Perpetual Chess Podcast

Avetik Grigoryan is an Armenian grandmaster and chess trainer, who is also the founder and lead instructor of Chessmood.com. Chessmood is a subscription based educational chess site that offers a large library of instructive videos, covering all phases of a chess game. Avetik has a team of grandmasters working with him on the site, who also answer member questions, stream shows, and write articles. In our conversation, Avetik shares his vision for chessmood, gives some  improvement tips and book recommendations, and tells some great stories of a few key moments in his life that changed his perspective about life and about chess. It was a fun and wide ranging conversation. Please read on for more details and timestamps.  0:00- We begin by discussing a bit about the background of Chessmood, and the day-to-day life of running Chessmood.com and generating tons of videos related to all phases of the chess game.    07:30- What issues does Avetik see in the students he works with through Chessmood.com?   13:00- GM Kevin Goh’s recent Perpetual Chess Interview (Episode 184) really resonated with listeners, and in the interview Kevin gave Avetik a lot of credit for helping him attain the grandmaster title. What is Avetik’s perspective on Kevin’s accomplishments?  Mentioned: Kevin Goh on Perpetual Chess- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-184-gm-kevin-goh-adult-improver-series/id1185023674?i=1000483159400   19:00- What type of material is available on Chessmood?  Mentioned: GM Ulf Andersson, GM Vassily Smyslov, GM Akiba Rubinstein , The Scotch Game, The Benko Gambit, The Maroczy Bind, The London System, The Open Sicilian, Caro Kann, The Grand Prix Attack, The King’s Gambit    28:30- Avetik answers a Patreon mailbag question about whether Chessmood will be covering 1. d4 in addition to 1. e4, This leads to a general discussion about its philosophy regarding course design.  Mentioned: The Benko Gambit, The Scotch Game   34:00- Perpetual Chess is proud to be sponsored in part by Chessable.com. They are releasing new courses practically every day, including a new course on the Chebanenko Slav, and GM Anish Giri on the French Defense. Check out their latest offerings here:  https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/   35:00- Avetik tells the story of how a taxi ride as a teenager changed his life, and then discusses the chess culture and general lifestyle in his native Armenia.  Mentioned: WGM Tatev Abrahamyan, GM Melik Khachiyan, GM Levon Aronian, GM Tigran Petrosian, GM Alex Colovic interview with Avetik-https://www.alexcolovic.com/2020/01/interview-with-gm-avetik-grigoryan/   42:30- Why did GM Grigoryan transition from focusing on OTB competitive chess to training?  Mentioned: GM Patrick Wolff, GM Viswanthan Anand, GM Hrant Melkumyan, Anand-Grigoryan 2011   51:00- Avetik answers a question from the Patreon mailbag about what it was like to play at the St. Louis Chess Club, and whether he would do so again despite being partially retired from competitive chess.    56:30- What did Avetik study when he was working to achieve the grandmaster rating? What does he recommend?  Mentioned: GM Zaven Andriasian, IM Mark Dvoretsky, Gelfand’s My Most Memorable Games, GM Vladimir Akopian   1:03:00- How should we divide our chess study time? Once your opening repertoire is decent, Avetik recommends dividing study time evenly between openings and tactics.  GM Daniel Naroditsky    1:08:00- Is it true that Avetik is a Kung Fu GM? What other interests does he have outside of chess?  Way of the Peaceful Warrior, IM Josh Waitzkin’s The Art of Learning, Tools of Titans, Arnold Schwarzenegger, IM Sagar Shah of Chessbase India     1:15:00- Thanks so much to Avetik for coming on the show! Here is how to reach him: Chessmood.com Avetik’s Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=avetik%20gm%20grigoryan If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This month on Chess Books Recaptured, guest co-host Jerry Wells and I do a deep dive on the topic of Blindfold Chess. Jerry is an Arkansas-based school teacher, chess coach, and dedicated adult improver who has emphasized blindfold chess in his study regimen. The first half of the show is devoted to discussing the definitive work on blindfold chess, called Blindfold Chess, History, Psychology, Techniques, Champions, World Records, and Important Games. The book is by NM Eliot Hearst and John Knott, and it was clearly a labor of love from two passionate chess enthusiasts. Following our conversation about this detailed historical tome, Jerry and I summarize and share many other resources you all can check out if you are interested in improving your own blindfold and visualization skills. We’ve got lots of detailed links and show notes for this one, so please read on to find them along with timestamps.  0:00- We begin by learning a bit about the background of our guest co-host, Jerry Wells, and about why he was interested in the book Blindfold Chess, History, Psychology, Techniques, Champions, World Records, and Important Games, by Eliot Hearst and John Knott, and why he has worked on his own blindfold game.  Mentioned: Perpetual Chess 191 with GM Daniel Naroditsky, Link for forthcoming blindfold study book by Martin Justesen: https://saychessblog.com/100-blindfold-endgame-studies/ 10:30- As we discuss, Blindfold Chess is primarily available in paperback from Macfarland Publishing. There are no e-books available.  Mentioned: GM Richard Reti, GM George Koltanowski  12:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. One way to work on your visualization skills is through Chessable’s excellent, Visualize series by Benedictine. Check it out here: https://www.chessable.com/visualise-1/course/25695/ 13:00- We read the opening paragraphs of the book and dive into its contents.  Mentioned: GM Alexander Alekhine, Alfred Binet, Harry Pillsbury, GM Timur Garyev, GM Andy Soltis, John Knott’s essay on Timur Garyev’s Blindfold Simul Record: https://www.blindfoldchess.net/blog/2017/07/timur-gareyev-and-blindfold-chess . NM Christopher Chabris, Andre Philidor, Lionel Kieseritzky, Louis Paulson, Paul Morphy, Joseph Blackburne, Johannes Zukertort, GM Patrick Wolff  31:00-  A recurring question in the book is whether or not performing many blindfold simuls can drive you insane? What did the authors conclude?  Mentioned: Harry Pillsbury George Koltanowski  35:30- We discuss a few of the other notable players mentioned in the book.  Mentioned: GM Miguel Najdorf, GM Ken Rogoff, The simul Polgars, GM Robert Hungaski  40:00- We answer a Patreon mailbag question about the ranking of  George Koltanowski in the pantheon of blindfold players throughout chess history.  Mentioned: GM Hans Ree, GM Erich Eliskases  48:30- We discuss part 2 of the book, which synthesizes a lot of the research available regarding how chess players learn, and whether they have superior memories, etc.  Mentioned: NM Christopher Chabris, The Melody Amber Blindfold Tournaments: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amber_chess_tournament, GM Peter Svidler, GM Vasyl Ivanchuk, GM Aman Hambleton  56:30- We share a few of our favorite quotes from the book.  Mentioned: GM Richard Reti, GM Reuben Fine. GM Alexander Alekhine  1:03:00- We briefly discuss a few of the highlight games from the book.  Mentioned: Alekhine-Schwartz 1926- https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1012453 Koltanowski-Burnett 1937- https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1080667 The Polgar game Jerry mentions is not available online. :(  1:05:00 What blindfold-playing tips are shared within the book?  Mentioned: George Koltanowski, Branco Tchabritch, GM Anthony Miles, IM John Watson 1:11:00- We synthesize a lot of Blindfold Tips from other chess books and other resources.  Here are the resources we discuss:  Improve Your Chess Now by GM Jonathan Tisdall  Noir Chess- http://www.noirchess.com/ Chessvis- https://www.chessvis.com/ IM Danny Rensch’s- Achieving Full Board Awareness and Nivana videos- https://www.chess.com/video/player/achieving-full-board-awareness https://www.chess.com/video/player/achieving-full-board-nirvana Chess Steps Thinking Ahead Volume 2-  https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Chess-Thinking-Chess-Steps-Stappenmethode/dp/9077275991 Visualize 1 on Chessable by Benedictine- https://www.chessable.com/visualise-1/course/25695/ ChessFox Visualwize- https://chessfox.com/discover-visualwize/ NM Elliott Neff’s Step by Step Blindfold Tips- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4U336yifjg NM Elliott Neff on Perpetual Chess- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-94-uscf-master-and-author-elliott-neff/id1185023674?i=1000420893461 Blindfold Chess Podcast-  https://open.spotify.com/show/28ktA1QA3CDeVlsmqyBNjU?si=-xR-VwdQSE2p3ostg_B60g 1:28:00- Thanks so much to Jerry Wells for suggesting this great topic and preparing so much. You can follow him twitter here: https://twitter.com/jerrywaynewells And thanks to his suggestion of another donation to Books Through Bars: http://booksthroughbars.org/ 1:31:00- Blindfold Puzzle Time!   (from Chess steps thinking ahead)- 1. E4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nf3 c5 4. d5 Nc6 5. ? Answer in link  https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=i/SeZIPEV+zgh1vQyYxcsHPf4zRuWjC/BEK3DPMwAJMLK3ZaqBz4oIh/i6Lj2FcH Mate in 2 from Chess Steps vol. 3) White: pawn on a5, queen on h1, King on c5 Black: King on a7, White to move and mate in 2 Puzzle here- https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=i/SeZIPEV+zgh1vQyYxcsPBGfWNYaw1qv8rv75i7wdqAgWRjQ5ZJJsHKak3PbZpn Solution here-  https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=i/SeZIPEV+zgh1vQyYxcsAPaHMPl3f4XVKuYmauWUmXuob4BDxSjxMtMPOQGmvN7 Pillsbury- BVD Dixon, 1900, Blindfold Simul- what move did Pillsbury “overlook” on move 10 for Black  [Event "Pillsbury blindfold sim"] [Site "New Orleans"] [Date "1900.03.08"] [Round "?"] [White "Pillsbury, Harry Nelson"] [Black "Dixon, B."] [Result "0-1"] e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bc5 5. O-O O-O 6. Nxe5 Qe7 7. Nxc6 dxc6 Bd3 Qe5 9. h3 Bxh3 10. gxh3  What move did Pillsbury “overlook” on move 10 for Black?  Game link with conclusion here…  https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=c57YHXax2Ne7ie/drf4LwuRfIo9w1v+xHVLGC+AXsXkMMdtS+IPivvhL+brTDBwn Thanks for listening everyone! If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

24 year old GM Daniel “Danya” Naroditsky is one of the top players in the US, and won many scholastic titles in his career, including the 2007 World Under 12 Championship. He also has written two chess books, and graduated last year from Stanford University with a degree in history. Since graduating, Danya has relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina and turned his attention to chess full time. Aside from his classical chess accomplishments, Danya is making a name for himself as an entertaining and insightful Chess.com announcer, Twitch Streamer and Youtube presenter. GM Naroditsky is especially talented at fast chess, and has had many blitz and bullet battles with the likes of GM Magnus Carlsen, GM Alireza Firouzja and GM Andrew Tang. Danya sometimes wins and sometimes loses these matches, but the results are always entertaining. In our interview,  we discuss Danya’s many roles in the chess world, and Danya also provides the usual helping of chess improvement talk and entertaining stories. Please read on for more details and timestamps.  0:00- We begin by discussing GM Daniel Naroditsky’s favorite Perpetual Chess interviews and the recent dramatic conclusion to Chess24's Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour Mentioned: Perpetual Chess Episode 46 with IM John Watson, Perpetual Chess Episode 190  with Andrew Zinn, GM Magnus Carlsen, GM Hikaru Nakamura     7:30- I love watching Danya play blitz, so I had to ask him about his rise up the ranks, and his battles with the likes of Magnus Carlsen, Andrew Tang and other great bullet and blitz players.  Mentioned: Mechanics Institute Chess Club in San Francisco, IM John Donaldson    14:00- Our conversation segues into Danya’s practical advice for improving at fast chess, expanding on a great series he wrote for Chess.com, starting with The Blitz Chess Manifesto: https://www.chess.com/article/view/the-blitz-chess-manifesto Mentioned: How to be Lucky in Chess: The Swindle, GM Hikaru Nakamura, GM Alireza Firouzja   24:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Chessable  is constantly releasing new courses utilizing its MoveTrainer technology. It helps players assimilate patterns and learn opening lines efficiently. One of their latest is  a brand new course on the French by Super GM Anish Giri. Check out a free mini-course on it here: https://www.chessable.com/short-sweet-french-defense/course/48354/    24:30- We delve more into Danya’s blitz escapades including some great stories of his first encounters with Magnus Carlsen in online blitz.  Mentioned: Limitless,  Daniel’s YouTube Video- One of My Best Wins Against the World Champion:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9rd97X9Too   34:45- How could Danya get better at fast chess? What could he do to crack 2700 ELO at Classical Chess?  Mentioned: GM Lev Psakhis, FIDE World Cup    44:00- Despite Danya’s success with multiple chess platforms, chess teaching remains his #1 passion? Why? And what are the pros and cons of streaming?  Mentioned: IM Levy Rozman    55:00- a Patreon supporter of the podcast writes in to ask Danya to discuss a story he had heard about Danya’s taking  tons of notes about his games when he was a child. If you are interested in supporting Perpetual Chess and submitting questions for upcoming guests, you can find out more here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate Mentioned: Mastering Positional Chess, Mastering Complex Endgames  1:01:30- Danya tells a great story of a personal encounter, as a promising young chess player,  with Garry Kasparov.  Then he names a few of his favorite books.  Learn from the Legends, Zurich 1953, My 60 Memorable Games, Capablanca’s Chess Primer, IM John Donaldson    1:04:30- We talk chess improvement, as I ask Danya the age old question of how to manage chess study time.  Mentioned: The Best Move    1:07:30- GM Naroditsky answers a Patreon mailbag question regarding whether he enjoys announcing scholastic tournaments, and how the presentation of these events could be improved.  Mentioned: GM Robert Hess, Chess.com’s “I am Not a GM tournament”   1:11:00- Why are all these Chess Twitch stars so good at chess impersonations? Here is Danya doing GM Yasser Seirawan and GM Garry Kasparov  Mentioned: IM Levy Rozman, GM Aman Hambleton, GM Alexander Grischuk   1:14:00- Why did Daniel relocate to Charlotte, and how is life there? Mentioned: FM Peter Giannatos, Charlotte Chess Center and Scholastic Academy, Charlotte Chess Center Summer 2020 Norm Invitationals    1:19:00- Thanks so much to GM Naroditsky for his insights, impersonations and fun stories. Here is how to keep up with him: His Website- http://danielnaroditskychess.com/Home.html YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHP9CdeguNUI-_nBv_UXBhw Twitch-https://www.twitch.tv/GMNaroditsky Twitter-https://twitter.com/gmnaroditsky?lang=en      See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Andrew Zinn is a 29 year old Mathematics graduate student who also works in the finance industry . Despite his busy career, Andrew managed to take his USCF rating from 1567 to 2027 in the two years leading up to the coronavirus shutdown. How did he do it? As Andrew tells us, he has an approach based on playing lots of tournament chess, reading classic chess books, and really focusing on improving his visualization skills. Of course, there is more to Andrew’s approach than that, as you will hear in the interview.  Andrew has much to say about what contributed to his remarkable rating leap. Please read on for more details and timestamps.  0:00- Andrew tells the story of his discovery of chess as a kid, and his rediscovery of the game in recent years. As Andrew explains it, his approach has changed a lot as an adult.  Mentioned: GM Alex Shabalov, NM Jerry Meyers, Richard James, GM Magnus Carlsen   09:45- Andrew is also an adult improver as a piano player. How did learning piano as an adult inform his chess learning?  Mentioned: Chess by Laszlo Polgar, Blindfold Chess: History, Psychology, Techniques, Champions, World Records, and Important Games, Pillsbury, Alekhine, Lasker’s Manual of Chess, The Ideas Behind the Chess Openings by Reuben Fine      22:30- A supporter of the podcast asks Andrew what classical player he most likes to study.  Mentioned: Masters of the Chessboard by Richard Reti, GM Alexander Alekhine   25:30- We discuss tournament chess. Andrew discusses how often he played competitively,  and answers a Patreon mailbag question about his approach to analyzing those games.  Mentioned: Marshall Chess Club  Mentioned: GM Jesse Kraai    34:00- How much time per week has Andrew been devoting to chess?    37:30- Chessable is out with another new course by none other than World Champion Magnus Carlsen. Like all of Chessable’s courses, it utilizes spaced repetition to make sure you remember what you learn. Check it out here: https://www.chessable.com/the-magnus-touch-endgame/course/42361/   38:00- What has Andrew done to improve his chess visualization abilities?  Mentioned: Think Like a Grandmaster by GM Alexander Kotov, IM John Donaldson, GM Jacob Aagaard, Chess Books Recaptured discussing Think Like a Grandmaster with NM Christopher Chabris. https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2020/2/21/bonus-pod-chess-books-recaptured-discussing-think-like-a-grandmaster-with-nm-christopher-chabris   44:00- Andrew answers one more Patreon question about which training technique he thinks has given him the best return on time invested.  Mentioned: Zurich International Chess Tournament, 1953   52:00- What is Andrew’s approach to studying openings?    54:30- What about endgames?  Mentioned: Chess Endgames by Laszlo Polgar    57:00- In closing, Andrew discusses his future plans for chess as his life continues to get busier. You can keep up with Andrew via Lichess: https://lichess.org/@/Andrew_Zinn or you can email  him via email at zinn.andrew.m at gmail.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Two-time US Chess Champion GM Patrick Wolff retired from competitive chess in 1998 and has led a busy life away from the board. He is married with two kids, and has had a successful career in the hedge fund industry. Nonetheless, Patrick shares, he still thinks about chess “all the time,” and he follows top level chess whenever he can. On the topic of top level chess, in the 1990’s Patrick had a ringside seat to World Championship Level chess, as he was a member of young Viswanthan Anand’s inner circle. Patrick wrote a great book about these experiences, Kasparov vs. Anand, The Inside Story, and shares some vivid recollections from observing the historic 1995 World Championship up close. Patrick is also the author of the popular series, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Chess (newly updated with the title, Learn to Play Chess Like a Boss.) As his unique background might suggest, Patrick is full of insights and ideas about the past and future of chess, artificial intelligence in chess, and the ways that chess could potentially be promoted differently to increase its popularity even more.I greatly enjoyed our conversation, and I think you will too! More details and timestamps can be found below.  0:00- We begin by talking about GM Wolff’s current relationship with chess. Despite being retired from competitive chess for decades, a day doesn’t go by during which Patrick  doesn’t think about chess, and he has had periodic binges of internet blitz addiction, which ultimately leave him unsatisfied.  Mentioned: Chess24, Chess.com, GM Viswanathan Anand, Internet Chess Club, Christopher Chabris, GM Viktor Korchnoi. GM Vassily Smyslov, Anand-Wolff 1984   9:00- Patrick dives deeper into his working and professional relationship with GM Viswanathan Anand. He worked on his team for a few key matches, including his world championship match with Kasparov.  Mentioned: PDF link for Kasparov vs. Anand, The Inside Story- here: http://chabris.com/pub/Wolff/index.html , GM Vasyl Ivanchuk, GM Boris Gelfand, Tim Henke, American Chess Journal featuring GM Wolff’s article about the 1992 Anand-Ivanchuk match can be read here: http://chabris.com/pub/acj/1/AmericanChessJournalPremiereIssue.pdf, Luis Rentero, Ivanchuk-Anand 1992    21:00- Patrick walks us through his decision to pursue a career outside of chess.  Mentioned: IM Stuart Rachels, American Gambit documentary (not “American Grandmaster”, as I called it in the show)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYoEvvYi3YI   27:00- We return to the topic of GM Viswanathan Anand, as Patrick reflects on working on his team for the 1995 World Championship Match against Kasparov. Mentioned: GM Elizbar Ubilava, GM Jonathan Speelman, GM Artur Yusopov, Anand-Kasparov Game 11: https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1018626, GM Vladimir Kramnik    39:00- Chessable has many great ways to study the World Champions, including a brand new Free Endgame Course from World Champion, GM Magnus Carlsen. You can get it here: https://www.chessable.com/the-magnus-touch-free-endgame-lesson/course/48079/   40:00- Patrick has a keen interest in the use of AI in chess and took this opportunity to expand here on a great lecture he gave regarding the topic at the St. Louis Chess Club. (Talk here- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oc6ePHTsqn0)  Mentioned: AlphaZero, Leela, Learn to Play Chess Like a Boss, IM David Levy, Deep Thought, GM Walter Browne, GM Alex Fishbein, Deep Blue, Hydra, GM Michael Adams,     47:30- We are all enjoying the recent online chess boom, but Patrick shared some fascinating ideas for ways to promote online chess even more. Mentioned: 2015 Patrick Wolff interview with GM Maurice Ashley: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQgJO_bMZcQ,  Chess24.com, CHess.com , GM Yasser Seirawan, GM Peter Svidler, IM Greg Shahade  Professional Chess Association,    1:02:30- Patrick answers a question from the Patreon mailbag about which skills as a chess player have helped his career in finance, and then tells some stories about how chess has intersected with his professional life.  Mentioned: Emanuel Lasker, Peter Thiel, Warren Buffett, Charlie Munger    1:09:30- Patrick shares a few tips from his experiences doing blindfold chess exhibitions.  Mentioned: GM Michael Wilder, GM Kenneth Rogoff, Peter Thiel    1:12:30- My 60 Memorable Games by Bobby Fischer was a formative book for Patrick. He discusses the reasons for its powerful impact and gives a few other book and improvement recommendations.  Mentioned: Wolff-Rachels 1992, Fischer-Trifunovich, R. Byrne-Fischer, Pawn Structure Chess, Art of Defense in Chess, The Art of Attack in Chess, which is also available from Chessable,  Alexander Alekhine. Mikhail Botvinnik, Mikhail Tal, Zurich 1953   1:21:00- Patrick answers another listener question relating to whether he will ever write a chess book for intermediate players.    1:25:00- Thanks to Patrick for sharing his experiences! If you would like to reach him his email is: Patrick at grandmastercap.com  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

S.P. Sethuraman is a Grandmaster and Author based in Chennai, India. GM Sethuraman is known as a dynamic and well-prepared player, and he has earned lofty titles such as the 2016 Asian Chess Champion and the 2014 National Champion of India among many others. He has now put his formidable opening knowledge to use by publishing a new book with Thinker’s Publishing. Beat the Najdorf and Taimanov Sicilians. It offers sharp lines against two of the more popular Sicilian variations. We discuss this book, as well as topics ranging from the life of a traveling chess pro during quarantine, to the highs and lows of his career, to why chess players should practice yoga and meditation.   I also enjoyed our usual discussion of chess books, chess engines, chess improvement and more. As always, please read on for more details and timestamps.   0:00- We begin by discussing how coronavirus is impacting India and GM Sethuraman, and he discusses his new book, Beat the Najdorf and Taimanov Siclians   Mentioned: GM Viswanathan Anand, GM R.B. Ramesh, Geert van der Velde of Chessable, Archangel Variation of the Ruy Lopez, Sicilian Najdorf, Siclian Taimanov, Daniel Vanheirzeele of Thinker’s Publishing, Sethuraman-Giri FIDE World Cup 2017, Anand-Ding Liren 2020   11:30- Chennai is one of the strongest chess cities in the world with both established and up and coming GMs among its residents. GM Sethuraman discusses how chess has grown there and in India generally, and answers a Patreon mailbag question about whether he has picked up any new hobbies during the time he’s been stuck at home.   Mentioned: GM Baskaran Adhiban, GM Pragganandha, GM Aravindh Chatrambaram, GM Sasrikan, GM R.B. Ramesh , GM Surya Ganguly’s YouTube Channel, GM Wesley So, GM Vidit Gujrathi’s Twitch Channel, Chessbase India YouTube Channel    21:30- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. There are great courses for purchase as well as free of charge. One of the latest is GM Pascal Charbonneau’s free, Short and Sweet: Legendary Chess course. Check it out here: https://www.chessable.com/short-sweet-legendary-tactics/course/47106/   22:30- What did GM Sethuraman learn from training with GM R.B. Ramesh Mentioned: GM Jacob Aagaard, GM Sam Shankland, IM Stuart Rachels    29:00- What were GM Sethuraman’s toughest losses and most memorable victories? Mentioned: Le Quang Liem vs. Sethurman 2019, Wei Yi vs. Sethuraman 2016, Le Quang Liem vs. Ganguly 2016   32:00- GM Sethuraman tells a story about how seeing an interesting game, Karjakin-Anand 2006, ignited a fierce interest for him in opening theory and made an impression on his trainer, GM R.B. Ramesh.  Mentioned: GM R.B. Ramesh, https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1385670   36:00- What are GM Sethuraman’s recent preferred books and training methods? Mentioned: Python Strategy by Tigran Petrosian, Alekhine’s Greatest Games, Positional Decision Making in Chess by GM Boris Gelfand, Gata Kamsky: Chess Gamer, David Navara: My Chess World   40:45- How widely available and affordable are chess books in India? What is the “chess business” landscape like there? Mentioned: Chess.com India, Chessbase India, Chess24.com, 44:00- How would GM Sethuraman recommend that club players utilize engines?  GM Lawrence Kaufman, GM Erwin L’Ami, Stockfish, LeelaChessZero   49:00 GM Sethuraman takes a couple of questions from the chess Twitter community  Mentioned: IM Venkat Saravanan, Tal Chess Club in Chennai, Chessable   53:45- Thanks so much to GM Sethuraman for joining us. Keep up with him here: Twitter- https://twitter.com/sethuramanchess?lang=en Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/sethuramanchess/?hl=en Book via Thinker’s Publishing (with a link to a downloadable free preview)- https://thinkerspublishing.com/product/s-p-sethuraman-beat-the-najdorf-taimanov-sicilians/ Book via Forward Chess- https://forwardchess.com/product/beat-the-najdorf-and-taimanov-sicilians If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Christopher Chabris is a renowned cognitive scientist, and co-author (with Daniel Simons) of the best selling book, The Invisible Gorilla.  Long-time Perpetual Chess listeners will know that he is also a USCF Master, an adult-improver, and a chess dad, thus making him a great recurring guest.  Since we have been discussing the science of learning a lot in recent conversations, I thought it would be a great time to check back in with someone with specific domain knowledge. Christopher walks us through the latest in scientific research, as it pertains to learning. This includes explanations of spaced repetition and how aging effects chess skill. Christopher also shares some thoughts about ways that chess learning could be properly studied scientifically.   Of course, there was a lot more to discuss than just the science of learning, so Christopher and I also talked about the latest, greatest chess books, what he learned from an online camp with GM Jacob Aagaard. He also told a few more  fun stories from his many chess adventures. As always, keep reading for more information and timestamps.    0:00- Since Christopher is a frequent Perpetual Chess Listener, we begin by hearing his perspective on the recent chess improvement tips that have been shared on the show, especially as they relate to the science of learning.  Mentioned: Listen to Christopher’s prior Perpetual Chess interview here: https://podcasts.apple.com/jm/podcast/ep-95-uscf-master-cognitive-scientist-christopher-chabris/id1185023674?i=1000421410393 Also Mentioned: IM Erik Kislik    8:45- What do we really know for sure when it comes to chess learning?  Mentioned: Spaced repetition. Some of the information cited comes from a study by  Yana Weinstein, Christopher R. Madan, & Megan A. Sumeracki- Teaching the Science of Learning Christopher recommends this book for a general overview of the science of learning: https://www.amazon.com/Make-Stick-Science-Successful-Learning/dp/0674729013 GM Jacob Aagard, Perpetual Chess: Woodpecker Method book recap with Neal Bruce, Perpetual Chess Interview with NM Elijah Logozar, interleaving    20:30- Christopher tackles a couple of good Patreon mailbag questions relating to how one could conduct a study to test best practices in chess learning and how to correct any misconceptions that are cited about brain science in the chess world.   Mentioned: GM Jan Gustafsson, Malcolm Gladwell    33:00- What do scientists know about aging as it relates to brain function?    37:45- As always, Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. One of the many free courses that I like is GM Alex Colovic’s Short and Sweet: Queen’s Gambit Declined.    38:00- Christopher gives a “trip report” on an online chess camp he did with renowned trainer, GM Jacob Aagaard. Also mentioned: GM Leonid Shamkovich, NM Bruce Pandolfini, IM Erik Kislik    49:00- Christopher’s son is playing chess fairly actively, and gives an update on his progress.  Then he discusses the aspect of chess he is finding most challenging in his competitions these days, and how he is spending his study time. Mentioned: IM Jim Rizzitano, Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy   57:00- Christopher is an avid chess reader, so he gives a detailed update on some chess books he has recently enjoyed. Mentioned: Gambit App Books here: http://www.gambitbooks.com/webapp/appbooks.html, The Anand Files, The Road to Chess Improvement, Game Changer Improve Your Chess Now, Secrets of Practical Chess, GM Jonathan Rowson We also mentioned, but haven't yet read the following:  Think Like a Machine, GM Tukmakov ‘s Modern Chess Formula, The Powerful Impact of Engines   1:02:00- Christopher discusses some of the online leagues in which he has played and gives preparation tips as well as a general comparison of playing online compared to OTB. Mentioned: Lichess4545.com   1:16:30- Christopher was ready this time for the question of brushes with famous chess players! Mentioned: IM Dan Edelman, GM Anatoly Karpov, Deep Thought, GM Walter Browne, GM Patrick Wolff, GM Viswanathan Anand, Murray Campbell, GM Magnus Carlsen, GM Fabiano Caruana, Dan Smith, Twitter Chess Tournament    1:25:00- Thanks as always to Christopher for stopping by and sharing his knowledge and stories. Here is his info: Website-http://chabris.com/ Twitter- https://twitter.com/cfchabris   If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess you can do so here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this month’s edition of Chess Books Recaptured, I am joined by FM Donny Ariel to discuss one of the most acclaimed chess books of all time, Bobby Fischer’s My 60 Memorable Games.  This book, of course needs little introduction. It is a game compilation that covers the period 1957-1967, a stretch that saw Fischer ascend from talented teen to the world’s elite. The book has been mentioned as a favorite countless times on Perpetual Chess, and was a formative one for both Donny and me. My co-host, like Fischer, is a New York native, who used to frequent the Manhattan Chess Club, and has heard stories passed down about Fischer throughout his chess-playing life. When Donny is not helping me recap chess books, he is a bankruptcy lawyer with 2 young kids at home, so I greatly appreciate his taking the time to help with this project. As always, you can find lots more details and timestamps below, and embedded hyperlinks are on the podcast website here:  https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog 0:00- We begin by talking about Donny’s background, and about the long shadow that Fischer casts in New York City, where Donny lives.    Mentioned: Profile of a Prodigy by Frank Brady, GM Garry Kasparov on Fischer in the NY Review of the Books, GM Alex Fishbein, Fischer-Geller 1967, Fred Wilson books- https://www.fredwilsonchess.com/, The Art of Chess Analysis by GM Jan Timman, IM Kamran Shirazi, GM Larry Evans,    19:00- We share a few stories from those who had the experience of being alive when Fischer’s book came out in 1969. Mentioned: NM Fred Wilson, Richard Reich, GM William Lombady, Fischer-Gligoric Candidates 1959, Spassky-Fischer Game 1 1972    31:00- We discuss the available formats of the book. It is available on Kindle, but there it is not available on Chessable, Forward Chess or another e-book app that enables you to play through the moves. ,A LiChess study compilation here has all 60 games: https://lichess.org/study/fokh9Tmy,and Chessgames.com lists the games here: https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chesscollection?cid=1000498, GM Jesse Kraai    34:00- My Great Predecessors Part 4 by Garry Kasparov is largely about GM Bobby Fischer, and it is a great way to study his games. It is available with MoveTrainer technology on Chessable.com: https://www.chessable.com/my-great-predecessors-part-4/course/29726/   35:00- We read the introduction and then discuss the themes of the book a bit.  Mentioned: GM Larry Evans, GM Emanuel Lasker, NM Nick Conticello, Fischer-Lombardy 1960, GM Mark Taimanov, GM Bent Larsen, GM Tigran Petrosian, GM Peter Svidler    44:30- We share and discuss some of our favorite quotes from the book and talk about some of the most famous games. Mentioned: Fischer-Larsen 1958, Fischer-Larsen 1963/4, Agadmator’s Fischer-Botvinnik Recap, The Old Riddle of Fischer-Botvinnik by Karsten Muller for Chessbase.com, Botvinnik-Fischer brief YouTube footage, Szabo-Fischer 1960, Fischer-Tal 1961,Endgame by Frank Brady , Fischer-Lombardy 1960, Fischer-Bolbachan 1962, Walther-Fischer 1959, Fischer-Gligoric 1959   1:10:00- Why did he choose the title “My 60 Memorable Games?”  Fischer-Celle 1964, IM Anatoly Lein, IM Kostya Kavutskiy    1:17:00- Getting back to our favorite games, Fischer-Geller 1967 is another fascinating game, despite its being one of the 3 in the book that Fischer lost.  Mentioned: Fischer-Benko 1963, Pal Benko: My Life, Games and Compositions, GM Jan Gustaffson, Fischer-Najdorf 1962   1:29:00- What chess improvement lessons can we learn from My 60 Memorable Games? For what level student is it appropriate? Mentioned: GM Hikaru Nakamura,GM Jesse Kraai,  Logical Chess Move by Move, Zurich 1953   1:48:00- Thanks to FM Donny Ariel for helping out! Next month’s book recap will be Blindfold Chess: History, Psychology, Techniques, Champions, World Records, and Important Games By Eliot Hearst and John Knott  If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can so here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

35 year-old Grandmaster Erwin L’Ami has had quite a varied and interesting chess career thus far. He is one of the top players in the Netherlands, and has competed on every Dutch Olympiad team since 2006. He has had many impressive finishes in individal tournaments, including winning the 2015 Reykjavik Open. When not competing himself, Erwin is a highly respected opening theoretician, who has worked with former FIDE World Champion Veselin Topalov and currently works with perennial top 10 player, GM Anish Giri. All of this makes Erwin the perfect person to publish a Lifetime Repertoires course on the Caro-Kann defense for Chessable. In our conversation, we touch all aspects of his chess career. Topics included how he works with engines, the life of a traveling second, the 2020 FIDE Candidates, Anish Giri and Magnus’ Carlsen’s twitter banter, the latest in Caro-Kann theory, improvement advice,and the identity of his favorite player of all time. As you can imagine, there is lots to dig into! Show notes and timestamps can be found below:  0:00- We begin by chatting a bit about the Caro-Kann and about Erwin’s new course. Why was now a good time to do a course on the Caro-Kann? This also includes talk of what sort of engine use goes into top-level opening preparation generally.    Mentioned: Leela Chess Zero, Stockfish Open Source Engine, Setting up Engines in Chessbase Video with John Hartmann of US Chess- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_G-tvePe6Q, Jon Edwards, GM Viswanthan Anand   14:00- Erwin tells some stories about working with GM Veselin Topalov during his 2010 World Championship Match  Mind Master by GM Viswanthan Anand, The Anand Files by VIshwanathan Anand, Episode 177 with GM Peter Heine Nielsen   19:00- Should the format of the World Chess Championship be changed? Mentioned: Daryl Morey interview with GM Hikaru Nakamura- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prI_EEq6Xsc IM Greg Shahade, GM Magnus Carlsen, FIDE Candidates Tournament 2011   23:30- We talk about what it was like for GM Erwin L’Ami to travel to the 2020 FIDE Candidates tournament in Yekaterinburg, Russia and what he thinks of how the tournament was handled generally.  Mentioned: Perpetual Chess Episode 174 with GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov , GM Teimour Radjabov, GM Emil Sutovsky    33:00- GM Anish Giri has been showing great results in rapid and blitz chess lately. What is his secret to his improvement?  Mentioned: GM Ian Nepomniatchi, Chessable Masters 2020, GM Mikhail Botvinnik   41:00- We finally tackle the Girl-Carlsen “Twitter Beef!” Erwin answers two related questions from the Perpetual Chess Patreon mailbag! Mentioned:  IM Anna Rudolf   46:30- As always, Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable! Check out GM Erwin L’Ami’s Free Short and Sweet Caro Course here: https://www.chessable.com/short-sweet-the-caro-kann/course/45388/ Check out his comprehensive and impressive,  Lifetime Repertoire Caro-course here:  https://www.chessable.com/lifetime-repertoires-caro-kann/course/37366/   47:30- We talk about some of Erwin’s favorite chess books and a novel he has been enjoying.  Mentioned: On the Origin of Good Moves by IM Willy Hendriks, Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann, My Great Predecessors, GM Jacob Aagaard, Game Changer by GM Mathew Sadler and WIM Natasha Regan    54:00- What is GM Erwin L’Ami’s Best Chess Improvement Advice?  Mentioned: GM Peter Svidler    59:00- Erwin tells the story of being in attendance while Garry Kasparov, his favorite player,  played one of his most famous games, vs. GM Veselin Topalov in Wijk an Zee in 1999.  Mentioned: Test of Time by GM Garry Kasparov   1:02:00- A Patreon supporter of the podcast asks about the role that body language plays in top level chess.  Mentioned: GM Viswanthan Anand, GM Michael Adams, IM Stuart Rachels’ The Best I Saw in Chess, see Chess24’s coverage of Magnus’ 2014 blunder against Anand, here:  https://chess24.com/en/read/news/carlsen-blunders-but-wins-game-6-video-recap   1:08:00- Erwin briefly discusses what it was like to be the student of famed trainer GM Vladimir Chuchelov, who has also worked with GMs Caruana and Anand.    1:10:00- What is life on the road like  for the second of a top 10 player?  Mentioned: GM Max Euwe, GM Jan Timman, IM Alina L’Ami, Jeroen Van Den Berg, organizer of Tata Steel Chess    1:20:00- We bring it back to the Caro-Kann, and Erwin answers some questions, including one from a Patreon supporter, relating to the theoretical state of the Caro Kann defense.  Mentioned: Panov-Botvinnik attack, Shirov variation, Short variation of the Advanced Caro  Mentioned: GM Danil Dubov, GM Alireza Firouzja, GM Vladislav Artemiev, GM Jan Gustafsson    1:28:00- Thanks to GM Erwin L’Ami for an insightful and enjoyable interview.  Get his Caro-Kann Chessable course here: https://www.chessable.com/lifetime-repertoires-caro-kann/course/37366/ Follow him on Twitter here:  https://twitter.com/erwinlami?lang=en   If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1993 IM Stuart Rachels was one of the top young chess players in the United States. He was the winner of  the U.S. Junior Championship in 1988, was United States co-champion in 1989-1990, and had played casual and tournament games with the likes of GM Garry Kasparov, GM Viswanathan Anand, GM Boris Spassky, and many others. So why did he decide to hang up the chessboard when he pursued a doctorate in philosophy? Stu answers this question in our interview, as well as discussing a few of the highlights from his great new book The Best I Saw in Chess. In the book, he tells some amazing stories and provides high level analysis of his many memorable chess skirmishes. In our conversation, we talk about how this 8 year project came to be, as well as Stu's future plans related to the chess world.  Please keep reading for more details, links and timestamps.    IM Stuart Rachels    0:00- Stuart walks us through the eight- year process of writing this book   Mentioned: FM Dave Gertler, NM Kyle Therrell, GM Garry Kasparov    8:00- How did IM Rachels, as a young chess prodigy, get to play Garry Kasparov in 2 simuls?  Mentioned: American Gambit (Some videos have been removed, so you have to jump around YouTube to different excerpts to watch the whole thing, but here is part 1- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mh3zlmAG8x4 )   GM Alex Fishbein, GM Patick Wolff, Kudrin-Rachels 1989, GM Andy Soltis, GM John Nunn, FM Dave Gertler, My Great Predecessors, GM Yasser Seirawan    17:30- IM Rachels shares one of his many Yasser Seirawan stories, and shares a few more of his favorite memories from his life in chess.    Mentioned: IM John Donaldson, GM Samuel Reshevsky, GM Robert Byrne, GM Alexander Kotov, GM Miguel Najdorf, GM Boris Spassky, GM Tony Miles, GM Anatoly Karpov, Karpov-Miles 1980   25:00- GM Ben Finegold told me to ask Stu who he thinks is better, Kasparov or Carlsen? So I did!  Mentioned: Howard Stern, NM Dan Heisman, IM Vivek Rao, IM Jim Rizzitano, GM Patrick Wolff    33:00- My Great Predecessors Part 5 is now available on Chessable! Get it here: https://www.chessable.com/my-great-predecessors-part-5/course/34892/   34:00- We dive into the Perpetual Chess Patreon mailbag. Why did Stu decide to retire from tournament chess after so much success?   Mentioned: IM Vivek Rao, FM Mike Klein, GM Tal Shaked, IM Boris Kogan, GM Gata Kamsky, GM Viswanathan Anand, GM Ben Finegold, GM Larry Christiansen, Alexey Troitsky, Genrikh Kasparyan, Francois Labelle, GM Jonathan Rowson, Andrew Metrick, Joel Friedman, GM Maxim Dlugy    52:00- In 2017 Stu drove to St. Louis to see Kasparov, Anand and other greats at the St. Louis Rapid and Blitz. What was that experience like?   Mentioned: Allen Kaufman , GM Vassily Smyslov   57:00- What are some of Stuart’s favorite chess books?  Tal, Petrosian, Spassky and Korchnoi by GM Andy Soltis, The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal, Secrets of Practical Chess by GM John Nunn   1:04:00- A Patreon supporter of the podcast asks Stu a question related to a story that  he heard about Stu’s ability to calculate as a kid and about the abilities of strong players generally to calculate and visualize.    1:10:00- Has Stu kept up with his chess peers from his active days? Mentioned: GM Ben Finegold, Adam Lief, Andrew Metrick, GM Joel Benjamin    1:14:00- Thanks so much to Stuart for sharing his experiences!    You can read an excerpt of his book from New in Chess Publishing:  https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/9097.pdf   You can buy the book from Amazon or New in Chess or Forward Chess: https://www.amazon.com/Best-Saw-Chess-Instruction-Champion/dp/9056918818/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=stuart+rachels&qid=1594673740&s=books&sr=1-1   https://www.newinchess.com/en_US/the-best-i-saw-in-chess-paperback-interactive-ebook   https://forwardchess.com/product/the-best-i-saw-in-chess?sscid=91k3_fazxa Lastly, you can email IM  Rachels at StuartRachels at hotmail.com    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices