We’ve got 6 rounds in the books and GM Ian Nepomniathchtchi and GM Fabiano Caruana are comfortably in first and 2nd place, respectively. GM Jonathan Tisdall is an American born, Norway based author, journalist and is the 3 time champion of Norway. Jonathan has been covering high level chess for decades, so it was great to get his thoughts on the first 6 rounds of the Candidates. Is he surprised by Nepo’s dominance? What has gone wrong for Firouzja and Ding? Do the current leaders make it less li...
Jun 24, 2022•1 hr 6 min
This week I am joined by two accomplished players, trainers, and co-authors, Grandmaster Eugene Perelshteyn, and FM Nate Solon. Together, Nathan and Eugene have written the forthcoming book, Evaluate like a Grandmaster . As highly-accomplished players and trainers, Nate and Eugene noticed that there wasn’t a lot of chess literature helping players improve their ability to evaluate positions. They have written a great book to help address this problem. In our conversation, they highlight some of ...
Jun 21, 2022•1 hr 31 min
This week on Perpetual Chess we talk about chess improvement with one of the premier chess trainers in the world! GM R.B. Ramesh has worked with many of India’s top players including GMs Vidit Gujirathi, Harikrishna and Adhiban. I caught up with Ramesh on the night before he would commence a training camp with one of India’s Olimpiad teams. This team included Ramesh’s star student, GM Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, who is one of the top junior players in the world and recently made headlines by defe...
Jun 14, 2022•1 hr 32 min
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...
Jun 07, 2022•2 hr 15 min
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, Bob...
May 31, 2022•1 hr 26 min
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, ...
May 29, 2022•1 hr 21 min
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 c...
May 24, 2022•1 hr 27 min
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 ...
May 17, 2022•1 hr 5 min
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 hi...
May 10, 2022•1 hr 14 min
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 Ru...
May 03, 2022•1 hr 37 min
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...
Apr 26, 2022•1 hr 45 min
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...
Apr 19, 2022•1 hr 8 min
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 enli...
Apr 12, 2022•1 hr 21 min
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 im...
Apr 05, 2022•1 hr 39 min•Ep. 272
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 ...
Mar 29, 2022•1 hr 13 min
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 ...
Mar 25, 2022•1 hr 41 min
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 d...
Mar 22, 2022•1 hr 25 min
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 r ecently 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 abo...
Mar 15, 2022•1 hr 14 min
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 ...
Mar 08, 2022•1 hr 12 min
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...
Mar 01, 2022•1 hr 18 min
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 ...
Feb 25, 2022•1 hr 4 min
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 co...
Feb 22, 2022•1 hr 2 min
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 u...
Feb 15, 2022•1 hr 7 min
GM SImon William, aka “The Ginger GM” is an entertaining and popular commentator, YouTube Creator , Twitch streamer , and, of course, prolific Chessable course creator (often collaborating with IM Richard Palisser). Simon also recently launched a chess platform, called GChess , which allows you to store and analyze your games and to work on openings using many popular chess resources. It had been 5 years since I had done a long-form interview with SImon, so it was great to catch up with him on t...
Feb 08, 2022•1 hr 17 min
This week I am joined by the founder of the Berkeley Chess School (BCS), Elizabeth Shaughnessy. The Berkeley Chess School is a California based non-profit that has taught chess to approximately 250,000 kids over the decades and has taught future grandmasters like Sam Shankland, and Hans Niemann. At 84 years of age, Elizabeth is still razor sharp and competing regularly in tournament chess! We talked about how chess and life have evolved since she founded BCS in 1981, with a particular emphasis o...
Feb 01, 2022•1 hr 18 min
Chess Books Recaptured is back to discuss one of my favorite chess books ever, Mikhail Shereshevsky’s Endgame Strategy . Unlike a technical manual, this book simply shows some of the greatest endgame conversions of all time, and pulls together themes from the play, such as “do not hurry,” and “the principal of two weaknesses.” It is an intermediate to advanced book, best suited to those rated over 1600 USCF/FIDE. Joining me to guest co-host is my fellow chess podcaster, Dr. Kevin Scull. Kevin is...
Jan 28, 2022•1 hr 9 min
Oliver Roeder is an author, and a former senior writer for FiveThirtyEight.com who has often covered chess and other games. He holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Texas at Austin, with an emphasis on game theory, and studied Artifical Intelligence at Harvard University as a Niemann fellow. Today he appears with a new book, Seven Games , a Human History . It covers the history and current competitive contexts of the games Checkers, Chess, Backgammon, Go. Poker, Scrabble, and Bridge....
Jan 25, 2022•1 hr 10 min
This week Perpetual Chess welcomes back IM Kostya Kavutskiy. Kostya is a respected trainer, a founder of the ChessDojo training platform, a YouTube creator, and a Chessable author. I caught up with Kostya shortly after he returned from the North American Open, so we got the rundown on his own strengths and weaknesses, as well as the U.S. tournament landscape. Since Kostya is a popular online presenter, he received a bunch of listener questions soliciting chess improvement tips. Lastly we checked...
Jan 18, 2022•1 hr 11 min
Perpetual Chess is back with another adult improver multi-guest “special edition.” This episode is called, “Master to IM” and continues the series started in Episode 217 (IM to GM). As the title suggests, we feature Master-level players who are training and competing with the hope of earning the FIDE International Master title (IM.) Our three guests are FM Doug Eckert, NM Evan Rosenberg, and FM Dalton Perrine. Each interview is entertaining and insightful in its own way. Our guests discuss quest...
Jan 11, 2022•2 hr 4 min
Perpetual Chess is back with an edition of Chess Books Recaptured , a recurring book review podcast. Today I am joined by Martin Justesen to discuss the underrated Soviet-era classic Questions of Modern Chess Theory , by Isaac Lipnitsky . Originally published in 1956 in the Soviet Union, it was not translated and published in English until Quality Chess did it in 2006. And the chess world is quite lucky that it was translated! As usual we share historical details, lessons learned from the book a...
Jan 07, 2022•1 hr 2 min
