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

FM Terry Chapman is a  63-year old retired businessman, having floated his company on the main market of the London Stock Exchange in 1999, with a day one capitalization of over £100 million. The Terence Chapman Group Plc was a major sponsor of chess activities in Britain, but Terry is probably best known in the English chess community for his charity match against Garry Kasparov in 2001 (at two pawns odds), which he only narrowly lost, 1 1/2 - 2 1/2! As he discussed in the great book, Chess for Life by GM Mathew Sadler and WIM Natasha Regan, Terry retired in 2007 and started devoting a lot of energy to competitive chess. In the next handful of years, he took his rating from 2156 to a peak of 2331! Last summer, Terry came equal first in the British over 50's Championship, a title he was proud to add to his British junior championship title won 49 years previously. In our conversation, Terry catches us up on what has occurred since the 2016 publication of Chess for Life. He shares the chess improvement lessons he has learned over the ups and downs of the last 12 years. Please read on for more details and timestamps.    0:00- We begin by delving a bit into Terry’s chess and personal background. What life circumstances motivated him to ramp up his competitive chess in the year 2007?   Mentioned: GM Jonathan Rowson 7:00 How had the chess world changed in the years that Terry was busy building a career and raising a family? Did he feel rusty upon returning to the board?  Mentioned: Chessbase  13:00- A Patreon supporter of Perpetual Chess asks FM Chapman if he thinks one should change their opening repertoire as they get older?  Mentioned: NM Fred Wilson, GM Ben Finegold  17:00- What coaches has Terry worked with? Mentioned: GM Jonathan Speelman  21:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Here are a few of the tactics resources Chessable offers:  Mastering Mates: https://www.chessable.com/mastering-mates-1-1111-one-move-mates/course/11134/ Tactics Time:  https://www.chessable.com/tactics-time-1/course/21108/ Woodpecker Method:   https://www.chessable.com/the-woodpecker-method/course/10582/ 22:00- Patreon supporter, and adult improver  NM Han Schut writes in to ask Terry to ask for an update about time trouble issues that Terry mentioned in Chess for Life.   Mentioned: GM Natalia Zhukova  32:00- What is a typical day of chess study like for Terry Chapman?  Mentioned: Chess Calculation Training Volume 2: Endgame by GM Romain Edouard, New in Chess Yearbooks, New in Chess Magazine  43:00- Terry has described himself as a bit of an opening specialist, but also says his memory is nothing special.  How does he pull that off?  Mentioned: Kotrianas on the King’s Indian  49:00 What other books does Terry recommend for Club players?  Mentioned: Aagaard Manual Volume 1, From Amateur to IM, Winning Chess Strategies, Kasparov’s My Great Predecessors, Pump Up Your Rating, Yusopov books, Everyman Chess Move by Move series  56:00- What is the latest on Terry’s chess progress?  1:00- Terry tells a few stories about brushes with chess legends, including playing a charity game with Garry Kasparov.  Mentioned: GM Tony Miles, GM Ding Liren, GM Vishy Anand, GM Vladimir Kramnik , Garry Kasparov on Desert Island Discs, Understanding Maroczy Structures by GM Adrian Mikhalchishin  1:15- Thanks so much to Terry Chapman for sharing his tips and some great stories. You can reach him via email here: tpdchapman@gmail.com. If you would like to help support the podcast, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

17 Maalis 20201h 22min

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

12 Maalis 202053min

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

3 Maalis 20201h 24min

This week we feature a double attack from two of the premier chess trainers in the world! GM Jacob Aagaard is the co-founder of Quality Chess Publishing,  is an award winning author, and has worked with many elite grandmasters including GM Boris Gelfand and GM Sam Shankland. GM R.B. Ramesh, is an award-winning trainer and author, who has coached the India National Team many times, and has worked with many young talents including GM Pragganandha. GMs Aagaard and Ramesh are both return guests  to Perpetual Chess, as they visit to discuss their new project, 365ChessAcademy.com. This new site offers dedicated chess students worldwide the ability to access daily lectures from a cadre of high level trainers, including themselves. In addition to explaining the vision behind this new project, they fielded many chess-improvement questions from Perpetual Chess listeners and provided many insights about common issues faced over the board. As always, you can find more details and timestamps below.  (If embedded hyperlinks aren't visible in your podcast feed you can find them here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2020/2/25/episode-166-gm-jacob-aagaard-and-gm-rb-ramesh) 0:00- We kick off by discussing the vision behind GM Aagaard and GM Ramesh’s new initiative, an online chess academy, called 365ChessAcademy.  Mentioned: GM Sam Shankland, GM Ivan Salgado-Lopez, GM Julen Arizmendi Martinez, IM Renier Castellanos Rodriguez, GM Sabino Brunello  16:00- What have been the unexpected challenges of launching this website?    19:30- This episode is brought to you part by Chessable.com. You can check out the first two volumes of GM Arthur Yusopov’s acclaimed Fundamental chess series on Chessable, here: https://www.chessable.com/the-fundamentals-1-build-up-your-chess/course/19145/ https://www.chessable.com/the-fundamentals-2-boost-your-chess/course/14534/ 20:30- We dive into some questions from the Patreon mailbag, beginning with Jacob and Ramesh tackling the age-old question of how to allocate one’s chess study time. Is it better to focus on improving your weaknesses or building your strengths in your game? As a baseline for club players, GM Ramesh recommends spending 60% of study time on middlegame, 20% on endgame, and 20% on opening.  Mentioned: GM Elizbar Ubilava   35:30- The next Patreon question relates to chess study.  How does one know when to switch areas of focus in study, and how to draw up chess training plans.  Mentioned: GM Sam Shankland, GM Boris Gelfand, GM Viswanathan Anand, Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual   45:00- Another Patreon supporter writes to ask how he can work to limit tactical oversights in his games.  Mentioned: Quality Chess’s Yusopov Build up Your Chess Series, 365 Chess Academy’s Youtube Channel  54:30- Another Patreon question: How can one structure studies such that they acquire actual chess skills instead of just chess knowledge?  Mentioned: Quality Chess Academy Camps: https://qualitychessacademy.com/june2020/ 1:00:00- One more question: Should we change our study approach as we get closer to a tournament?  Mentioned: John Hartmann, GM Jan Gustafsson  1:02:00- Why is it that GM Aagaard has said that he doesn’t believe in goals?  Mentioned: TheBestChessBooks.com, S.M.A.R.T. goals, How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big 1:06:00- Would GM Ramesh or GM Aagaard be interested in working on a World Championship prep team if an opportunity presented itself?  Mentioned: GM Boris Gelfand, The Anand Files, IM Christopher Yoo  Thanks again to Jacob and Ramesh to share so much of their wisdom about chess improvement. To find out more about their academy head on over to https://365chessacademy.com/       See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

25 Helmi 20201h 17min

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

21 Helmi 20201h 40min

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

18 Helmi 20201h 9min

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

11 Helmi 20201h 19min

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

4 Helmi 202059min