Perpetual Chess Podcast

After a one month hiatus, Chess Books Recaptured returns to discuss another classic chess book- GM Alexei Shirov’s Fire on Board. This 1997 game collection book shows the games of one of the world’s best attacking players at the peak of his powers. Joining me to discuss the book is Mitchell Fabian. Mitch is a 26 year old dad, actuary and avid chess student who suggested this book because he felt that it helped his chess tremendously. In addition to many wild slugfest games and creative ideas, the book covers an interesting time in chess history, when the World Championship Title was disputed by different organizations. We cover all of this in a fun conversation about a challenging, but informative book. More details and timestamps below: 0:00- We welcome Mitch Fabian to the show and he discusses why he chose Shirov’s Fire on Board. Mentioned: IM Kostya Kavutskiiy 6:00- For what rating is Fire on Board best suited?Mentioned: Seirawan’s Play Winning Chess 12:30- Perpetual Chess is brought to you by Chessable.com, the premier chess education website. Check out their latest offerings here: New Chess Courses Online - For All Levels - Chessable.com13:00- Patreon mailbag question: Any hot takes on the Shirov-Kasparov World Championship match that was supposed to take place in the late 1990's but never did? Mentioned: Fire on Board 2, Luis Rentero Suarez 24:00- Back to the book! We discuss the book’s structure and share some quotes from a great foreword by GM Jon Speelman Mentioned: Topalov-Shirov 2004 with 47… Bh3!!!36:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. Aimchess’ algorithm reviews your games and gives you actionable advice of 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%. 37:00- We share a few of things that struck us about Fire on Board Mentioned: Attack with Mikhail Tal, Episode 273 with GM Johan Hellsten, GM Vasilios Kotronios, Lifetime Repertoires: Jan Gustaffson 1. E4 e5 , Everyman Chess “E Book” of Fire on Board 48:00- Should we be concerned about some errors in the book that modern engines identify? Mentioned: GM Samuel Sevian, Shirov-Kramnik 1994 51:00- Mitch and I share a few other things we like about Fire on the Board. Mentioned: Book Recap #1- The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal, Chess Structures by GM Mauricio Flores Rios1:04:00- We wrap the book discussion before segueing to some adult improvement discussion with Mitch. In Mitch’s honor I will be making a modest donation to The US Chess School. 1:05:00- Mitch is quite an accomplished adult improver so before we wrap up he shares some improvement recs. Mentioned: Chess Dojo Discord, GM Eugene Perelshteyn 1:16:00- Thanks so much to Mitch for joining us! Here is where you can find him:Chess Dojo DiscordTwitterChess.comLichess  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we are re-joined by the popular and amusing Twitch streamer, YouTube presenter and commentator, GM Ben Finegold. Lots has changed since our last interview! For one thing, there has been lots of discussion recently about a decline in the popularity of chess?. Does Ben think chess is losing popularity? Is he seeing a decline in his viewership on Twitch? What about on his YouTube channel? Other recent developments which we discussed include: Why Ben and his wife Karen sold their chess center in Atlanta, the state of Ben’s OTB chess game in the wake of some recent tourneys, plus some discussion of the Candidates, recent elite tournaments, and a few stories about Ben’s earlier days in the chess world, including Ben Finegold, “the college years.” Its always fun to catch up with Ben, lots more details and links in the show notes below.  Prior Finegold appearances on Perpetual Chess- 2017- Episode 9 https://open.spotify.com/episode/2o91dlqfOFf2Lwl9hfbrGF?si=b01f64b4f4fe4f8a2018- Episode 52 https://open.spotify.com/episode/4f3W9CS9Q9nC5JUOYib5cn?si=e97663b0a8eb48792021- Episode 228 https://open.spotify.com/episode/2ONlsNPYykFsH3sqM28LWL?si=5c1710b4b2514f790:00- Are Ben’s Twitch viewers down? Is the popularity of chess declining?Mentioned: Martin Justesen’s post “Is the Chess (Twitch) Boom Over?, IM Levy Rozman’s Tweet, GM David Smerdon’s post 13:00- With the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Atlanta having been sold, will Ben still be doing his popular chess history lectures? Mentioned: Kid Chess Atlanta, IM Carlos Perdomo 23:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. Aimchess’ algorithm reviews your games and gives you actionable advice of 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%. 24:00- Ben has been competing regularly OTB recently, he wonders “was I always this bad at chess?” Mentioned: Charlotte Chess Center ALTO tournament, Foxwoods Open, GM Alex Shabalov 40:00- Patreon mailbag question: How does Ben define a blunder at different rating levels? Mentioned: GM Gregory Kaidanov, 2022 Continental Chess Championships in El Salvador48:00- Which young players impress Ben? What does it take to reach and stay at the top? Mentioned: GM Sarin, GM Praggnanandhaa, GM Christopher Yoo, GM Hans Niemann, Episode 271 with GM Hans Niemann 56:00- Are there any chess talents that Ben has been surprised to see not to reach their potential? Mentioned: GM Baadur Jobava, GM Wei Yi, GM Etienne Bacrot, GM David Navara, GM Jeffrey Xiong, GM Sam Shankland 1:02:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you by Chessable.com. Check out their latest offerings here: New Chess Courses Online - For All Levels - Chessable.com 1:03:00- Who does Ben expect to win the 2022 FIDE Candidates tournament? 1:06:00- Did Ben ever meet the recently passed legendary GM Yuri Averbakh? 1:08:00- How does Ben prepare for his chess history lectures? 1:11:00- What was it like for Ben to attend university in his 20s? Mentioned: Chess Life Magazine Article by Ben Finegold The 40 Year Old GM: https://t.co/3CozXi7lbC1:16:00- Ben’s upcoming Twitch and tournament plans! Here are the links to keep up with Ben. Twitch:https://www.twitch.tv/gmbenjaminfinegoldYouTube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6EnFbK-P5q0zeaqI5yobKgTwitter:https://twitter.com/ben_finegold?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week's Adult Improver interview is with Derek Wilder. Derek is a 33 year old Detroit- based Scholastic Chess Coach and Chess Podcaster (host of the Detroit Chess Killers pod). Derek is always working on his game, and he recently leveled up and surpassed the USCF rating of 2000 for the first time. This puts Derek in the 95th percentile of all USCF players. It took Derek years of hard work to break through this plateau, and it was illuminating to hear what he believed to be the keys to his success. Derek was quick to credit lots of friends and trainers with advice and tips that helped his game, and he offered lots of advice for those looking to achieve a similar breakthrough. Please read on for timestamps, resources, and people that were referenced in our interview. 0:00- Derek recently had a breakthrough in his OTB game. How’d he get to that moment? Mentioned: IM John Brooks, Paul Grams, Chrysler Elementary School08:00 Growing up in Detroit, Derek was one of the top scholastic players in his state, but he was bullied a bit for playing chess. How did he get through it? 09:30- What influence did FM James Canty and others have on his chess game? 12:00- What adjustments did Derek make when he came to chess in 2016 after a long hiatus? Mentioned: Nunn’s Chess Openings 14:30- What kind of chess learner is Derek? Mentioned: NM Mike Zaloznyy, IM Atulya Shetty, Derek’s interview with NM Kofi Tatum 18:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. Aimchess’ algorithm reviews your games and gives you actionable advice of 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%. 19:00- In his recent gains, did Derek focus more on strengthening his strengths or on shoring up his weaknesses? Mentioned: FM Josh Posthuma, NM Gopal Menon, My System, IM Mark Dvoretsky’s books, IM Jeremy Silman, Charisse Woods26:00- Patreon mailbag question: “How much did studying theoretical endgames help Derek’s game?” Mentioned: Kameron Tolliver 30:00- -Patreon mailbag question: “Did Derek’s training method change leading up to his recent breakthrough?”39:30- Perpetual Chess is brought to you by Chessable.com. Check out their latest offerings here: New Chess Courses Online - For All Levels - Chessable.com40:30- How big was the goal of reaching the USCF expert level for Derek? Do his students follow his chess progress? 43:00- How does Derek approach his openings? Mentioned: IM Orlando Husbands, IM Richard Leyva Proenza48:00- How does Derek think about budgeting for chess tournaments? 49:30- Welcome the the Chess dot bomb! On this month’s sponsored segment we discuss the Global Chess Championship and Chess.com’s new verification feature. If you get verified on Chess.com you are eligible to compete in the $1,000,000 Global Chess Championship for free. If you decide to get verified ($15 for initial verification / $10 per year thereafter), please use this link to help support Perpetual Chess. Chess.com verification: Verified - Chess.comGlobal Chess Championship https://www.chess.com/article/view/chesscom-global-championship-2022?ref_id=17919348Premium Membership: https://go.chess.com/Perpetual52:30- What does Derek think he needs to do to become a USCF master? Mentioned: Max Euwe, Tigran Petrosian 55:30- When did Derek start working with coaches? How much do they help him? 58:00- Why is it important to play against tougher competition?Mentioned: FM Ylon Schwartz 1:00:00- Thanks to Derek for joining the pod! You can check out his podcast, Detroit Chess Killers, here:Detroit Chess KillersFollow Derek on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/derekewilder Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

GM Jan Gustafsson is a popular and entertaining commentator for Chess24.com, a noted opening theoretician, a Chessable author, and 3 time member of GM Magnus Carlsen’s World Championship preparation team. Jan returned to Perpetual Chess for the fifth time to discuss chess news and the World Championship cycle, catch us up on the state of his chess game and to discuss what else he has been up to. Jan’s new projects include the launch of his own chess podcast, Chicken Chess Club,, where he and his friends, GM Laurent Fressinet and Peter Heine Nielsen give a light hearted rundown of the latest chess news. You can find timestamps below, for more detailed show notes, please go to the podcast webpage here:Listen to Episodes! — The Perpetual Chess Podcast0:00- We briefly discuss the origins of Jan’s new podcast, The Chicken Chess Club.5:30- Jan’s thoughts on the 2022 FIDE Candidates tournament, and whether Magnus will defend his title Mentioned:  Inside Team Magnus (behind Chess24 Paywall use promo code #Janistan)12:30- When did Jan find out he would be on Magnus Carlsen’s 2022 World Championship Preparation Team? 17:00- Patreon mailbag question: What does Jan think of IM Lawrence Trent’s new courses on 1… b6 and 1. Nc3. ? 19:00- Patreon mailbag question: What is the stupidest opening idea that works? 20:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you by Chessable.com. Check out their latest offerings here: New Chess Courses Online - For All Levels in all - Chessable.com21:00- Jan plays in the elite German chess league called the Bundesliga. He discusses how his recent games have gone and the state of his chess game. 32:00- Patreon mailbag question: What is Jan’s advice for creating an opening repertoire? 37:00- What is Jan trying to improve at?42:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. Aimchess collects and analyzes your games and gives you actionable tips based on the data it gathers. If you choose to subscribe to Aimchess, please use the code Perpetual30 to save 30%. 44:00- Any plans for more weekly features on The Chicken Chess Club podcast? 49:00- How is Jan’s daughter’s chess game? 51:00- More Team Magnus and World Championship talk! What was the celebration like when Magnus defended his crown? 59:00- Will Jan do another Chessable course? 1:01:00- Jan reveals his plans for the 2022 Chess Olympiad? 1:03:00- What TV/series/moves has Jan been watching?1:08:00- Thanks to Jan for joining us! Be sure to subscribe/rate/review the Chicken Chess ClubIf you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Perpetual Chess we are joined by a Ukrainian and then a Russian guest to discuss the impact that the Russian-Ukrainian war has had on their lives and on the chess world. My first guest is GM Kirill Shevchenko. Kirill is a 19 year old rising star in the chess world, currently ranked #92 in the world, and #6 among juniors. He joined me from Germany, where he is in between tournaments, after leaving Ukraine to pursue his chess career. Kirill spoke very movingly about the devastation Russia’s attacks have wrought on his loved ones and his country, and about how he balances that with his chess career. Kirill continues to compete, and will soon play in his first Grand Chess Tour event. Following Kirill, I am joined by chess journalist and Twitch streamer, WFM Maria Emelianova. Maria is Russian, but like Kirill, felt compelled to leave her country when news of the attack broke. Maria has been an outspoken critic of the war, and has been working hard to raise funds to support Ukrainians. As Maria explains, this war has divided and scattered her family, an unfortunate situation which is not uncommon in Russia. I found both interviews to be quite enlightening, and I am inspired by the spirit of the chess community in trying circumstances. Please read on for interview timestamps and relevant links.I apologize for the background noise at points in these interviews, if you would like to read an edited transcript while you listen, you can do so here:EP.276-KirillShevchenkoandM... | Public Trint | TrintYou can also view a ‘read only’ lightly edited transcript here:https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vQG2m9fXCK23o0UBTkWzBhhS_dss2ogQneNnTU2Za0GpkSTInIRY-59QzWIl0vEVhm_nVODtvrcuJTr/pubYou can donate to Kirill’s charity, Care with Team Hikaru, here:https://events.softgiving.com/donate/Team-Hikaru-CARE-For-UkraineOr donate directly to Ukrainians in need via WIM Nastya Rakhmangulova here:https://linktr.ee/nastiachess0:04- Kirill joins the show 42:00- Maria Emelianova joins the show!Follow Kirill on Twitter here:https://twitter.com/chesser_22?lang=enMaria’s Twitch- : https://www.twitch.tv/photochess Maria’s Instagram-  https://www.instagram.com/photochess/?hl=enPerpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com and Chessable.com For full show notes, please go here:Listen to Episodes! — The Perpetual Chess Podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

GM Michael “Mickey” Adams is a legend of British chess who has been an elite chess player for the last 30 years. He is a former World Champion finalist, the 7 time champion of Great Britain and has been ranked as highly as #4 in the world. Michael is also an author, most recently of the very original and instructive new book, Think Like a Super GM, with co-author Philip Hurtado. Michael is normally one of the most active players on the tournament circuit, and as Covid subsides he is preparing to resume a busy schedule, beginning with the Tepe Siegman invitational in May. In our fascinating and entertaining conversation, Mickey shares some memorable stories, and discusses whether he has made adjustments to his game as he turns 50. We also discuss Michael’s new book in detail and shared some of its chess improvement takeaways. Please read on for lots more details, timestamps, and links to topics that were referenced.  Brief timestamps are below, for full show notes please go to the podcast website EP 276- GM Michael Adams- Stories and Lessons from Mickey's decades Among the Chess Elite — The Perpetual Chess PodcastYou can read my reviews of Think Like a Super GM on my Lichess blog or Chess.com blog. 0:00- Mickey has a tournament coming soon, how does he prepare especially after the pandemic? 10:00- How has Mickey maintained his chess strength up to age 50? 18:00- What is Mickey’s approach to using engines? 21:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. Aimchess collects and analyzes your games and gives you actionable tips based on that data. If you choose to subscribe to Aimchess, please use the code Perpetual30 to save 30%. 22:00- Patreon mailbag question: Who is the most naturally talented player that Mickey has ever played against? 27:00- What was it like to play chess with legends like Spassky and Tal? 30:00- Patreon mailbag question: What is Mickey’s favorite victory over a fellow Super GM?33:00- Mickey tells a few entertaining stories from his younger years involving Kasparov . Kramnik and GM Joel Lautier. 43:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Check out their latest offerings here: New Chess Courses  Best of British Chessable Course with GM Simon Williams  44:00- Chess improvement takeaways from Mickey’s new book57:00- Patreon mailbag question: Will Mickey ever write a games collections book? 1:02:00- Patreon mailbag question: What self-study methods did Mickey use, and which does he recommend? Mentioned: GM Mark Hebden, GM Keith Arkell1:07:00- Patreon mailbag question: What is Mickey’s advice for how to approach big open Swiss tournaments? 1:11:00- Patreon mailbag question: Who does Mickey think will win the Candidates tournament?1:20:00- Patreon mailbag question: What does Mickey think of the possibility that Magnus won’t play the next World Championship match? He also shares some ideas of alternative World Championship formats. 1:30:00- Is it true that Mickey has never had a “real job?1:34:00- Does Mickey still have a condo in Florida?1:36:00- What is Mickey’s favorite chess venu1:39:00- Thanks so much to Mickey for joining the pod! Here are the best ways to keep up with him. Mickey's Website Think Like a Super GM (free excerpt here) (Forward Chess version) Best of British Chessable Course with GM Simon Williams If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here:Ben Johnson is creating Perpetual Chess Podcast | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

IM Ali Mortazavi, a former top British junior player and CEO of a biotech company, discusses British chess culture, encounters with chess legends like Kasparov and Carlsen, and how chess has helped his career. He shares stories from his early chess travels and his work with chess computer software in the 1990s. The podcast also covers his encounters with GM Michael Adams and GM Viswanathan Anand, and his reflections on the differences between chess players and others.

The Perpetual Chess Adult Improver Series is back, but this time with a twist. We feature a senior guest who is “more interested in sustainment than improvement”, and we have a guest co-host joining the conversation! Our guest, Paul Hedrick is a 56 year old literature and history teacher based in New Mexico. Paul enjoys listening to Perpetual Chess, but felt that older, less improvement focused chess lovers like himself were underrepresented on the podcast. To help guide the conversation, I enlisted the help of Han Schut. Han is a Chess Steps trainer, a Chessable Author and a frequent contributor to New in Chess magazine. The three of us try to sort out questions such as: Why does Paul study chess daily if his goal is not to improve? How can one know if they should shift their goals from “Adult Improver” to “Senior Sustainer?” How should one supplement the curriculum of the Chess Steps method? Both Paul and Han offered great perspectives on the different roles chess study can play in one's life, so I hope you all enjoy the conversation as I did. More details below.0:00- Interested in appearing or suggesting an adult Improver guest for Perpetual Chess? Please use this form so that I can potentially refer back to it later : Potential Adult Improver Guest Han Schut’s Prior Appearance- (Episode 142, 2019)Book Review #25- Review and Discussion of the Mammoth Book of the World’s Greatest Chess Games 06:00- Why did Paul volunteer to come on the show? Mentioned: Episode 272- Positional Puzzle Book Championship with Neal Bruce 11:00- What is Paul’s “why” for playing chess? 19:00- Paul discusses his chess routineMentioned: Second Piatgorsky Cup 1966, Ken Smith, 30:00- Patreon mailbag question- Was there a moment where Paul decided to switch from “improver” to “sustainer” mode? 33:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. Aimchess collects and analyzes your games and gives you actionable tips based on the data it gathers. If you choose to subscribe to Aimchess, please use the code Perpetual30 to save 30%. 35:00-  Patreon mailbag question How can one decide whether to focus on improvement or sustainment? 40:00- Patreon mailbag question: Does Paul prioritize studying things he sounds fun? 42:30- Patreon mailbag question: Does Paul think his study is helping him avoid blunders?43:30- Han’s advice for mitigating blunders. 46:30- Han describes the Chess Steps method, which you can order here.47:30- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com, check out what is new from them here: New Chess Courses Online - For All Levels in all - Chessable.com48:00- Patreon mailbag question: In the current chess climate, does one need to get better just to keep the same rating?  51:30-  The Chess dot bomb sponsored segment is brought to you by Chess.com! Paul and I discuss the Chess.com Explorer feature, which allows you to learn openings, study master games, your own archive, and to add them to a personal library. If you decide to upgrade to a premium membership at Chess.com, you can help support the pod by signing up using this link (https://go.chess.com/Perpetual).54:00- Patreon mailbag question: Does Han think there will be greater adoption of the Steps Method in the US?Mentioned: Episode 167 with IM Jop Delemarre, IM Cor van Wijgerden1:01:00- Patreon mailbag question: Question for Han: What makes a good compliment to the Chess Steps series? Mentioned: Lichess Database, Chess Structures by GM Mauricio Flores Rios, Lichess 4545 League1:14:00- Thanks so much to Paul for joining us! And thanks to Han Schut for guest co-hosting and sharing his expertise!Here is the link for Han’s scheduled live Chess Steps presentation on YouTube: https://youtu.be/D7gfDpEiDks Saturday April 16 at 2 pm EST Link to Dubov’s Explosive Italian: https://www.chessable.com/dubovs-explosive-italian/course/80152/If you would like to join the Perpetual Chess Patreon community you can do so here:  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I am joined this week by renowned trainer, author, and 2006 Swedish National Champion, GM Johan Hellsten. Johan is best known for his excellent book/Chessable course Mastering Chess Strategy, and its successors Mastering Opening Strategy, and Mastering Endgame Strategy. These courses are highly regarded by chess trainers and students alike, and are packed with educational puzzles. In our conversation, we got into the origins of these voluminous projects, plus Johan answered a ton of chess improvement related questions from listeners to the podcast. Lastly, Johan told some fun stories from his time playing on the Swedish Olympiad Team, and shared the names of some authors that were formative in his own chess development. Please read on for timestamps and relevant links.  0:00- How was Johan influenced by the work of legendary trainer, IM Mark Dvoretsky? Mentioned:Sergey Dolmatov, GM Artur Yusupov, 64 Chess Magazine08:25- What was the vision behind Mastering Chess Strategy and Johan’s Mastering series? 15:00- What are some books one could do that aren’t as challenging as Johan’s fantastic books? Mentioned: Simple Chess by Michael Stean, Winning Chess Strategies by Yasser Seirawan (also on Chessable) , Silman’s Reassess Your Chess WorkbookEpisode 272- “Positional Puzzle Book Championship” with Neal Bruce Shane Taulbut, chess books, GM Arthur Yusupov, IM Mark Dvoretsky, GM Yasser Seirawan, John Nunn’s Understanding Chess Move by Move 18:45- How does Johan find so many instructive positions? Mentioned: Follow Chess App, Chessbomb, Chess24.com, Mark Crowther’s The Week in Chess29:00- Patreon mailbag question from Neal Bruce! Should players at different rating levels approach Johan’s books differently? 39:00- Patreon mailbag question: In what order should one read Johan’s courses/books?Mentioned: Chess for Educators by Karel van Delft 45:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. In addition to GM Johan Hellsten’s series, one can find tons of courses on all phases of the chess game, check out what is new here: New Chess Courses Online - For All Levels in all - Chessable.com46:00- If you don’t have a coach what is the best way to identify your weaknesses that are holding you back? Mentioned: GM Stellan Brynell 1:00:00- Johan discusses how club players can choose openings based on their styles. 1:06:00- What are Johan’s favorite game collection books? Do we need to study their books or just play through a great players games on a computer?Mentioned: GM Mickey Adams, GM Viswanthan Anand, GM Mark Taimanov, GM Svetozar Gligoric, GM Bent Larsen, GM Mikhail Botvinnik, GM Bobby Fischer 1:14:00- Patreon mailbag question: What are the chess cultures like in Sweden and Ecaudor? (Where Johan lives) Mentioned: GM Stellan Brynell, GM Johnny Hector, GM Jan Timman, GM Julio Granda Zuniga, IM Greg Shahade, GM Johan Hellsten’s YouTube Lectures, GM Wesley So1:22:00- Patreon mailbag question: How was Johan influenced by legendary Swedish player Ulf Andersson? Mentioned: GM Viktor Korchnoi, GM David Anton, Hellsten-GM Viktor Kupreichik (1996), GM Andrey Kovalev, Hellsten-Kovalev 19961:35:00- Thanks so much to GM Hellsten for sharing his wisdom and stories!You can reach him and check out his Chess.com Series herehttps://www.chess.com/member/jhellstenAnd be sure to get his Chessable courses here:https://www.chessable.com/author/jhellsten2/You can find the same material in book form, here.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Popular guest and dedicated improver Neal Bruce is back on Perpetual Chess to break down the most useful “Positional Chess Puzzle” Books for club players. For those who have not heard Neal’s prior appearances, he is a dad and an executive at a software startup who devotes a lot of his free time to improving his chess game, often via flash cards made from chess books. Neal is amidst a 10 year study plan and has recently completed a phase during which he went through 8 positional puzzle books. In our interview, Neal discusses why he thinks this was an important step for his chess development and assesses the books he read. He ranks them in order, assesses their pros and cons, and their usefulness for different rating levels. At the end of Neal’s book breakdown we catch up with Neal a bit and discuss what is next in his 10 year chess study plan. Links for all of the books referenced, as well as timestamps are below.  Improve Your Chess Pattern Recognition by IM Arthur van de OudeweeteringHow to Reassess Your Chess 4th Edition by IM Jeremy Silman Mastering Chess Strategy by GM Johan Hellsten (also available on Chessable) Mastering Positional Sacrifices by IM Merijn van Delft The Positional Chess Handbook by FM Israel Gelfer Practical Chess Exercises by Ray Cheng IM Jeremy Silman’s Reassess Your Chess Workbook Techniques of Positional Play by Valeri Bronznik and IM Anatoli Terekhin .Prior appearances by Neal: “Pawn Book Championship” Episode 241Book Recap #11- Taking Winning Chess Strategies with Neal Bruce Book Recap #6- Woodpecker Method and Rapid Chess Improvement with Neal Bruce 0:00- We begin by catching listeners up on Neal’s background and discussing why Neal decided to study 8 “positional puzzle” books. 5:00- How has this intense study of positional chess impacted Neal’s chess game? 14:00- What books might be good precursors to the books that Neal discusses? Mentioned: Simple Chess by GM Michael Stean, The Power of Pawns 16:00- Neal discusses two books that didn’t make the list: Winning Chess Strategy for Kids by Jeff Coakley, Beyond Material by GM Davorin Kuljasevic 20:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com.. To check out their latest offerings, please go here:New Chess Courses Online - For All Levels in all - Chessable.com21:30- Neal ranks the 8 books he reviewed! The first 4 books are:IM Jeremy Silman’s Reassess Your Chess Workbook  (Read Dr. Patzer’s review here)The Positional Chess Handbook by FM Israel Gelfer How to Reassess Your Chess 4th Edition by IM Jeremy Silman (Discussed in Book Recap #2) Improve Your Chess Pattern Recognition by IM Arthur van de Oudeweetering 37:30- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. Aimchess collects and analyzes your games and gives you actionable tips based on the data it gathers. Check the site out, and if you choose to subscribe, please use the code Perpetual30 to save 30%. 38:30- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Better Help. You can see some online reviews here, and if you sign up, use this link to save 10%: https://www.betterhelp.com/chess39:30- The final 4! Techniques of Positional Play by Valeri Bronznik and IM Anatoli Terekhin . Read Sam Copeland’s Review of Techniques of Positional PlayMastering Positional Sacrifices by IM Merijn van Delft Check out IM Andras Toth’s review of Neal Mona List here Practical Chess Exercises by Ray Cheng Mastering Chess Strategy by GM Johan Hellsten (also available on Chessable) 1:04:00- What are Neal’s OTB tournament plans? What books will he read next?1:08:00- Thanks as always to Neal for dedicating so much time to sharing his chess knowledge!The best way to reach and keep up with him is via Twitter.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices