Chess with Mustreader Danny Rensch: trusting HANS, IGNORING cheating, Magnus vs Hikaru
Today's special guest is Danny Rensch — Chess.com's Chief Chess Officer! We’ve discussed many hot topics: Hans' against chess.com, how FIDE and other organizers ignore cheating problems and why 2025 will be HUGE for chess. Danny shared how they banned top GMs and WHY the Hikaru-Magnus match never happened in 2023. Bonus: two action-packed blitz games to finish!
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My X: https://x.com/mustreader
My channel with podcast highlights: https://www.youtube.com/@CwMClips
Collabs: mazdrid@gmail.com
Danny's X: https://x.com/DanielRensch
Pre-order Danny's book Dark Squares: https://www.chess.com/darksquares
My podcast with Chess.com CEO: https://youtu.be/1cCrMcUTDj8?si=Wf3TGeGIQknmBDLO
My podcast with Anish: https://youtu.be/x41meg64OxM?si=MHcuDsNNOs6gLMUj
My podcast with Kramnik that got me blocked by him: https://youtu.be/YKzes4eteb4?si=5nUg3RNqeHXnqANK
My podcast with Naroditsky: https://youtu.be/OKeb-WRMYpM?si=B3cfMHORtC6gEoMc
My podcast with Dubov: https://youtu.be/rimjT4Pj3jY?si=JGVX3uw5CS0c6T9z
Many thanks to my Patreon supporter: Sarterus
00:00 – Intro
01:41 – Danny's challenging childhood
05:17 – "Chess is a scary game"
06:37 – What chess means to Danny
11:44 – Secret behind Chess.com success
18:52 – Is chess boring to watch?
24:03 – Chess audience growing 10x soon?
28:46 – 2025 chess boom: Netflix, A24, Joe Rogan
31:05 – Chess popularity explosion
33:22 – Chess.com quitting tournaments?!
39:22 – Why Hikaru-Magnus match cancelled?
42:32 – Niemann lawsuit aftermath
45:50 – What Hans Niemann isn't telling
51:07 – Organizers ignore cheating
59:55 – Will cheating destroy chess?
1:06:17 – Blitz games
Danny Rensch: trusting HANS, IGNORING cheating, Magnus vs Hikaru
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My name is Greg Mustreader, I am a Candidate Master in chess, an entrepreneur and host of several podcasts.
On the Chess with Mustreader channel, I interview top chess players, play against chess AIs, analyze the most interesting chess games and combinations of today and of the past, as well as show you my path in chess and the way I work on my chess improvement (including recaps from the tournaments I play).
I live in Almaty, Kazakhstan and travel the world extensively (been to 50 countries). I'm 31 years old, I have a girlfriend, three dogs and four cats. I speak English, Russian, German, and a bit of French and Chinese.
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