Perpetual Chess Podcast

This week’s guest is none other than former FIDE World Champion, 2 time Olympiad Gold Medalist, and 2011 Ukrainian National Champion, GM Ruslan Ponomariov!  With the FIDE Candidates having concluded it was a great time to hear the thoughts of this genial super grandmaster. In our conversation, Ruslan puts the 2020-2021 FIDE Candidates into historical context, shares his perspective on GM Ian Nepomniachtchi’s  victory, and then assesses the 2021 World Championship matchup between Nepomniachtchi and GM Magnus Carlsen. We then delve into GM Ponomariov’s storied career. How does he reflect on having been the youngest FIDE World Champion ever? What is he up to these days? We discuss this and much more in this fascinating, wide-ranging interview. Please read on for lots more details and timestamps.   0:00-  Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. You can check out their latest offerings, inclluding IM Christof Sielecki's course on the Pirc defense here:  New Chess Courses Online - For All Levels in all - Chessable.com 2:00- We begin, of course, by discussing the just-ended FIDE Candidates Tournament. What were GM Ponomariov’s impressions of the FIDE Candidates Tournament? Mentioned: Curacao 1962: The Battle That Shook the Chess World, GM Garry Kasparov, GM Alexei Dreev, Alexander Grischuk, GM Garry Kasparov, Rublevsky vs. Ponomariov 2007    20:00-  How does he assess GM IanIan Nepomniachtchi’’s chances  vs. Magnus Carlsen?  Mentioned: Bwin World Championship Odds- https://sports.bwin.com/en/sports/events/world-championship-2021-11184631 GM Fabiano Caruana, GM Peter Heine Nielsen   26:00- Ruslan answers a question from the Perpetual Chess Patreon mailbag: “How would a world championship team typically prepare for a match?” Ruslan describes his own experiences working with Magnus Carlsen.  Mentioned: The Anand Files, GM Wang Hao, GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, GM Sergei Karjakin, GM Boris Gelfand    37:00- Patreon mailbag question: “How does Ruslan place his FIDE World Champion title within historical context?”  Mentioned: GM Viswanathan Anand, GM Magnus Carlsen, GM Bobby Fischer    43:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. Check it out for free, and then, if you decide to subscribe, use the PromoCode Chess30 to save 30%.   44:30- Patreon mailbag question: “Does Ruslan have any professional chess plans outside of continuing to compete?”  Mentioned: Dortmund Chess Days 2021    51:30- Patreon question: “Does GM Ponomariov have any suggestions for how to avoid information overload?” Mentioned: GM Noel Studer’s blog- https://t.co/4zQNhZV958?amp=1   56:00- GM Ponomariov discusses some of the chess-related projects on which he is working. Mentioned: German Bundeslga, GM Vladimir Baklan, GM Pavel Elianov, GM Yuriy Kuzubov, Russian Language Academy of Olympic Champions website here:  Академия Олимпийских Чемпионов 1:01:00- Does Ruslan have any good stories involving GM Vasyl Ivanchuk? Has he ever played him in checkers?  Mentioned: Ivanchuk interview with Fiona Steil Antoni: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGpT9el_9i8, GM Peter Heine Nielsen, GM Alexander Morozevich, GM Tiger Hillarp Person, GM Emanuel Lasker, GM Anatoly Karpov, GM Mikhail  Podharetz    1:15:00- Twitter question from GM Denes Boros: “Is there anything GM Ponomariov would have done differently from his time at the top of the chess world?” Mentioned: GM Yuriy Kryvoruchko , GM Vladimir Topolov, GM Viswanathan Anand, GM Wang Hao    1:23:00- In view of the fact that Ruslan lives in Spain, I asked whether he does any chess work there, or is it primarily on the road, and in his native Ukraine?    1:29:00- In 2008, GM Ponomariov told Chessbase.com of his desire to travel through the Mongolian steppes. Has he taken that trip yet?    1:32:00- Thanks so much to GM Ponomariov for sharing his time and reflections. Here is how you can keep up with him:   Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/ruslanponomariov Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ponomariov?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to another bonus book recap podcast, also known as Chess Books Recaptured! This month’s book of choice is one of the most popular beginner-oriented chess books of all time, Irving Chernev’s Logical Chess Move by Move. My guest co-host this month is Barry Katz. Barry is a Brooklyn based father of 4, and college writing instructor who discovered chess in recent years through the interest of his son.  Irving Chernev has left quite a legacy as an accomplished and popular writer of 20 chess books. Logical Chess Move by Move was first published in 1957, so some have suggested it is outdated, but both Barry and I find it to be very readable and instructive, and an excellent book for those looking to understand the timeless principles of master level chess play. Please read on for lots more details, timestamps and relevant links.  0:00- Barry shares a bit about his background, and we discuss why we chose to discuss Logical Chess Move by Move by Irving Chernev  Mentioned: Facebook Chess Books Collectors Group, GM Max Illingworth, GM Andy Soltis, Brian Karen, World Chess Hall of Fame, Chernev tribute:  https://worldchesshof.org/hof-inductee/irving-chernev Also Mentioned: Episode 221 with Chris Callhan, Lichess Study Featuring Logical Chess Move by Move: https://lichess.org/study/Wn7aMkPy, Jen Shahade, Mike Klein, Capablanca’s Best Chess Endings, The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played  The 1979 Chernev interview from the Chess Life and Review archive  can be found here: http://uscf1-nyc1.aodhosting.com/CL-AND-CR-ALL/CL-ALL/1979/1979_All.pdf   12:45- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. You can check out their latest offerings here:   Chessable.com   13:45- Is Logical Chess Move by Move secretly a good guide to openings? What other move by move chess books are available on the market?  Mentioned: The Scandinavian Defense, Understanding Chess Move by Move by GM John Nunn, Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy by IM John Watson, Episode 41 with GM Judit Polgar    20:30- We share a few noteworthy quotes of Chernev discussing the common early moves of  chess games.  Mentioned: IM Andras Toth, Girl vs. Wang Hao 2021    32:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. Check it out for free, and then if you decide to subscribe use the PromoCode Chess30 to save 30%.   33:30- We share a few more favorite quotes from the book.  Mentioned: Dan Heisman, IM Eric Rosen, Jose Rauol Capablanca, Harry Pillsbury, GM Sam Shankland, Siegbert Tarrasch    44:30- We discuss a couple of our favorite games from the podcast.  Mentioned: Rubinstein-Salwe 1908, Tarrasch-Mieses 1916 48:00- What were our main chess improvement takeaways?  Mentioned: GM Ben Finegold, Caruana-Vachier-Lagrave 2021, World’s Most Instructive Amateur Game Book by Dan Heisman, IM Cyrus Lakdawala    59:00- Thanks so much to Barry Katz for helping out this month’s book recap. You can email him at: Iambarrykatz at gmail.com  Mentioned: Subscribe to FM Nate Solon’s email newsletter here: Zwischenzug (substack.com), Bronstein’s Zurich 1953 book, Najdorf’s Zurich 1953 book If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here: Ben Johnson is creating Perpetual Chess Podcast | Patreon     See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

My guest on the podcast is adult improver Dr. Luka Popov. Luka is a 39 year-old Croatian dad, theoretical physics Ph.D., software engineer and content creator. Luka started serious chess in 2017, and was primarily emphasizing over-the-board chess before the pandemic. Then he  switched to online chess, and  his Lichess rapid rating has gained about 250 points in the last 1.5 years. Luka shares a lot of his wisdom and experiences on his YouTube channel called “The Adult Chess Improver.”  As the channel and our interview make clear, Luka has quickly gained expertise in the topic of adult chess improvement, and our interview is filled with quality recommendations for like-minded players. Please read on for lots more details. My guest on the podcast is adult improver Dr. Luka Popov. Luka is a 39 year-old Croatian dad, theoretical physics Ph.D., software engineer and content creator. Luka started serious chess in 2017, and was primarily emphasizing over-the-board chess before the pandemic. Then he  switched to online chess, and  his Lichess rapid rating has gained about 250 points in the last 1.5 years.Luka shares a lot of his wisdom and experiences on his YouTube channel called “The Adult Chess Improver.”  As the channel and our interview make clear, Luka has quickly gained expertise in the topic of adult chess improvement, and our interview is filled with quality recommendations for like-minded players. Please read on for lots more details. 0:00- Luka delves into his chess background. Mentioned: Agadmator, Hanging Pawns12:00- Why does Luka think many titled players struggle to understand the plight of adult improvers? Mentioned: IM Andras Toth, Dr. Jana Krivec 17:45- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Check out their latest offerings here: New Chess Courses Online - For All Levels in all - Chessable.com18:30- Why is it important for improvers to try to acquire chess skills rather than gain chess knowledge?  Mentioned: Neal Bruce 26:00 What do Luka’s family and friends think of his chess hobby?28:30- Luka answers a question from the Patreon mailbag relating to developing board visualization. Mentioned:: Jason Cigan, JJ Lang, Benedictine’s Basic Chess Patterns:https://www.chessable.com/basic-chess-patterns-/course/46181/Also Mentioned: Chesstempo, Perpetual Chess Book Recap of Woodpecker Method and Michael De La Maza’s Rapid Chess Improvement:https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2020/4/17/bonus-pod-recapping-the-woodpecker-method-and-rapid-chess-improvement-with-neal-bruce36:45- Patreon mailbag question: “What are the best ways to improve tactically and strategically respectively?” Mentioned: GM Jesse Kraai, IM John Bartholomew, IM Andras Toth, GM Jacob Aagaard’s Thinking Inside the Box 43:00- Luka answers another Patreon question: “What is the best way to improve at endgames?”Mentioned: 100 Endgames You Must Know, Positional Chess Handbook by FM Israel Gelfer 45:30- Patreon question: “What advice does Luka have when it comes to setting goals?” 50:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. If you subscribe use the PromoCode Chess30 to save 30%. 51:00- How does Luka think about the concept of “ceilings” in chess potential? 55:30- What are Luka’s plans for tournaments as the pandemic recedes? 1:01:00- What other hobbies does Luka have? 1:05:00- Thanks so much to Dr. Popov for joining the show. Be sure to follow his YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCChy0letCdw0KtnMnfAukLwYou can email him at drpopovchess at gmail.com - 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

This week on Perpetual Chess, we are fortunate to get a return visit from the legendary commentator, Super GM, and now Chessable author, GM Peter Svidler! Peter talked with me a few days before he was set to depart for Yekaterinaburg, Russia. Yekaterinburg, of course, is where the FIDE Candidates Tournament will resume after being postponed amidst the Covid pandemic in March 2020. The tournament resumes on April 19, and the winner of the tournament will face GM Magnus Carlsen for the World Championship in November of 2021. As a competitor in prior Candidates Tournaments, and someone who is now assisting GM Kirill Alekseenko, one of the participants, it was amazing to hear GM Svidler’s perspective on the tournament.  Of course, GM Svidler has also just released his much anticipated Chessable course, Lifetime Repertoires: Peter Svidler’s Grunfeld. We talked about how he researched this huge project, as well as what surprised him about the process of writing his first Chessable course.  Lastly, we got lots of questions from supporters of the Perpetual Chess Podcast. GM Svidler tackled questions relating to his famed modesty, his plans for competing and commentating in 2021, and much more. Please read on for more details, timestamps, and relevant links.        0:00-  We begin by discussing the FIDE Candidates Tournament, which is set to resume on April 19, 2021.  Mentioned: Russian Superfinals, GM Kirill Alekseenko, FIDE Candidates Wikipedia Page including participants and standings here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Chess_Championship_2021 Candidates odds to win: https://sports.bwin.com/en/sports/events/candidates-tournament-2020-9514213 22:30-  Peter answers the first question from the Perpetual Chess Patreon mailbag: “is it possible that Peter’s famed modesty gives him a competitive disadvantage?” Mentioned: GM Sergei Shipov    26:30- Perpetual Chess is proud to be brought to you in part by Chessable.com. You can pick up GM Peter Svidler’s The Grunfeld: Lifetime Repertoires Part 1 here: https://www.chessable.com/lifetime-repertoires-peter-svidlers-grunfeld-part-1/course/63116/ The free short and sweet version is here: https://www.chessable.com/short-sweet-peter-svidlers-grunfeld/course/70030/ 27:00 What were the biggest challenges of creating Peter’s much- anticipated course on the Grunfeld opening?  Mentioned: GM Danill Dubov, GM Harikrishna    41:25- Patreon question: How can a player improve at quiet positions?  Mentioned: Peter’s Svidler’s “Training with Tani” Youtube Series   48:30- Patreon question: “When will we see Peter and GM Jan Gustafsson announcing again?”    53:30- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. Aimchess  collects and analyzes your online games and gives you actionable advice on what phases to work on. You can check out their site for free, and if you sign up, use the Promo Code “Chess30” to save 30%   54:00- Patreon question: “Does Peter’s love for the video game Hearthstone help his chess?”  GM Evgeny Tomashevsky, GM Ian Nepomniatchi    56:30- Patreon questions: “Will Peter ever write a chess book? If he did, what would it be about?”  Mentioned: Masterclass with GM Yannick Pelletier: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paCReNKAcNg Peters’s Recap of his Tilburg 1997 win vs. GM Garry Kasparov https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1iefMAb-Tk   Also Mentioned: GM Boris Gelfand’s books with GM Jacob Aagaard, FM Michiel Abeln’s The Anand Files, From London to Elista    1:04:00- Patreon question: “Who are Peter’s favorite cricket players?”    1:05:30-  Patreon question: “Does Peter think that there are similarities between learning languages and chess?”  Mentioned: Leisure Suit Larry    1:10:00- Thanks to much to GM Peter Svidler for re-joining the show! Here are the links for his Twitter account, Twitch Streaming, and Chessable course: https://twitter.com/polborta?lang=en https://www.twitch.tv/plbrta https://www.chessable.com/discussion/thread/242991/lifetime-repertoire-the-grunfeld-peter-svidler-/ Peter Svidler “Lifetime Repertoires” Grunfeld-Part 1- Course Giveaway Instructions!  Go to Perpetual Chess Youtube page here-  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtcudElmRsQYTwULtd_gnFw/videos  Subscribe to the channel and take a screenshot  Email the screenshot to ben@perpetualchesspod.com with the subject header “YouTube”  Done!  Deadline April 30. Winners will be determined by random drawing, and announced via email on May 1. I will not be able to respond to all contestants emails, but you all should get an email when the winners are announced. Thanks for playing! If you would like to join the Perpetual Chess Patreon community, or to help support Perpetual Chess in other ways, you can learn more here: Donate — The Perpetual Chess Podcast   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we are joined by Chris Callahan, who is the Community Organizer of LiChess.org. Lichess is a community supported, free, open-source, ad- and tracker-free chess site which plays host to over 5 million chess games per day. Back in 2017, I interviewed its founder, Thibault Duplessis, so it was past time to catch up on all that is new with this great site. It has been especially important during the past year as online chess has surged in popularity. We discussed everything from how they dealt with a huge traffic surge, to their capabilities in the area of cheating detection. We talked about the viability of their current business plan as well as  their future plans. Chris also delved a bit into his own chess background, and shared his unique perspective on scholastic chess teaching and chess improvement. It was fun to catch up with him and to learn more about this website on which so many of us enjoy playing on a daily basis.  0:00- Chris shares a bit about his chess background, what is new with Lichess founder Thibault Duplessis, and how he became a LiChess employee,  Mentioned: IM Christof Sielecki, LiChess Studies , Episode 25- Thibault Duplessis    7:00- LiChess traffic doubled in 2 weeks when the pandemic hit. How did they handle it? As a donation-driven non-profit, how is LiChess holding up financially?  Mentioned: The Lichess Costs document we reference is here: http://lichess.org/costs   16:30- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com! Check out their latest here, including GM Peter Svidler's much anticipated course on the Grunfeld: New Chess Courses Online - For All Levels in all - Chessable.com   17:00- Chris answers a Patreon mailbag question relating to various Lichess capabilities and future plans including what their philosophy is on sharing their open source coding.    25:30- Chris discusses a recent controversy involving Chessbase and the open source community. It is alleged that Chessbase was not transparent about using Stockfish’s Open Source Code for its Fat Fritz engine. More info in Peter Dogger’s summary here:  https://www.chess.com/news/view/chessbase-fat-fritz-2-stockfish-leela-chess-zero   31:00- What is Lichess’ approach to the use of a cheat detection/engine by players?  Mentioned: Episode 18 with IM Danny Rensch, Episode 136 with IM Ken Regan, GM Wesley So, GM Raunak Sadhwhani    48:00- What are the goals of the LiChess Twitch and YouTube channels? What other projects might LiChess work on?  Mentioned: LiChess Study- Logical Chess Move by Move: https://lichess.org/study/Wn7aMkPy   58:00- What is Chris’ guiding principle in teaching chess to kids? What else would Chris like to see change in the chess community?  Mentioned: IM Eric Rosen and The Stafford Gambit, Chess for Zebras    1:05:00- Thanks so much to Chris for sharing his knowledge and catching us up on Lichess. Join the LiChess Discord here: https://lichess.org/team/chesscord-discord-community   You can follow Chris on LiChess here:  https://lichess.org/@/NoJoke   If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here: The Perpetual Chess Podcast     See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bruce Pandolfini is a trailblazer for American chess who is well known as a top scholastic coach, prolific author, and consultant on landmark chess productions like the 1993 movie, Searching for Bobby Fischer, and the 2020 smash hit Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit. Bruce even served on the announcing team for PBS in the legendary 1972 Fischer vs. Spassky World Championship match.  With such a resume, obviously Bruce has accumulated a treasure trove of stories, and perspective. In our interview, Bruce drew on his experience as an early coach of future GM Fabiano Caruana and IM Josh Waitzkin to discuss the nature of chess talent, and he told stories of a few of his interactions with Bobby Fischer as a New Yorker of the same generation. Bruce also opined on the growth of and future of chess, and discussed his involvement in The Queen’s Gambit,  both the novel and the series. Obviously,I found this to be an entertaining and informative interview, and I hope that you will as well. Please read on for more details and links related to all that we discussed.  0:00- We begin by reliving some stories from Bruce’s youth in Brooklyn, and his interactions with chess legends like Bobby Fischer and GM Larry Evans.  Mentioned: Caroline Marshall, Fabiano Caruana, Billy Wilder, Stanley Kubrick, Al Horowitz  9:30- How did Bruce end up a part of the announcing team for PBS for the 1972 Fischer vs. Spassky “Match of the Century?”  Mentioned: Shelby Lyman, Eugene Meyer, GM Edmar Mednis, Dustin Hoffman, GM Nicolas Rossolimo, IM Bernard Zuckerman. Bobby Fischer’s Outrageous Chess Moves, Here is the video of Bobby Fischer appearing on The Tonight Show in 1972-  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxvnEwvgfeI, Saul Bellow, Kurt Vonnegut  22:00- Perpetual Chess is proud to be brought to you in part by Chessable.com. You can always check out what’s new there through this link:  New Chess Courses Online - For All Levels in all - Chessable.com 23:00- Patreon mailbag question: “How does Bruce deal with students whose parents are challenging?“ Mentioned: Bill Goichberg 29:00- Does Bruce notice any traits in common amongst the top talents he has worked with such as  IM Josh Waitzkin and GM Fabiano Caruana?  Carol Ann Caronia, Fred Waitzkin, Bonnie Waitzkin.  Lou Caruana, Robert Hess, GM Joel Benjamin, GM Miron Sher  37:00- Another Patreon Mailbag question: “What are some of Bruce’s favorite chess books?”  Mentioned: My 60 Memorable Games, Botvinnik: One Hundred Selected Chess Games, Alekhine’s My Best Games of Chess, Fred Reinfeld’s The Human Side of Chess, Irving Chernev, GM Andy Soltis   39:00- Another question from a Patreon supporter: “How has Bruce’s chess improvement advice changed over the years?” Mentioned: Shelby Lyman  46:30- Bruce answers the question,  “How has the rise of chess on YouTube and Twitch impacted Bruce’s students?”  Mentioned: Jose Raoul Capablanca, Wilhelm Steinitz  52:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessmood.com. Check out their website and subscribe to their YouTube channel here:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMBUU6aq2b07VtTAMO0xGTw 53:00- We talk about Bruce’s work on The Queen’s Gambit, both Walter Tevis’ novel and the series.  Mentioned: John Hartmann interview with Bruce Pandolfini: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpfWu-OvAlg Also Mentioned: Bill Horberg, Scott Frank, Anya Taylor Joy, Garry Kasparov’s talk with the US Chess Girl’s Group is here:  https://www.kasparov.com/garry-kasparov-talks-to-us-chess-girls-group-about-the-queens-gambit/ Also Mentioned: Searching for Bobby Fischer, Lasker’s Manual of Chess,  1:03:00- In closing, we discuss Bruce’s future projects, including whether he may ever write a memoir. Thanks so much to Bruce for joining the show!  Mentioned: Kimberly Doo McVay If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here: Ben Johnson is creating Perpetual Chess Podcast | Patreon See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Twenty-six  year-old Tunde Onakoya is one of the top 50 chess players in his native Nigeria (rated 2165 FIDE), and is the founder of a life-changing organization called Chess in Slums. This organization introduces chess to kids in the slums of Lagos, Nigeria, and uses the game as a learning tool to instill confidence and teach critical thinking. It's a much-needed program, because the kids learning about chess are often unable to go to school due to financial or other life circumstances. As Tunde tells us, he was one of those kids not that long ago. Tunde credits chess with changing his life and aims to do the same for the next generation. Tunde is also a musician, a tech aficionado, a speed chess lover, and he has a university degree in Computer Science. Despite his many talents, it is his work bringing chess to kids that inspires him the most, and Tunde joined me amidst a week where a swarm of media attention had helped convince him to devote even more time and energy to the Chess in Slums cause. Tunde tells an inspiring story which is still in its early stages. Please read on for more details, relevant links and timestamps of our interview.  0:00- We begin by discussing the hectic week that Tunde had preceding our interview, in the wake of a viral tweet of his about the Chess in Slums program, that begat lots of message and media requests.    7:30- Tunde tells the story of how he discovered chess during his own childhood, and how the game changed the trajectory of his life.  Mentioned: Bobby Fischer, Garry Kasparov, Anatoly Karpov, Jose Raoul Capablanca    15:45- What were the beginnings of the Chess in Slums program?  Mentioned: Chess in Slums’ Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/chessinslums/?igshid=zmqk3bq3d52e Here is a tweet with the story of the girl named Basirat  https://twitter.com/Tunde_OD/status/1265289693731721216?s=20 Facebook page here- https://www.facebook.com/pg/chessinslums/posts/   27:45- How do the kids in the slums respond to chess?    31:30-  Perpetual Chess is proud to be brought to you in part by Chessable.com. They are having a big sale this week, to check out what's available, you can go here: Chess Courses Online - For All Levels in all - Chessable.com 32:00- Tunde discusses Chess.com/Chesskid’s sponsorship of Chess in the Slums.  Mentioned: Carey Fan, University of California, The Chess in Slums Go Fund Me link is here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/chess-education-in-africa?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf%20share-flow-1&   40:30-  Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessmood.com!  Check out Chessmood’s blog here:  https://chessmood.com/blog  and check out their YouTube, featuring Lessons with a Grandmaster here: https://www.youtube.com/c/ChessMood 40:30-Tunde explains a bit about how the Nigerian school system works, and about the living situation for himself and the local kids.    48:00- Is a chess culture taking hold in Nigeria?    51:30- We talk a bit about Tunde's own blitz game. Mentioned: Perpetual Chess Episode 42 with James Altucher, IM Eric Rosen, GM Simon Williams (Ginger GM), GInger GM’s Iron English course:    https://www.chessable.com/the-iron-english-botvinnik-variation/course/50500/ Here is Tunde’s Lichess account: https://lichess.org/@/giftedhandz   58:00 Thanks so much to Tunde for joining the show, and for the work that he is doing! Please support Chess in Slums if you are able.  Here is all the contact info you need: The Chess in Slums Go Fund Me link is here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/chess-education-in-africa?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf%20share-flow-1& Twitter- https://twitter.com/Tunde_OD Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/chessinslums/?igshid=zmqk3bq3d52e Facebook-  https://www.facebook.com/pg/chessinslums/posts/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After a one month hiatus, Chess Books Recaptured is back to discuss two chess books, Grandmaster Igor Zaitsev’s Attacking the Strongpoint, and GM John Nunn’s Secrets of Practical Chess. The guest co-host this month is a regular visitor of the show, cognitive scientist and USCF Master Christopher Chabris. As we discuss, these books tackle chess study from opposite perspectives, as GM Zaitsev’s book has a very philosophical tone, while GM Nunn’s classic lives up to its promise of giving lots of practical advice for chess competitors. Of course, there is much to be learned from both books, and it is always a pleasure to talk chess with Dr. Chabris. Please read on for more details and timestamps.  Click here to download the Episode  Episode 95 with Christopher Chabris  Episode 187 with Christopher Chabris  Book Recap: Think Like a Grandmaster by Kotov  Attacking the Strongpoint: The Philosophy of Chess by GM Igor Zaitsev  Secrets of Practical Chess by GM John Nunn   0:00- How did we choose these two books? Mentioned: GM Anatoly Karpov, IM Mark Dvoretsky, GM Jacob Aagaard  08:00- We break down Attacking the Strongpoint including its title origins, highlights and weaknesses.   16:00 -Perpetual Chess is proud to be brought to you in part by Chessable.com. They are having a big sale this week, to check out what's available, you can go here: Chess Courses Online - For All Levels in all - Chessable.com 17:00- Sample quotes from the book  Mentioned: Steinitz-von Bardeleben 1895, Capablanca-Tartakower 1924, GM Genna Sosonko   30:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com  31:00- What can we learn from Secrets of Practical Chess? Mentioned: Secrets of Grandmaster Chess, Understanding Chess Move by Move, Beating the Siclian, Alexander Kotov’s Think Like a Grandmaster  , Episode 8 with GM Sam Shankland , Andersson-Mestel 1982  IM John Watson’s The Week in Chess review of Secrets of Practical Chess is here: https://theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/three-improvement-books Dr. Patzer’s Review of Secrets of Practical Chess: https://patzersreview.blogspot.com/2020/01/nunns-secrets.html Book Recap Podcast of Woodpecker Method and Rapid Chess Improvement with Neal Bruce: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/book-recap-woodpecker-method-rapid-chess-improvement/id1185023674?i=1000471766064 Nikolaos Ntirlis (Quality Chess Author)   1:13:30- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessmood.com!  Check out Chessmood’s blog here:  https://chessmood.com/blog  and check out their YouTube, featuring Lessons with a Grandmaster here: https://www.youtube.com/c/ChessMood 1:13:45- We summarize our thoughts on Secrets of Practical Chess and get a quick update on Christopher and his son’s latest chess studies.  Mentioned: Chess Middlegames by Laszlo Polgar, GM Jan Markos, GM Michael Adams  1:26:00- Thanks as always to Christopher Chabris for helping out. You can check out his website here: chabris.com  This month’s donation will go to Washington International Chess Tournament, more info here: https://www.mdchess.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=featured&Itemid=49 1:27:00-  Blindfold puzzle #1-  d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e3 b5 4. a4 c6 5. axb5 cxb5 What move did Greco play to make his opponent resign?  (Answer shown in game link)  Blindfold puzzle #2-  d4 Nf6 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 Ne4 4. Nf3 d6 5. exd6 Bxd6 6. g3?? Black to play and win material  (Answer shown in game link)    If you would like to help support the podcast, you can do so here: Donate — The Perpetual Chess Podcast     See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

GM Max Illingworth is one of Australia’s top players and is the 2 time national Australian Champion among other distinctions. in recent years, Max has shifted his focus from competing to training. His work ethic has evident, as in the last years ce co-authored the book, Dismantling the Sicilian, contributes actively on Facebook chess forums, and has launched his own training site, Illingworth Chess Academy. In our interview, we dive deep into the topic of chess improvement, and Max provides a lot of good insights about how he became so strong at tournament chess, blitz chess, and even the chess variant called Crazyhouse! Please read on for all of the details and timestamps.    0:00- We begin by discussing Max’s approach to adapting the right mindset for chess.   Mentioned: Facebook Chess Endgame Studies and Composition Group, IM Cyrus Lakdawala, Chess Improvement: Its All in the Mindset, 8:30- Max discusses his affinity for a chess variant called Crazyhouse 10:30- What did Max do to raise his online blitz rating from 2800 to 2950?  13:50- What should non GMs do to improve their blitz ratings, and their games generally? Mentioned: Max Illingworth interview with Bryan Castro:  http://www.betterchesstraining.com/2019/05/gm-max-illingworth.html The Woodpecker Method , CT-Art   23:45-Perpetual Chess is proud to be brought to you in part by Chessable.com. They are having a big sale this week, to check out what's available, you can go here: Chess Courses Online - For All Levels in all - Chessable.com   24:30- Patreon mailbag question: “What advice do you have for one who wants to start solving endgame studies but finds most of them too difficult?”  Mentioned: Philip Stamma Endgame Studies, Say Chess’ Blindfold Endgame Trainer is here: https://saychessblog.com/blindfold-endgame-puzzles/   31:00- Another mailbag question: “What advice does Max have for club players on how to learn to evaluate positions?” Mentioned:  Simple Chess, Podcast recapping Simple Chess    39:00- One more Patreon mailbag question: “How can one learn to assess one’s own strengths and weaknesses?”  Mentioned: Openingtree.com, Aimchess.com    42:30- What Chessbooks does Max recommend?  Mentioned: Logical Chess Move by Move, My System, Art of Attack in Chess, The Complete Chess Swindler by GM David Smerdon    47:30- Max tells the story of the moment that his competitive fire for chess was ignited.  Mentioned: GM Yasser Seirawan, GM Ian Rogers, GM Darryl Johansen, IM John Paul Wallace    52:30- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessmood.com!  Check out Chessmood’s blog is here:  https://chessmood.com/blog  and check out their YouTube, featuring Lessons with a Grandmaster here: https://www.youtube.com/c/ChessMood   53:00- Patreon question: “What advice does Max have for pursuing goals?”  Mentioned: Episode 215 with Vishnu Sreekumar  57:00- How has Max been impacted by legendary Australian players Cecil Purdy and GM Ian Rogers?  Mentioned: Chess Fundamentals by Jose Raoul Capablanca, IM Andras Toth, Van Perlo’s Endgame Tactics, IM Stephan Solomon    1:05:00- In closing, Max shares a few of his interests away from the board.?    1:09:00- Thanks to Max for joining the show! Here are the best ways to keep up with him. Web page- Illingworth Chess Academy Facebook- Max Illingworth | Facebook If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here: Ben Johnson is creating Perpetual Chess Podcast | Patreon   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week’s podcast is a special feature that includes three different IM guests who are working to attain the Grandmaster title! My guests are popular commentator, IM Lawrence Trent, 9-time Minnesota State Champion IM Sean Nagle, and Hungary-based chess trainer, IM Attila Turzo. These guests have very different backgrounds, chess distances to travel and life situations, but they all share the common goal of wanting to earn the highest title in chess. Why is it important to them? What do they need to improve in order to climb this final steep step? What will their study routines entail? I know that many of you will also be pursuing new chess milestones and goals post-pandemic, so I hope that you find some good advice and inspiration in these 3 interviews! Please read on for more details and timestamps for each interview.  For complete show notes and links, please go to the webpage:Episode 217- "IM to GM" special episode with IMs Lawrence Trent, Sean Nagle, and Attila Turzo 0:00- Intro Mentioned: IM Kostya Kavutskiy, IM Eric Rosen, IM Kassa Korley, IM John Bartholomew, IM Greg Shahade, IM Abimanyu Mishru, IM Christopher Yoo, IM Carissa Yip  5:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by HotSaucery.co You should try some of their delicious hot sauces. Use the promo code PERPETUAL to save 10%. You can Follow them on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/hot.saucery/  6:00- IM Lawrence Trent joins the show! Lawrence is a frequent and popular chess commentator, streamer and content creator. He has served as the manager for his friend GM Fabiano Caruana, and was one of the co-hosts of the original chess podcast, The Full English Breakfast, with Macauley Peterson, GM Stephen Gordon, and GM Simon Williams. He joins us to share his reasons for deciding that now is the time for him to pursue his last GM norm and the 100 FIDE points that he requires to earn the GM title. Thanks to Lawrence for joining the show.   45:50- IM Sean Nagle joins the show. Sean is a Minnesota based Corporate and Securities Attorney, 9-time Minnesota State Chess Champion,husband, and dad of 3 kids. 1:30:30- IM Attila Turzo joins the show.   Here is how you can contact him and track his quest: Twitch- https://www.twitch.tv/attilaturzo Twitter- https://twitter.com/AttilaTurzo?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCezDjmS_25xjLYi8_jLAWeA First Saturday Tournament- http://www.firstsaturday.hu/2012/index.htm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices