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

This week author, teacher, YouTube presenter and philosophy Ph. D, Grandmaster Jesse Kraai is with me again to share more of his wisdom. Given his academic background, it is always fun to hear Jesse philosophize about chess and life, and this was a good time to catch up with him as we talked about the ways that tournament chess is changing and speculated about how it might continue to change due to shifts in perspective brought on by the coronavirus. Naturally we also talked about lots of chess improvement ideas, as Jesse shared his current chess goals, his approach to chess, and outlined the vision of ChessDojo.  ChessDojo is a new online chess learning community that Jesse has launched together with IMs David Pruess and Kostya Kavutskiy. As always, please read on for more details and timestamps.  0:00- Jesse discusses his personal experiences with the coronavirus, something which fans of his Youtube videos saw him endure.   Jesse also discusses the ways that the coronavirus affects his chess teaching, Chessdojo, and how it might affect chess tournaments in coming years.   Mentioned:  Jesse Kraai’s first appearance on Perpetual Chess in October of 2017:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/perpetual-chess-podcast/id1185023674?i=1000393634256 GM Jesse Kraai’s Road Back to 2500 series IM Kostya Kavutskiy, IM David Pruess, GM Jesse Kraai  Chess Dojo YouTube channel    Chess Dojo discord  22:00- This episode is brought to you in part by Chessable!  Check out the excellent book Chess Structures with Chessable's MoveTrainer capability here: https://www.chessable.com/chess-structures-a-grandmaster-guide/course/14540/ 24:00- What are Jesse’s core beliefs about how to improve at chess?  Mentioned:  Jesse’s video- The True Path to Chess Improvement  The Road to Chess Improvement by GM Alex Yermolinksy , Chess24’s Magnus Invitational  IM Greg Shahade,GM Garry Kasparov  34:30- We discuss Chess.com’s fun ongoing tournament, The “I’m Not a GM Speed Chess Invitational”.  Mentioned: IM Danny Rensch, IM Greg Shahade, IM Christof Sielecki, IM Lawrence Trent, IM David Pruess, IM John Bartholomew, WGM Anna Zatonskih 38:30- How can club players go about learning structures rather than lines in openings?   The London System, The Colle, The Zukertort  45:45- A question from a Patreon supporter of the podcast asks Jesse if his background as a student of  philosophy shapes his views on chess.  Mentioned: GM Emanuel Lasker, Martin aka Saychess on Twitter, GM Capablanca, Chess for Life by Mathew Sadler and Natasha Regan, The Scandanavian expert whose name I was forgetting is GM Sergei Tiviakov  1:00:00- Our conversation transitions to a discussion of whether chess books are decreasing in popularity. Mentioned: GM Fidel Corrales Jimenez, IM Cyrus Lakdawala 1:06:15- A Patreon supporter writes to ask Jesse’s opinion of the TV show Stranger Things.  1:11:00- Thanks to Jesse for re-joining us!  Keep up with GM Jesse Kraai here:  Twitter: https://twitter.com/JesseKraai Website: http://jessekraai.org/ Follow ChessDojo here:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4liTXRJ-XknH6OtKz-tOuw Twitch: https://twitch.tv/chessdojolive  Discord: https://discord.gg/sUUh8HD  Twitter: https://twitter.com/chess_dojo   If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can so here: https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

28 Huhti 20201h 20min

This week it’s my great honor to host former World Champion of chess, GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov. In addition to winning the 2004 FIDE World Chess Championship title, Kasimdzhanov was the 1998 Asian Champion of Chess and finished 2nd overall at the 1999 World Junior Championship and the 2002 FIDE World Chess Cup.  These days, of course, he is best known as a world-class chess trainer, as for many years he assisted former World Champion Viswanathan Anand, and today he works with the world’s 2nd highest ranked player, GM Fabiano Caruana. GM Kasimdzhanov is a renowned opening theoretician, and he has produced many video courses for Chessbase, including the recently released The Benoni is Back in Business. Given such a varied and accomplished career, obviously there was a lot to discuss, including the controversial 2020 FIDE Candidates Tournament, which he recently attended with GM Caruana. Please read on for more details and timestamps.  (If you aren't seeing embedded hyperlinks in your podcast feed, you can find them here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2020/4/21/episode-174-gm-rustam-kasimdzhanov)   0:00- GM Kasimdzhanov begins by discussing the Chess24 Magnus24 Cup  and shares how Fabiano will prepare and adjust for the format of this tournament.  Mentioned: GM Fabiano Caruana, GM Ian Nepomniatchi, CNN article about Firouzja-Carlsen match, GQ-England chess article 8:00- GM Kasimdzhanov attended the now-postponed 2020 FIDE Candidates  in Yekaterinaburg, Russia with GM Fabiano Caruana. He shares his frustrations about the circumstances under which the event took place and discusses what might be done to complete the tournament.  Mentioned: GM Teimour Radjabov, FIDE President Arkady Dvorkavich, GM Magnus Carlsen, Lev Tolstoy, GM Ding Liren   29:30-Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. You can check out Chessable’s course about the Petroff defense,  Fight 1.e4 like Caruana by IM Chrisof Sielecki here: https://www.chessable.com/fight-1e4-like-caruana/course/15717/   30:00- Rustam answers a couple of questions from the podcasts’s Patreon supporters: What are the best and the worst aspects of being a second to a top player?  What was it like to play Magnus Carlsen at Chess.com’s Isle of Man Tournament in 2019, given how much time GM Kasimdzhanov has spent helping Fabiano prepare for him?  Mentioned: GM Kasimdzhanov-Korchnoi 2002, GM Alireza Firouzja    42:30- What does GM Kasimdzhanov notice about the play of some of  the top teenagers in the chess world, including GMs Nodirbek Abdussatorov, Alireza Firouzja,  Nihal Sarin, D Gukesh?  Mentioned: GM Nakamura  46:00- What improvement advice could Rustam give for working chess enthusiasts?  Mentioned: The Anand Files by Michiel Abeln, Mind Master by GM Viswanathan Anand  49:00- Rustam shares what he discovered  in making his fun and informative new Chessbase course,  The Benoni is Back in Business, and he delves into ways that  he researches openings more generally.  55:00- GM Kasimdzhanov discusses a couple of the books he has read recently, chess and otherwise.  Mentioned: Caravaggio: A Life Sacred and Profane, Sacrifice and Initiative in Chess by GM Ivan Sokolov    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

21 Huhti 20201h 6min

This month on Chess Books Recaptured, I am joined by Neal Bruce. Neal is the head of product management for a software startup, a dad, and a dedicated adult improver who has built a following on Twitter by sharing a lot of the chess puzzles on which he is always working.    For this month’s book review podcast, Neal suggested that we discuss two groundbreaking chess tactics books, Rapid Chess Improvement (2002)  by Michael de la Maza  and The Woodpecker Method (2018) by GM Axel Smith and GM Hans Tikkanen. As we explain, these chess books have significant differences between them, but they share a common thread in that they both strongly emphasize the efficacy of using spaced repetition to better assimilate tactical patterns and to improve chess visualization skills. Whether you are a chess player, chess teacher or both, it is important to be aware of the benefits of spaced repetition and to give some thought to how best to incorporate it into a chess training routine. In our conversation, we summarize and offer our opinions of each book, and discuss the experiences that other chess players have had using the training methods that these books advocate. As always, please read on for lots more details, links and timestamps.    0:00-  We begin by introducing this month’s guest co-host, Neal Bruce.  Guest co-host application form here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/co-host Chris Chabris Perpetual Chess interview here:  https://podcasts.apple.com/jm/podcast/ep-95-uscf-master-cognitive-scientist-christopher-chabris/id1185023674?i=1000421410393   7:40- First up is a discussion of the controversial tactics manifesto, Rapid Chess Improvement by Michael de la Maza.   Mentioned: USCF Master Dan Heisman, Dan Heisman’s Chess.com article, The Michael de la Maza story, de la Maza’s Chess Cafe article here, GM Ben Finegold, IM Jeremy Silman, Silman review of Rapid Chess Improvement here: https://www.jeremysilman.com/book-review/rapid-chess-improvement/ IM Christopher Yoo, Young-Kyu Yoo, Chess.com thread discussing Rapid Chess Improvement, Polgar’s Chess Tactics for Champions, CT-Art    30:00- This episode is brought to you in part by Chessable. It provides a great way to train with and learn the Woodpecker Method. Check it out here: https://www.chessable.com/the-woodpecker-method/course/10582/   31:00- We introduce and discuss the excellent 2018 book, The Woodpecker Method by GMs Axel Smith and Hans Tikkanen from Quality Chess.  Mentioned: Pump Up Your Rating by GM Axel Smith,, IM Andreas Skytte Hagen, and  Talent is Overrated by Geoffrey Colvin,  A free excerpt of the Woodpecker Method is available from this link: https://www.qualitychess.co.uk/products/2/327/the_woodpecker_method_by_axel_smith_and_hans_tikkanen/, IM Kostya Kavutskiy’s Steam of the Woodpecker Method can be viewed here:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVp5Aaip2NECv2nW2GhWPqOjWqZW2h1xP   51:00- We discuss the experiences that some other chess players have had using the Woodpecker Method. Mentioned: NM Elijah Logozar, IM Kostya Kavutskiy, IM Andrew Greet’s blog regarding The Woodpecker Method is here: http://www.qualitychess.co.uk/blog/category/woodpecker-method, FM Gabriel Petesch, 1001 Winning Chess Sacrifices and Combinations by Fred Reinfeld    58:30-  We discuss some other tactics books that could be effective with the Woodpecker Method.  Bain- Chess Tactics for Students:  Simple Checkmates by Gillem Polgars Chess Tactics for Champions  Tactics Time 1 and 2  Practical Chess Exercises    1:04:00- I almost forgot to discuss Chess Twitter Superstar Mr. Dodgy’s success with De La Maza’s recommendations.  Mentioned: CT-Art 3.0 Chess Reddit Thread about Rapid Chess Improvement here:  https://www.reddit.com/r/chess/comments/osyqa/the_problem_with_michael_de_la_mazas_rapid_chess/ Jenn Shahade, How I Beat FIscher’s Record by GM Judit Polgar, The Metrowest Chess Club in Massachusets  1:09- Thanks to Neal Bruce for joining me, you can often find him at The Metrowest Chess Club in Massachusetts, and you can follow him on twitter here: https://twitter.com/nealbrucebc?lang=en  1:10- Blindfold Puzzle Time Puzzle #1-  White: Qa8, Ne2, Kb1 Black: Pawn h3, g2, King h2 Diagram without solution here: https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=CtHlIdi7v5KwhYZKLeX8KdwATJb4Z+RYNB4gL3s0KIl/bXhLJciNi3uIyyyTvFVK   Puzzle #2-  King on e6, Pawn on f5, Pawn on h2 Black- Pawn on g7, King on e4    Diagram without Solution here: https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=rXk3i7RQycyvOctzSUHBDFSJro9imf2wP2eVil+22YlpuPK+wk5sBX+H3SSccNUL   Diagram with Solution here: https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=azBNpAgXY9oGDztWmyP+q2v3Mt0fa94dgPdcUtHMz2erkqRWd4lmlQlsJtwSnpUw   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

17 Huhti 20201h 21min

Philemon Thomas is an Albany, NY native who has been playing competitive chess for 14 years. During this period, Philemon has endured ups and downs, but his evident passion for the game has always kept him coming back to the board. In March of 2020, all of his hard work culminated with Philemon earning the title of USCF Master! This places him in the 98.8 percentile of US Chess’ tournament players, and he also is the first African-American chess master who is based in the Albany area. To hear the study tips and advice that Philemon has picked along this journey, please tune in to the interview. More details and timestamps can be found below.  2:30- We begin by learning a bit more about how Philemon got hooked on chess and what he has done to improve over the years.  Mentioned: Townsend Park in Albany NY, Franklin-Mercantile Chess Club in Philadelphia, Washington Square Park in New York City, Union Square in NYC 7:50- What books helped Philemon along the way?  Mentioned: My System by Nimzowitch, The Art of Attack , IM Jeremy Silman, IM Mark Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual , Darryl Perkins, Bobby Rotter, Aanarian Stevens, Smyslov Endgame Virtuoso, Dave Finneman  14:50- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. The Art of Attack in Chess is one of the many books you can read and train with on Chessable utilizing its MoveTrainer technology. Check it out here: https://www.chessable.com/the-art-of-attack-in-chess/course/24575/ 15:50- Patreon supporter of the podcast, Firas Siraf of the Apprenchess Twitch channel writes in to ask what lessons Philemon has learned from his chess learning experiences. Another listener asks about how he fights through plateaus.  Mentioned: The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal,  23:30- How does Philemon divide his chess study time? What his approach to chess openings?  Mentioned: CT-Art, The Magic of Chess Tactics by GM Karsten Muller  30:30- We walk through Philemon’s rating graph and he discusses the obstacles he encountered at various rating levels. Here is his rating graph: http://www.uschess.org/datapage/ratings_graph.php?memid=13312957 36:00- We discuss Philemon’s different approaches to different time controls.  43:00- When did Philemon set the goal of earning the USCF Master title? What are his current goals?  45:00- Does Philemon think that chess is less popular amongst African-Americans than people of other backgrounds?  47:00- Philemon gives a few more chess recommendations based on his experiences. Mentioned: Think Like a Grandmaster by Alexander Kotov, Chess Books Recaptured: Podcast talking Think Like a Grandmaster with NM Christopher Chabris  50:00- Thanks so much to Philemon for joining the show. You can contact him or track his progress via his Facebook account: https://www.facebook.com/philemon.thomas.94 If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

14 Huhti 202057min

Despite having retired from his day job at the NY Post, noted chess author and historian GM Andy Soltis remains quite busy writing chess books. This week he returns to Perpetual Chess to tell some great stories and discuss the books that he has been working on since our last conversation, in September of 2018. In particular, we discussed GM Soltis’ new book, How to Swindle in Chess, and his recently updated classic, Bobby Fischer Rediscovered. Andy was able to also provide some great historical perspective on topics ranging from chess in New York City in past decades, to the 2020 FIDE Candidates, to the coronavirus. Please read on for further details and timestamps.    0:00- We begin by catching up a bit on the impact that the coronavirus had on GM Soltis’ travel plans, and Andy shares some great historical perspective on some New York City chess characters.    Mentioned: Marshall Chess Club, GM Robert Byrne and IM Donald Byrne, GM Arthur Bisguier, IM James Sherwin, GM William Lombardy, Caroline Marshall, Manhattan Chess Club, Bobby Fischer, IM Ray Weinstein, Bruce Pandolfini, GM Nicolas Rossolimo   13:15- When I spoke with Andy, the 2020 FIDE Candidates Tournament was ongoing despite the coronavirus, and he was able to provide some historical perspective on other historical tournaments that took place under unusual circumstances.  Mentioned:  Mannheim 1914 Chess Tournament, Alexander Alekhine, Frank Marshall, Efim Bogoljubov, Ian Nepomniatchi, Alexander Grischuk, Ding Liren-Caruana 2020, Capablanca-Marshall 1918, GM Mikhail Tal, Carlsen-So 2020, Fischer-Taimanov 1971 match, game 4,Bobby Fischer: The Greatest? By Max Euwe, Frank Brady, FM Asa Hoffman, My Great Predecessors: Volume 4    29:00- Andy expounds on an interesting column he recently wrote for Chess Life magazine, called The Half Life of Truth: How long is it relevant what the result would have been in a famous chess game with best play?  Mentioned: Bobby Fischer Rediscovered, Fischer-Celle 1964, Fischer-Blackstone 1964, Fischer-Spassky 1972 Game 1, The Complete Chess Swindler by GM David Smerdon    37:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Check out Garry Kasparov’s My Great Predecessors, using Chessable’s MoveTrainer here: https://www.chessable.com/my-great-predecessors-part-1/course/22994/   38:00- What did GM Soltis discover in researching his new book, How to Swindle in Chess  Mentioned: GM Viswanathan Anand, Keres-Geller 1962, Carlsen-Van Wely, Viktor Korchnoi, GM Emanuel Lasker   48:00- How should chess improvers stuck at home with extra study time spend that time?   Mentioned: GM Magnus Carlsen, GM Tigran Petrosian, GM Mikhail Tal, Ruth Haring, GM Peter Biyiasis, Eliot Hearst     55:00- In closing, Andy tells a story in which he compares his experiences after September 11 in  NYC to the current tense moments we are now living through.    Thanks, as always, to GM Soltis for sharing his chess knowledge with us. You can buy all of his books here: https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B000APTX5I?_encoding=UTF8&node=283155&offset=0&pageSize=12&searchAlias=stripbooks&sort=date-desc-rank&page=1&langFilter=default#formatSelectorHeader   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

7 Huhti 20201h 5min

In the 16 months since she got into chess, 23 year old Chess Streamer GoldDustTori has seen both her online following and her Chess.com rating grow quickly. As her chess.com rating graph shows, she has gone from not knowing what en passant is, to a blitz rating which recently topped 1600. In our conversation, Tori retells how she got into chess and chess streaming, and shares how her consistent focus on a few key aspects of chess improvement have helped her boost her rating.  Please read on for more details and timestamps.  0:00- FIDE Candidates Coverage Resources: Chess.com Youtube, Chess24YouTube, US Chess YouTube, Powerplaychess  3:00- Tori introduces herself and explains how she got into chess and chess streaming.  Mentioned: TwitchCon, GM Eric Hansen of the Chessbrahs, WIM Alexandra Botez, IM Danny Rensch, John Urschel, World of Warcraft, GM Aman Hambleton, IM Eric Rosen  11:30- As Tori explains, when she started streaming chess, she barely knew the rules of the game. How has she gone from 0 to 1600 in less than 1.5 years?  Mentioned: Tori’s YouTube Channel, Her Twitch Channel, including archive  17:30- This episode is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. You can check out their many tactics resources here: https://www.chessable.com/chess-tactics/ 19:00- Tori answers a few questions from our Patreon supporters relating to what time control she thinks one should play at in order to improve, and what she has learned from streaming with super strong players  like GM Daniel Naroditsky and GM Jon Ludvig Hammer?  27:00- Tori reflects on her first live tournament, which took place at the North American Open in Las Vegas in December of 2019.  Mentioned: IM Hans Niemann, GM Daniel Naroditsky, NM John Williams, chess.com drills/lessons 38:00- Tori discusses a recent special event in which participated: The Isolated Queens tournament, organized by Alexandra Botez and Jenn Shahade.  Mentioned: GM Irina Krush, WGM Katerina Nemcova  41:00- Tori fields a couple of questions and comments relating to how she deals with haters and trolls.  Mentioned: Taylor Swift’s Miss Americana, Scene from From Dusk til Dawn mentioned  by IM Christof Sielecki (starting at 1:50 mark) 54:00- GM Denes Boros writes in to ask how her perception of the chess world has changed as she has gotten to know it better.  Mentioned: National Open 57:40- What would Tori’s “bullet point” advice be for how to improve at chess?  1:01:00-- What are Tori’s current chess and Twitch goals?  Mentioned: IM Eric Rosen 1:07:00- Thanks so much to Tori for joining the podcast. Here is how you can keep up with her: Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/golddusttori YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi3rJHTCrXPLn4tfWQLTELA Twitter: https://twitter.com/golddusttori?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/golddusttori/?hl=en   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

31 Maalis 20201h 14min

Two weeks after Part 1 of our interview GM Daniel King returns. We catch up on the all of the drama surrounding the first 6 rounds of the FIDE Candidates Tournament, both over the board, and away from the board, as the spread of the Covid-19 virus continues to be an unwelcome, but serious disruption to some wonderful chess games. Following the Candidates discussion, GM King updates us on the many other projects that have been keeping him busy, including a discussion of his forthcoming book, Sultan Khan: The Indian Servant Who Became Chess Champion of the British Empire. Please read for many more details and timestamps relating to this fun and wide-ranging conversation. If you are not seeing embedded hyperlinks in your podcast feed, you can find them here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2020/3/24/episode-170-gm-daniel-king-returns 0:00-  We begin by discussing the FIDE Candidates. Why did Daniel cancel his plans to announce at the tournament, why didn’t FIDE call it off? Should/will they call it off now? And last but not least, what does GM King think of the chess so far?  Mentioned: GM Teimour Radjabov, Powerplay Chess, GM Jesse Kraii for Chess Dojo, GM Jacob Aagaard for US Chess, Giri-Nepomniatchi 2020 20:00- We discuss GM King’s forthcoming book, Sultan Khan: The Indian Servant Who Became Chess Champion of the British Empire. Daniel gives a bit of background about how he became enthralled by this story, and a taste of what we can read about in this book. Free excerpts of the book are available via New in Chess Magazine, and New in Chess Publishing.  Mentioned: Sultan Khan-Capablanca 1930, Sultan Khan-Tartakower Match, GM Daniel King’s Patreon page, GM Viswanathan Anand, GM Maia Chiburdanidze  40:55- This episode is brought to you in part by Chessable. Links for GM Harikrishna’s Game of the Day Analysis and Candidates Course and the Candidates sale are below: Candidates Course- https://www.chessable.com/candidates-2020/course/34649/ Candidates Sale- https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/all/offer/ 41:30- Daniel tackles a couple questions from a Patreon supporter of the podcast, relating to how he learned to speak German, and to the philosophy behind Powerplay Chess, Daniel’s excellent YouTube channel.  Mentioned: Daniel King’s Powerplay DVD’s from Chessbase, GM Alexander Morezevich, GM Nigel Short, GM Ruslan Ponamariov, GM Jan Gustafsson, GM Baskiran Adhiban  54:30- GM King discusses another project he has been busy assisting, a forthcoming Chessable course called Tournament Ready, by Alex and Sarah Longson.  Mentioned: IM Mike Basman, FM Alex Longson, WFM Sarah Longson  58:00- GM King shares some chess study advice for those who are stuck at home with extra time on their hands.  1:02- Daniel shares some stories about one of his other passions- playing music.  Mentioned: Geert van der Velde of Chessable, Juga on Jenn Shahade’s Ladies Knight Podcast  1:10- Thanks to GM King for coming back on the show! All the links you need to keep up with him are below  Youtube channel, Powerplay Chess: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMBATpFb--uLNAODOVWvCTA GM King’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanielKingChess If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess       See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

24 Maalis 20201h 17min

Welcome to another edition of Perpetual Chess, Chess Books Recaptured!  My guest co-host this month is Bryan Castro. Bryan is a dad, businessman, chess teacher and adult improver from Buffalo, NY. Bryan and I are both fans of GM Alex Yermolinksy, and we share a strong affinity for his instructive and readable 1999 chess-improvement memoir, The Road to Chess Improvement. We like this book so much that we were not going to let a global pandemic stop us from getting together and sharing our favorite quotes, games and chess-improvement takeaways from this somewhat underappreciated gem. Please read on for more details, timestamps and relevant links.  4:00- After a few programming notes, Bryan Castro joins the show and shares a bit about his personal background. 7:00- What does Bryan like about The Road to Chess Improvement?  Mentioned: Jim Rohn, Tony Robbins, Brian Tracy, GM Jon Ludvig Hammer, IM John Watson’s Review of Road to Chess Improvement, Hear GM Yermolinksy’s interview on Perpetual Chess here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/perpetual-chess-podcast/id1185023674?i=1000382608741 10:00- Both of us used the original Gambit version of Road to Chess Improvement  11:00- What was happening in the chess world when this book was released in 1999?  Mentioned: GM Kasparov, GM Alexander Khalifman, GM Alexei Shirov, GM Viswanthan Anand  13:00- Bryan shares a bit more about Yermolinksky’s background.  Mentioned: GM Gregory Serper, GM Alexander Shabalov  15:00- For what level player is this book most helpful? 16:30- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.  Check out GM Pentala Harikrishna’s 2020 FIDE Candidates “Game of the Day” analysis and accompanying course here:  https://www.chessable.com/candidates-2020/course/34649/  17:30-  We dive into the book, as Bryan reads some inspiring opening paragraphs from The Road to Chess Improvement   Mentioned: GM Alekhine, GM Botvinnik,  20:00- We discuss the structure of the book and our favorite chapters.  Mentioned: Vladimir Zak 29:30- We share a few of our favorite quotes from the book.  Mentioned: GM Evgeny Bareev, GM Vassilly Ivanchuk, GM Peter Svidler, GM Vladimir Kramnik, GM Sam Shankland, GM Viktor Korchnoi, GM Jan Timman, GM Alexander Beliavsky, GM Mikhail Tal, GM Mikhail Botvinnik 40:00- We each pick a favorite game from the book.  Mentioned: GM Arthur Yusopov, Yermolinsky-Khmelnitsky 1995, Hjartarson-Yermolinsky 1996   45:00- What are the chess improvement takeaways from The Road to Chess Improvement?  Mentioned: IM Greg Shahade  48:00- How useful is the book for improvement?   49:00 What, if any, are our quibbles with the book?  Deep Blue vs. Garry Kasparov 52:00- Closing remarks and good bye to Bryan Castro. In lieu of paying Bryan for his efforts I will be making a small donation to the East Aurora Chess Club.  You can keep up with Bryan the following ways:  Bryan’s Youtube Channel here: https://youtube.com/betterchesstraining Bryan’s website, Better Chess Training here:  http://www.betterchesstraining.com/ Follow him on twitter here: https://twitter.com/YourBryanCastro 56:00- Blindfold puzzles of the month: Puzzle #1- White to move, find the best move  https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=xyVYfoozbF6iR+wCrD8E3LVWoPU8wRa2aKCSWt9SSPcJjEME8Mrb+Gps4wVo0mBi Solution #1-  https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=BTkwJm0GgCBPOr6bmORI2c020+oxdq6CvPpZFqSIU5JeJajZLmJQ+1Dar2t6cnXF Puzzle #2- Black to move and win material e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Qf6 5. Nxc6 Qxc6 6. Qe2 Bc5 7. Nc3 Ne7 Qf3 Ng6 9. Bc4 Ne5 10. Qe2 {Black to move and win material} 0-1   https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=PORw9ncvRoVlZBKq9xADW1F9Baqw/xYlJ4PcRqNZuq6OstdGFms4ToOP81KIlbJi   Solution #2- https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=oTOKuSqLokqFRarUHxOWMZ4rMpkpXZC0Sg8zv++1qev07Vg9PA0sgLjIvYHJXcdE   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

20 Maalis 20201h 9min