Perpetual Chess Podcast

Latest Episodes:

EP 345- WFM Maaike Keetman on The Best Open Tournaments in Europe, The Chess Steps Method & Chessable's Create Your Own Course Contest Aug 29, 2023

Show notes

This week our guest is WFM Maaike Keetman. Maaike is a 2016 Dutch Chess Olimpian and youth champion, who is also a Chessable author and member of its content creation team. Maaike joined me shortly after competing in a big open tournament in Europe, The Czech Open. Maaike reflected on her own performance and also highlighted what anyone considering playing in this tournament in future years could expect. Following that, we discuss the September 1 launch of Chessable’s ‘Create Your Own Course’ contest. This contest is a unique opportunity for community members to share their passion for chess, and to potentially win prizes and earn extra income. Lastly, we discuss a few topics important to Maaike’s chess experience, including The Chess Steps Method, and the most memorable moments of her chess career.

The Chessable Contest Launches September 1, here is all the info you need:

https://www.chessable.com/create/

0:02- Maaike joined me shortly after returning from The Czech Open in Pardubice. For prospective tournament players, she discusses what she liked and disliked about the tournament, and she assessed her own performance. Maaike had to withdraw from the tournament due to sickness, so she was unable to finish the tournament.

Mentioned: CM Vjekoslav Nemec, More Czech Open Info here:

https://www.czechopen.net/en/, Sunway Sitges, Reykjavik Open

11:00- Maaike plays in the Dutch Chess League and the English 4NCL League as well. She discusses the formats of these leagues.

15:00- What are Maaike’s current objectives with her chess game?

19:00- Maaike discusses her work at Chessable and the annual “Create Your Own Chess Course” contest. Upon context launch on September 1, there will be more info at this link:

https://go.chessable.com/create/

Mentioned: The Checkmate Patterns Manual, Visualize by Benedictine, CM Can Kabadayi’s Chessable Courses, GM Maurice Ashley’s Secrets of Chess Geometry, Maaike’s How to Create a Chessable Course Video

31:00- Patreon mailbag question: “What are the best practices of the most accomplished Chessable users?’

Mentioned: NM Han Schut, NM Todd Bryant, Perpetual Chess Improvement, Available November 1!, Alex Crompton’s Blog Post, EP 256 with Alex Crompton

35:00- Patreon mailbag question: “What changes have taken place at Chessable since it was acquired by Chess.com?’

40:00- What was it like growing up vis-a-vis The Chess Steps system in The Netherlands?

Mentioned: EP 335 with Matthew Ball and WIM Natasha Regan

43:00- Maaike shares her memories of playing on the Dutch National Team at the Olympiad.

47:00- If Maaike were to emphasize improving her chess game, what would she prioritize?

50:00 Maaike’s fondest and least fond chess memories!

51:00- Thanks to Maaike for joining the pod!

If you have questions about the Chessable contest, email hello at chessable dot com

Or post in the Chessable forums:

https://www.chessable.com/discussion/

If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here:

https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate

You can pre-order my forthcoming book here:

https://www.amazon.com/Perpetual-Chess-Improvement-Practical-World-Class/dp/9083336549/ref=sr_1_1?crid=32H1VUUP9AHO8&keywords=perpetual+chess+improvement&qid=1692411671&s=books&sprefix=perpetual+chess+%2Cstripbooks%2C119&sr=1-1

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EP 344- GM Melik Khachiyan on How Staying Active OTB and Emphasizing Physical Fitness helped him Finally win his First National Title! Aug 22, 2023

Show notes

GM Melik Khachiyan is a top player and former chess Olympian. He is also a trainer who has taught many future GMs and has coached the US Women’s national team for many years. Despite his many successes, Melik had never won a US Championship of his own…until this year. In 2023, Melik beat out many higher-rated U.S. legends to comfortably win the U.S. Senior Championship! In our conversation, Melik takes us behind the scenes of the games and opening preparation, and his training regimen during the weeks leading up to the tournament. Melik thinks that he was propelled to victory by a couple of decisions in particular: 1) a focus on physical fitness and 2) his staying active in competitive chess. Melik always has lots of chess knowledge to impart, but his recent successes highlight the importance of perseverance, both at and away from the board. And of course, as GM Levon Aronian’s childhood coach, and a former student of World Champion Tigran Petrosian, Melik always has a few stories to share. You can find timestamps of topics discussed below.

Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsors, Chessable.com.

New courses include:

Starting Out: The Scotch by Fiona Steil-Antoni and IM Alex Astaneh

Techniques of Positional Play featuring GM Peter Heine Nielsen

Check out my favorite Chessable courses here:

You can check out some of my recommended courses here:https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/

My prior interview with Melik:

Episode 64 with GM Melik Khachiyan

0:00- Melik explains the story behind his last-minute invitation to the U.S. Senior Championship.

5:00- What did Melik do to change his chess training and fitness routine leading up the tournament?

Mentioned: Khachiyan-Root 2023

12:00- Patreon mailbag question- “How has Melik’s tournament approach changed over the years?”

20:00- Did Melik gain an edge over his competitors by continuing to compete?

Mentioned: GM Alex Fishbein

25:00- Patreon mailbag question: Has Melik changed his opening repertoire in recent years?

30:00- What was the story behind Melik’s game with Dlugy which began with the unusual sequence 1. Nf3 c5 2. C3 ? Melik also discusses his unusual preparation for GM Patrick Wolff

Mentioned: Khachiyan-Dlugy 2023, Khachiyan-Wolff 2023

39:00- What does Melik do to deal with sleep problems that occur during tournaments?

42:00- What are Melik’s memories of competing in the 1996 Olimpiad in Yerevan, with his then student FM Levon Aronian, also on the Armenian team?

44:00- In my recent interview with GM Aronian he discussed traveling to tournaments in the cargo department of a plane. What were Melik’s recollections of those rides? What does Melik think Levon learned from growing up so poor?

Mentioned: Episode 341 with GM Levon Aronian

50:00- How was World Champion GM Tigran Petrosian’s table tennis game? What did Tigran think of speed chess?

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Bonus Pod- FIDE World Cup Update- Magnus and Fabiano on a Collision Course? Featuring CM Vjekoslav Nemec and IM Michael Rahal reporting from the tournament in Baku. Aug 18, 2023

Show notes

We catch you up on the riveting 2023 FIDE World Cup. I am joined by Chessable author and blogger, CM Vjekoslav Nemec to discuss the tournament so far, then FIDE Press officer IM Michael Rahal joins me from the playing hall in Baku to describe the venue and what it has been like to do post-game interviews with the players, including one with Magnus Carlsen that went viral.

Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsor, Chessable.

Check out FM Nate Solon’s new course here:

https://www.chessable.com/100-repertoires-reti-1nf3/course/170854/

And check out GM Pepe Cuenca’s Lifetime Repertoires: Queen’s Gambit Declined here:

https://www.chessable.com/lifetime-repertoires-queens-gambit-declined/course/57401/

0- Rundown of the results at the FIDE World Cup.

4:30- Vjekoslav Nemec joins the show. What have the most noteworthy stories of this World Cup? What do we expect in the final round?

24:00- FIDE Press Officer IM Michael Rahal joins me from Baku!

You can check out all of Michael’s interviews in Baku on the FIDE YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@FIDE_chess

You can follow Michael on Twitter here:

https://twitter.com/rahal_michael?lang=en

You can follow Vjekoslav here:

https://twitter.com/chessentials_?lang=en

Read his blog here:

https://t.co/1tZcgGs5uW

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EP 343- Rating Deflation Roundtable- Statistician Jeff Sonas and Data Scientist FM Nate Solon discuss FIDE’s Proposed Changes to their Rating System, Plus Historical Chess Nuggets from Jeff’s Great Site “ChessMetrics” Aug 15, 2023

Show notes

Jeff Sonas is a software engineer and database consultant who is also one of the world’s leading experts on chess ratings. As you may have read, FIDE recently proposed some changes to its rating system (partially due to Jeff’s advice). . In our conversation, Jeff explains the background of his work on ratings, and why he feels that changes to the system are necessary. Following a detailed and fascinating conversation about chess ratings, we discuss Jeff’s excellent historical chess site, Chessmetrics.com, which compares the relative strength of top chess players across eras. Due to his expertise on the topic, I also invited FM Nate Solon to co-host this episode. Nate writes about chess and data on his excellent blog, Zwischenzug.As always, you can find timestamps of topics discussed below.

https://benjohnson.substack.com

FIDE Press release about Proposed Rating Changes- https://fide.com/news/2538

Jeff’s paper-

https://www.fide.com/docs/presentations/Sonas%20Proposal%20-%20Repairing%20the%20FIDE%20Standard%20Elo%20Rating%20System.pdf

NM Vanessa West's Summary of the Proposed Changes:

https://www.chess.com/news/view/fide-mathematician-proposes-changes-to-improve-rating-accuracy

Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsors, Chessable. Here are some courses to check out FM Nate Solon’s course here:

100 Repertoires: Reti (1.Nf3)

You can check out some of my recommended courses here: https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/

04:00- We welcome Jeff Sonas to the show!

04:30- He begins by discussing the history of his work in ratings, and specifically with FIDE. Jeff also discusses how he has gone from worrying about inflation to deflation?

Mentioned: Rating Inflation: Its causes and Its possible cures

26:00- Patreon mailbag question- Could Jeff put a number on the amount of deflation? Is there deflation on the chess playing websites?

36:00- More explanation of the causes of deflation

Mentioned: GM Jacob Aagaard’s Tweet, Article by Tarjei Svensen about Velpula Sarayu’s Record Performance

42:00- Does the deflation matter, other than for reasons of vanity?

48:00- What does Jeff think of the Glicko system?

Episode 249 with Dr. Mark Glickman, Jeff’s Archive of Chess Writing

53:00 Patreon mailbag question: How feasible is a universal rating system based on engine move matching?

Mentioned: Read Jeff’s paper here:

https://www.fide.com/docs/presentations/Sonas%20Proposal%20-%20Repairing%20the%20FIDE%20Standard%20Elo%20Rating%20System.pdf

59:00- Jeff discusses the history and methodology of his awesome chess history website, Chessmetrics

Mentioned: Jeff’s Series: Who is the Greatest Player of All Time

1:10:00- Where would Carlsen rank?

1:14:00- What would be the biggest challenge to creating a chess site similar to a basketball reference or ultimate tennis statistics?

1:16:00- Has Jeff ever gotten inquiries about his data from top players?

Mentioned: Chess24 top 50 of all time Series with GM Jan Gustafsson and GM Peter Heine Nielsen

1:18:00- Which historical player is underrated?

1:25:00- What is Jeff’s own chess background?

1:28:00-

Thanks so much to Jeff for joining the podcast! You can reach him via the Chessmetrics website:

http://www.chessmetrics.com/cm/CM2/Introduction.asp

And be sure to subscribe to FM Nate Solon’s free blog here:

https://zwischenzug.substack.com/

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EP 342- GM Simen Agdestein: The Norwegian Chess Legend on Coaching Young Magnus, Life as a Pro Footballer, and What he Learned from Career-Altering Injuries Aug 08, 2023

Show notes

This week we are joined by a legend of Norwegian Chess, GM Simen Agdestein. Simen was the first Norwegian Grandmaster, a childhood trainer of Magnus Carlsen, and is a nine-time champion of Norway, who holds the record of being both the country’s youngest and oldest national champion, after winning the title again this year at age 56. As if these feats weren’t impressive enough, at the time Simen was around his chess peak (#16 in the world) he was also a star football/soccer player, who played striker on Norway’s national team! With such an accomplished resume, one might think things have been easy for Simen, but that has been far from the case. As he discusses in our interview, injuries derailed his chess and football careers simultaneously, and SImen was forced to reassess everything. In our conversation, Simen shares what his vast life experience has taught him about life and chess improvement. Simen also discusses the current chess scene in Norway, and of course, tells plenty of stories about what it was like to coach a young Magnus Carlsen.

Thanks to our Presenting Chess Education Sponsors, Chessable.com Here are a few of their Magnus related courses:

Fight Like Magnus

Grind Like a GM

Magnus Carlsen: Endgame Virtuoso

You can check out my favorite courses here:

You can check out some of my recommended courses here: https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/

0:02- GM Agdestein reflects on his recent, record-setting National Championship. How does the feeling of this one compare to prior championship wins? How did he prepare for this one?

Mentioned: GM Judit Polgar’s Interview with GM Simen Agdestein, IM Elham Abdrlauf, GM Jonathan Speelman’s Chessbase column about Simen’s recent win, SImen’s book

15:00- How does Simen structure the chess study time at his famed chess institute for talented chess players?

Mentioned: GM Aryan Tari, GM Magnus Carlsen, Magnus Carlsen on The Lex Fridman Podcast

22:00- What stood out about Magnus in his early years?

Mentioned: GM Torbjorn Ringdal Hansen

27:30- Patreon mailbag question: “Are the live TV broadcasts attracting new tournament players?”

31:30- How did Simen become a GM with so little chess infrastructure in Norway at the time?

35:00- Does Simen think he was more talented in chess or in football?

37:00- Simen tells how injuries derailed his football and chess careers simultaneously.

Mentioned: Chess.com’s Tarjei Svensen

44:00- Why did Simen turn down a lucrative professional football offer from the Turkish club Besiktas?

45:30- How did Simen recover from the physical and mental setbacks in his mid 20s?

49:00- When Simen reflects on his 20s does he think of chess or soccer first?

52:00- Why did Simen turn down a lucrative football contract with a Turkish pro club in his 20s?

55:00- What does SImen remember about a young Alexei Shirov coming to visit his house?

57:00- What was it like facing Kasparov?

1:00:00- What are Simen’s memories of Kasparov’s visit to Norway to work with Magnus at age 14?

1:04:00- More Magnus stories!

1:07:00- Patreon mailbag question: “What is the proper way to determine a world champion in chess?”

1:12:00- Why does Simen advise to “always take pieces?”

1:16:00- Thanks so much to Simen for joining the pod! You can learn more about his experience coaching Magnus in his book:

https://www.amazon.com/Magnus-Carlsen-Became-Youngest-Grandmaster/dp/9056914375

And keep an eye out for the forthcoming book, Games and Goals by IM Atle Gronn. It should be available in English in 2024

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

Book Recap #32- GM Rowson's Chess for Zebras a classic book that tackles the challenges of adult improvement, and the differences between playing White and Black (with guest co-host, Professor David Franklin) Aug 04, 2023

Show notes

After a lengthy hiatus, the book review series Chess Books Recaptured, returns to discuss another classic chess book. This time we discuss Chess for Zebras. Originally published in 2003, Zebras is a followup to Rowson’s classic first book The Seven Deadly Chess Sins. While the book has some tonal similarities to its predecessor, it is a bit more narrow in focus. My guest co-host is Law Professor David Franklin. (David also co-hosted our discussion of Seven Deadly Chess Sins) Like me, David is a fan of GM Rowson’s writing, although both of us have our quibbles with different parts of the book. All in all, though, we both find the book highly worthwhile. Key concepts discussed in the book (and on the podcast) include the difference between knowledge and skill in chess, the challenges of handling each color, and the underrated chess skill of “just being.” Tune in to find out more! Timestamps below:

Thanks to our Presenting Chess Education Sponsors, Chessable.com

Chess for Zebras Free Preview:

https://www.chessable.com/chess-for-zebras-free-lesson/course/92638/

Chess for Zebras:

https://www.chessable.com/chess-for-zebras-thinking-differently-about-black-and-white/course/61560/

Check out my favorite courses here:

You can check out some of my recommended courses here: https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/

02:00- Law Professor and USCF Expert David Franklin joins me. Why did he suggest this book? How is it different from GM Jonathan Rowson’s other chess classic, Seven Deadly Chess Sins?

Mentioned: Book Recap #14- Seven Deadly Chess Sins with David Franklin

04:30- How did Rowson choose the title, Chess for Zebras?

Mentioned: Chess for Tigers by Simon Webb, GM Rowson’s 2023 interview with Chessbase India

08:30- We discuss the major points and framework of the book, as well as the level of players who could most benefit from this book.

13:30- We discuss Part 1 of the book, which focuses on the challenges of adult chess improvement and the “knowledge-skill” gap.

Mentioned: Move First, Think Later by IM Willy Hendriks, The Best of Novice Nook

18:30- As a lawyer, does David think that aging effects his ability to practice law differently than his ability to play chess?

22:30- What is GM Rowson’s recommendation for acquiring skills as opposed to knowledge?

Mentioned: IM Andras Toth

30:00- We discuss part 2, called “A Mental Toolkit for the Exponential Jungle”

Mentioned: GM Tony Miles, GM Johann Hjartarson, IM Dina Belenkaya

34:00- What does it mean to “keep it between the hedges”?

Mentioned: GM Michael Adams, GM Luke McShane, Mentioned Magnus and David Howell’s course: Grind Like a Super GM, Magnus’ Book Recommendations

40:00- Part 3- Thinking Colorfully About Black and White

Mentioned: Andras Adorjan, Mihai Suba’s Dynamic Chess Strategy, GM Vasilios Kotronias

52:00- We share a few more memorable quotes from the book

Mentioned: The Moves That Matter

If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here:

https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess

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EP 341-Double Episode! GM Levon Aronian on The Global Chess League, How to Better Promote Chess, and Reflections on his Bumpy Ride to the Chess Elite + Global Chess League Chairperson Jagdish Mitra on Plans for Future Seasons Aug 01, 2023

Show notes

Perpetual Chess is back with a banger of a double episode. First up is chess superstar, GM Levon Aronian! Levon joined me from Spain after returning from the first season of the Global Chess League in Dubai. Levon reflected on the success of his championship-winning team, and we discussed why he thinks initiatives like this league are vital to the future health of chess. We then broadened the scope of our conversation, and Levon shared memorable stories about his humble beginnings and Armenia, and the lessons he had to learn when he shot to chess stardom in the mid 2000s. Lastly, Levon discusses his move to the U.S., his 2023 plans, and why he is not playing in the ongoing FIDE World Cup.

Following Lev, we are joined by Jagdish Mitra. Jagdish is Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Growth at Tech Mahindra, and served as Chairperson of the first season of The Global Chess League. Jagdish looked back on a successful first season, and discussed the ambitious plans and long term vision that the league has for upcoming years. Both interviews left me excited about the future of chess! You can find timestamps for all of the topics discussed below.

Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsors, Chessable. Here are some courses to check out:

Techniques of Positional Play with GM Peter Heine Nielsen

Lifetime Repertoires: Gawain Jones 1.e4 e5

100 Repertoires: Alekhine Defense by CM Vjekoslav Nemec

You can check out some of my recommended courses here: https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/

4:00- GM Levon Aronian joins me from a park in Spain! How was Levon added as a last-second replacement to the Global Chess League? What sort of things does he usually negotiate before signing a contract to participate in an event?

Mentioned: Chess.com’s Dog-Themed Bots including Levon’s Famous Dog, Ponchik

10:00- What was it like to be in Dubai for the Global Chess League?

15:30- How can new players be incorporated into future Global Chess Leagues?

17:30- What steps are necessary to continue to grow chess and attract corporate sponsors?

Mentioned: Indian Express article by Amit Kamath

25:00- Levon’s scouting reports on Hikaru and Gukesh

26:30- Which young star is most likely to emerge as a world champion?

30:00- What was it like to play games for money to support his family as a kid?

36:00- Levon tells an amazing story of how Boris Gelfand taught him to treat chess professionally.

40:00- Why does Levon think chess has become increasingly professionalized?

41:30- Is Chess960 the solution to the over-abundance of opening theory?

Mentioned: GM Vladimir Kramnik, GM Boris Gelfand, GM Jan Timman

49:00- Is it true that Levon traveled in the cargo department of a plane to get to tournaments?

Mentioned: Sean Williams’ 2017 New Yorker feature on Levon Aronian, GM Melik Khachiyan

55:30- Patreon mailbag question: “What obstacles did Lev encounter in moving to the US?”

1:03:00- Will Levon write a book some day?

Mentioned: GM Surya Ganguly’s “In Conversation with GM Levon Aronian”

1:08:30- What is Levon’s study routine?

1:09:00- Thanks to Levon for joining me!

1:11:00- Jagdish Mitra, the Chairperson of the Global Chess League joins the podcast! We begin by discussing the origins of the Global Chess League.

1:25:00- How did they decide on the unique format?

1:30:00- How will they acquire new players? How can teams foster allegiance with chess fans?

1:41:00- Thanks so much to Jagdish for sharing the vision behind the Global Chess League. Here is how you can keep up with it:

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/GCLlive?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

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Bonus Pod- Jen Shahade joins for a FIDE Women's World Championship Wrap Up Jul 27, 2023

Show notes

Fresh off of commentating the match for Chess.com, Award-Winning Podcaster, Author, and 2-time US Women's Champion Jen Shahade joined me to reflect on GM Ju Wenjun's dramatic comeback. Jen shares what it was like to cover the decisive Game 12, and describes the moment when she realized we might not be going to rapid tiebreaks after all. We also discuss the historical context of GM Ju Wenjun becoming just the 6th player to win the Women's World Championship 4 times or more. After discussing the match, we catch up with Jen on her many ongoing projects, and her upcoming book, Play Like a Champion. Finally, Jen reminisces about the life and legacy of Isabella Choko, the Holocaust survivor and French Women's Champion who Jen had the honor to meet and interview. As always, the timestamps of topics discussed can be found below.

0:01- We begin by discussing the entertaining and instructive clinching game. When did Jen realize we might see a decisive result?

Mentioned: Game 12, J. Shahade-Perelshteyn 2003

10:00- Were the opening choices surprising?

Mentioned: GM Jovanka Houska, GM Judit Polgar, GM Daneil Naroditsky, GM Alexander Kosteniuk, GM Wei Yi

14:30- Should the prize fund be higher?

Mentioned: Norway Chess to Sponsor Women’s Tournament with Equal Prize Fund to Open

20:00- Who could be the next potential challenger to Ju Wenjun?

Mentioned: IM Alice Lee, GM Alexandra Goryachkina, GM Harika Dronavalli, GM Humpy Koneru, GM Lei Tingjie, IM Vaishili R.

22:00- Jen discusses her upcoming book, Play Like a Champion!

Mentioned: 700 Chess Problems by Edith Baird, FM Yosha Iglesias

27:00- Jen shares her memories of Isabella Choko who recently passed.

Mentioned: Ladies Knight Episode 33 with Isabella Choko

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

EP 340- FIDE World Cup Preview with Mr. Dodgy- The Best Tournament of the Chess Year starts Sunday! Magnus looks for his first World Cup Win, and Hikaru, Fabiano, and a host of Challengers hope to Earn Spots in the 2024 Candidates Tournament Jul 25, 2023

Show notes

The FIDE World Cup is a unique, bi-annual tournament that is distinguished by its elimination format, its wide variety of time controls, and its significant prizes, both in terms of cash ($110,000 for first) and in the form of 3 spots that are awarded in the 2024 FIDE Candidates. This year’s edition starts Sunday, and I am joined by Chessable author, tournament organizer, chess superfan, and Twitter celebrity, Mr. Dodgy (Michael Duke) to preview the tournament. Mr. Dodgy and I share our “likes and dislikes” about the tournament and its format, discuss players we are excited to see, make feeble attempts at prognosticating the results, and discuss the FIDE Women’s World Cup, which runs concurrently and is also a star-studded tournament with spots in the Women’s Candidates on the line.

0:01- What is unique about this tournament? What notables are playing, and who is missing from the field?

0:07- Who will the commentators be?

09:30- We review the current state of the FIDE Candidates Cycle. More information here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candidates_Tournament_2024

More information on the FIDE Circuit standings here:

https://wcc.fide.com/

15:00- What do we like about the FIDE World Cup?

Mentioned: GM David Howell, GM Christopher Yoo

26:00-Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsors, Chessable.com.

Mr. Dodgy recommends Jan Gustafsson’s 1. E4 e5 course, and Ginger GM and IM Richard Palliser’s “Harry Attack” course.

https://www.chessable.com/the-harry-attack-fighting-kingside-fianchettos-after-1-d4/course/99939/

https://www.chessable.com/lifetime-repertoires-jan-gustafssons-1-e4-e5/course/28860/

You can check out some of my recommended courses here: https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/

29:00- Dislikes- What are common critiques of the World Cup?

Mentioned: Episode 149 with GM Robert Hungaski, GM Harikrishna, GM Hans Niemann,

48:00- Who are the pllayers we are excited to see?

Mentioned: GM D. Gukesh, GM Erigaisi, GM Pragganandhaa, GM Gregory Kaidanov, GM Laurent Fressinet, GM Vincent Keymer

54:00- Why isn’t Alireza playing?

58:00- Predictions! Who will win the Open Section and who will emerge with the Candidates spots?

1:01:00- Who are we excited to see in the Women’s Event? Should it take place at the same time as the men’s event?

Mentioned: IM Eline Roebers, IM Oliwia Kiolbasa, IM Carissa Yip, IM Jennifer Yu, IM Teodora Injac

1:09:00- Predictions for the Women’s World Cup

Mentioned: IM R. Vaishali, GM Alexandra Kosteniuk, GM Aleksandra Goryachkina

Thanks again to Mr. Dodgy for joining us! You can follow him on Twitter here:

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

EP 339- WGM Anna Zatonskih: The Four-Time US Women’s Champion Shares the Story Behind Earning Her First GM Norm at age 44! Jul 18, 2023

Show notes

This week’s guest is the four-time U.S. women's champion and perennial US National Team Member WGM Anna Zatonskih. Anna joined me the week after her inspiring victory at the 2023 Cairns Cup to reflect on her standout performance. As Anna recounts, as the second to lowest seed in the tournament, most people had modest expectations for her, but despite self-doubt and busy life, she nonetheless decided to prepare rigorously for the tournament and hoped to put her best foot forward. As it turned out, Anna not only won the tournament but unexpectedly secured her first Grandmaster norm at 44 years of age! Anna shares the advice that helped motivate her to double down on her study, how she went about studying, and she discusses how she plans to spend the $45,000 she won. We also discuss Anna’s emigration to the U.S. in 2002, her study regimen as a top youth player in Ukraine, and how she approaches teaching chess to her kids as a mom. I was so inspired by Anna’s story and I think that you will be as well! Timestamps of topics discussed can be found below:

Recorded June 21, 2023

Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsors, Chessable.com.

You can check out some of my recommended courses here: https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/

01:00- What was Anna’s mindset going into the Cairn’s Cup? How did she work on her game?

Mentioned: Vladmirov’s 1000 Chess Studies, GM Daniel Fridman

28:00- Does Anna have family members in Ukraine? What rules should FIDE have place for Russian players competing from different countries?

Mentioned: IM Irina Bulmaga’s Blog post

35:00- Patreon mailbag question: “How does Anna approach teaching chess to her own kids?”

38:00- How did Anna study chess as a child in the former Soviet Union?

40:00- How does Anna describe her first days in the US in 2002?

45:00- Anna discusses her upcoming chess plans and life in Germany.

47:00- Patreon mailbag question: “Should the “WGM” title have a different name?”

Mentioned: Jen Shahade’s FAQ

52:00- What are Anna’s next chess plans?

Mentioned: Recognizing Your Opponent’s Resources

Thanks to Anna for sharing her story!

If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess via Patreon, you can do so here:

https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess

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