Perpetual Chess Podcast

The wait is almost over! With the 2022 FIDE Candidates Tournament beginning June 17, we present one last deep dive on this chess-history defining tournament. The winner of this tournament is slated to play GM Magnus Carlsen in the 2023 World Championship match if it takes place. I am joined by two separate guests to discuss the players and what we can expect. First up is GM Robert Hess. Robert, of course, is an insightful and popular commentator who will be traveling to Madrid to cover the event live with his Chess.com team. Robert and I discuss each player individually, as Robert shares his reflections on what he has observed from many years of observing these players up close. Robert’s other appearance on the podcast was nearly 5 years ago, so after an hour of FIDE Candidates talk, we spend some time catching up on other chess-related matters. Following Robert, I am joined by Tai Pruce Zimmerman of the “Chess by the Numbers” blog. I always enjoy getting Tai’s insights, which are primarily derived from an El

This week on Perpetual Chess we are joined by Dr. Stuart Margulies, the co-author of the legendary, best-selling chess book, Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess. First published in 1966, and written along with Donn Mosenfelder and Fischer himself, this book has sold more than 1.25 million copies, and many believe it to be the best selling chess book of all time! Dr. Margulies tells the story of the modest beginnings of the book, and of his first and subsequent encounters with his fellow New Yorker, Bobby Fischer. Stuart is 89 years of age, but has vivid memories of Fischer and many other key New York City chess figures. Stuart worked as an educational psychologist, and also shares his take on the whether playing chess can positively impact reading scores, a subject about which he wrote a paper in the 1990s. It was so much fun to hear Stuart’s reflections on his life in chess! More details and timestamps can be found below.  0:00- Stuart shares his earliest first-hand memories of Bobby Fischer Mentioned: Alan Kaufman

After a one month hiatus, Chess Books Recaptured returns to discuss another classic chess book- GM Alexei Shirov’s Fire on Board. This 1997 game collection book shows the games of one of the world’s best attacking players at the peak of his powers. Joining me to discuss the book is Mitchell Fabian. Mitch is a 26 year old dad, actuary and avid chess student who suggested this book because he felt that it helped his chess tremendously. In addition to many wild slugfest games and creative ideas, the book covers an interesting time in chess history, when the World Championship Title was disputed by different organizations. We cover all of this in a fun conversation about a challenging, but informative book. More details and timestamps below:  0:00- We welcome Mitch Fabian to the show and he discusses why he chose Shirov’s Fire on Board.  Mentioned: IM Kostya Kavutskiiy  6:00- For what rating is Fire on Board best suited? Mentioned: Seirawan’s Play Winning Chess  12:30- Perpetual Chess is brought to you by Ches

This week we are re-joined by the popular and amusing Twitch streamer, YouTube presenter and commentator, GM Ben Finegold. Lots has changed since our last interview! For one thing, there has been lots of discussion recently about a decline in the popularity of chess?. Does Ben think chess is losing popularity? Is he seeing a decline in his viewership on Twitch? What about on his YouTube channel? Other recent developments which we discussed include: Why Ben and his wife Karen sold their chess center in Atlanta, the state of Ben’s OTB chess game in the wake of some recent tourneys, plus some discussion of the Candidates, recent elite tournaments, and a few stories about Ben’s earlier days in the chess world, including Ben Finegold, “the college years.” Its always fun to catch up with Ben, lots more details and links in the show notes below.   Prior Finegold appearances on Perpetual Chess-  2017- Episode 9 https://open.spotify.com/episode/2o91dlqfOFf2Lwl9hfbrGF?si=b01f64b4f4fe4f8a 2018- Episode 52 https://open.

This week's Adult Improver interview is with Derek Wilder. Derek is a 33 year old Detroit- based Scholastic Chess Coach and Chess Podcaster (host of the Detroit Chess Killers pod). Derek is always working on his game, and he recently leveled up and surpassed the USCF rating of 2000 for the first time. This puts Derek in the 95th percentile of all USCF players. It took Derek years of hard work to break through this plateau, and it was illuminating to hear what he believed to be the keys to his success. Derek was quick to credit lots of friends and trainers with advice and tips that helped his game, and he offered lots of advice for those looking to achieve a similar breakthrough. Please read on for timestamps, resources, and people that were referenced in our interview.  0:00- Derek recently had a breakthrough in his OTB game. How’d he get to that moment?  Mentioned: IM John Brooks, Paul Grams, Chrysler Elementary School 08:00 Growing up in Detroit, Derek was one of the top scholastic players in his state, b

GM Jan Gustafsson is a popular and entertaining commentator for Chess24.com, a noted opening theoretician, a Chessable author, and 3 time member of GM Magnus Carlsen’s World Championship preparation team. Jan returned to Perpetual Chess for the fifth time to discuss chess news and the World Championship cycle, catch us up on the state of his chess game and to discuss what else he has been up to. Jan’s new projects include the launch of his own chess podcast, Chicken Chess Club,, where he and his friends, GM Laurent Fressinet and Peter Heine Nielsen give a light hearted rundown of the latest chess news. You can find timestamps below, for more detailed show notes, please go to the podcast webpage here: Listen to Episodes! — The Perpetual Chess Podcast 0:00- We briefly discuss the origins of Jan’s new podcast, The Chicken Chess Club. 5:30- Jan’s thoughts on the 2022 FIDE Candidates tournament, and whether Magnus will defend his title  Mentioned:  Inside Team Magnus (behind Chess24 Paywall use promo code #Janis

This week on Perpetual Chess we are joined by a Ukrainian and then a Russian guest to discuss the impact that the Russian-Ukrainian war has had on their lives and on the chess world. My first guest is GM Kirill Shevchenko. Kirill is a 19 year old rising star in the chess world, currently ranked #92 in the world, and #6 among juniors. He joined me from Germany, where he is in between tournaments, after leaving Ukraine to pursue his chess career. Kirill spoke very movingly about the devastation Russia’s attacks have wrought on his loved ones and his country, and about how he balances that with his chess career. Kirill continues to compete, and will soon play in his first Grand Chess Tour event.  Following Kirill, I am joined by chess journalist and Twitch streamer, WFM Maria Emelianova. Maria is Russian, but like Kirill, felt compelled to leave her country when news of the attack broke. Maria has been an outspoken critic of the war, and has been working hard to raise funds to support Ukrainians. As Maria explai

GM Michael “Mickey” Adams is a legend of British chess who has been an elite chess player for the last 30 years. He is a former World Champion finalist, the 7 time champion of Great Britain and has been ranked as highly as #4 in the world. Michael is also an author, most recently of the very original and instructive new book, Think Like a Super GM, with co-author Philip Hurtado. Michael is normally one of the most active players on the tournament circuit, and as Covid subsides he is preparing to resume a busy schedule, beginning with the Tepe Siegman invitational in May. In our fascinating and entertaining conversation, Mickey shares some memorable stories, and discusses whether he has made adjustments to his game as he turns 50. We also discuss Michael’s new book in detail and shared some of its chess improvement takeaways. Please read on for lots more details, timestamps, and links to topics that were referenced.   Brief timestamps are below, for full show notes please go to the podcast website EP 276- GM

IM Ali Mortazavi is a former top British junior player and chess author who has gone on to attain significant success outside of the chess world. Ali has been an active investor in many small biotech companies and is currently the CEO of a publicly traded, UK-based biotech company called, E therapeutics. Despite his busy professional life, Ali frequently plays online blitz, solves endgame studies, and associates with his many chess friends. In our entertaining conversation Ali discusses British chess culture, his chess beginnings, and his encounters with notable chess figures like Garry Kasparov, Magnus Carlsen, Demis Hassabas (Creator of Alphazero), and his friend IM Lawrence Trent. Ali also discusses the ways that chess has helped his career and shares what he believes differentiates chess players from other people. You can find timestamps and relevant links for our conversation below.  0:00- Ali tells the story of his early beginnings in chess.  Mentioned: GM Michael Adams , IM Michael Basman, World Yout

The Perpetual Chess Adult Improver Series is back, but this time with a twist. We feature a senior guest who is “more interested in sustainment than improvement”, and we have a guest co-host joining the conversation! Our guest, Paul Hedrick is a 56 year old literature and history teacher based in New Mexico. Paul enjoys listening to Perpetual Chess, but felt that older, less improvement focused chess lovers like himself were underrepresented on the podcast. To help guide the conversation, I enlisted the help of Han Schut. Han is a Chess Steps trainer, a Chessable Author and a frequent contributor to New in Chess magazine. The three of us try to sort out questions such as: Why does Paul study chess daily if his goal is not to improve? How can one know if they should shift their goals from “Adult Improver” to “Senior Sustainer?” How should one supplement the curriculum of the Chess Steps method? Both Paul and Han offered great perspectives on the different roles chess study can play in one's life, so I hope you

I am joined this week by renowned trainer, author, and 2006 Swedish National Champion, GM Johan Hellsten. Johan is best known for his excellent book/Chessable course Mastering Chess Strategy, and its successors Mastering Opening Strategy, and Mastering Endgame Strategy. These courses are highly regarded by chess trainers and students alike, and are packed with educational puzzles. In our conversation, we got into the origins of these voluminous projects, plus Johan answered a ton of chess improvement related questions from listeners to the podcast. Lastly, Johan told some fun stories from his time playing on the Swedish Olympiad Team, and shared the names of some authors that were formative in his own chess development. Please read on for timestamps and relevant links.   0:00- How was Johan influenced by the work of legendary trainer, IM Mark Dvoretsky?  Mentioned:Sergey Dolmatov, GM Artur Yusupov, 64 Chess Magazine 08:25- What was the vision behind Mastering Chess Strategy and Johan’s Mastering series? 

Popular guest and dedicated improver Neal Bruce is back on Perpetual Chess to break down the most useful “Positional Chess Puzzle” Books for club players. For those who have not heard Neal’s prior appearances, he is a dad and an executive at a software startup who devotes a lot of his free time to improving his chess game, often via flash cards made from chess books. Neal is amidst a 10 year study plan and has recently completed a phase during which he went through 8 positional puzzle books. In our interview, Neal discusses why he thinks this was an important step for his chess development and assesses the books he read. He ranks them in order, assesses their pros and cons, and their usefulness for different rating levels. At the end of Neal’s book breakdown we catch up with Neal a bit and discuss what is next in his 10 year chess study plan. Links for all of the books referenced, as well as timestamps are below.   Improve Your Chess Pattern Recognition by IM Arthur van de Oudeweetering How to Reassess Your

Chess Books Recaptured returns to discuss an excellent game compilation book, The Mammoth Book of the World’s Greatest Chess Games by GM John Nunn, GM John Emms, GM Michael Adams, and GM Wesley So. Joining me to discuss the book are cognitive scientist and USCF Master, Dr. Christopher Chabris, and a co-author and editor of the book, FM Graham Burgess. We discuss questions such as “What defines a great chess game?” “How are the best games chosen in this book?” “Why aren't any wins by Nakamura or Aronian in the book?” “What other books attempt to cover the best chess games in history?” It is a fascinating project, and the book is excellent, with an amazing compilation of historic games with instructive, succinct prose and high-level analysis. You can find lots more details, timestamps, links below.. Prior appearances by Dr. Christopher Chabris: Episode 95 with Christopher Chabris  Episode 187 with Christopher Chabris  Book Recap #4: Think Like a Grandmaster by Kotov  Book Recap #15: Secrets of Practical Chess

18 year old GM Hans Niemann is a rising star in the chess world. He has rapidly risen from U.S. scholastic champion to one of the top 100 players in the world! His ascent has been particularly steep since January 2021, as he has gained over 150 rating points in 15 months! Hans joined me shortly after a tournament in St. Louis to assess his recent progress and to talk about his upcoming plans. Hans has a loyal Twitch following, and is at an age when many start university, but he has chosen to devote all of his energy to chess, and is spending 10-12 hours per day studying, with a goal of playing 150 tournament games per year. Hans has also recently completed a Chessable course on the Jobava London, and as this podcast is being released, he is competing in a Champions Chess Tour event. We covered a lot of ground in our interview, and it was fascinating to hear about the training regimen and lifestyle of one of America’s top young chess players. Please read on for more details and relevant links. .  0:00- Who has

Cody Smith is a 31 year old Alabama- Twitch streamer, and chess instructor.  Cody started serious chess at age 24 and has seen a slow and steady climb over the years to a Lichess blitz rating of about 2050 and about 2150 Rapid. Cody is self-taught, using free online resources and has barely ever cracked a chess book!  He recently has tried out OTB tournaments, and offers lots of useful reflections and advice for anyone interested in making a similar transition. Cody also offers lots of tips about how to get the most out of game review, and shares his approach to studying openings, tactics, and many other phases of the game. Please read on for many more details, timestamps, and any relevant links.  Check out the rest of the Adult Improver series here Or on this Spotify Playlist 0:00- Are you interested in appearing on Perpetual Chess as an adult Improver? Please fill out this form so that I can keep it for future reference: Potential Adult Improver Guest  02:00- Cody’s chess beginnings  Mentioned: GM Simon

My guest today is Jen Shahade. Jen, is a champion chess and poker player, an author, an award winning podcaster and the Woman’s Program Director at US Chess. It was the perfect time to catch up with Jen, as she has just released her new book, Chess Queens. Chess Queen’s is an insightful, entertaining and introspective look at key figures in the history of Women’s Chess, and a reflection on Jen’s own chess journey to the pinnacle of American chess. It is an updated and expanded version of Jen’s first book, Chess Bitch. In our interview, we dig into the process of updating and rewriting a book, and then Jen shares a few of the amazing life stories covered in the book. Jen also discusses her own upcoming projects, chess in the Queen’s Gambit age, and dispenses some chess and life improvement advice. There is always lots to learn from Jen! Lots more details and relevant links are in the show description.  Jen’s Prior Appearances on the Pod: Episode 50 with Jen Shahade  Book Recap #7 discussing Judit Polgar’s H

This week on Perpetual Chess I am joined by co-authors of a great new book, Winning the World Open, by GM Joel Benjamin and Harold Scott. Joel Benjamin is a 6 time World Open Champion, 3 time US Champion, 2020 US Senior Champion, an Author, a Trainer and a Dad. He has been amongst the top 50 players in the world and battled with many chess legends over the years, as we discussed in our prior interview in 2018. His co-author is FIDE certified trainer, tournament director and USCF expert, Harold Scott. Their book is part historical retrospective, part chess instruction and has lots of fun stories and tons of instructive high stakes games. We discuss the history of the largest open tournament in America and tell some amusing stories involving cheating, alcohol, and, of course, chess. Please read on for more details and timestamps. 0:00- Ukraine related links:  Photo of GM Alexandr Sulypa here  US Chess/Kasparov Chess Support for Ukrainian Chess Players Initiative here  Here are many other ways to support Ukraini

Chess Books Recaptured returns to discuss a relatively recent book that is quickly being recognized as a modern classic, GM Jan Markos’ Under the Surface. Jan’s book is a philosophical look at the beauty of chess, as demonstrated by many original concepts and chess metaphors. The chess examples are intermediate to advanced levels, but the book contains lessons that are applicable to all players. I am joined by 2 guest co-hosts this month, both of whom are also chess bibliophiles and particular fans of this book. NM Gopal Menon is a Chicago-based chess trainer, and a blitz and opening specialist with a peak online blitz rating over 2900. Matt Fletcher is a UK based actuary, dad, and strong club player who frequently competes OTB in his local chess leagues. It was tons of fun to discuss an amazing book with two fellow hardcore chess fans! As always, more details, timestamps and relevant links can be found below.  0:00-  Why do we love this book?  Mentioned: Gopal Menon’s post of his favorite chess books, Seven

NM Nelson Lopez is a USCF Master and former scholastic champion whose “ChessVibes” YouTube channel has grown from 0 to 100,000 subscribers in less than 2 years! In our conversation we postulate reasons for the channel’s rapid growth, and Nelson shares both chess improvement and content creation advice for listeners. Nelson also tells his own “chess story.” Chess played a major part of his teenage years, as his success helped him earn a chess scholarship to University of Texas at Dallas. After college, Nelson spent some years away from the game. He is a husband and dad of 2 young kids and in the wake of his success, he recently quit his job in software development to focus on his chess content full time. Nelson is also competing OTB again, and reflects on how that world has changed while he was away. Nelson has a great story to share, and I really enjoyed speaking with him. Please read on for more details, timestamps and relevant links.  0:00- Nelson retells the modest beginnings of his YouTube channel and wa

This week’s Adult Improver Edition of Perpetual Chess features NM Jeremy Kane:   Blitz specialist, USCF Master, Curriculum Director for Chess.com, and the author of the new book, The Next to Last Mistake.   Jeremy gained nearly 200 points in his 20s, and has a peak USCF rating of 2389.  Because he is the dad of two young kids, Jeremy has recently  turned his attention to online blitz. Jeremy shares some great tips for how to adapt your game to faster online play. Jeremy’s chess.com blitz rating is usually around 2700, so clearly he has some expertise on this subject. Jeremy is also a chess bibliophile, and a former scholastic teacher, so he is full of good chess- improvement advice and recommendations for chess players of all ages and experience levels. As always, relevant links and timestamps can be found below.  0:00- To Keep up with Ben’s blog:  Follow me Chess.com  Follow me on LiChess 03:00- For those rated under 1500 online, what is the best way to spend one’s chess improvement time?  Mentioned: Adult