Perpetual Chess Podcast

EP 406- Peter Doggers on The Chess Revolution: A big picture look at Cheating, Engines and the Explosion of Online Chess

Oct 29, 2024

Peter Doggers, an award-winning chess journalist and director of News and Events at Chess.com, dives into the fascinating world of modern chess. He discusses the alarming rise of cheating, both online and at over-the-board events, and reflects on its impact on the future of the game. Peter also unpacks the evolution of chess in the digital age, spotlighting innovations and the surge of platforms like Chess.com. Insightful anecdotes from his book, "The Chess Revolution," reveal the intertwining of technology with chess history, making for a thought-provoking listen.

01:19:50

Episode guests

Peter Doggers

AI Summary

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Peter Doggers highlights the ongoing cheating allegations in chess, emphasizing the importance of thoroughly investigating claims before making conclusions.

The podcast discusses the rise of online chess and platforms like Chess.com, marking a significant evolution in how the game is played and accessed.

Peter's book, 'The Chess Revolution', explores the impact of artificial intelligence and technology on the future of chess while maintaining its historical roots.

Deep dives

Seamless Selling with Shopify

Shopify stands out as a comprehensive global commerce platform designed to facilitate selling at various stages of a business's lifecycle. It aids users in transitioning from launching an online shop to opening physical stores, providing support throughout the growth process. With applications ranging from selling courses and merchandise to software services, Shopify empowers sellers to reach global audiences via its integrated e-commerce and point-of-sale systems. Notably, Shopify's checkout process boasts a conversion rate that outperforms other major platforms by an average of 36%, streamlining the buying experience.

Intro

2min

Exploring Chess History and Innovation

3min

Chess Controversies and Ethics

23min

The Evolution of Online Chess

6min

The Evolution of Chess: Past, Present, and Future

14min

Debating the Greatest Chess Players of All Time

2min

Navigating the Chess Book Journey

19min

Strategies for Reclaiming Chess Mastery

4min

Struggles and Aspirations in Chess Training

2min

10.

Audiobooks and Chess Literature Insights

2min

Peter Doggers is an award-winning chess journalist who is currently the director of News and Events at Chess.com. His role has given him a ringside seat to modern chess history, as he has attended many of the world’s top events, and interviewed the likes of GM Garry Kasparov, Hikaru Nakamura, and countless others. Peter’s new book, The Chess Revolution: From the Ancient World to the Digital Age covers everything from the beginnings of chess, to its many representations in pop culture, to the explosion in popularity the game has experienced in the internet age. Peter’s excellent book covers chess from all angles, so we zeroed in on a few of my favorite topics from the book including: the history of chess and computers, recent stories around chess cheating, and their implications for the future of chess, the rise of Chess.com, and the story behind the making of Peter’s book. Every chess fan will learn something from Peter’s book, and I greatly enjoyed discussing it with him. Timestamps of topics discussed are below.

Thanks to our sponsors, Chessable.com.

Check out their new offerings including GM Garry Kasparov’s much anticipated Chessable debut! If you sign up for Chessable Pro, please use the following link to help support Perpetual Chess:

https://www.chessable.com/pro/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=benjohnson&utm_campaign=pro

0:03- We begin by discussing allegations of GM Kirill Shevchenko cheating at an OTB tournament

11:00- We discuss OTB and online cheating more generally

16:00- Peter tells a story from his book, of the famous Mechanical Turk, which was an 18th-century chess-playing machine with a human hidden behind it.

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=the+turk+chess

21:00- We discuss the famous Kasparov-Deep Blue match as well as another watershed “man vs. machine” match featuring GM Michael Adams.

Mentioned: The TV series Rematch- more info here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rematch_(miniseries)

25:00- Patreon mailbag question: Where does Peter see chess heading in the next 10 years?

Mentioned: IM Daniel Rensch’s interview with Ilya Levitov

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JeMsV9aNec

32:00- Peter tells the story of what he believes to be the first online encounter between Magnus and Hikaru in 2004 on the Internet Chess Club. We also discuss a “Secret” Magnus-Hikaru blitz match.

Mentioned: YouTube excerpt from Macauley Peterson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGXvcQP6VPo

37:00- The history of Chess.com and LiChess

Mentioned: Lichess founder Thibault Duplessis

39:00- We discuss the chess GOATS- Magnus, Fischer and Kasparov. As discussed in last week’s episode with FM Charles Hertan, did he consider Morphy for the GOAT list?

44:00- What was the biggest challenge in writing the book and compiling the material?

52:00- How did Peter find a publisher, that ultimately wound up in a bidding war?

58:00- Did Peter write in English or Dutch?

1:00:00- Peter’s favorite chapters?

1:02:00- Peter’s plans for an OTB comeback.

1:04:00- Thanks to Peter for joining! Here is how to reach him:

You email Peter at Peter at chess dot com

peterdoggers.com

Chess.com profile-

https://www.chess.com/players/peter-doggers

Get the book here-

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=the+chess+revolution+peter+doggers&crid=2PYSZWX9BPES&sprefix=the+chess+rev%2Caps%2C164&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_13