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

An ongoing World Championship match means more bonus coverage from Perpetual Chess! I am joined by FM Mike Klein from on-site in Astana, Kazakhstan. Mike and I chat about the surprising turns that have taken place in a match that has already seen 2 decisive results in 4 games, as GM Ding Liren looks to have overcome a rocky start. In addition to discussing the openings, Mike shares details about what the venue is like and how it compares to the other World Championships he has attended. You can find brief notes and timestamps below.  Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsor, Chessable.com. You can check out some of my favorite Chessable courses for different rating levels here:  https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/ Ding Liren course here: https://www.chessable.com/world-class-ding-liren-/course/164045/ 02:00- What is the venue like, are there lots of fans there? Which chess personalities are at the match?  10:00- Ding’s mindset- has he turned the tides in the match after a slow start?  18:00- We have seen a different opening in all 4 games, will we start to see some variety?  23:00- How does Astana compare to Dubai and the other World Championships Mike has attended?  28:00- Thanks to Mike Klein for joining me! Follow him on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/ChessMike?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

13 Apr 202330min

The Perpetual Chess Adult Improver Series returns to spotlight another amateur from the chess community. This week’s guest is Chris Duncan. Chris is a 24 year old Army logistician and Psychology Graduate Student who shares a powerful story of the power of chess to bridge cultural gaps.In our interview, we discuss Chris’ background and “on/off” relationship with chess, but we primarily focus on the way that chess became a welcome distraction from the stresses of being stationed abroad in 2022. As Chris explains, a shared interest in chess amongst many military members culminated in a memorable chess tournament that brought together US and Polish military members. Chris also discusses some of his favorite chess learning resources, and the role that he hopes chess will play in his life in future years and decades. I really enjoyed hearing Chris’ unique story and thank him for sharing it with us. Timestamps for topics discussed and relevant links can be found below.  0:00-  Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsor, Chessable.com. You can check out some of my favorite Chessable courses for different rating levels here:  https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/  Sign up for Patreon here https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess To be considered as an Adult Improver Guest, please fill out this form here:  https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/adultimprover Adult Improver Webpage: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/adultimprover Adult Improver Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/75Uoqz2BoRt2IiTCeOfuky?si=d3cb77595b0049e7 0:03:00- What was Chris’ introduction to chess, and how did he get back into it?  0:05:00- What is the chess scene like within the US Armed War Forces?  10:00- What did Chris do to work on his game? Mentioned: Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess, Seirawan Winning Chess Series, The Seirawan series is also available on Chessable, Episode 303 with Kyle Boddy 14:00- Chris tells the remarkable story of how he and other members of the US Armed Forces got to play a tournament with members of the Polish military while stationed there.  28:00-  Patreon mailbag question: Does chess improve Chris’ graduate school studies in psychology?  Mentioned: Logical Chess Move by Move 31:00- Would Chris ever try an OTB tournament?  35:00- How does Chris approach following chess content that is a bit complex for his chess level? Mentioned: St. Louis Chess Club YouTube Channel  40:00- Thanks again to Chris for coming on to the podcast, and for his service in the US Military.   If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

11 Apr 202342min

This week we are excited to catch up with the most popular chess content creator in the world, IM Levy Rozman aka Gotham Chess. With a Chessable course launching, and a book coming soon, Levy took a break from his busy schedule to reflect on another year of explosive growth in his content. His YouTube channel recently passed 3 million subs, and Levy’s TikTok account went from 0 to 1 million+ followers in about 3 months! In our interview, Levy takes us behind the scenes of the work that goes into the growth, and speculates about what type of chess fans might be driving the latest surge in popularity. It has been almost 2 years since my last interview with Levy, so there are many other topics to catch up on, including the FIDE World Championship, his retirement from OTB chess, his DMs with Magnus Carlsen and much more. It is always entertaining and enlightening to hear Levy reflect on chess and on his success! Timestamps of topics discussed are below.  0:00- You can check out some of my favorite Chessable courses for different rating levels here:  https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/  Sign up for the Perpetual Chess Linkfest- https://benjohnson.substack.com/ Prior Levy appearances:  Episode 180 Episode 233 0:02: How much does Levy know about his audience?  0:08- What drives him to keep trying to grow his channel?  0:16:00- Does Levy think this recent growth is propelled by high school kids?  21:00- Does Levy still do his own editing? Who else helps him?  27:00- Has Levy interacted with Magnus one-on-one?  33:00- Levy’s thoughts on the Ding-Nepo World Championship 40:00- How does Levy reflect on his abandoned pursuit of the GM title?  47:00- Patreon mailbag question: What is Levy’s advice to a parent who may be trying to encourage a scholastic player to stick with tournament chess?  56:00- Patreon mailbag question: “Does Levy still have opening novelties he keeps to himself?”  58:00- What lines does Levy recommend in his new Chessable course? What rating range does it target?  1:04:00- Patreon mailbag question: “What differentiates Levy’s course from other Chessable 1. E4 courses?”  1:07:00- How did Levy’s visit to YouTube headquarters come about?  1:12:00- Has Levy’s daily life in New York changed much since our 2021 interview?  1:13:00- Life as a dog dad  1:15:00- Levy discusses his upcoming book, How to Win at Chess.  1:17:00- Levy’s 2023 plans  1:19:00- Thanks again to Levy for catching up with us!  You should check out his YouTube channel!  If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess via Patreon, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

4 Apr 20231h 20min

With the 2023 FIDE World Chess Championship less than 2 weeks away, we bring you a double episode dissecting the match between GM Ian Nepomniatchtchi and GM Ding Liren. Since we feature 2 knowledgeable guests, we also discuss topics ranging from chess improvement, to the Sicilian defense, to online rating deflation. First up is popular YouTuber, commentator, author and Chessable Author, GM Daniel King. Daniel has attended multiple World Championships and was able to provide helpful context on a match that many feel ambivalent about given the historical and geopolitical circumstances. Despite many valid reservations, Daniel points out that this is an extremely compelling chess matchup between the #2 and #3 players in the world. Daniel also discusses his new Chessable course, King’s Anti-Sicilians, recalls the first Kasparov-Karpov match that he attended, and shares some reflections on what his passion for guitar and bass has taught him about chess improvement.  Guest #2 (1:22:00) is NM Matt Jensen, a statistician and the co-founder of the chess education site, Chessgoals.com. Matt gives us a look at the analytics of the match. Who do his mathematical projections favor? How likely is a tiebreak? Who would be favored in a tiebreak? Matt has also done extensive research on ratings comparisons across chess sites, and with Chessgoals, designs study plans for different level players, so we also talk some chess improvement and chess books. As always, timestamps for all of the topics discussed with both guests can be found below.  0:00- You can check out some of my favorite Chessable courses for different rating levels here:  https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/  01:00- Basic facts on the match including venue, time control, dates from Ben 06:00- GM Daniel King joins the show. We begin by providing an overview of the Ding-Nepo match.  22:00- Should Nepo be allowed to play in a World Championship, given his past ties with the Russian government?  Mentioned: Nepomniatchtchi Signed Open Letter to Putin by Peter Doggers  28:00-Patreon Mailbag Question: “What does Daniel think of the possibility of selecting Openings for the World Championship in order to limit draws”? 39:00- How does Daniel compare the modern era to prior eras during which the highest rated player was not the undisputed champion, such as with Kasparov in the 1990s? 44:00- The Carlsen-Niemann scandal  Mentioned: Professor David Franklin on the Hans Niemann Lawsuit 50:00- Daniel's recommendations against the Rossolimo and Alapin Mentioned: Episode 315 with World Correspondence Champion, Dr. Jon Edwards, King’s Kalashnikov Sicilian  1:05:00- Daniel shares his memories of attending the 1985 Kasparov-Karpov World Championship match, and he talks about a memorable game he played against Mikhail Tal. Mentioned: GM Jon Tisdall, IM David Goodman, King-Tal 1985, How to Win at Chess by GM Daniel King  1:13:00- What has playing music taught Daniel about Chess Improvement?  1:21:00- Thanks, as always to GM Daniel King for joining me!  Check out his Chessable courses here: https://www.chessable.com/author/DanielKing/ Subscribe to Power Play Chess here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMBATpFb--uLNAODOVWvCTA 1:22:00- NM Matt Jensen joins the show, and we dive into what his predictive model says about the Ding-Nepo match, including tiebreak scenarios 1:36:00- Has Matt seen rating deflation on Lichess and Chess.com?  Mentioned: Episode 249 with Dr. Mark Glickman, Chessgoals’ Rating Comparison Data here 1:43:00- What does Matt’s research reveal about how best to study chess?  1:46:00- Patreon Mailbag Question: “Has Matt’s thinking on the best study plans evolved as he has worked with more students?  1:49:00- Matt’s favorite Chess Books Mentioned: Yusupov Build Up Your Chess Series, Reassess Your Chess by IM Jeremy Silman, Silman’s Endgame Course  1:53:00- Thanks to Matt for sharing his insights! Check out his study plans at Chessgoals.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

28 Mars 20231h 55min

IM Willy Hendriks is a Netherlands based chess trainer, and an author of three books: Move First Think Later ( 2012 ECF Book of the Year), On the Origin of Good Moves, and his new book, Ink War: Romanticism vs. Modernity in Chess. Ink War is an entertaining and informative look at the first World Championship Match between Wilhelm Steinitz and Johannes Zukertort. As we discuss the two players had some common biographical traits, but were bitter rivals away from the board. Willy explains why the job of a chess professional was harder in those days, and shares some common misconceptions about the contributions that each player made to the advancement of chess. Since Willy is an accomplished player, trainer and improver, we also discuss Willy’s chess improvement philosophy, his own OTB game, and a few of his favorite chess books. Timestamps of topics discussed can be found below.  0:00- Thanks to our presenting Chess Education sponsor, Chessable! You can check out their new courses here:  https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/ Info on GM Daniel King’s upcoming March 24 Masterclass here:  https://www.chessable.com/using-the-outpost-masterclass/course/156548/ Episode 182 - IM Willy Hendriks’ Prior Appearance  3:00- How is Willy’s OTB game progressing?   06:30- Does Willy have an overall chess improvement philosophy?  16:30- What gave IM Hendriks the idea to write about the Steinitz-Zukertort Match?  21:00- Patreon Mailbag Question- What led to Zukertort’s 2nd half collapse in the match against Steinitz, and what is Zukertort’s chess legacy?  28:00- Why does Willy think that the writings of Lasker, Euwe and Reti led to a misinterpretation of chess history?  Mentioned: Masters of the Chessboard, Lasker’s Manual of Chess  33:00- Where does the title The Ink War come from? 41:00- Did the famous game, Grimshaw-Steinitz actually occur or was it made up? Mentioned: Grimshaw-Steinitz https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1718604 46:00- Patreon Mailbag Question- Does Willy know what his next book project will be?  50:00- What Chess Books were influential for Willy?  Tarrasch’s 300 Games, Nunn’s Secrets of Practical Chess, Pawn Power in Chess, Kotov’s Think Like a Grandmaster  53:00- Does Willy have favorite players or personal favorite games?  57:00- Patreon Mailbag Question- When Willy evaluates a position does he consciously count material?  Mentioned: Move First Think Later 1:04:00- As someone who has just written about the first World Championship, what does Willy think of the potential phasing out of the Classical World Championship tradition? Mentioned: Episode 319 with Dr. Howard Burton Thanks to IM Hendriks for joining us! Links for his books are here: New in Chess:  https://www.newinchess.com/the-ink-war Free Sample Here-  https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/9134.pdf Move First Think Later On the Origin of Good Moves If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here: Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

21 Mars 20231h 13min

This week on Perpetual Chess we catch up with GM Cristian Chirila. A former Romanian youth champion, GM Chirila is now based in Missouri and has many roles in the chess world including commentator for the Grand Chess Tour, coach of the St. Louis University Chess Team, and co-host, with GM Fabiano Caruana, of the C-Squared podcast. On C Squared, GM’s Chirila and Caruana are often joined by prominent guests to discuss top-level chess news. The podcast is highlighted by its excellent production and has quickly found a large audience. In our interview, we discuss the origins of and future plans for C Squared. We also touch on World Championships, past and present, Cristian’s OTB game and lots more. We also briefly talk about the sexual assault allegations against GM Alejandro Ramirez although, to hear Cristian and Fabiano’s full thoughts, one should listen to the latest episode of C Squared. The notes to topics discussed can be found below.  Episode recorded February 28, 2023 0:00- Brief addendum regarding the allegations against GM Alejandro Ramirez (Recorded March 9, 2023) 04:00- Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsor, Chessable.com! Check out their latest courses here:  https://www.chessable.com/courses/#!/new 05:00- Cristian joins! What lessons has Cristian learned from launching the C Squared Podcast?  Mentioned: Episode 47 with GM Cristian Chirila   15:00- Patreon mailbag question:” Do Chirila and Caruana have a long-term vision for C Squared?”  Ben Johnson | creating Perpetual Chess Podcast | Patreon 18:00- Is Cristian surprised by how forthcoming Fabiano has been on the podcast?  20:00- Patreon mailbag question: Does Cristian worry that professionally collaborating with Fabiano could impact their friendship?  24:00- Cristian discusses C-Squared’s plans for the World Championship and his own thoughts on the Ding-Nepo match 29:00- Cristian discusses his experience of working as one of Fabiano’s seconds during the World Championship match.  34:00- Patreon mailbag question: “Were there moments in the 2018 World Championship where Cristian thought Fabiano would take the lead in the match?”  41:00- What was your day-to-day life like as a second during the match in London?  46:00- Patreon mailbag question:” Does Cristian think we will continue to see Rapid and Blitz elevated over classical chess?”  51:00- Cristian discusses his recent OTB tournament and upcoming plans.  57:00- Patreon mailbag question: “What is Cristian’s role as head coach of the University of Missouri?”  1:03:00- We discuss the allegations against GM Alejandro Ramirez (recorded February 28)  1:08:00- Cristian discusses his upcoming tournament plans  Thanks to Cristian for joining the show!  You can subscribe to C-Squared here: https://www.youtube.com/@csqpod If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here: Ben Johnson | creating Perpetual Chess Podcast | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

14 Mars 20231h 13min

This month, The Adult Improver Series welcomes Ben Hunt of the Chess Boot Camp YouTube Channel. Through his channel and a Chess.com forum, Ben has built a community around helping players rated 500-1200 improve. Ben started pursuing chess seriously in 2019 and shares tons of helpful reflections including his favorite content creators, the challenges of transitioning to OTB, and what he has learned from creating a YouTube channel geared towards fellow chess amateurs. Ben’s enthusiasm for chess is contagious, and I really enjoyed hearing his perspective.  0:00- Thanks to recent Patreon subs, if you would like to join the community you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess Sub to the Perpetual Chess linkfest here: https://benjohnson.substack.com/ 02:00- Ben got very interested very quickly in chess in 2019- what precipitated that?  Mentioned: Chess.com Lessons  07:00- Who are Ben’s favorite chess content creators? Mentioned: Ginger GM, IM Alex Banzea, GM Daniel Naroditsky, St. Louis Chess Club, Jonathan Schrantz, IM John Bartholomew 10:00-Patreon mailbag question: “What is the goldfish method?” Why does Ben sometimes struggle to implement it?”  Mentioned: Ben’s Goldfish Method Video, Move First Think Later, Chess Steps Method  17:30- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Check out their latest courses here: https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/ 18:30- What has it been like for Ben to try out OTB play in the UK? 23:00- Ben discusses his opening repertoire a bit as we discuss whether openings are overemphasized for club players.  Mentioned: IM Andras’ Toth’s The Beginners 1. D4 Repertoire, SImon Williams’ The British Grand Prix, The Dvoretsky Endgame Manual, Silman’s Complete Endgame Course, 100 Endgames You Must Know  34:00- Patreon mailbag question: “What advice does Ben give to those who are struggling translating increased knowledge to an OTB performance above the 1000 level?” 42:00- What is Ben’s tactics regimen?  Mentioned: Chessbootcamp.club, The Woodpecker Method, Book Recap #6: The Woodpecker Method  50:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. Aimchess’ algorithm reviews your games and gives you actionable advice on how to improve your game. Check it out for free, and if you choose to subscribe you can use the code Perpetual30 to save 30%. Or use this link for the same discount: https://aimchess.com/try?ref=benjohnson12 51:00- What kind of material does Ben present on his YouTube channel?  55:00- Patreon mailbag question: “What are Ben’s chess goals?”  1:01:00- Patreon mailbag question: “When you are showing a tactical puzzle, how important is it to show the moves that preceded the puzzle?” 1:05:00- What are Ben’s interests outside of chess?  1:07:00- As we say our goodbyes, Ben gives 3 tips for getting to 1000.  Thanks to Ben for joining! Here is how to keep up with him: Chess.com profile https://www.chess.com/member/benhunt72 Chess Bootcamp YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/ChessBootCamp Chess Bootcamp Live  https://chessbootcamp.club/ If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

7 Mars 20231h 13min

Dr. Howard Burton is a documentary filmmaker and author. Howard holds a PhD in theoretical physics and an MA in Philosophy. He is also the founder of the award-winning multimedia initiative Ideas Roadshow. Their latest documentary, Through the Mirror of Chess: A Cultural Exploration, is a 4 part documentary that shows the cultural impact and history of chess from its origins to modern times. It is very informative and well produced, and features many familiar faces including GM Hou Yifan, IM Daniel Rensch, GM David Smerdon and Award Winning Chess Teacher Elizabeth Spiegel. In conjunction with the documentaries, Dr. Burton has written a book of opinion essays about the role of chess in culture, called Chessays: Travels Through the World of Chess. It is enjoyable and provocative and discusses all that is right as well as what could be fixed within the chess world. Our conversation touches on both Howard’s book and his documentaries, and as his work does, helps to contextualize the role of chess in the world. Topics include the shortcomings of FIDE, Howard’s admiration for Paul Morphy, whether chess skills are transferable beyond chess, and Howard’s own history with chess Timestamps of topics discussed can be found below. 0:00- What framed Howard’s approach to separating his book of essays and documentaries? 07:00- As somewhat of an outsider to chess, how would Howard change the chess world if he could? 13:00- What should the role of a chess governing body be?  26:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. Aimchess’ algorithm reviews your games and gives you actionable advice on how to improve your game. Check it out for free, and if you choose to subscribe you can use the code Perpetual30 to save 30%. Or use this link for the same discount: https://aimchess.com/try?ref=benjohnson12 28:00- What does Howard admire about Paul Morphy? Why does Howard think that Morphy isn’t placed on the same level as Fischer?  Mentioned: Paul Morphy: Pride and Sorrow of Chess  36:00- How do the misogynistic statements of Fischer and Kasparov affect chess culture?  Mentjioned: GM Alejandro Ramirez under Investigation for Misconduct  44:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Check out their latest courses here: https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/ 45:00- How did Howard interview people from all over the world for Through the Mirror of Chess?  Mentioned: Seven Games: A Human History, Episode 263 with Oliver Roeder 52:00- Does Howard play much chess?   Howard’s One Move at a Time Interview  55:00- What frustrates Howard about suggestions related to the transferable skills of chess?  Mentioned: Brooklyn Castle featuring Elizabeth Spiegel  1:02:00- What role can chess play in social empowerment? Mentioned: Tunde Onakoya, Russell Makofsky of The Gift of Chess, GM Pontuss Carlsson  Thanks to Howard for joining the show! Here are the links to keep up with him:  Chess.com Blog (including more thoughts on Fixing FIDE)  Info on watching the documentary here: Through the Mirror of Chess: A Cultural Exploration And Get the Book Here:  Chessays: Travels Through the World of Chess Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

28 Feb 20231h 7min