EP 437- Coach Jay Stallings and NM Adam Weissbarth talk Chess Teaching, Chess in the Movies and The Challenges and Rewards of Running a Chess Business

Perpetual Chess is back with another bonus pod, as the Carlsen/Niemann story continues to see new developments. This week’s major news is that Chess.com has issued a report with a full accounting of their actions around the Hans Niemann story. Joining me to discuss it is FM Nate Solon. Nate is a data scientist, 2018 Massachussets State Chess Champion, an Author, and a blogger who has recently been writing about the controversy, There was tons to discuss from this report, so I was happy to have Nate help me do so. Notes and brief timestamps can be found below.   CORRECTION- There were a couple of times I misspoke in this pod in distinguishing between online and OTB cheating.I want to clarify that I was not disputing whether Hans cheated online, and any time I mentioned questions about whether Hans cheated it was only in relation to whether he cheated OTB. My apologies- Ben 0:00- What are the major conclusions from the Chess.com report?  Mentioned: Chess.com report link here:  https://www.chess.com/blog/CHESScom/hans-niemann-report Hans’ Most Recent Chess.com Account https://www.chess.com/member/hansontwitch 15:00 - Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. You can check out all of their latest offerings here:  https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/ We discuss the data Nate laid out in his Monday post, Did Hans Nieman Cheat 22:00- Back to the report. We discuss the analysis within Chess.com’s report of Hans’ OTB results.  41:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. Aimchess’ algorithm reviews your games and gives you actionable advice on how to improve your game. Check it out for free, and if you choose to subscribe you can use the code Perpetual30 to save 30%. Or use this link for the same discount: https://aimchess.com/try?ref=benjohnson12 42:00- We answer some listener questions related to the scandal.  Mentioned: David Smerdon’s thoughts on the report here: https://twitter.com/dsmerdon/status/1577490212342870022?s=20&t=SSwdxc-1W8b1Ot9qukkx8w Episode 271 with GM Hans Niemann  1:13:00- Thanks to Nate for joining me and sharing his insights. Here are links to keep up with him:  Twitter Substack Blog  Evaluate Like a GM Website  If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

6 Loka 20221h 18min

This week’s guest on Perpetual Chess is FM Dennis Monokroussos. Dennis is a chess trainer who is a frequent presenter for Chesslecture.com and has been the state champion of both Nevada (where he grew up)  and Indiana. Dennis has been blogging about chess on his excellent blog, The Chess Mind, since 2005. In our conversation, we discuss how the chess world, and the blogging platforms have changed since 2005. Dennis also shares plenty of useful chess improvement advice and tells some funny stories about his most memorable games and his chess travels. It was fun and informative to finally chat with someone whose writing I have enjoyed for many years. More details and timestamps are below.    2:00- Dennis started chess blogging in 2005. What was the chess world like then?  10:00- How does the current Carlsen/Niemann scandal compare to Kramnik/Topalov “toiletgate”? 13:00- Why does Dennis often annotate top games in addition to recapping them on his blog?  17:00- Why did Dennis move his blog to a platform called Substack?  20:00- Dennis discusses his open letter to Dr. Kenneth Regan, and Dr. Regan’s response. 24:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. You can check out all of their latest offerings here:  https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/ 26:00- Dennis discusses his climb up the chess rating ladder and shares improvement advice  Mentioned: Chess Book Collectors Facebook Group  42:00- What do GM Mikhail Tal and GM Tigran Petrosian have in common? What was it like to play Tal in a simul?  48:00- Does Dennis agree that one should do lots of tactics?  49:00- What can we expect in the 2022 US Championship, which is essentially an invitational super-tournament these days?  56:00- Patreon mailbag question- What is the story behind the amazing sacrificial game Dennis played in 1999 (link below) ? https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1531040 1:03:00- Dennis discusses another memorable sacrificial game, his win over top US GM, Leonid Yudasin. https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1531057 1:06:00- Dennis attended 2 World Championships, the 1995 and the 2007 World Championship tournament in Mexico City, What was it like?  1:15:00-  Thanks to Dennis for sharing his chess experiences! You can subscribe to his blog and reach him about lessons or Ashland University scholarship inquiries via his blog: https://thechessmind.substack.com/ The Perpetual Chess linkfest signup is here:  https://benjohnson.substack.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

4 Loka 20221h 20min

Perpetual Chess is back with another book review, discussing GM Jan Timman’s excellent book, The Longest Game. It is part game collection and part historic guide to GM Garry Kasparov and GM Anatoly Karpov’s series of 6 World Championship Matches between 1984 and 1990. While the 2023 World Championship looks unlikely to feature the #1 player in the world, fans in the late 1980s got to repeatedly see the clear #1 and clear #2 battle in long matches! These battles resulted in some timeless, tense chess games, and plenty of far-fatched but true stories related to the behind the scenes machinations of the matches. Joining me to discuss it all, is Marko Bulatovic, who selected this book because he is both a chess and history aficionado. Please read on for timestamps of topics discussed.  0:00- Background on my co-host, Marko Bulatovic and why he chose the book The Longest Game  14:00- Does the +2 overall record of Kasparov in the 6 World Championship matches misrepresent how close the matches were?  17:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. Aimchess’ algorithm reviews your games and gives you actionable advice on how to improve your game. Check it out for free, and if you choose to subscribe you can use the code Perpetual30 to save 30%. Or use this link for the same discount: https://aimchess.com/try?ref=benjohnson12 19:00- We briefly discuss GM Jan Timman’s bio, and the formats the book is available in.  Mentioned: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1jQxTXneIGjf24eXkLKFwb?si=03f82d8088644b67 New in Chess Ebook- https://www.newinchess.com/the-longest-game Amazon/Kindle- The Longest Game: The Five KasparovKarpov Matches for the World Chess Championship: Timman, Jan: 9789056918118: Amazon.com: Books 23:00- We go through the most epic match of all, the 48 game 1984 match. Was the match really suspended to protect Karpov? 35:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. You can check out all of their latest offerings here:  https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/ 36:00- We share and discuss a few of our favorite quotes.  1:02:00- Final thoughts on the book!  If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here: Ben Johnson is creating Perpetual Chess Podcast | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

3 Loka 20221h 10min

Perpetual Chess is back with another bonus pod discussing the ongoing Magnus Carlsen/Hans Niemann controversy. The major news of the week was that GM Magnus Carlsen issued a statement on Monday confirming that he suspects GM Hans Niemann of cheating. To discuss the story, I am honored to be joined by 2 Grandmaster guests who offer significant domain expertise beyond the chess world. First up is GM Jonathan Rowson, a renowned author and philosopher and the 3 time British Chess Champion. My conversation with Jonathan is centered around the human element of this story, and how we can hope to avoid biases in our interpretation of the information at hand. Following GM Rowson, I am joined by Dr. David Smerdon. GM Smerdon is a 7 time Chess Olympian for his native Australia, and an award winning chess author. David has worked with both Dr. Kenneth Regan and also the Chess.com cheat detection team. David’s primary field is development economics, but he has a statistical background and devotes significant time to chess-related research. As we discuss, in addition to chess cheating, David has published a paper related to gender issues in chess. I found it helpful to hear the grounded perspective of 2 of the chess world’s most insightful thinkers. As always, timestamps of topics discussed can be found below.  0:00- Intro and review of recent events: Sub to Perpetual Chess Linkfest 5:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. You can check out all of their latest offerings here:  https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/ 6:00- GM Jonathan Rowson joins (recorded September 28) 6:00- 3 key questions to ask ourselves 19:00- Should we draw a distinction between cheating in online and OTB chess?  29:00- Are we likely to get a resolution to this case?   32:00- What are sensible anti-cheating measures?  35:00- Jonathan reflects on his recent return to OTB competitive chess  39:00- What behavioral biases should we be alert for as we evaluate the information presented?  48:00- What opinions has Jonathan heard from his GM peers?  Mentioned:  Carlsen-Niemann 2022 Mishra-Niemann 2022 53:00- Thanks to Jonathan for joining the show! Here are links to keep up with him.  Twitter  The Moves that Matter His website His Chessable Courses  You can hear our prior interview here. (Episode 150)  56:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. Aimchess’ algorithm reviews your games and gives you actionable advice on how to improve your game. Check it out for free, and if you choose to subscribe you can use the code Perpetual30 to save 30%. Or use this link for the same discount: https://aimchess.com/try?ref=benjohnson12 57:00- GM David Smerdon joins (recorded September 27) 58:00- What does David’s research suggest about why people cheat at chess?  1:08:00- David has seen Chess.com’s list of banned players, obviously he can’t reveal names, but is there anything he can say about it?  1:13:00- David discusses some of GM Fabiano Caruana’s comments on the controversy from the C Squared podcast 1:20:00- David discusses the Let’s Check feature on Chessbase. We are referring to video’s such as this one by FM Yosha Iglesias, which makes a good-faith attempt to analyze Han’s games with data.  Mentioned: IM Ken Regan interview with James Altucher  1:30:00- Does David have a personal opinion about whether Hans cheated OTB?  1:33:00- Could one be termed "guilty" of cheating OTB based on data alone?  1:40:00- David discusses his fun and useful statistical tool, the Fighting Chess Index (FCI).  1:45:00- David discusses his research on gender and chess.  Mentioned: BBC News: Chess Commentator Sacked for Sexist Remark 1:57:00- Thanks to David for sharing his insights! Here are some of the ways to keep up with him: Twitter: https://twitter.com/dsmerdon David’s Chess Blog:  https://www.davidsmerdon.com/ Award Winning Book The Complete Chess Swindler  You can hear our prior interview here. (Episode 30) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

28 Syys 20222h 3min

The Perpetual Chess Adult Improver Series returns for another detailed conversation with a very dedicated amateur. 35 year old Hans Henning is a Dublin based chess enthusiast, who has a demanding job in tech sales, but is also spending multiple hours per day studying chess. Hans first gained interest in chess through Ludwig Ahgren and Pogchamps and since then has made steady progress up to a LiChess blitz rating of around 1900. In our conversation, Hans shares some personal details about why he finds chess so motivating, and why he has a particular love for studying openings. Hans also shares some great recommendations for books, courses, and study methods. As always, more info to topics referenced and timestamps can be found below.  Be sure to subscribe to my free weekly chess news roundup, the Perpetual Chess Linkfest, you can do so here: https://benjohnson.substack.com/ 0:00- What motivates Hans to spend tons of time studying chess?  Mentioned: Checkmate Pattern Manual, Common Chess Patterns  7:30- How in Hans’ opinion, should one train chess?  11:00- How did Hans pull himself out of a depressive period? 14:00- Does Hans worry that he could be fighting an uphill battle by trying to improve at chess in his 30s and beyond?  16:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. You can check out all of their latest offerings here:  https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/ 17:00- Why does Hans love openings and choose to emphasize opening study?  Mentioned: CT-Art, ChessDojo 30:00- What did Hans learn about managing opening files from GM Sam Shankland and Killer Chess Training?  34:00- Does Hans worry about spending so much money on chess improvement?  38:30- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. Aimchess’ algorithm reviews your games and gives you actionable advice on how to improve your game. Check it out for free, and if you choose to subscribe you can use the code Perpetual30 to save 30%. Or use this link for the same discount: https://aimchess.com/try?ref=benjohnson12 39:00- Welcome to the Chess dot bomb! Karen discusses her favorite Chess.com premium features, which includes GM Johan Hellsten’s “Lessons feature”, I also discussed the “Play Like …” feature. If you decide to upgrade to a premium membership at Chess.com, you can help support the pod by signing up using this link (https://go.chess.com/Perpetual). 41:00- What was it like to get lessons with renowned trainer, GM Johan Hellsten? After working with Johan and other trainers why did he ultimately decide to work on his own?   48:00- Hans describes his OTB chess experiences  53:00- Hans shares some book and resource recommendations!  Move First Think Later, How To Study Chess on Your Own, Think Like a Super GM, Understanding Chess Move by Move, Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy, The Silicon Road to Chess Improvement, Van Perlo’s Endgame Tactics, Endgame Strategy 1:00:00- Thanks to Hans for joining us! You can follow him on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/IamHansHenning If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here:  Ben Johnson is creating Perpetual Chess Podcast | Patreon   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

27 Syys 20221h 8min

We are back with another bonus pod discussing the ongoing controversy involving GM Magnus Carlsen and GM Hans Niemann. This week there have been significant new events and information brought to light, and I am joined by 2 separate guests to review the developments and help sort it out. After reviewing the key events and quotes, I am joined by GM Alex Fishbein (9:00) and then IM Greg Shahade (1:11:00). The interview with Alex was recorded Wednesday night, September 21, and Greg’s interview was recorded Tuesday September 20. Thanks to them both for sharing their insights!  0:00- Links from Intro:  Be sure to subscribe to my free weekly chess news roundup, the Perpetual Chess Linkfest, you can do so here: https://benjohnson.substack.com/ Fabiano/Cristian Chirila C Squared Podcast:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCFB_rNGTaw&feature=youtu.be Sinquefield Cup Arbiter statement: https://twitter.com/ChrisBirdIA/status/1572615484654358529?s=20&t=so_SVkkCpU_B6vw1AJfTyw 8:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. Aimchess’ algorithm reviews your games and gives you actionable advice on how to improve your game. Check it out for free, and if you choose to subscribe you can use the code Perpetual30 to save 30%. Or use this link for the same discount: https://aimchess.com/try?ref=benjohnson12 9:00- GM Alex Fishbein joins the show 9:00- Was there anything unusual in Alex’s 3 OTB games against Hans?  15:00- How likely does Alex think the “prep leak theory" is?  24:00- Does Alex agree with GM Jacob Aagaard’s shoplifting/bank robbing analogy from last week’s bonus pod?  33:00- The crux of the issue is that chess has always been played partially based on an honor system  41:00- Is it true that its easier to cheat online than live?  46:00- How likely is one to encounter cheating in a typical OTB tournament?  1:00:00- Alex sums up his thoughts about what may have happened in St. Louis  1:10:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. You can check out all of their latest offerings here:  https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/ 1:11:00- IM Greg Shahade joins the show  Thanks to my guests for joining the show! If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here: Donate — The Perpetual Chess Podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

22 Syys 20221h 36min

This week we are joined by the 2021 US Women’s Champion and one of the top junior female players in the world, IM Carissa Yip. I talked with Carissa in  early September, at an interesting juncture in her life- she had just concluded her first Chess Olympiad, and was setting out for California, soon to begin her freshman year at Stanford University. This gave Carissa an opportunity to reflect on her past and future in chess and beyond. We discussed the following questions: What went right (and wrong) for Carissa and the US Women’s Olympiad Team? Why does she love the King’s Indian Defense? How did she get to her current chess level, and what would she need to do to advance even more? How does she plan to balance academics and chess? Plus Carissa told some fun stories involving interactions with GM Levon Aronian, GM Magnus Carlsen, GM Garry Kasparov, and others. Timestamps of topics discussed can be found below. Perpetual Chess Link Fest Sign Up- https://benjohnson.substack.com/ 0:01-  Carissa discusses her day-to-day as she was on the verge of beginning life as a Stanford University freshman.  4:30- How did Carissa prepare for the Women’s Chess Olympiad, where the U.S. team finished tied for third place? How was the event?  Mentioned: GM Melih Khachiyan, GM Alejandro Ramirez  14:00- How did she interact with the team? Mentioned: Levon Trolling, Carissa Yip (Note this is a Chess.com not Chessbase India video (as I said). My mistake):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxqiTZBAWFM 18:00- Carissa discusses her critical win over IM Tania Sachdev in the last round  and her love for the King’s Indian defense.  Mentioned: Sachdev-Yip 2022,    22:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. You can check out all of their latest offerings here:  https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/ 23:00- What parts of her game is Carissa trying to work on?  Mentioned: Carissa’s Ladies Knight podcast appearance, The Giant Chess Puzzle Book 32:00- Patreon mailbag question: Who are Carissa’s favorite players of the past and the present?  36:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. Aimchess’ algorithm reviews your games and gives you actionable advice on how to improve your game. Check it out for free, and if you choose to subscribe you can use the code Perpetual30 to save 30%. Or use this link for the same discount: https://aimchess.com/try?ref=benjohnson12 37:00-  Patreon mailbag question: How does Carissa plan to balance academics and chess?  43:00- What is the real story behind GM Andrew Tang’s photo, taken with GM Magnus Carlsen?  Mentioned: Episode 241 with GM Andrew Tang, Andrew Tang blog post   50:00- Thanks to Carissa for joining the pod!  You can keep up with her: Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/carissayipchess Instagram https://www.instagram.com/carissayip/?hl=en Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

20 Syys 202256min

We are back with another bonus pod to discuss the Sinquefield Cup controversy with Tuesday’s guest, GM Jacob Aagaard. Jacob has worked with Hans personally, and like the rest of the chess world has been following this story very closely. There has been no statement from GM Magnus Carlsen, but there have still been many developments worth discussing in the past week. Timestamps of topics discussed are below, thanks to Jacob for rejoining us!  Be sure to subscribe to my free weekly chess news roundup, the Perpetual Chess Linkfest, you can do so here: https://benjohnson.substack.com/ 0:00- What are the key events of the last week? What does Jacob think of the cheating theories? Mentioned:  St. Louis Chess Club Arbiter’s Statement: https://grandchesstour.org/blog/2022-sinquefield-cup-chief-arbiter%E2%80%99s-statement James Altucher Podcast with IM Kenneth Regan  GM Jacob Aagaard Blog post about his experience working with GM Hans Niemann  https://forum.killerchesstraining.com/t/paranoia-and-insanity-by-jacob-aagaard/856 20:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. Aimchess’ algorithm reviews your games and gives you actionable advice on how to improve your game. Check it out for free, and if you choose to subscribe you can use the code Perpetual30 to save 30%. Or use this link for the same discount: https://aimchess.com/try?ref=benjohnson12 21:00- We discuss a couple other of the videos and posts regarding whether Hans potentially cheated OTB before the Sinquefield Cup.  Mentioned: Atlanta Kings Research Todd Bryant’s Response to above research  Nikos Ntirlis’ Additional Response (Not mentioned on the podcast) 29:00- Why does Jacob think that Hans is “the perfect test to expose the fallibility” of our current anti-cheating measures?  35:00- Jacob’s discusses the statement issued by Chess.com Mentioned: Chess.com statement  https://twitter.com/chesscom/status/1568010971616100352?s=20&t=lM603tHenLUdoXSKjm4aBQ 42:00- Patreon mailbag question: Even as a recreational player, it is frustrating to get emails that you played online cheaters. Should online cheaters be punished more harshly?  49:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. You can check out all of their latest offerings here:  https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/ 50:00- Why hasn’t Magnus issued a statement? What does Jacob think about his handling of the World Championship announcement?  Mentioned: GM Ben Finegold Video 59:00- Jacob discusses IM Ken Regan’s recent interview on The James Altucher podcast  Mentioned: Carlsen-Niemann 2022, Video Version of Altucher Ken Regan Podcast, Background on the 2010 French Olimpiad cheating case here Thanks to Jacob for hopping back on and sharing his thoughts!  Book- A Matter of Endgame Technique Quality Chess- http://www.qualitychess.co.uk/ Killer Chess Training Facebook- 365 Chess Academy / Killer Chess Training | Facebook GM Jacob Aagaard’s Twitter- https://twitter.com/GMJacobAagaard?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here.: Ben Johnson is creating Perpetual Chess Podcast | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

16 Syys 20221h 8min