
Perpetual Chess Podcast
Perpetual Chess features weekly conversations with the chess world's best players, trainers and accomplished amateurs about their careers, current projects, best practices and the latest in chess news. Learn more at PerpetualChessPod.com
Latest episodes

Mar 12, 2020 • 53min
EP.168 - FIDE Candidates Preview with GM Daniel King
With the highly anticipated FIDE Candidates tournament starting in a matter of days, I am honored to be joined by Grandmaster Daniel King to preview the tournament. GM King is well known for his accomplishments as a chess player, journalist and announcer. The videos on his YouTube channel, Powerplay Chess, are always a must-watch for me. GM King will be part of FIDE’s announcing team for this event, and we talked to him just days before he planned to leave for Yekaterinaburg, Russia for the tournament. We recorded this interview on Tuesday, March 10. Please read on for details and timestamps.
0:00- Intro. We set the scene for the FIDE Candidates Tournament and discuss the dramatic late entry of GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, who is replacing GM Teimour Radjabov who withdrew from the tournament due to concerns about the Corona/Covid-19 virus.
Mentioned: FIDE World Senior Team Championship: https://www.europechess.org/fide-world-senior-team-chess-championship-2020-starts-today/
10:00- This episode is brought to you in part by Chessable! Check out GM Simon Williams brand new course “The Black Lion” here:
https://www.chessable.com/the-black-lion/course/34040/
12:00- The odds I listed for the Candidates come from Unibet UK, you can find them here (They have changed a bit since we recorded):
https://www.unibet.co.uk/betting/sports/filter/chess/world_championship/candidates/all/competitions/1005917216
We discuss the individual Candidates in the following order:
13:00- GM Kirill Alekseenko
Mentioned: GM Ali Firouzja
16:23- GM Fabiano Caruana
19:00- GM Anish Giri
23:20- GM Alexander Grischuk
Mentioned: Chess24’s Candidates 2020 A Preview: https://chess24.com/en/learn/advanced/video/candidates-2020-a-preview/candidates-2020-intro GM Peter Svidler
26:15- GM Wang Hao
Mentioned: Chessbase India’s IM Sagar Shah interviews Wang Hao: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_elqkx-IgI
30:30 GM Ding Liren
34:30- GM Ian Nepomniachtchi
39:00- GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
Mentioned: UEFA Euro 1992 Final: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Euro_1992_Final, GM Etienne Bacrot
45:00- Thanks so much to Daniel King for joining the show. You can watch the FIDE Broadcast with GMs King, Judit Polgar and Evgeni Miroschenko beginning on March 15 here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9B47GnzCRFHTT1BIBWvStQ
Subscribe to GM King’s PowerPlayChess here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMBATpFb--uLNAODOVWvCTA
Support GM King via Patreon here:
https://www.patreon.com/powerplaychess/posts
If you would like to support Perpetual Chess via Patreon, you can do so here:
https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchessual Chess via Patreon, 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

Mar 3, 2020 • 1h 24min
EP.167 - IM Jop Delemarre
IM Jop Delemarre is a former Dutch Youth Champion who has been a full-time chess trainer since 2004. Over the years, he has worked with many strong young players who went on to earn IM and GM titles. Jop is an expert in the Chess Steps curriculum, and was a student of one of its founders, Rob Brunia. Due to his expertise in the Steps Method, Jop recently offered a Chess Steps Certification Workshop, that I and a few other U.S. based chess teachers completed and greatly enjoyed. Jop joined me to discuss this workshop, share plans for potential future workshops, and to reflect on his career in general. Jop shared plenty of great advice for chess improvers and teachers alike. Please read on for more details and show notes.
0:00- Jop shares some details about his life background, and the background of the Chess Steps Method.
Mentioned: GM Robin Van Kampen, Chess Steps Method, Rob Brunia, IM Cor van Wijgerdan, NM Matan Prilleltensky, Paul Swaney, NM Shawn Hoshall, NM Han Schut, US Chess Digital Editor John Hartmann
11:50- A Patreon supporter of the pod writes in to ask if the Chess Steps Method can be used as a “stand alone” improvement method.
Mentioned: Chess Steps Manuals, Chess Steps Workbook, Chess Tutor CDs
21:30- IM Jop Delemarre gives more details about how an opportunity for a Chess Steps Teacher Training Workshop came about, and discusses what the future plans are for more teacher certification workshops.
Mentioned: Paul Swaney, Geert van der Velde
26:40- Question from friend and former guest of the podcast, NM Han Schut, about whether the Steps Teacher Trainer program is sanctioned by the founder of the Steps Method, IM Cor van Wijgerdan
Mentioned: Han Schut on Perpetual Chess
31:00- For the teachers listening, and for those interested in learning more about this generally, I share a few of the lessons that I learned from completing Chess Steps Teacher Certification Training.
Mentioned: Email Jop here: jdelemarre@hotmail.com,
39:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable. You can check out FM Kamil Plichta’s new course, Four Horsemen: The Sicilian Four Knights here: https://www.chessable.com/four-horsemen-the-sicilian-4-knights-defense/course/33443/
39:30- Jop discusses the reasons why practicing things repeatedly is important to acquire chess skills.
Mentioned: Peter Newhall, Susan Polgar series, Yusopov series
47:00- Jop shares a few of his favorite chess books.
Mentioned: Techniques of Positional Play, Chess Lessons by Popov, Tatiana and Nadhezda Kosintseva, Greatest 525 Puzzles by GM Csaba Balogh, IM Mark Dvoretsky’s books, Aagaard’s books, GM Boris Gelfand’s books, My Great Predecessors by GM Garry Kasparov , Tactics Time, Elizabeth Spiegel, IM Jeremy Silman, Mastering Opening Strategy by GM Johan Hellsten, IM Herman Grooten
1:01:00- Jop shares a few highlights from his career as a chess competitor, including a mini match with Dutch chess legend GM Jan Timman.
Mentioned: GM Alexey Dreev, GM Evgeni Bareev. GM Anatoly Karpov, Delemarre-Brodsky 1994, Delemarre-Timman 1995, Sokolov-Delemarre 1997, GM Loek Van Wely
1:06:00- As a polyglot, what language-learning practices is Jop able to apply to chess improvement?
1:14:00- Thanks to Jop for joining the show! You can reach him via email here:
jdelemarre@hotmail.com Visit his website here: https://schaaktrainer.nl/online-chess-lesson/
You can learn more about the Steps method on the official website here:
https://www.stappenmethode.nl/en/index.php
And you can order the Steps books in the U.S.here: https://www.chess-steps.com/home.php
If you would like to help support the podcast 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

Feb 25, 2020 • 1h 17min
EP.166 - GM Jacob Aagard and GM R.B. Ramesh Return
GM Jacob Aagard and GM R.B. Ramesh discuss their new project, 365ChessAcademy.com, providing daily lectures for chess students. They answer chess improvement questions, offer insights, and discuss effective training strategies and preparation schedules. They mention their diverse coaching team, recommended courses, and the importance of enjoying chess. Gratitude expressed to supporters.

Feb 21, 2020 • 1h 41min
Book Recap #4 : Alexander Kotov's Think Like a Grandmaster with NM Christopher Chabris
We are back with another edition of Chess Books Recaptured, a monthly bonus pod where we break down the highlights, best quotes and chess tips to be derived from a classic chess book. This month, I am lucky that a friend of the podcast, USCF Master, author, and renowned Cognitive Scientist Christopher Chabris, has agreed to join me to discuss the classic Soviet era book, Think Like a Grandmaster, by GM Alexander Kotov. Lots and lots more details and timestamps below. Enjoy! 😀
0:00- Chris provides a background details and shares why he wanted to discuss this book.
Mentioned: Christopher Chabris’ Perpetual Chess Interview, October 9, 2018,
Recommended by Perpetual Chess guests, GM Rafeal Leitao, GM R.B. Ramesh, and Adult Improver Stepian Tomic (aka Hanging Pawns), Book versions- Batsford paperback, Kindle version, GM John Nunn, FM Graham Burgess
9:00- What was happening in the chess world when this classic was first published, in 1971?
Mentioned: 1971 in Chess (link includes top 10), Zurich 1953, GM Bobby Fischer, The Rise and Fall of David Bronstein by GM Genna Sosonko,
16:00- We segue into some biographical details about GM Kotov.
Play Like a Grandmaster, GM Mikhail Botvinnik, GM Vassily Smyslov, GM Grigory Levenfish, The Soviet School of Chess, The Soviet Chess School, Averbakh-Kotov 1953, Averbakh-Kotov Kingscrusher Video, LiChess Analysis Board, GM Viswanathan Anand
22:00- For what level of chess player is this book best suited?
24:30- Perpetual Chess Recaptured is brought to you in part by Chessable. If you are looking for a great improvement manual for club-level players, check out Chess Strategy for Club Players by IM Herman Grooten here: https://www.chessable.com/chess-strategy-for-club-players/course/27755/
25:00- We dive into the opening paragraph of the book and discuss the structure of Think Like a Grandmaster.
Mentioned: My System, Chess Fundamentals, Lasker’s Manual of Chess, Tree of Analysis, Candidate Moves
33:00- What have other authors written about the idea of “candidate moves”?
Mentioned: IM Mark Dvoretsky’s Attack and Defense, Move First,Think Later, by IM Wlly Hendricks, Improve Your Chess Now by GM Jonathan Tisdall, Secrets of Practical Chess by GM John Nunn, GM Jacob Aagaard, GM Eugene Perelshteyn on Perpetual Chess, GM Arthur Yuspov
45:00- We exchange some of our favorite quotes from the book. There are some fun ones. :)
Mentioned: GM Mikahil Botvinnik, GM Miguel Najdorf, Mr. Mike Shahade, Sitsfleisch, Spassky-Korchnoi 1968, Game 7, Hot-Cold Empathy Gap, IM Kostya Kavutskiy’s Blueprint: Time Management, GM Alexander Grischuk
1:03:00- We highlight a few of our favorite games that are mentioned in Think Like a Grandmaster
Mentioned:Rossolimo-Nestler 1950, Chessgames.com Membership, Plater-Botvinnik 1947
Im Peter Romanovsky, GM Mark Taimanov
1:10:00- What are the chess improvement takeaways from this book?
Mentioned: Sergey Belavenets, GM Salo Flohr, Gm Vassily Smyslov, GM Jonathan Rowson, GM Jacob Aagaard, IM Erik Kislik, Blumenfeld’s Rule
1:21:00- How useful for your chess improvement is this book?
1:23:00- What would we change about this book if we could?
Mentioned: Quality Chess Books
1:25:00- We share our closing thoughts on the book, including the reading of a quote from IM Kostya Kavutskiy about why he included it in this fun and popular YouTube Video Top 4 Overrated Chess Books.
Mentioned: Pump Up Your Rating, Improve Your Chess Now
1:28:00- Thanks to Chris Chabris for sharing so much great insight. You can keep up with him on Twitter or reach him via his website.
Mentioned: Maryland Chess Association, Donate to support the Washington International here:
Tournament Director Michael Regan’s Perpetual Chess Appearance
1:31:00- In keeping with our tradition, I leave with 2 blindfold chess puzzles. Here is the piece placement and the diagram links.
Puzzle #1-
White- Pawns on c5, d5 and f4, king on b2
Black- Pawns on d7, e7 and h7, King on b5
Puzzle-
https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=RHhuFi0hv1fonVvn7AHKZPBb3dE65H4q4k9H27j+iKB/hlMfqSErCmr2NcYnwHmJ
Solution
https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=PyQ8CWaYgNLRBSbjvHE34rLBbU3Gt9h8bfgm1g/pKsKRGnSA46tFfsapiV3sUxPt
Puzzle #2-
White- Pawns on f2 and g4, Bishop on f5, Queen on h8, King on d8
Black- King on g5
Puzzle-
https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=MGHFVw9/+CFYT8LQnSRn80+L5fcqpbxWlMLIBI2RP8uTrfCE3KgfhsKbj/pwrIw2
Solution-
https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=Hq/Y1By5LdPw3sRhFRdNF7dtVRn9oT8SgVFc92ZAWSkTS+BhVMmpF3OOdhSq3tIZ
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

Feb 18, 2020 • 1h 10min
EP.165 - GM Viswanathan Anand
This week my esteemed guest is none other than five-time World Champion and living chess legend, GM Viswanathan Anand!! Vishy has been busy as usual with high-level chess, as Tata Steel 2020 recently completed, and the Greinke Chess Classic is coming up for him in April. GM Anand also has recently released (with co-author Susan Ninan) the inspiring and illuminating book, Mind Master: Winning Lessons from a Champion’s Life. This brilliant book provides a springboard for us to discuss various topics about which Vishy has unique insights. They include the effects of aging on his chess game,chess in the era of super engines, reflections on World Championship matches, life as a dad, and the side effects of fame. Please continue reading for more details and timestamps.
(If embedded hyperlinks are not visible in your podcast feed, you can find them here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2020/2/18/episode-165-gm-viswanathan-anand)
1:00- Vishy reflects on the highs and lows of his recently completed tournament,Tata Steel 2020. Topics discussed include how he copes with tough losses as compared to how he coped earlier in life.
Mentioned: Caruana-Anand 2020, Firouzja-Anand 2020, Anand-Vituigov 2020, Chessbase India- Anand gives an endgame lesson to Firouzja, IM Sagar Shah, GM Ivan Sokolov
9:00- The conversation segues to a discussion of the lost art of post-mortem analysis, and the broader topic of how computers have changed chess.
Mentioned: GM Elizbar Ubilava, GM Gukesh D, GM Alireza Firouzja
16:00- A Patreon/Paypal supporter of the podcast wrote in to ask Vishy how he manages to appear so composed over the board. His answer surprised me!
Mentioned: Chessbase India video: Vishy Anand on the 9 Best Games of his Career, Kramnik-Anand 2008
22:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Among many other great offerings, you can check out their free course, Tournament Tactics: Tata Steel Chess 2020, featuring game analysis from GM Harikrishna
22:30- Vishy fields another Patreon mailbag question relating to how he maintains elite status into his 50th birthday.
Mentioned: GM Magnus Carlsen, GM Ian Nepomniatchi, GM Nikita Vitiugov, GM Ali Firouzja, GM Jordan van Foreest, Jeroen van den Berg (Tata Steel Organizer), GM Vladimir Kramnik, October 2001 FIDE Top 100 list, 2013 FIDE World Chess Championship, 2014 FIDE Candidates Tournament , GM Judit Polgar, GM Alexander Morezevich,GM Vassily Ivanchuk, GM Boris Gelfand, 2017 FIDE World Rapid Championships
35:15- Is Vishy’s son enjoying chess? What are his other interests?
Mentioned: Chesskid.com
38:00- Vishy reflects a bit more on prior world championship matches, and he expounds on a few memories and stories shared in Mind Master.
Mentioned: The Anand Files by Michiel Abeln, GM Ivan Cheparinov, Silvio Danilov, Susan Ninan
44:30- Another Patreon supporter writes to ask about the standards Vishy uses in selecting a World Championship preparation team.
Mentioned: GM Peter Heine Nielsen, GM Radoslaw Wotjaszek, GM Surya Ganguly, GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov, GM Grzegorz Gajewski, GM Sandipan Chanda
49:00- Is there a scenario in which Vishy would help out on a World Championship team in the 2020 match? How does he handicap the upcoming Candidates tournament?
Mentioned: GM Ding Liren, GM Fabiano Caruana
54:30- Another listener writes to ask, “Are there downsides to being as famous as Vishy is, especially in chess circles?” This question led to Vishy’s sharing a couple of funny stories relating to being recognized or unrecognized in public.
1:02:00- GM Anand’s next tournament is the Grienke Open in April of 2020. Thanks so much to GM Anand for joining me. You can follow him on twitter, and can buy his book from Amazon and many other chess book retailers.
If you would like to help support the 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

Feb 11, 2020 • 1h 20min
EP.164 IM John Bartholomew returns
I had a lot to catch up on with IM John Bartholomew 2.5 years after his first visit to Perpetual Chess. Then, as now, John is best known for his very popular Chess YouTube channel, and for being the co-founder of Chessable.com. John has seen the company and his following continue to grow rapidly in the past few years, and as you may have heard, Chessable merged with GM Magnus Carlsen’s Play Magnus company in September of 2019. John also has recently released a large-scale project, a Chessable video course , explaining the endgame classic, 100 Endgames You Must Know, and he even got to film a video testing the World Champion on the material from this vital chess book.
In our conversation, John gave some behind-the-scenes details on all of these exciting events. He also threw in lots of good chess improvement advice in reply to some good questions from listeners. Please read on for more details and timestamps.
If you aren’t seeing embedded hyperlinks in your podcast feed, you can find them on the podcast website here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2020/2/11/episode-164-im-john-bartholomew
0:00- Ways to interact with the Perpetual Chess Community include: Twitter, Perpetual Chess Facebook Group, and now, Perpetual Chess is sharing podcast clips on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/perpetualchess/
2:00- We begin by discussing John’s recent trip to Wijk an Zee in order to film a YouTube video with World Champion, GM Magnus Carlsen.
Mentioned: Perpetual Chess Episode 26 with IM John Bartholomew, Chessable CEO David Kramaley, John’s YouTube video testing Magnus on 100 Endgames You Must Know , Geert Van der Velde of Chessable, GM Fabiano Caruana, GM Nikita Vitiugov, GM Viswanathan Anand, GM Magnus Carlsen, GM Jesus de la VIlla
10:50- The first Patreon mailbag question of the week has to do with how the Chessable interface responds when someone (such as Magnus) inputs a solution to a puzzle that is not the primary solution.
16:00- John digs behind the scenes of how he made his 19+ hour video course, and discusses how this project affected his work as a chess teacher.
Mentioned: Philidor position, Lucena Position, Vancura Position, John’s free Endgame Bootcamp Video, Floating Square, Bird’s Color Rule, IM Greg Shahade’s last Perpetual Chess Appearance
24:30- We discuss some of the points discussed in the Chess Reddit thread, Are Chessable video courses worth the money?
33:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable. As John mentioned, in addition to his video course, one can check out AlanB’s courses here:
https://www.chessable.com/author/AlanB/
Chessable’s sale on the 100 Endgames You Must Know ends on February 16: https://www.chessable.com/100-endgames-you-must-know/course/5193/
34:00- We switch to the topic of chess improvement and dig into the Patreon mailbag. John answers questions relating to his recent tweet regarding planning chess study time, as well as one’s relating to the difference between IMs and FMs in chess skills, and what he notices in his most accomplished students.
Mentioned: IM Kassa Korley, The Woodpecker Method on Chessable, Checkmate Patterns by CraftyRaf, LiChess, Internet Chess Club
52:00- The last Patreon question requests some additional resources to drill endgames:
Mentioned: Mastering Endgames Strategy, Chesstempo Endgame Drills, From Amateur to IM, Lifetime Repertoires: 1. E4 e5 with GM Jan Gustafsson
56:30- On John’s last visit to Perpetual Chess, he shared some good chess business ideas. Does he have more ideas?
Mentioned: GM Hikaru Nakamura, GM Wesley So, Chessbrah’s YouTube, Fiona Steil-Antoni’s YouTube Vlogs , Chess.com, IM Danny Rensch, Chess24.com, Play Magnus, IM Dmitri Schneider
1:05- What was it like for John to teach Bullet chess phenom, GM Andrew Tang, aka Penguin GM, as a scholastic player? The puzzle John gave GM Andrew Tang can be seen here- https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=8x0P2obR3gRql0KNZaMJR9QVt5zI/QtoD/aUWVDnrOkEIL4R6/E/1C1f0qlezi/O (to see the solution turn on the Engine icon just below the chessboard):
Mentioned: Tune Your Chess Tactics Antenna, GM Robert Hess
1:10- Thanks to John for coming back on the show!
John’s YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6hOVYvNn79Sl1Fc1vx2mYA
John’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/fins0905?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
John’s 100 Endgames Video Course:
https://www.chessable.com/100-endgames-you-must-know/course/5193/
Perpetual Chess Patreon Page:
https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Feb 4, 2020 • 59min
Ep, 163- USCF Tournament Director Michael Regan
By day, USCF Tournament Director Michael Regan is an Observatory Scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute. By night and weekend, he runs some of the most player-friendly chess tournaments in the United States, primarily in the Maryland/Washington DC area. Michael joins me this week, to share all of his insights and secrets, gained from many years of figuring out to how to improve the player experience at weekend chess tournaments. We talked about everything from hotel booking, to fair play to punctuality to hygiene. This is an important conversation for any active tournament player, so please take a listen. Timestamps and more details can be found below.
0:00- Perpetual Chess is now on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/perpetualchess/
You can also interact with me and the Perpetual Chess community via Twitter and the Perpetual Chess Facebook Group .
3:00- Michael goes a bit into his chess background, and shares what frustrated him about the other tournaments in which he and his son often played when he first got into chess. Michael’s primary frustration was with tournaments that often started late.
Mentioned: DGT Chess Boards and Clocks
11:30- Michael shared a lot of insight into the mechanics of booking hotels for chess tournaments.
Mentioned: The Baltimore Open (coming this weekend)
19:00- Why does Michael prefer to run tournaments with time increments rather than delay?
24:30- What does Michael think of the arguments that there needs to be shorter time control as well as more break times during chess tournaments?
Mentioned: IM Greg Shahade’s most recent Perpetual Chess Interview
30:00 This episode is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Check out John Bartholomew’s video course explaining the endgame classic 100 Endgames You Must Know:
https://www.chessable.com/100-endgames-you-must-know/course/5193/
31:00- Michael answers a question from a Patreon supporter of the podcast regarding how to handle a small tournament field with large rating gaps among the players.
33:30- We discuss the dreaded issue of fair play. How can we prevent people from cheating using engines?
39:00- How can we promote better hygiene among chess players and thus limit the risk of illnesses and viruses being spread?
43:00- What is going on with Michael’s chess game?
45:00- Michael’s closing advice for those looking to make chess tournaments better are:
Start on time
Provide equipment (helps start on time)
49:50- Why does Michael often use a prize payment structure of paying a fixed amount based on players’ scores, rather than paying “1st place, 2nd place, etc.:?
52:00- Thanks so much to Michael for sharing his ideas and for coming on the show. If you would like to try one of his tournaments and find out what it’s like to be treated like a professional, you can see his upcoming schedule on the Maryland Chess Association website.
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

Jan 28, 2020 • 1h 7min
EP.162 - GM Ivan Cheparinov
GM Ivan Cheparinov is a very active player whose name can regularly be found amongst the top 50 players in the world,. He attained a peak rating of 2718, and has won or tied for first place in many tournaments, including the 2007 European Individual Championships, the 2014 Gibraltar Chess Festival, and the 2009 and 2010 Ruy Lopez Masters.
He has just released his first book, with Thinker's Publishing, called Cheparinov's 1. d4. As we discuss, this is to be the first of a multi-volume project, and offers some fighting lines to play against the Grunfeld and King’s Indian defenses.
Last but not least, Ivan was former FIDE World Champion, GM Veselin Topalov's second for 7 years, and had some great stories to tell from those times. He also dispensed a few important recommendations about the importance of visualization training and fitness for chess players. Please read on for more info and timestamps.
If you aren't seeing embedded hyperlinks on your podcast feed,you can find them here:
https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2020/1/28/episode-162-gm-ivan-cheparinov
2:30- Ivan joined me days before jetting off to the Gibraltor Chess Festival. At the beginning we discussed how he prepares before a big event such as this.
Mentioned: WGM Antoaneta Stefanova (his wife)
4:15- We dive into his book, Cheparinov’s d4, which is available from Thinker’s Publishing (Thinker’s website includes a free preview), and is also now available on Forward Chess.
Mentioned: Grandmaster Repertoire 1.d4 by GM Boris Avrukh, GM Veselin Topalov, GM Jan Gustafsson’s Lifetime Repertoire, GM Ding Liren, GM Vishy Anand, GM Wesley So, GM Gawain Jones, GM Bassem Amin
18:50-A Patreon supporter of the podcast asks for a less common opening recommendation to use in play against 1. D4 for club players.
Mentioned: The Benoni, The Benko, The King’s Indian, The Grunfeld Opening, Nimzo-Indian, The Slav
21:30 Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable. If you are a club-level player who would like to improve her visualization skills, check out this cool course called Visualize: https://www.chessable.com/visualise-1/course/25695/
22:30- GM Cheparinov worked with GM Veselin Topalov for 7 years. He shares some stories and reflections from that period.
Mentioned: Topalov-Kasparov 2005 (Kasparov’s last game) , Topalov-Kramnik 2008, GM Jan Smeets
31:00- With the recent publication of the books The Anand Files and Mind Master, a lot of information has been shared about the 2010 Anand-Topalov World Championship match in Sofia, Bulgaria, so I was excited to ask GM Cheparinov (a team Topalov member) about some of the details.
Mentioned: GM Erwin L’Ami , Topalov-Anand World Championship Game 12, GM Vladimir Kramnik
42:00- Both GM Viswanathan Anand and Anand Files author, Michiel Abeln, wrote about Anand’s team’s fears that team Topalov had a “super computer” at their disposal in 2010 to help with World Championship preparation- Was this true?
Mentioned: Silvio Danailov, Rybka Chess Engine, GM Romain Eduoard, Thinker’s Publishing
47:00- What are GM Chepariniv’s current study methods? What did he do as a rising scholastic player?
Mentioned: GM Vassily Ivanchuk, GM Boris Gelfand, Csaba Balogh’s Chess Books, Perfect Your Chess
59:00- Thanks to GM Cheparinov for joining the show. You can keep up with him via Facebook. Watch his last few rounds of the Gibraltor Chess Festival here.
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

Jan 21, 2020 • 1h 6min
EP.161 - Geert van der Velde (Chief Content Officer of Chessable.com)
This week’s guest, Geert van der Velde, is a semi-retired rock star who has recently managed to turn his passion for all things chess into the role of Chief Content Officer for Chessable.com.
Geert is quite knowledgeable about chess books, chess history, and chess teaching, and we hit all of these topics in our conversation. Geert was also able to share lots of information about some exciting projects in the works at Chessable, as well as trends of which we should be aware in the chess education space generally. More details and timestamps can be found below.
If you are not seeing embedded hyperlinks in your podcast feed you can find them here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2020/1/21/episode-161-geert-van-der-velde-chief-content-officer-of-chessablecom
0:00- Geert delves into his chess background and talks about how his passion for chess was born and how it was revived in the past decade.
Mentioned: BIll Wall’s Chess Website, My Great Predecessors, My Best Games of Chess by Alexander Alekhine, Alekhine BBC Interview YouTube clip, GM Neil McDonald, Chess Books Recaptured: Bobby Fischer goes to War
9:00- Geert shares how he ended up in his current role as Chief Content Officer at Chessable.com.
12:30- We take a detour into Geert’s background as a successful touring rock musician, most prominently for a band called The Black Atlantic. Check out their music here:
https://blackatlantic.bandcamp.com/
14:45- We return to Geert’s chess background.
Mentioned: How to Reassess Your Chess by Jeremy Silman , Grenke Chess Open, Chessable’s 100 Endgames You Must Know, IM John Bartholomew, GM Jorden Van Foreest, GM Jan Gustafsson,
22:00- What does Geert’s work for Chessable entail?
Mentioned: GM Sam Shankland’s Small Steps 2 Success on Chessable, GM Wesley So, Chessable’s “Lifetime Pro” Membership deal will only be available for a few more weeks, Chessable CEO David Kramaley on Perpetual Chess, GM Alex Colovic, GM Pentala Harikrishna, Memory Champ Simon Reinhard, Memory Games on Netflix, Moonwalking with Einstein
35:50- This show is brought to you in part by Chessable- As we discussed, one of the many great books you can learn online is 100 Endgames You Must Know: https://www.chessable.com/100-endgames-you-must-know/course/5193/
36:50- A supporter of the podcast sent in some great Chessable-related questions pertaining to when Chessable’s IOS app will be coming and other Chessable business-related questions.
Mentioned: NM Mike Zaloznyy, IM Dmitri Schneider
44:00- What books would Geert most love to bring to Chessable? As a chess dad and part time chess teacher, what are Geert’s favorite apps for kids who are learning chess?
ERROR ALERT- Contra what I said, Magnus Trainer is available on Ipad. I apologize for the mistake!
Mentioned: How to Reassess Your Chess by Jeremy Silman , The Chess Steps Method, Magnus Trainer, Chesskid.com, Chess Steps: Chess Tutor Program , Cor van Wijgerden
53:00- We discuss Geert’s plans for attending the ongoing Tata Steel Chess Tournament. Can spaced repetition be used to learn music?
Mentioned: Black Atlantic’s Most Popular Song,I Shall Cross this River, has been streamed 31,000,000.
Thanks to Geert for being on the show, you can keep up with him via Chessable and Twitter.
If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do here:
https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate
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Jan 17, 2020 • 1h 13min
Book Recap #3 : Bobby Fischer Goes to War with guest co-host Chris Wainscott [Chess Books Recaptured Series]
Welcome to another edition of Chess Books Recaptured, a monthly Bonus Pod. This month, we tried something different and are recapping an enjoyable and informative chess history book, Bobby Fischer goes to War by David Edmonds and John Eidenow. This book gives a deep and broad history of the “Match of the Century” between challenger Bobby Fischer, and World Chess champion, GM Boris Spassky, in Reykjavik, Iceland in 1972. To help me discuss the book, I enlisted the help of long time friend of the podcast, Chris Wainscott. Chris is a part time chess journalist, and a full time chess junkie and adult improver. For lots more details of what we discussed, please keep reading. If you aren’t seeing hyperlinks in your podcast feed, you can find them here:
https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2020/1/17/bonus-pod-recapping-the-book-bobby-fischer-goes-to-war-with-chris-wainscott-chess-books-recaptured-series
2:00- We being by introducing guest co-host Chris Wainscott, and discussing why we picked Bobby Fischer goes to War for this month's book recap.
Mentioned: Recap of Life and Games of Mikhail Tal here, and Reassess Your Chess by IM Jeremy Silman, here. One Move at a Time podcast with Chris Wainscott
8:00- I read the Kindle Version of Bobby Fischer goes to War, Chris read the Paperback version. Audiobook link here.
9:00- What was going on in the chess world in 2005 when Bobby Goes to War was published.
Mentioned: GM Garry Kasparov, FIDE World Champion GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov, GM Vladimir Kramnik
14:00- What other writing should we be aware of regarding the Fischer Spassky match?
Mentioned: Edward Winter post on Fischer-Spassky, Fischer gegn Spassky by Freysteinn Jóhannsson and Friðrik Ólafsson (Reykjavik, 1973), and Fischer World Champion! by Max Euwe and Jan Timman
15:30- We give a few biographical details about the writers, David Winter and John Eidenow
16:30- For what level chess player is this book suited?
18:30- This episode is brought to you in part by Chessable, check out My Great Predecessors, Volume 4, on Chessable to see GM Garry Kasparov’s reflections and annotations on Bobby Fischer (among others).
19:30- We dive into the book, Chris reads the opening paragraphs and we discuss some key events surrounding the match and the structure of the book.
28:30- What were the major themes of the match/book?
Fischer-Spassky Game 1, Game 5, The Anand Files by Michiel Abeln
31:30- We read a few of our favorite quotes from the book.
Fischer-Spassky Game 13, GM Awonder Liang, Bobby Fischer Against the World, IM Anthony Saidy, Paul Marshall, GM Nikolai Krogius, Psychology in Chess by Nikolai Krogius, GM Larry Evans, GM Anatoly Karpov, GM Mark Taimanov
41:00- What were our favorite games that were mentioned in the match?
Spassky - Petrosian Game 5 1969 , Spassky-Fischer Game 3, GM Evgeny Bareev, IM John Watson’s The Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy
44:50- What were our favorite anecdotes from the book?
GM Lothar Schmid, Chester Fox, Saemi Palsson, Jim Slater, Reykjavik Open 2020 , Victor Jackovich
53:20- Are there chess improvement lessons to be derived from this book?
57:00- What are our quibbles with this book?
Mentioned: George Steiner’s Field of Force, Paul Morphy, NY Times Review of Bobby Fischer Goes to War
1:02:00- Coming next month, recapturing Think Like a Grandmaster by Alexander Kotov, with Christopher Chabris.
1:02:00- Thanks to Chris Wainscott for helping out this month! He will be generously donating his compensation for this project to US Chess Women.
Keep up with Chris via twitter, Facebook and his blog
1:04:00- Blindfold chess puzzles of the month, here they are:
Puzzle #1- Black to move and win
White- Pawns on h2, g2, d5, a2, Rook on f1, King on h1, Queen on d7, Bishop on a3
Black- Pawns on h7, g7, f7, d6. King on g8, Bishop on f8, Rook on e8, Queen on d4
Puzzle- https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=uRdvz3KWpscHk859Tf87okC5Ilmx1QQ7Pn/QduKIb67T7QTMUs43v9M5sPtBM1pH
Solution-
https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=uzikPPig87+Zc0vNm2QP8BZf19uVsqrRv1PmSOFg83BKFkyixUDgfiD4Vu5cuhDB
Puzzle #2- Black to move and mate in 4, only the checkmating solution counts!
White- pawns on h2, g3, f2, e3, king on e2, queen on f3
Black- pawns on g7, f7, king on g8, Queen on c3,Bishop on b3
Puzzle- https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=HJ2B61vb+nCxTLUIfIk3rHGsBFlRB0wJEdRdU2OP85FFWlvargvwm7soeflbP5LM
Solution-
https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=U31R2/dyPiHjEUMyeksXuxy1+aQGm4eS9LN2NAWxrnsjibxsTDWK/nEMItY67c6R
Thanks for listening. if you would like to help support the podcast, you can do so here:
https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate
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