The Beginnings of Chess

Programming Note- this podcast is also being published in video format on Tryfon’s YouTube channel-link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dw1o0opNJ-s

Tryfon Gavriel, better known as “KingsCrusher” was one of the trailblazers of “Chess YouTube” and still uploads regularly to his following of over 110,000 subscribers. Tryfon launched his channel on a whim in 2007, and spent years as one of the most popular chess channels in the world. It was fun to hear Tryfon take us through those early days of online chess content, which feel like so long ago. As we discuss, Tryfon also has a keen knowledge of chess history, with a special interest in Bobby Fischer, Paul Morphy, and Mikhail Tal. Tryfon shares what makes these players so special and how we can apply lessons from their games. Tryfon is a bullet chess specialist who believes that studying these greats has even helped him at the fastest time controls. It was fun to talk chess history, chess content history and get some improvement tips from one of the original chess content creators! Timestamps and lots more details below. 

0:00- We discuss the early days of Tryfon’s YouTube channel in 2007 and his website Chessworld.net! 

Mentioned: Veratasium YouTube algorithm,  Chess on the Web by Sarah Hurst, Richard Palliser and Graham Brown, Sam Copeland’s TIme Lapse Video of the Most Popular Chess YouTubers, Agadmator, MatoJelic, GothamChess, ChessNetwork, 

 21:00- Perpetual Chess is also brought to you in part by Chessmood.com. 

Chessmood offers a huge library of instructive videos. You can hear GM Avetik Grigoryan on Episode 192 of Perpetual Chess. Be sure to subscribe to their YouTube channel here.

21:30- Perpetual Chess is also brought to you in part by AImchess.com. Check out the site,

and if you decide to subscribe use the code Perpetual30 to save 30%.

22:00- From the Patreon mailbag: “Tryfon’s two most popular videos are about Bobby Fischer, and Tryfon is a big fan. What books has he read about Bobby Fischer?” 

28:00- What sparked Tryfon’s interest in writing a LiChess blog? 

30:00- What captivates Tryfon about Fischer, Morphy and Tal? 

39:00- Patreon mailbag question- “Will the King’s Gambit ever feature in elite chess again?” This segues to a discussion of other openings that are underrated for club players 

Mentioned: Chris Callahan’s Twitter thread on how openings perform at different levels, Episode 221 with Chris Callahan

46:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Check out what's new from them Here: New Chess Courses Online - For All Levels - Chessable.com Don’t forget to subscribe to the How to Chess podcast as well!

46:30- Tryfon offers many chess courses on Udemy, including its most popular chess course, what was the inspiration for branching out from YouTube?

Mentioned: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People 

53:00- Patreon mailbag question: “What tips can we share for a 1200 player working to improve calculation and visualization skills?” 

Mentioned: Peter Giannatos’ Everyone’s First Chess Workbook, Benedictine’s Visualization Series, Chess Steps 2: Thinking Ahead, IM Ken Regan paper- Intrinsic Ratings Compendium 

1:12:00- As a top junior, Tryfon played Demis Hassibis of DeepMind as a kid. How was Demis’ game? 

1:18:00- Thanks so much to Tryfon for joining the show. Here is out to keep up with him. 

YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/user/kingscrusher

Udemy Courses- https://www.udemy.com/user/tryfon-gavriel/

Twitter-https://twitter.com/kingscrusher?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor 

Lichess- https://lichess.org/@/Kingscrusher-YouTube

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