On the heels of a thrilling rapid playoff, I am joined by GM Erwin L’ami to discuss the crowning of GM Ding Liren as the FIDE 17th World Chess Champion. Erwin is a return guest, and a popular Chessable author, who has worked on the team of former FIDE World Champion GM Veselin Topalov, and of GM Anish Giri. In our interview, Erwin shares his impressions of the dramatic playoff, the opening choices, and the psychological ups and downs that both players endured over the course of a long and closely contested match. We also take an early look ahead at the next World Championship cycle and discuss Erwin’s plans for a busy 2023. Timestamps of topics discussed can be found below.

GM Erwin L’Ami’s Prior Appearances:

0:00- Check out some of my favorite Chessable courses here:

https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/

0:04:30- GM Erwin L’Ami joins the pod. We begin by discussing the clinching game in the rapid tiebreak.

Mentioned: Kasparov-Topalov 1999

16:00- What did Erwin think of Ding’s opening choices?

23:00- What about Nepo’s propensity to move too quickly at times?

30:00- Were they playing at a higher level in the rapid than the classical?

32:00- Patreon mailbag question: As a high level trainer, what would Erwin do to try to help coach his player to avoid some of the psychological pitfalls on display in the Ding-Nepo match?

38:00- Should they change the format of the press conferences?

40:00- Patreon mailbag question: Does Erwin think that Ding caused Nepo’s difficulties in game 12 or was it the pressure of the moment?

47:00- What does Erwin think of the format of the match, and of the existence of the Rapid playoff in particular?

54:00- Early discussion of the next Candidates/World Championship cycle. Will Magnus return?

1:03:00- What are Erwin’s plans for the rest of 2023?

Mentioned: Norway Chess 2023, TePE Seigman 2023 in Malmo, Sweden

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