming tournament schedule? What did James have to learn about how FIDE ratings and norms work? 

Mentioned: 2023 Charlotte Open 

44:00- Does James ever get burnt out from chess? 

47:00- 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

48:00- Patreon mailbag question: What inspires James’s dedication to fitness and weight lifting? 

59:00- True or false: James is a rapper as well? 

1:00:00- What did James learn from legendary trainer, GM Roman Dzindziashvilli? 

1:02:00- What was James’s fondest memory from attending the Global Chess Championship in Toronto? 

Mentioned: GM Wesley So, GM Anish Giri, GM Fabiano Caruana, IM Danny Rensch, GM Daniel Naroditsky, GM Robert Hess, GM Wesley So’s Chessable Courses, Chessgames.com

1:06:00- What advice does James give to younger players? 

Thanks so much to James for sharing his passion for chess with us! Here are all of the links to keep up with him:

YouTube:

Twitch:

Twitter: 

Merch

Instagram

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