EP 480- GM Eugene Perelshteyn & NM Mike Mahoney: Chess Rocky-Taking on Nakamura & Niemann at the Naroditsky Memorial
When I read on GM Eugene Perelshteyn’s blog that his amateur friend had signed up to compete against players like Hikaru Nakamura and Hans Niemann in the Naroditsky Memorial, I knew I had to hear this...
28 Apr 52min
EP 479 – GM Rafael Leitão on Sindarov’s Historic Candidates Win, His Training Methods & What Comes Next
With the FIDE Candidates now in the rearview mirror, 7-time Brazilian Champion and Chess.com “Game of the Day” columnist GM Rafael Leitão joins me to help break it all down. We discuss: Sindarov’...
20 Apr 1h 1min
EP 478 – GM Ben Finegold on the Candidates, the Hans–Magnus Netflix Documentary, and TakeTakeTake’s Bold Business Move
It has been a busy time in the chess world, as dramas new and old bubble to the surface. GM Javokhir Sindarov is on the verge of winning the FIDE Candidates. A highly anticipated Netflix documentary h...
14 Apr 54min
EP 477- Jennifer Shahade on Cheating, AI, and Thinking Like a Chess Player
Jennifer Shahade is a two-time U.S. Women’s Champion, poker professional, commentator, and acclaimed author. This week, she returns to the pod to discuss her new book Thinking Sideways: How to Think L...
7 Apr 59min
Bonus Pod: Sindarov’s Historic Start + Inside the FIDE Candidates with Mike Klein
FM Mike Klein of Chess.com joins the show from Cyprus to give an on-the-ground look at the 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament. We discuss the incredible start by GM Javokhir Sindarov, and what Mike has ...
6 Apr 34min
EP 476-Vlad Ghita: Is the Rating System Still Broken? A Data-Driven Investigation
It has been over two years since FIDE implemented major changes to its rating system aimed at combating rating deflation. But are those changes actually working? My guest, Vlad Ghita, joins me to dig...
31 Mar 1h 2min
Book Recap #38- Silman’s Chess Odyssey + Stories from a Former Student with Gaurav Datta
The Perpetual Chess book discussion series Chess Books Recaptured returns with a personal, funny, and heartfelt episode. Gaurav Datta, a longtime student and close friend of IM Jeremy Silman, joins m...
24 Mar 1h 21min
EP 476- GM Jan Gustafsson previews the 2026 FIDE Candidates
The 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament is almost here, and GM Jan Gustafsson joins the podcast to break down the entire field. As a leading opening theoretician who has worked on GM Magnus Carlsen’s Worl...
17 Mar 1h 16min
