Perpetual Chess Podcast

After 8 rounds, things have changed! As you may have heard, Magnus Carlsen has taken a 5-3 lead in the 2021 World Championship, highlighted by a record breaking, unforgettable win in Game 6. Please listen in as a do a quick rundown of the highlights of the match, then bring in two great guests: Grandmaster Jan Timman is the 9 time champion of the Netherlands, an award winning author, and was one of the highest rated players in the world for decades. Among other topics, Jan shares his thoughts on the match so far and discusses the ascendance of young Super GM Alireza Firouzja, who we could potentially see in the next World Championship. My second guest, John MacArthur is an accomplished scholastic coach and Twitch streamer who joined me just after returning from Dubai on Monday. Dubai was the 6th World Championship match he has attended. John shares some great stories and contrasts this event with the many other memorable matches he has attended. Timestamps and the links you need are below.10:00- GM Jan Timman joins me!Jan is a founding editor and columnist for New in Chess Magazine His latest book is, The Unstoppable American: Bobby Fischer's Road to Reykjavik 33:30- NM John MacArthur joins Check out his photos from Dubai on his Instagram here. Follow him on Twitch here.On Twitter here If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After 8 rounds, things have changed! As you may have heard, Magnus Carlsen has taken a 5-3 lead in the 2021 World Championship, highlighted by a record breaking, unforgettable win in Game 6. Please listen in as a do a quick rundown of the highlights of the match, then bring in two great guests: Grandmaster Jan Timman is the 9 time champion of the Netherlands, an award winning author, and was one of the highest rated players in the world for over a decade. Jan shares his thoughts on the match so far and discusses the ascendance of young Super GM Alireza Firouzja. John MacArthur is an accomplished scholastic coach and Twitch streamer who joined me just after returning from Dubai on Monday. Dubai was the 6th World Championship match he has attended. John shares some great stories and contrasts this event with the many other memorable matches he has attended. Timestamps and the links you need are below.9:00- GM Jan Timman joinsNew in Chess Magazine His latest book, The Unstoppable American: Bobby Fischer's Road to Reykjavik33:00- NM John MacArthur joinsCheck out his photos from Dubai on his Instagram here.Follow him on Twitch here.On Twitter here  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week’s guest on Perpetual Chess marks the return visit of one of the top female players in the US, WGM Tatev Abrahamyan. I caught up with Tatev after a hectic few months in which she competed in the FIDE Women’s World Cup and also competed in and placed 4th in the US Women’s Championship. For good measure, she moved from Southern California to Kansas City to begin her work as the Director of Chess Content at chess startup Bryght Labs. Tatev’s busy schedule gave us plenty to talk about, as Tatev gave some insightful tournament reports, discussed her new job, and, of course, dispensed some chess improvement advice and some reflections on dealing with setbacks in chess. It is always fun to talk chess with Tatev, so we hope you make time for this interview in between World Championship rounds. Please read on for more details and show notes. 0:00- GM Johan Sebastian Christiansen recently expressed his extreme frustration with a slump in his competitive chess. Tatev talks about how common such feelings of frustration can be for be top players, and ways to work through it. Mentioned: Episode 49 with WGM Tatev Abrahamyan , Chess.com Article with GM Alireza Firouzja’s quote regarding chess and mental health11:00- How does Tatev reflect on her 4th place finish in the 2021 US Women’s Chess Championship? Mentioned: GM Alejandro Ramirez, You can review Tatev’s games here, How to Chess Episode 17 with IM Lawrence Trent, 26:00- Now that she has a 9-5 job, Tatev reflects on how she will manage her chess career as well as a new job in a new town (Kansas City, MO). 29:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessmood.com. They offer a huge video library with instruction on every phase of the game. 31:00- Tatev gives the trip report from the FIDE Women’s Chess World Cup in Sochi, Russia, and we discuss the Women’s World Championship Cycle. Mentioned: Episode 243 with GM Anna Muzychuk, Information on the 2022 FIDE Woman’s Candidate Tournament is here, Goryachkina-Motylev 2021 39:00- 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!39:30- 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%. 40:00- Does Tatev think that US Women's Champion IM Carissa Yip will be competing for a World Championship someday? Mentioned: FM Jennifer Yu, IM Annie Wang 43:00- What sort of products is Tatev working on at her chess startup, Bryght Labs? Mentioned: ChessUp, GM Levon Aronian 1:01:00- Patreon mailbag question: “What tips can we share for how to evaluate a position?”1:05:00- We discuss GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov’s recent interview about chess engines and his work with GM Fabiano Caruana. Mentioned: More information about Kasimdzhanov’s interview with Ilya Levitov here1:14:00- Patreon mailbag question: What is the secret to Tatev’s success in her OTB games against Latvian/American legend GM Alex Shabalov? Mentioned: Krush-Abrahamyan 2021, 1:17:00- Thanks so much to Tatev for joining us! If you decide to order ChessUp from BryghtLabs.com, use the promo code “Perpetual” or the promo code should be inputted directly with this link.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With the Carlsen-Nepomniatchtchi World Championship match tied after 3 hard-fought draws, I do a quick rundown of the main story lines emerging from what has been a tense and entertaining battle so far. Then, we get reports from Dubai from Chessable C.E.O. Geert van der Velde, followed by Chess.com reporter/Trivia Whiz Jonathan Corbblah.Timestamps and the links you need are below.0:00- Ben on the 3 key story lines from the match so far.14:00- Chessable C.E.O. Geert van der Velde on what its like to watch the match from the Play Magnus lounge in Dubai.30:30- Trivia Whiz turned Chess.com reporter Jonathan Corbblah on how he wound up in Dubai, and his favorite foods and memories from his trip so far.Links:Geert’s TwitterJonathan’s Twitter Chessable Classroom (as Geert mentioned)Jonathan's Chess: A Reflection of Us is being premiered each day on Chess.com’s World Championship Broadcasts.Perpetual Chess Episode 161 with Geert van der Velde Perpetual Chess Episode 48 with Jonathan Corbblah Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

My guest for Part 2 of the World Chess Championship preview is chess blogger Tai Pruce Zimmerman. Tai is an accountant by training, who created the excellent Chess by the Numbers blog to write about elite chess from a statistical perspective. With the World Championship just days away, I was excited to have the opportunity to ask Tai to walk us through various scenarios in the upcoming showdown between GMs Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniatchtchi. We tackled questions such as the following:  Based on rating, how likely is Magnus to win? How likely are we to see tiebreaks? Would Magnus be as big a favorite if the match were to go to rapid tiebreaks? How likely would it be that one player “adopt” another? We take on all of these questions and more, as Tai describes how his model is made and tells all of the numbers we need to know for the match. As always, please read on for more details, timestamps, and relevant links! 0:00- Info from the Intro: Be sure to go to MagnusNepo.com to join Aimchess’ Prediction Challenge! Check out Chess.com’s easy-to-read World Championship schedule breakdown here. Perpetual Chess Bonus World Championship Pods are planned for: November 29, December 2, December 6, December 9 and  December 133:00- We briefly review the format of the World Championship Match, and then Tai dives into what goes into his statistical model, and what it says about the upcoming match. Mentioned: Episode 249 with Dr. Mark Glickman, Nate Solon’s article about the World Championship 11:00- How would Tai’s model assess a potential rapid playoff? 16:00- What did Tai do to guess the competitors rating strengths other than just use their current FIDE ratings? Mentioned: Pinnacle Sports World Chess Championships Odds20:30- If the match goes to blitz tiebreaks, who would be the favorite to win the match? Mentioned: Matt Jensen’s World Championship Preview of Chess.com 27:00- 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!27:30- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. ACT NOW to enter their free Magnus-Nepo challenge on this site: https://magnusnepo.com/29:00- Patreon mailbag question: “How does acclaimed trainer and author, GM Jacob Aagaard of KillerChessTraining.com assess the World Championship?” Mentioned: Tarjei Svenson’s summary of a recent Magnus Carlsen interview 31:00- Patreon mailbag question  “What are the odds of Magnus adopting Nepo?” 33:30- How does the Aimchess.com algorithm assess the players strengths and weaknesses?Mentioned: Aimchess analysis here 35:00- We briefly discuss GM Alireza Firouzja’s recent dominance. 42:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessmood.com. They offer a huge video library with instruction on every phase of the game. 43:00- Patreon mailbag question: “Any chance of Tai’s blog being sponsored by a major chess site?” Mentioned: TwoPlusTwo chess forum, New in Chess Free World Championship Digital Magazine, Dennis Monokroussos’ The Chess Mind Blog50:00- Tai shares a few more details about the methodology of his model.54:00- Tai shares a bit more about his background and his other interests outside of chess. 56:00- In terms of rating differential, what prior World Championship provides the best historical analogue?57:00- Thanks so much to Tai for sharing his data with us. Check out and subscribe to his blog here: https://chessnumbers.wordpress.com/You can follow him on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/ChessNumbers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Grandmaster Daniel King is a popular Commentator, Author, YouTube Creator and Chessable Author. As a player, he has represented England internationally, won many tournaments, and has beaten the likes of Anand and Korchnoi! On his excellent YouTube channel, Powerplay Chess, Daniel has recently been sharing his analysis of key games between Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniatchtchi. With such a resume, he is the perfect person to join me for a preview of the World Championship match, which is less than a week away. Of course, when Daniel visits the podcast there is always more to be discussed. Other highlights include his unforgettable interactions with GM Viktor Korchnoi, and his long relationship with the Kalashnikov Sicilian, which is the subject of his excellent new Chessable course. Please read on for all of the details and relevant links. 0:00- Info from the Intro: Be sure go to MagnusNepo.com to join Aimchess’ Prediction Challenge! Check out Chess.com’s easy-to-read World Championship schedule breakdown here. Perpetual Chess Bonus World Championship Pods are planned for: November 29, December 2, December 6, December 9 and December 136:00- Daniel King joins me to share his thoughts on the World Championship match. Mentioned: Wang Hao 2021-Nepomniatchtchi Candidates 2021, Vachier-Lagrave-Nepomniatchtchi Candidates 2021, GM Nigel Short, GM Michael Adams, GM John Nunn, Peter Doggers interview with GM Fabiano Caruana, Caruana-Carlsen Game 1, 2018, World Championship Odds on Pinnacle.com 32:00- Patreon mailbag question: “What is the etiquette for former seconds discussing their work with a World Championship contender, a la Rustam Kasimdzhanov’s recent comments about GM Fabiano Caruana. ?”35:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chess.com- be sure to check out their new Game Review feature after every game 35:30- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessmood.com. They offer a huge video library with instruction on every phase of the game. 37:00- What is Daniel’s history with the Kalashnikov opening, the opening that is the subject of his  new Chessable course? 45:30- Does Daniel have a favorite opening? 47:00- Patreon mailbag question:” Does Daniel have any plans to update his classic book Mastering the Spanish?”Mentioned: Chess Magazine 52:00- 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!52:30- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. ACT NOW to enter their free Magnus-Nepo challenge on this site: https://magnusnepo.com/53:00- Patreon mailbag question: “Will Daniel ever flip the board so Black is on the bottom when showing the Black POV on Powerplay Chess?” 56:00- Patreon mailbag question- “Is there any video of Daniel playing the bass?” Mentioned: Nette Robinson art 58:00- What were Daniel’s interactions with Korchnoi like? Mentioned: Book Recap #20- Talking Korchnoi with John Fernandez, Korchnoi-Karpov Game 31, 1978Thanks as always to Daniel for joining the show!If you enjoy his content, feel free to support his Patreon page, as I do. Youtube- Powerplay ChessFree short and sweet version of Daniel’s Kalashnikov course: https://www.chessable.com/short-sweet-kings-kalashnikov-sicilian/course/83454/Purchase the full course here: King’s Kalashnikov Sicilian Follow Daniel on Twitter here  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

GM Andy Soltis is an award winning journalist,World Chess Hall of Fame member, a Chess Life Magazine columnist , and a  prolific author who has written over 50 books. In this interview, we discuss Andy’s most recents works,  Smyslov, Bronstein, Geller, Taimanov and Averbakh: A Chess Multibiography with 220 Games, and 500 Chess Questions Answered: for all new chess players.  We also discuss Andy’s own chess improvement journey, as well as the upcoming World Chess Championship. Andy is always fun to chat with due to his encyclopedic knowledge of all things chess. For lots more details, relevant links, and timestamps, please read on. Previous appearances by GM Andy Soltis:Episode 91 with GM Andy Soltis Episode 172 with GM Andy Soltis Book Recap #17 - Discussing Zurich 1953 with FM Nate Solon and GM Andy Soltis  0:00- We begin by getting Andy’s chess improvement advice, including a Patreon question about whether Andy thinks chess books are superior to online learning tools as means for improving your game.Mentioned: DeGroot’s Thought and Choice in Chess, GM Hikaru Nakaura, GM Yasser Seirawan Weltgeschichte Des Schachs Lieferung 27- Boris Spassky, GM Daniel Gormally, GM Walter Browne 12:45- What is the proper mix between studying and playing? Mentioned: GM Alireza Firouzja 15:30- What most helped Andy improve at chess? Mentioned: GM Reuben Fine 17:30- How did GM Yefim Geller go from Candidate Master to World Class player in his early 20s? Mentioned: GM Bobby Fischer, 22:00-Patreon mailbag question:  What was Andy’s most memorable Marshall Chess Club Championship victory? Mentioned: FM Orest Popovich26:00- 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!26:30- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. ACT NOW to enter their free Magnus-Nepo challenge on this site: https://magnusnepo.com/27:00- We discuss a bit about each player in GM Soltis’ beautiful new book, Smyslov, Bronstein, Geller, Taimanov and Averbakh  starting with former World Champion GM Vassily Smyslov. 33:00- What should we know about GM David Bronstein?  Was his Candidates match with Boleslavsky in 1950 really fixed? Mentioned: Episode 80 with GM Genna Sosonko, Ruth Haring, GM Bobby Fischer  42:00- What should we know about legendary Ukrainian GM, Yefim Geller? Mentioned: GM Boris Spassky 44:00- Mark Taimanov was a world class pianist and chess player both. What else distinguished him from his chess contemporaries? Mentioned: I was the Victim of Fischer, Vspominiaia-Samykh-Samykh, GM Eduard Gufeld, Chessgames.com Taimanov-Matulovic “Caveat Emptor” 53:00- What should we know about GM Yuriy Averbakh? Mentioned: GM Boris Spassky, GM Lubomir Kavalek 59:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessmood.com. They offer a huge video library with instruction on every phase of the game. 1:00:00- Patreon mailbag question: “What book would Andy love to write that he hasn’t written yet?”1:03:00- What does Andy think are the most  important factors in which of his books sell the best? Mentioned: GM John Fedorowicz, GM Arthur Bisguier, GM Pal Benko: My Life Games and Compositions, Magnus Carlsen: 60 Memorable Games, Pawn Structure Chess, Chess Fundamentals, Episode 240: Pawn Book Championship with Neal Bruce 1:12:00- Patreon mailbag question: What does Andy think of the World Championship match? Has Magnus been out of form recently? 1:19:00- Thanks as always to Andy for sharing his immense chess knowledge. You can check out his latest books here:500 Chess Questions Answered Smyslov, Bronstein, Geller, Taimanov and Averbakh If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here:Donate — The Perpetual Chess Podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

John Hartmann is the Editor of US Chess’ Chess Life and Chess Life Online, and the host of the podcast, Cover Stories with Chess Life. He was recently named the 2021 Chess Journalist of the Year by the Chess Journalists of America, the second consecutive year he received this honor.When John last visited the podcast, US Chess was just coming to grips with the financial impact the pandemic would have on the organization. 18 months later, I am happy to report that John is back to give a more upbeat assessment of the state of the US Chess Federation. John is also an expert in chess computers - he built his current chess computer from scratch! John shares some fascinating tidbits about how top players use engines these days. Lastly, although it is not his top priority, John tries to work on his own game when time permits. While he prefers to think of himself as a #chessamateur instead of a #chessimprover, his online blitz rating is at an all-time high, and he always has useful book recommendations for improvers. So as always, there is much to learn from John Hartmann in this interview! Please read on for all of the details, plus timestamps and relevant links. 0:00- We begin by catching up on the financial health of US Chess, which hit some tough times during the pandemic. Mentioned: Cover Stories with Chess Life with GM Alex Lenderman, Episode 179 with John Hartmann (John was also on episodes 60 and 120), John Rockefeller III Endows US Chess National Tournaments20:00- Has John read any good chess books lately? Are chess books truly, finally, in decline? Mentioned: Episode 4 with IM Kostya Kavutskiy, On the Origin of Good Moves by IM Willy Hendriks, Everything and Less: The Novel in the Age of Amazon, JJ Lang, IM Levy Rozman, Agadmator, FM Robert Shlyakhtenko, Dr. Christopher Chabris 42:00- Patreon Mailbag Question: “What was the most instructive chess book John has ever read?”Mentioned: Chess Steps Method Workbooks, Episode 241 with FM Peter Giannatos, Everyone’s First Chess Workbook by FM Peter Giannatos, Rakhmanov’s Secrets of Opening Preparation 47:00- 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%. 47:30- 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!49:00-What is John doing to work on his own games? Mentioned:Jacob Aagaard’s Killer Chess Training, Botvinnik: One Hundred Selected Games, GM Sam Shankland on Cover Stories with Chess Life, IM John Watson 1:02:00- What are the most recent developments in the advancement of chess engines? Mentioned: Stockfish 14.1, Leela 0.28.0, 2021 Russian Championship Superfinals, Vitiugov - Andreikin, Chessify, GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, GM Ian Nepomniachtchi, Skolkovo Innovation Center1:11:00- How will Chess Life Online be covering the World Championship? 1:15:00- Thanks to John for joining us! For more information about US Chess and Chess Journalists of America upcoming seminars, go here: https://new.uschess.org/news/cja-continuing-education-series-announcedFor US Chess annotated games from the US Championships, go here:https://lichess.org/study/iLDop9iyFollow John on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/hartmannchess?lang=enEmail John at John.Hartmann at Uschess.org  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week FM Asa Hoffman joins us for an interesting talk. Asa is an author, speed chess specialist, and New York City chess legend. Like Bobby Fischer, Asa was born in 1943, and both spent their formative years in NYC. With such shared history, Bobby Fischer is one of the many chess legends with whom Asa had personal encounters and blitz battles. In fact, Asa has met every chess World Champion who came after Max Euwe! He also has beaten Fischer in a famous blitz game, and once defeated Gata Kamsky in a rapid game. In our interview, Asa sheds light on the personality of Bobby Fischer and tells a few of his favorite stories from his encounters with countless chess legends who have passed through New York. Please read on for more details, timestamps and relevant links. 0:00- What are Asa’s memories of Bobby Fischer? How does the current chess moment compare to the Fischer boom?Mentioned: Hans Kmoch, Al Horowitz, Sylvia Miles, GM Yasser Seirawan, Bernard Zuckerman, Asa Hoffman vs. Bobby Fischer (blitz, 1963) 13:00- Who are the strongest blitz players Asa ever played?Mentioned: GM Valentin Arbakov, GM Roman Dzindzichashvili, GM Yasser Seirawan, Polgar sisters, Episode 185 with IM Stuart Rachels, IM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun, GM Nicolas Rossolimo 19:30-After Fischer won the World Championship in 1972, did Asa ever see him again? 22:45- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessmood.com. They have a huge library of opening, middlegame, and endgame instructional videos, as well as a free blog. 23:45- Asa tells some more stories from playing against Fischer, as well as describing many of the classic NYC chess venues. 29:00- Why did Asa decide to drop out of Columbia University to pursue chess? 31:00- What was Asa’s involvement with the movie Searching for Bobby Fischer? Mentioned: GM Nona Gaprindishivili lawsuit against Netflix 33:00- What did Asa do to improve at chess?Mentioned: Mike Valvo, IM Greg Shahade, John Fernandez, GM Gata Kamsky, GM Julio Becerra, GM Michael Rohde, IM Jay Bonin 39:00- Patreon Mailbag Question: What was Asa’s most memorable game against IM Jay Bonin? Mentioned: Active Pieces by IM Jay Bonin and Greg Keener 43:00- 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%. 43:30- 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!45:00- What were Asa’s highest stakes blitz matches? Mentioned: IM Cris Ramayrat, Episode 193 with Tom Murphy, GM Fabiano Caruana, GM Robert Hess, GM Alex Lenderman, GM Irina Krush 51:00- Patreon Mailbag Question: When will Asa’s memoir be published and will it be available as an e-book? Mentioned: Dr. Frank Brady53:00- Asa has met every world champion since Max Euwe. What are his most memorable interactions?Mentioned: GM Miguel Najdorf, Edward Lasker 57:00- Asa tells a few stories of fights and muggings at NYC gaming establishments1:02:00- In addition to chess, Asa plays Scrabble, bridge, poker, and backgammon, and he dabbled in betting at horse racing as well. What is Asa’s 2nd best game after chess? 1:04:00- Has Asa had any non-chess jobs?Mentioned: Al Horowitz 1:06:00- Has Asa played GM Maurice Ashley? Did he ever see GM Viktor Korchnoi in New York? Mentioned: GM Anatoly Karpov, GM Maxim Dlugy, IM Anatoly Lein 1:09:00- Did Asa ever play GM Samuel Reshevsky?  Mentioned: GM John Fedorowicz 1:12:30- Asa's World Championship thoughts1:14:30- What are Asa’s favorite chess books? Mentioned: Masters of the Chessboard by Richard Reti, The Psychology of the Chess Player by Reuben Fine 1:18:00- Why did Asa stop betting on horse racing? 1:22:00- Thanks to Asa for joining the show! You can reach him via his chess.com profile here:https://www.chess.com/member/asahoffmann  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We are back for another edition of Chess Books Recaptured. This month we take a brief break from discussing books that are focused on chess improvement and discuss the eventful, insightful, autobiography, Chess is My Life, by legendary GM Viktor Korchnoi. Korchnoi, of course, was a 4 time Soviet champion, who eventually emigrated to Switzerland, and twice challenged GM Anatoly Karpov for the World Championship. My guest co-host this month is John Fernandez. In addition to being an old friend of mine, John is a member of the US Chess Executive Board, a USCF expert, and was an early admin and employee of the Internet Chess Club. By day, he works as a Senior Vice President of Marketing at Glia, and he is also the father of twins. John has had some memorable interactions with GM Korchnoi, so it was great to hear those, as well as to discuss the book of this legendarily irascible chess figure. As you will hear, this 2 hour podcast only scratches the surface of Korchnoi’s legacy, so you might want to click through to some of the links below, which are given with timestamps. 0:00- Why did we pick Korchnoi’s Chess is My Life? Mentioned: Book Recap #17 of Bronstein’s Zurich 1953, Korchnoi’s Best Games Volume 1 and Volume 2 5:30- We go over Korchnoi’s amazing chess resume and exceptional life story. Mentioned: Caruana-Korchnoi 2011 15:30- Perpetual Chess is 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. 16:00- Perpetual Chess is also brought you in part by Chess.com! Among their many resources, you can check out their drills here and their vision trainer here.  17:00- We read a few excerpts from the Preface (by Kasparov), the Foreword(by GM Sergey Ivanov) and the Prologue by Korchnoi himself and discuss Korchnoi’s playing style. Mentioned: Book Recap #1 Life and Games of Mikhail Tal, Closing Gambit, Episode 235 with Joe Posnanski  29:15- 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!30:00- 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%. 31:00- We each draft our top 5 storylines from Chess if My Life, starting with Korchnoi’s difficult upbringing.37:00- We discuss the insanity of the 1978 World Championship Match with Karpov. Mentioned: Korchnoi’s Mirrored Glasses, YouTube footage of the match 51:30- Why did Petrosian and Korchnoi hate each other?56:00- How was the Korchnoi-Fischer relationship? 1:01:00- Did Korchnoi know the rules of castling?Mentioned: Korchnoi-Karpov Game 21 1974, Bagirov-Korchnoi 19601:07:00- Patreon mailbag question- “Korchnoi had a rules issue in a game with a young Magnus Carlsen- What happened there?”Mentioned: Photo and Reddit Thread about Korchnoi-Carlsen 2004 1:13:00- Korchnoi played Maroczy while he was dead! How was the game? Mentioned: Maroczy/Robert Rollans vs. Korchnoi 1985, Lichess analysis here 1:18:00- Korchnoi played Che Guevara! 1:20:30- What were Korchnoi’s interactions with Tal like?1:24:30- Korchnoi lived in New York for 2 years!? 1:27:00- Korchnoi on Nimzowitsch!Mentioned: Book Recap #18: Talking Aron Nimzowitsch’s My System with IM Christof Sielecki 1:31:30- John discusses his own involvement in one of Korchnoi’s most legendary displays of poor sportsmanship Mentioned: Reddit thread about Korchnoi-Polgar incident 1:41:00- Coming next month-- recapping the allegedly excellent book for newer players:  A First Book of Morphy 1:43:00- Thanks to John for helping out! You can support US Chess hereYou can support Perpetual Chess hereYou can reach John via Twitter here:  Or Chess.com here  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices