EP 446- IM Greg Shahade on The State of Professional Chess, Why He Loves the Daily and Classical Formats & Adult Improving at Trivia 

FM Yuriy Krykun is a young and accomplished chess player, graduate student, trainer and author. As a player, Yuriy was the 2018 Under 20 Champion,  is rated nearly 2500 USCF, and in 2019, he attained 2 IM norms.  Since Yuriy’s hopes to earn one more IM Norm have been delayed by coronavirus, he has been focusing on churning out quality opening courses and books.  I was particularly eager to discuss Yuriy’s new Chessable course, The Dynamic Italian Game, which focuses on the Evans Gambit. As we discuss, modern chess engines have made lots of new discoveries in the famed Evans, so it was a fun course for him to write, and it’s a fun opening to play if you are a club player looking for dynamic positions. Lastly, since Yuriy is norm chasing himself, and is also an active coach, he had lots of good chess improvement recommendations. As always, you can find lots more details, timestamps and relevant links below.    0:00- We begin by discussing how Yuriy has been impacted by coronavirus. He got stranded when visiting his native Ukraine, but now he has returned to St. Louis, where he can train with the powerhouse Webster University Chess Team. Yuriy also discusses why he decided to study at Webster.  Mentioned:Webster University, Yuriy’s Chessable Course page,  A Complete Repertoire for Black after 1. e4-e5 ,  Squeezing the King’s Indian Defense GM  Ilya Nyzhnyk, GM Lázaro Bruzón Batista, GM Alexander Lenderman, GM Peter Prohaska, GM Aram Hakobyan, GM John Burke,GM Emilio Cordova, GM Yuniesky Quesada    10:00- Yuriy shares his reasons for designing a Chessable course on the historic Evans Gambit, The Dynamic Italian Game, Mentioned: Stacia Pugh, GM Jan Gustafsson    22:00- As always, Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. In addition to Yuriy’s courses, FM Kamil Plichta is out with a new course on the Budapest Gambit (free preview here- https://www.chessable.com/short-and-sweet-budapest-gambit/course/50173/) , and there is lots more to check out on the site.     22:45- We discuss Yuriy’s approach to engine use, as well as his advice for how much improvers should be using them.  Mentioned: Stockfish, AlphaZero, LeelaZero, Fat Fritz, GM Patrick Wolff, Stockfish NNUE   29:30- What study tools did Yuriy use during his quick ascent up the chess-rating ladder? What study advice does he have for current adult improvers of different levels?  Mentioned: GM Alex Yermolinsky’s The Road to Chess Improvement, Zurich 1953, Endgame Strategy, Yusopov Chess School Series, Logical Chess Move by Move, How to Reassess Your Chess     40:00- What are Yuriy’s current chess goals and plans? Mentioned: Charlotte Chess Center    44:30- What is next for Yuriy, chess-content wise? How is life in St. Louis?  Mentioned: Check for Yuriy’s YouTube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjzbPjAk6T87ZgaIxUX-aEg/about?disable_polymer=1   49:30- Despite coronavirus, FIDE has announced that the 2020 Candidates will resume in November. What does Yuriy think about it? Mentioned: GM Teimour Radjabov    53:00- Thanks to Yuriy for joining the show.  He has lots more stuff coming out, so it would be wise to keep up with him the following ways:    Twitter-https://twitter.com/KrykunYuriy YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjzbPjAk6T87ZgaIxUX-aEg/about?disable_polymer=1   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

22 Syys 20201h 3min

USCF expert Tom Murphy is undoubtedly one of the most renowned “park speed chess” players to live in the U.S. in the last few decades. He is a local legend in the cities in which he has lived:  Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and Chicago, and has often been featured in the local media in those cities. It’s hard to miss Tom in popular chess hotspots due to his strong play and his entertaining banter. In our conversation we cover topics ranging from blitz and trash-talking tips, to Tom’s unique improvement advice, to the most money he has made in a day while gambling on chess. Tom shares many great stories and has an evident love of chess, but his life has not always been easy. As we also discuss, Tom has battled addiction at times, and even had a short stint in jail as a result of these issues. As you can tell, Tom has quite a story to tell! More details can be found below, along with time stamps and relevant links.  0:00- Perpetual Chess Happy Hour info here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/happyhour 2:45- Tom tells the origin story of how he discovered chess as a teenager in Philadelphia and began to take it increasingly seriously over time.  Mentioned: Central High School, NM Norman “Pete” Rogers, A Contemporary Approach to the Middle Game by GM Alexei Suetin, NM Wilbert Paige 8:30- Tom tells the formative story of a moment when a top player underestimated him, and how this served to motivate him to work to improve. Mentioned: IM Anthony Saidy, GM Yasser Seirawan, GM Robert Byrne  11:30- Does Tom consider himself a chess hustler?  Mentioned: Daaim Shabazz of The Chess Drum’s coverage of Tom Murphy: https://www.thechessdrum.net/blog/2018/10/24/tom-murphy-wins-chicagos-3rd-tate-memorial/ Tim Ferris video in which GM Maurice Ashley plays a park player - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5vnpOp0U_g 14:45- Tom Murphy answers a question from the Patreon mailbag about the art of trash- talking.  Sideline: The History of Chess from a Black Point of View preview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVEWz_mzT8Q  16:45- What is the story behind the birth of the Chicago based National Blitz League?  Mentioned: Nathan Kelly,  https://www.nblchess.com/, Daniel X Jones, George Li 19:45- Tom reveals his “3 Ps” for chess improvement- Patience, Perseverance and a Peaceful Mind  Mentioned: IM Greg Shahade, WGM Jennifer Shahade  23:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Check out all of their latest offerings here.  https://www.chessable.com/courses/ 24:00- Who is Tom’s best “customer” of all time in terms of playing him in blitz for money?  Mentioned: FM Sunil Weerumantry  27:15- Who is the strongest player Tom ever faced? What were the reasons for his moving from Philly to DC, and then later to Chicago? GM Roman Dzindzichashvilli, GM Ben Finegold, GM Nikola Mitkov  30:30- Does Tom think that park chess is dying?  The National Blitz League Facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/NationalBlitzLeague Henry Getz, Steve Jennings  32:00- Tom has battled addiction in the past, has been homeless for periods and even spent six months in jail due to addiction issues, so he reflects on that experience and offers advice to others battling addiction.  37:30- Is Tom stronger online or over the board?  38:00- What are Tom’s favorite chess publications to read?  Mentioned: New in Chess Magazine,  Endgame Strategy, The Art of The Middle Game in Chess,My System, 500 Master Games of Chess  44:00- How does Tom use computers to work on his chess game?  Mentioned: The Perpetual Chess Facebook Group 46:00- What is Tom’s blitz chess advice?  Mentioned: GM Pablo Riccardi 48:30- IM Greg Shahade writes in to ask about the state of Tom Murphy’s Ms. Pac Man skills, then Tom discusses his enthusiasm for poker and backgammon.  Mentioned: Paul Baraz  55:00- Thanks so much to Tom for sharing his great stories! If you would like to contact him about online lessons, you can text him at 202-279-1442   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

15 Syys 20201h 3min

Embrace the Process of Daily Chess Study This week on Perpetual Chess, the first two adult improver guests return to the podcast 2+ years after our first interviews. Both Andrzej Kryzdwa and Stacia Pugh exude the same passion for chess today that they did in our prior conversation. They update us on their recent results, share some new study tips, recent chess realizations, and book recommendations This week we have a special edition of Perpetual Chess, as the two first adult improver guests return to the show to update us on the state of their chess games, their lives, and their improvement regimens. The guests are Andrzej Krzydwa and Stacia Pugh, who both originally appeared on the show 2+ years ago (links to their interviews below.) Andrzej is a Polish small business owner, dad and programmer who manages to devote a ton of time to his chess improvement. At the time of our first interview he had just earned an IM norm by posting a dazzling 2579 performance rating in a tournament called the Katowice Spring 2018 . Stacia is a former professional cornhole player who now devotes all of her time to studying chess and teaching with Ohio’s Progress with Chess. At the time of our first interview she had gained 300 rating points in the prior years, and Stacia exuded an evident passion for chess improvement. Both guests come back with new improvement tips in addition to a continued appreciation of some of their favorite study methods mentioned in their first interviews. Lastly, I wanted to thank another former adult improver guest, Jason Cigan. A follow up with Jason was originally planned to be part 3 of this episode, but through no fault of Jason’s we encountered technical issues that forced me to postpone that interview. For more detailed show notes with links go here: Adult Improver follow up - Andrzej Kryzdwa and Stacia Pugh return! Episode 76 with Andrzej Krzydwa, June 3,2018 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-76-andrzej-krzywda-adult-improver-series/id1185023674?i=1000413058930 Episode 87 with Stacia Pugh, August 14, 2018: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-87-stacia-pugh-adult-improver-series/id1185023674?i=1000417781378 0:00- Here is the info you need for the announcements made at the top of the show.  The annoucements made at the top of the show are no longer applicable as of 12/2021 6:00- Andrzej Krzyydwa rejoins the show, and we dive right into an update of how his chess games have been going.  Mentioned: Kasparov on Kasparov  32:00- Thanks to Andrzej for coming back on the show, you can keep up with him via the following outlets: Facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/From2100ToInternationalMaster Twitter- https://twitter.com/From2100ToIM 33:00- Perpetual Chess Yasser Seirawan’s classic book Winning Chess Strategies is now available on Chessable.com! Check out a free sample of it here:  https://www.chessable.com/winning-chess-strategies-free-lesson/course/50034/ 1:01:00- Thanks to Stacia for stopping by and catching up. Here is how to keep up with her: Chess.com blog-https://www.chess.com/member/midnaslament YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn2k14U03rNRHApDIloxOkA Twitter- https://twitter.com/StaciaMelinda Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

8 Syys 20201h 9min

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

1 Syys 20201h 29min

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

29 Elo 20201h 44min

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

25 Elo 20201h 27min

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

18 Elo 20201h 8min

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

11 Elo 20201h 32min