Perpetual Chess Podcast

Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam is a Dutch  chess journalist, organizer and commentator who is best known as the Editor-in-Chief of New In Chess magazine.  New in Chess Magazine has been the industry leading chess magazine for decades and is known for its on-the-scenes reporting of major events, its high-level Grandmaster analysis of games, and insightful interviews and book reviews. In conjunction with his work for New in Chess, Dirk Jan has travelled the world and shared conversations and meals with many of the games most revered figures. In our conversation, Dirk shared several of the amazing stories he has collected over the years, and also discussed how New in Chess is being affected by the pandemic and the chess boom.  Please read on for more details and the timestamps.  0:00- How have the pandemic and the online chess boom affected New in Chess, which as the preeminent chess print magazine often devotes lots of pages to elite OTB chess tournaments? GM Alireza Firouzja, GM Wesley So, Magnus Carlsen interview with GM Jonathan Tisdall here: https://new.uschess.org/news/were-trying-grow-chess-interview-magnus-carlsen 14:00- What did Dirk Jan learn from interviewing the young phenom, GM Alireza Firouzja?  16:30- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Check out their holiday sale here:  https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/all/offer/ 17:00- What was it like for Dirk Jan to spend a day with legendary GM Miguel Najdorf?  Mentioned: The Day that Kasparov Quit, Finding Bobby Fischer, GM Viswanathan Anand 23:00- Dirk Jan shares his experiences spending time with the author of Zurich 1953  GM David Bronstein Mentioned: The Rise and Fall of David Bronstein by GM Genna Sosonko, Zurich 1953  29:00- Dirk shares a few Korchnoi and Botvinnik stories!  Mentioned: GM Ljubomir Ljubojević, GM Vassily Smyslov, GM Mikhail Botvinnik, GM Hein Donner, GM Max Euwe, GM Tony Miles, GM Alexei Shirov  38:00- A Patreon supporter of the podcast requested that Dirk share some stories about GM Vasyl Ivanchuk.  Mentioned: GM Garry Kasparov, Haruki Murakami  46:00- Check out our new sponsorAimchess.com, which gathers your games from the major chess sites and generates reports to let you know which aspects of your game need work. If you decide to subscribe, be sure to use the promo code Chess30 to save 30%. 47:00- On the day that GM Vladimir Kramnik defeated GM Garry Kasparov for the World Championship in 2000, Dirk spoke to both the winner and the loser of the match. What is the story behind that?  Mentioned: GM Jan Timman  57:00- What was it like to spend time with Danish great, GM Bent Larsen?  Mentioned: GM Nigel Short  1:02:00- Thanks so much to Dirk Jan for sharing some amazing stories.  You can learn more about or subscribe to New In Chess Magazine here: https://www.newinchess.com/en_US/new-in-chess-2020-8 If you would like to help support the podcast, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Returning guest, FM Carsten Hansen, is one of the busiest chess authors in the business, as he writes a tactics column for Chess Life Magazine, a book review column for American Chess Magazine, and is a prolific chess author in his own right. Carsten has recently released a new book,  Marvellous Modern Miniatures, and has also collaborated with popular co-author, IM Christof Sielecki for the Chessable course, Lifetime Repertoires 1.c4 1.Nf3 Part 1. As 2020 nears a conclusion, I thought it would be a great time to catch up with Carsten on his new projects, the year in chess books, and on his own dreams of attaining the IM title as he nears the age of 50. Please read on for more details and timestamps of all that we discussed.  0:00- What is Carsten doing to work on his own chess game? Mentioned: Perpetual Chess Episode 84 with FM Carsten Hansen- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-84-fide-master-carsten-hansen/id1185023674?i=1000416496522 , GM Hikaru Nakamura, GM Loek Van Wely, GM Alexander Stripunsky, Chess Life Magazine, Episode 81 with FM Peter Giannatos , GM Jens Kristiansen   12:00- Carsten answers a question from the Perpetual Chess Facebook Group- How does the chess scene in the US compare with that in Carsten’s native Denmark?  Mentioned: Info on the online US Amateur team tournaments can be found here    16:30- Check out our new sponsorAimchess.com, which gathers your games from the major chess sites and generates reports to let you know which aspects of your game need work. If you decide to subscribe, use the promo code Chess30 to save 30%.   17:30- Another listener question: What should I do to a make a new high on the chess.com tactics trainer?  IM Cyrus Lakdawala, Chess Tactics for Improvers Volume 1    23:30- What were Carsten’s favorite chess books of 2020?  Mentioned: Carsten’s Chess.com Article- My Favorite Books of 2020,  Match of the Century, Rewire Your Chess Brain, My Chess World, Petrosian Year by Year,  The Complete Chess Swindler, Chess for Tigers, Technical Decision Making in Chess, Timman’s Triumphs, Emanuel Lasker Volume 2- Choices and Chances, Bobby Fischer and His World, A Modern Guide to Checkmating Patterns, Logical Chess Move by Move   36:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com Check out IM Christof Sielecki and FM Carsten Hansen’s new Lifetime Repertoires course on 1. C4 and 1. Nf3 here: https://www.chessable.com/lifetime-repertoires-1-c4-1-nf3-part-1/course/53985/   36:45- Carsten discusses self publishing and the chess book industry more broadly, including which of his books have resonated with readers the most.   Mentioned: Catastrophes and Tactics in the Chess Opening, Chess Book Collectors Group   52:00- What draws Carsten to the English opening? Why would he recommend it?  Mentioned: IM Christof Sielecki    1:00:00- Another listener question:  Is it challenging to work on a course/book with a co-author, as Carsten has on different projects with IM Christof Sielecki and GM Peter Heine Nielsen?  Mentioned: Stockfish 12   1:08:00- Another listener question: What led to the decline in popularity of the once popular chess site, ChessCafe.com?  Mentioned: Hanon Russell, GM Karsten Muller, GM Lev Alburt, GM Tony Miles, GM  Hans Ree, GM Susan Polgar, FM Chris Despasquale   1:10:00- Thanks as always to Carsten for joining the show! Here is how you can keep up with his many projects: Website- https://www.winningquicklyatchess.com/ Twitter- https://twitter.com/CazHansen?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor Facebook- Carsten Hansen | Facebook   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

WGM Katerina Nemcova is the 2 time  Women’s Champion of the Czech Republic and the winner of the 2008 European Youth Chess Championship. She now resides in the U.S. and is a frequent competitor in the US Women’s Championships, and has played for the Olympiad teams of both the U.S. and the Czech Republic. Katerina is also quite busy away from the chessboard, as she  has a BA and a Masters, and  is currently getting a Ph. D. in Communications at the University of Arizona. Katerina also finds time to teach chess classes, and is a regular and beloved lecturer for US Chess Women’s "Girl's Club" Zoom series of classes. We discussed all aspects of Katerina’s career, and of course we were eager to get the perspective of this top female player on the hit Netflix miniseries Queen’s Gambit. Please read on for more details and timestamps!    0:00-  You can subscribe to the new feeds of Cover Stories with Chess Life here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cover-stories-with-chess-life-32-ben-johnson/id1438797301?i=1000501070440 Or on Spotify  here: https://open.spotify.com/show/1mNUGWcVB3GADGoy2k5kJ0 2:45- We begin by getting Katerina’s perspective on the Netflix breakout hit, The Queen’s Gambit.  Mentioned: Jen Shahade in Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/five-myths/five-myths-about-chess/2020/11/20/529fb63a-2a79-11eb-9b14-ad872157ebc9_story.html Also Mentioned: WGM Marsel Efroimski, GM Susan Polgar,  Sign up for Jen Shahade and Adia Oyango’s Mad Woman’s Book Club here: https://new.uschess.org/news/madwomans-book-club-announced-kick-book-queens-gambit And girls can join the mailing list for girls’ classes here (classes are free to US Chess members): https://forms.gle/zZw4sNCjGGCLkws57 For other US Chess Women related inquiries, email Jen Shahade at: jshahade@uschess.org 17:00- What was Katerina’s most difficult loss? What was it like to play GM Anatoly Karpov?  Mentioned: GM Valentina Gunina, Nemcova-Gunina 2007-https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=ACtgo9U2xWMaCrAi8ZQY7Opg/p5tXquV8kfmX9pETgFfzhm7p75HWdKc+hWQkrSB Nemcova-Karpov 2008 https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=ACtgo9U2xWMaCrAi8ZQY7ISyLL3tqDGnJQlCXM4B4CnfeuqdGFPE5vHBGaAl0dbd   23:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. There is a brand new course out from GM Yasser Seirawan , Winning Chess Brilliancies: https://t.co/AllaghNiBJ?amp=1   24:00- What lessons does Katerina try to impart to the students of various ages in her classes for the US Chess School, US Chess Women, and the St. Louis Chess Club?  Mentioned: The Chess Steps Method: https://www.chess-steps.com/home.php, The Mammoth Book of Chess    36:30- Check out our new sponsor Aimchess.com, which gathers your games from the major chess sites and generates reports to let you know which aspects of your game need work. If you decide to subscribe, use the promo code Chess30 to save 30%.    37:30- What is the status of Katerina’s chess playing career?  Mentioned: 2019 World Team Championship, WGM Tatev Abrhamyan, WGM Carissa Yip, WIM Rochelle Wu, GM Darius Swiercz, GM Alexander Onishcuk, GM Robert Hess, GM Yasser Seirawan 50:30- Why didn’t Katerina play in the US Women’s chess championship this year?  Mentioned: GM Fabiano Caruana, GM Jesse Kraai,  The Chess Dojo YouTube Channel   55:30- What does Katerina envision for herself professionally in the coming years?  Mentioned: Anna Sharevich, IM Eric Rosen, Perpetual Chess Episode 36 with IM Eric Rosen  GM Le Quang Liem, GM Ray Robson, GM Alex Shimanov, GM Ilya Nyznhyk, IM Greg Shahade Jennifer Yu-Nemcova 2015   1:06:00-- Thanks so much to Katerina for joining the show! Here are the ways you can reach/keep up with her.  Follow her on Twitter here:https://twitter.com/Kate_Nemcova Chess.com: PragueQueen LiChess: KaterinaNemcova Chessity: PragueQueen ICC: PragueQueen If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome back to another edition of Perpetual Chess, Chess Books Recaptured, a monthly bonus book recap podcast. This week, I am joined by FM Alex Chua, a 32 year old Texas based dad, who works for a green chemical manufacturing startup called Solugen. Alex wanted to discuss the underrated gem, Improve Your Chess Now by GM Jonathan Tisdall, which he and I both love. We think it provides a great blend of instructive games, practical advice, philosophizing, and humor. It presents fairly challenging material, which is probably best suited to intermediate to advanced players, but anyone can pick up at least a few things from this book, as we hope they can from this podcast. Please read on for more details and timestamps.  0:00- FM Alex Chua and I begin by discussing why we love this book and wanted to talk about it.    12:45- For what rating level is this book most appropriate? Alex thinks 1400-2000, I think 1800-2300.    17:30- As always, Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Two great courses to improve your chess now are: The Checkmate Patterns Manual and the Visualize Series. Links below: https://www.chessable.com/the-checkmate-patterns-manual/course/17841/ https://www.chessable.com/visualise-1/course/25695/   18:30- We list the chapters and then discuss our favorite chapters.  Mentioned: The Complete Chess Swindler, The Seven Deadly Chess Sins  26:30- Why discuss two of the key concepts investigated in the book, GM Alexander Kotov’s “tree of analysis”, and the idea of using “stepping stone diagrams” to improve blindfold/visualization skills.  Mentioned: Book Recap Podcast of Think like a Grandmaster with NM Christopher Chabris, GM Alexander Kotov’s Think Like a Grandmaster, GM Anatoly Lein, GM Jacob Aagaard, Book Recap Podcast of Blindfold Chess with Jerry Wells, Zurich 1953 by GM David Bronstein, GM Lubosh Kavalek, GM Anatoly Karpov, GM Ljubomir Ljubovic, GM Efim Geller, GM Vassily Ivanchuk, GM Boris Gelfand    48:00- We share a few of our favorite quotes and aphorisms from the book.  Mentioned: GM Sam Shankland’s Small Steps to Giant Improvement    1:00:00- What are favorite games shared in the book? What are the chess improvement takeaways?    Ljubobevic-Torre 1975 , Polugaevsky-Petrosian 1983, IM Cyrus Lakdawala’s Rewire Your Chess Brain,GM Baadur Jobava’s Twitch Channel, Chessable’s Checkmate Patterns Manual    1:14:00- In lieu of payment, I am making a donation of Alex’s behalf to Lichess.org. Keep up the great work, Team Lichess!  Mentioned: Simple Chess by Michael Stean, coming next month    You can message FM Alex Chua on lichess. Here is his account: https://lichess.org/@/highlama   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

FM Nathan Resika has accomplished one of the rarest feats in the annals of adult competitive chess, progressing  from rank beginner to FIDE Master. Along the way, Nathan has picked up many more titles: USCF Master at age 31, FM Title at age 40, rating high of 2318 and US Senior Open Champion at age the of 53. Despite some breaks along the way, at age 60, Nathan is still going strong, as he recently had a stellar showing at the 2020 Southwest Open, where he defeated a 2550 IM!  How does Nathan continue to amass new titles, all  while he is working and helping to raise his twin children? What is his top chess advice? In  this very inspiring conversation, Nathan shares lots of tips, many book and opening recommendations, and even discusses the story of how he defied the odds in another field and became a professional opera singer in his 40s! As always, please read on for lots more details, timestamps, and relevant hyperlinks.     0:00- Nathan shares the story of his chess beginnings, playing in the park at Harvard Square in Boston at the age of 23, and mentions some books fundamental to his growth as a player.  Mentioned: Logical Chess Move by Move, Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess , Lasker’s Manual of Chess, GM Eugene Perelshteyn, My 60 Memorable Games . Nathan’s article in US Chess about his career can be found here: https://new.uschess.org/news/fm-resika-us-senior-singing-chess-icing-cake,  Mentioned: GM Boris Gelfand, GM Tigran Petrosian, GM Daniel King’s How Good is Your Chess, NM Bruce Pandolfini    15:30- How much time was Nathan putting into the  study of chess in his early competitive days circa 1985?  Mentioned: NM Murray Turnbull, GM Alexander Ivanov, NM Christopher Chabris, NM Danny Edelman, NM Girome Bono, IM Joseph Fang, IM David Vigorito, IM William Paschall, Secrets of Grandmaster Play by GM John Nunn  Nathan also wanted to mention that Senior Master Jacob Rasin was instrumental to his progress 24:00- Perpetual Chess is proud to be brought to you in part by Chessable.com. A few of the courses in which you might be interested, based on this interview, are: The Modern Defense Against Everything by CM Vjeokslave Nemec, and Lifetime Repertoires, 1.c4/ 1. Nf3 by IM Christof Sielecki and FM Carsten Hansen    25:00- Nathan answers a question from the Perpetual Chess Patreon mailbag about whether adult improvers should consider playing less aggressive repertoires as they age, and another about the rating level at which opening knowledge begins to take on an added importance.  Mentioned: The Berlin Opening, The Scotch Game, The English/Reti, How to Think Ahead in Chess by Fred Reinfeld , FM William Kelleher, Small Steps to Giant Improvement by GM Sam Shankland,  Pawn Power in Chess  by Hans Kmoch, GM Richard Reti’s Best Games, Grandmaster Repertoire by GM Mikhail Marin, Starting Out: The Reti by GM Neil McDonald, Howard Staunton, GM Mikhail Botvinnik, GM Tony Miles, NM Harry Lyman    52:00- Nathan tells the story of how he became a professional opera singer past the age of 40.    58:00- Nathan answers another question from a Patreon supporter of the podcast. How does  Nathan’s musical knowledge help his chess, if at all?  GM Mikhail Tal, GM Mark Taimaino, GM Lajos Portisch, Andre Phillidor, Gregor Piatigorsky    1:03:00- IM Kare Kristensen writes in to ask, “What is the biggest challenge of competing at a high level as an adult?”  Mentioned: IM Ilya Figler, Perpetual Chess Episode 178 with IM Kare Kristensen, GM James Tarjan vs. GM Vladimir Kramnik 2017, GM Boris Gelfand, Nakamura-Resika, GM Alexander Chernin    1:14:00 What went wrong when Nathan had a rating slump of nearly 130 points? How did he seek to correct it?  Mentioned: Episode 201 with FM Peter Giannatos    1:19:30- What was it like to play in a tournament in Texas amidst the pandemic? How did Nathan and his family get comfortable with the decision to play?  Mentioned: 2020 Southwest Open, IM Justin Sarkar, IM Zurab Javakhadze, Raghav Kalyanaraman,  Check out the Whole Crosstable here: http://www.dallaschess.com/2020SWOpen/OpenWallchart.html   1:30:00- What are Nathan’s current chess goals? Why does he think it's important to play stronger competition?    1:34:00- Question from Neal Bruce! What are the minimum and maximum amount of hours per day/week that an improver should study? Mentioned: GM Sam Shankland’s Method 1 and 2, GM Neil McDonald, GM Daniel King, GM John Nunn, IM Andrew Martin    1:39:00- Closing summary of Nathan’s improvement advice!  Don’t get discouraged Study Structures Keep up with Your Tactics, no matter your age  Read good chess books and great authors  Read biographies of great players    1:41:00- Thanks so much to Nathan for joining the podcast! You can reach him at nateresi@hotmail.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we are joined by top chess player, trainer and author GM Wojciech Moranda. GM Moranda is one of the highest ranked and most accomplished players in Poland, with a FIDE rating of 2618 and many tournament victories.  Wojciech has also been a frequent competitor in  the Pro Chess League, where he has beaten the likes of GM Fabiano Caruana and GM Alexander Grischuk. As a trainer, GM Wojciech has worked with both amateur adults and with top young players in conjunction with the  National Youth Chess Academy of the Polish Chess Federation. GM Moranda is a chess bibliophile who has developed a unique chess instruction style, which is on display in his excellent new book,Universal Chess Training, recently published by Thinkers Publishing. We talk about the book as well as chess improvement more generally, including getting Wojciech’s takes on the age old questions of what to study, how to study, and how much to study. If you are looking to improve your own game you are assured to pick up something both from Wojciech’s book, and from our conversation. Please continue reading for timestamps and relevant hyperlinks.    0:00- We begin by discussing GM Moranda’s new book from Thinker’s Publishing, Universal Chess Training.  GM Moranda shares how he decided on the unique presentation style of this book, and what he likes and dislikes about other recent chess books.  Mentioned: Reshevsky-Petrosian 1953 (25...Re6), Jon Edwards, My Great Predecessors, Kasparov-Topalov 1999, Episode 199 with Dr. Barry Hymer and GM Peter Wells    24:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. One of their latest offerings is a Lifetime Repertoires course on the Taimanov Sicilian by GM Harikrishna. Check it out here: https://www.chessable.com/lifetime-repertoires-taimanov-sicilian/course/45749/?utm_source=chessable&utm_medium=tw   25:30- GM Moranda answers a question from the Patreon mailbag about whether playing blitz and rapid is bad for one’s chess development.  Mentioned: Lichess.org, Episode 200 with GM Boris Gelfand,  GM Alireza Firouzja   34:30- We discuss how much one should study, and how one should allocate chess study time.  Mentioned: Applying Logic in Chess by IM Erik Kislik    41:00- Are the rumors true that GM Moranda has a law degree? How did Wojciech get into chess?  Mentioned: FM Kamil Plichta    48:30- GM Moranda answers another question relating to the state of the chess culture in Poland.  Mentioned: GM Jan Krzysztof Duda, Paul Morphy, The Queen’s Gambit Series    56:30- What are GM Wojciech’s favorite chess books?  Mentioned: GM Jacob Aagaard’s Grandmaster Preparation Series, Beyond Material, GameChanger    1:03:00- GM Moranda has some experience teaching blindfold chess and visualization. What advice does he usually give his students?    1:19:00 Thanks so much to GM Moranda for sharing his chess wisdom! You can reach him via email at wojciech.moranda@gmail.com You check out a teaser  of Universal Chess Training here: https://thinkerspublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Teaser-PDF-Wojciech-Moranda-Universal-Chess-Training-1.pdf and  you can buy it here: https://thinkerspublishing.com/product/wojciech-moranda-universal-chess-training/ Its also available from Forward Chess here:  https://forwardchess.com/sample/universal-chess-training See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr. Frank Brady has led a long and distinguished career both in and out of the chess world. Before retiring, he was the Chairman of the Department of Mass Communications, Journalism, Television and Film at St. John’s University. Frank is also the Founding Editor of Chess Life Magazine, and is well known for writing multiple books about Bobby Fischer, who Frank knew since Bobby’s teenage years, and about whom he is a leading authority. Dr. Brady is best known for his best-selling and brilliant 2011 biography of Fischer, Endgame: Fischer’s Rise and Fall from Remarkable Prodigy to the Edge of Madness. In our conversation, Frank shares many personal recollections about his interactions with Bobby, including a first-hand account of what it was like to be at the famed Fischer-Spassky Match of the Century in Reykjavik in 1972. Frank contextualizes the brilliance and the faults of Bobby Fischer, and tells some great stories from his personal experiences. You will not want to miss this first hand account of chess history! Please read on for more details, relevant links, and timestamps.  For more detailed show notes, go to:www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2020/11/17/episode-202-dr-frank-brady02:00- What was it like to attend the “Match of the Century” between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky in person in Reykjavik, Iceland, in 1972?  10:30- Frank discusses the question of whether Bobby knew who his father was, and whether he was aware of his Jewish heritage.  18:30- How would Frank describe Bobby’s personality? 28:00- What chess improvement advice did Bobby Fischer give to Frank Brady? 32:30- Does Frank think that Bobby Fischer had Asperger’s Syndrome? How did Frank find out Fischer’s IQ? 40:15- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. If you would like to learn about the chess brilliance of Bobby Fischer utilizing their patented Movetrainer technology, you can check out GM Garry Kasparov’s My Great Predecessor’s Volume 4, among other books and courses: https://www.chessable.com/my-great-predecessors-part-4/course/29726/41:00- Frank answers a question from the Patreon mailbag relating to the history of The Log Cabin Chess Club. 47:00- What were Bobby’s political views before they became more radical? When was Bobby’s chess peak? Does Frank think that Bobby was clinically insane? 52:00- What did Bobby’s Icelandic friends from his later years think of Bobby? 53:30- Douglas Griffin asks Frank whether he is aware of Fischer being particularly influenced by GM Isaac Boleslavsky.56:00- What were Frank’s interactions with GM Boris Spassy like? 1:00:00- Frank's encounters with famed artist Marcel Duchamp1:04:00- Frank still plays the occasional tournament chess game, and he is in great health as an 86 year-old. What health advice can he share? 1:05:30- As an expert on film and chess, Frank compares the smash-hit Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit as it compares to other representations of chess in film/on television.1:10:00- To what does Frank attribute the success of Endgame outside of the chess world?  1:17:00- Whom does Frank think I should interview?1:19:30- More discussion of The Queen’s Gambit.1:25:00- Thanks so much to Dr. Brady for an amazing interview! You can reach him via email at bradyfm at msn.comIf 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

FM Peter Giannatos,is the Founder and Executive Director of the Charlotte Chess Club and Scholastic Center (CCCSA), which is an award-winning chess club based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Founded in 2007, Peter has taken the club from a small group meeting in a local library to a thriving organization with a large scholastic program, indispensable international tournaments, and a rapidly growing Twitch presence. In our conversation, Peter shares a lot of his hard-won wisdom about how to help build a vibrant local chess community, and he also discusses the difficulty that the club has faced recently due to the pandemic. Given the exploding popularity of chess, Peter is optimistic that any “brick and mortar” chess organization which can survive the lockdown period will come out of the Covid period better than ever.  Lastly, Peter is a  very accomplished chess player (2390 USCF peak rating) and improver in his own right, so he concludes the interview with some chess improvement tips and a few great book recommendations. Many of the details and timestamps related to the topics we discussed can be found below.    0:00- We begin our conversation by getting into reliving the modest beginnings of the Charlotte Chess Center and Scholastic Academy, which has gone from being run at a local library to a beautiful brick and mortar facility, with city-wide outreach and international tournaments.  Mentioned: Grant Oen, FM Mike Klein, GM Daniel Naroditsky, Bradley Juopperi, Ursula Smith   28:30- GM Ben Finegold has built a successful chess center in Atlanta and credited Peter with helping him get started. How did Peter help? In this segment Peter also discusses how the pandemic has affected the chess center.  Mentioned: CBS Sunday Morning chess story featuring GM Maurice Ashley and WFM Alexandra Botez: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/online-chess-makes-its-biggest-move/, Silver Knights Chess Academy, Kids Chess, Chess Achieves, Raleigh Chess Academy    40:00- Perpetual Chess is proud to be brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Check out one of their latest, Lifetime Repertoires, Sam Shankland’s 1. d4, from former US Champion Sam Shankland. The course is on sale for a limited time, check it out here:  https://www.chessable.com/lifetime-repertoires-sam-shanklands-1-d4-part-2/course/53465/    40:30- Peter discusses the rough beginnings and then growth of Charlotte’s International Norm tournaments, which are well-regarded tournaments that enable young talents to earn GM and IM norms.  Mentioned: FM Yuriy Krykun, GM Michael Brown, IM Kassa Korley, Grant Oen. DGT Smart Boards, GM Pragganandha, GM Aman Hambleton, IM John Bartholomew, FM Gauri Shankar, IM Brandon Jacobsen   57:30- We discuss the Chess Center’s relationship with GM Daniel Naroditsky, Twitch Streaming, and their popular “Daniel Naroditsky vs. the World” Online events Mentioned: Castle Chess Camp, Episode 191 with GM Daniel Naroditsky- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-191-gm-daniel-naroditsky/id1185023674?i=1000489096841 Charlotte Chess Center Twitch Channel- https://www.twitch.tv/charlottechesscenter, GM Wesley So, GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, GM Jan-Krzysctof Duda, GM Vladimir Fedoseev, GM Rauf Mamedov, GM Salem Saleh, GM David Bronstein    1:10:00- Peter has made huge gains in his rating in his 20s. What advice does he give for improvement? Where did he learn about all of the chess greats that he covers in his Learn from the Legends Twitch Series.   Mentioned: chessgames.com, Douglas Griffin’s twitter page, The Art of Sacrifice in Chess, GM Fabiano Caruana, GM Magnus Carlsen, Life and Games of Mikhail Tal, GM Alexander Shabalov, GM Vassily Smylov, GM Tigran Petrosian, GM Mikhail Botvinnik, GM Vladimir Kramnik, Simple Chess, NM Matthew Noble, Perfect Your Chess (Out of Print but Available on Kindle!),    1:22:30- Thanks so much to Peter for sharing so much of his experience and knowledge!  Here are all of the ways to keep up with the CCCSA: Email Peter here: peter.giannatos@charlottechesscenter.org Charlotte Chess Center and Scholastic Academy- https://www.charlottechesscenter.org/ Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/charlottechesscenter/ Twitch- https://www.twitch.tv/charlottechesscenter YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/user/charlottechesscenter 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 episode 200 of Perpetual Chess we are joined by a legend of chess, GM Boris Gelfand! GM Gelfand has been one of the world’s top players since the 1990’s, has amassed countless tournament titles, and played a breathtakingly close World Championship match with GM Viswanthan Anand in 2012. He is also an acclaimed author, and has released recently two new books in cooperation with GM Jacob Aagaard and Quality Chess Books. The books are Decision Making in Major Piece Endings, and Technical Decision Making in Chess. Both are highly instructive reads which lay bare the thought processes of an elite chess player. In our conversation, we discuss his books and their implications for chess improvement.  GM Gelfand also  shares highlights of and reflections on his own life at and away from the chessboard. As always, read on for timestamps and related links.  0:00- We begin by discussing a few quotes from Gelfand, one of which distills his chess improvement advice to a few sentences. GM Gelfand also gives us  his opinion of how to use chess engines, a common topic in his writing.   Mentioned:  Surya Ganguly interview part 1- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxjBIWngFqo Surya Ganguly interview part 2-  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFlInDxHMVo   10:00- GM Gelfand tells the story of the formative experience of seeing an elite level tournament up close when he was just an adolescent in Belarus.  Mentioned: GM Mikhail Tal, GM Garry Kasparov, Boris Postovsky, GM Alexander Nikitin, GM Salo Flohr    13:30- How can up-and-coming players manage the “curse and the blessing” of great online study tools but also the potential distraction of online bullet chess?  Mentioned: GM Alireza Firouzja, GM Magnus Carlsen, GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov    18:45- What does GM Gelfand think of the increased popularity of online chess with faster time control? How did he enjoy the recent Chess24 Legends of Chess Tournament in which he competed?    23:00- GM Gelfand discusses the increased importance of organizing knowledge as compared to the challenge of acquiring knowledge when he was a young player.    25:30- Since GM Gelfand collaborates with GM Jacob Aagaard in his writing, I asked him who wrote a particularly funny quote from Technical Decision Making in Chess.  Mentioned: Jumabayev-Gelfand 2016 https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1976537   30:15- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Check out their latest offerings here, including a brand new course from GM Yasser Seirawan: https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/   30:45- GM Gelfand answers a question from one of the podcast’s Patreon supporters regarding the great documentary Album 61.  Album 61 covers his World Championship Match with GM Viswanathan Anand and is available for free with English subtitles on Youtube.  Mentioned: Watch Album 61 here- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFrevXxAojY   34:00- On the road to qualifying to challenge Anand for the 2012 World Championship, GM Gelfand faced a must-win game with Black against Kamsky. How did he keep his composure in such a moment ?  Mentioned: GM Alexander Grischuk    40:00- As a World Championship challenger over the age of 40, did GM Gelfand make adjustments to his approach?  Mentioned: GM Surya Ganguly, GM Vladimir Kramnik, GM Viswanthan Anand, GM Alexander Grischuk    44:00- GM Gelfand answers another question from the Patreon mailbag relating to his thoughts on the current Candidates cycle, as well as the next one.  GM Maxim Vachier-Lagrave, GM Ian Nepomniatchi, GM Anish Giri, GM Fabiano Giri, GM Jeffrey Xiong, GM Danill Dubov    48:45- GM Gelfand answers another question relating to the subject matter of his new book, Decision Making in Major Piece Endings.    53:30- How can we know when to calculate in chess and when to rely on intuition?    57:30- What advice did GM Gelfand give to Magnus Carlsen’s family when they asked him if Magnus should pursue chess professionally?     1:02:00- GM Gelfand discusses a popular chess program in his hometown of Rishon Lezion, Israel, as well as his frustrations with the state of chess in Israel generally.    1:05:00- We discuss some of GM Gelfand’s favorite chess books.  Mentioned: Anand Files by FM Michiel Abeln, GM Yury Razuvaev, The Best Move by Hort and Jansa,  The Nemesis by Efim Geller, FM Eduard Zelkind,   World Chess Championship 1948 by GM Paul Keres   1:10:00- Thanks so much to GM Gelfand for an amazing interview! You can purchase his books from Quality Chess, Forward Chess or other book sellers.  https://www.qualitychess.co.uk/sections/2/improvement/ https://forwardchess.com/product/technical-decision-making-in-chess/?sscid=91k3_fazxa   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

This week I am joined by Dr. Barry Hymer and GM Peter Wells, who are the authors of the new book, Chess Improvement: It’s All in the Mindset. Dr. Hymer is a Professor of Psychology in Education, as well as a long time chess enthusiast. GM Peter Wells, in addition to being an active player is a prolific chess author and a trainer for some of Great Britain’s top juniors. As a pair, they are perfectly suited to write a book tackling so many persistent questions related to chess improvement. Our conversation discusses questions such as the following: What is a growth mindset, and how can it apply to chess improvement? What can parents and trainers learn from the approach to nurturing talent taken by the family of GM Magnus Carlsen?  How much of chess talent is determined by genetics? What are Peter’s favorite games of his career? How has Barry managed to go from the 1800 level to over 2000 while in his 50s?  For the answers to these questions and many more, please enjoy the show. You can find timestamps and show notes below.  0:00- We begin by discussing the source of  the authors’ idea for this book, and they explain  the research that framed their writing of it.  Mentioned: Tim Kett, Carol Dweck, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success    7:00- What psychological issues in his own chess game did Carol Dweck’s research help Peter address?    10:30- Barry and Peter answer the first of many Patreon mailbag questions relating to whether their book is more of a “how-to guide” or more of an overview of research chess players should know?   Mentioned: GM Boris Gulko, GM Boris Gelfand, Tim Kett, Henrik Carlsen, GM Erwin L.Ami   Henrik Carlsen interview with IM Sagar Shah here-  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TAGKisuHUg   20:00- Another Patreon question- what advice do Peter and Barry have for managing chess study while working full time?    25:00- Must “deliberate practice” be inherently unenjoyable?   Mentioned: Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers    30:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Chessable is a great way to put in your deliberate practice and learn opening lines, tactical patterns and other aspects of the game. Check out their latest offerings here:  https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/   31:00- Dr. Barry Hymer is an adult improver who has gained over 200 rating points in his 50s. What has been his approach to chess study?  Mentioned: GM Luke McShane, The King’s Indian Attack Move by Move, Bill Goichberg    38:30- How will this research affect GM Peter Wells' approach as chess trainer? 42:30- Another Patreon mailbag question: What does Peter think can be done to help improve the British chess scene, especially for talented juniors?  Mentioned:GM Alexander Morozevich, GM Gawain Jones, IM Malcolm Pein    48:00- What is the chess scene like in Barry’s native South Africa?    50:00- The authors answer another Patreon mailbag question relating to the always controversial topic of the extent to which chess ability is determined by nature as opposed to nurture.  Mentioned: Chessdojo, Robert Plomin, GM Bobby Fischer, IM Kostya Kavutskiiy, GM Jesse Kraai, IM David Pruess, GM Luke McShane,    1:02:00- The authors interviewed many of the top players of Great Britain, including IM Harriet Hunt and GM Nigel Short. Were they more struck by the similarity of their approaches or their differences?  Mentioned: IM Harriet Hunt, GM Nigel Short    1:04:30- Another Patreon question- How can parents find the right balance between being encouraging their children and  being pushy with their encouragemen?  Mentioned: IM Merijn Van Delft, Angela Duckworth    1:15:00- Peter answers a listener question relating to what it was like beating GM Alexei Shirov with the Trompowsky Opening in just 13 moves.  Mentioned: IM William Hartston, GM Joel Lautier, GM Judit Polgar, GM Patrick Wolff  Wells-John Emms 2000 Wells- Zoltan Almasi 2001 Chess24 coverage of Norway Chess Round 6, featuring GM Joel Lautier: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8LNhYDyHFo&t=3437s   1:23:30- Another listener question: What type of work will Barry be doing with Chessable.com?  GM Alex Colovic   1:26:00- Thanks so much to Peter and Barry for sharing their knowledge and experiences. You can buy the books here:  https://www.amazon.com/Chess-Improvement-Its-all-mindset-ebook/dp/B08KHY4S6B/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=chess+improvement+mindset&qid=1603735477&s=books&sr=1-1   You can keep up with them in the following ways:  Barry Hymer website- https://barryhymer.wordpress.com/ Chessable blog-https://www.chessable.com/blog/page/2/ Peter Wells twitter- https://twitter.com/GMPeteWells Email the authors through Crown house publishing- https://www.crownhouse.co.uk/contact-us   You can help support the podcast here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices