Perpetual Chess features weekly conversations with the chess world's best players, trainers and accomplished amateurs about their careers, current projects, bes...
EP 410- Chess improvement, Chess Business, and AI coaching with GM Avetik Grigoryan of Chessmood.com
GM Avetik Grigoryan is the founder and lead trainer of the education chess website Chessmood.com. I last interviewed Avetik in 2020, and his company has seen explosive growth since then. We discussed what Avetik has learned about growing a chess start-up, but also what he has learned about the challenges adults face in trying to improve at chess. Whereas previously Avetik thought the biggest obstacle was that people set unrealistic goals, now he sees a few bigger issues. We also talked about how artificial intelligence will impact chess improvement in the future and some of the tools Chessmood is working on to make improvement easier. As always, timestamps of topics discussed are below.
Thanks to our sponsors, Chessable.com.Their new courses include Chessable- Gukesh’s Masterful Moves.If you sign up for Chessable Pro, please use the following link to help support Perpetual Chess:
https://www.chessable.com/pro/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=benjohnson&utm_campaign=pro
To sign up for a free month of Chessmood, use the following link:
http://Chessmood.com/Ben
2:00- Avetik’s World Championship Thoughts
Mentioned: GM Kevin Goh Wei Ming
5:30- Chess Improvement: Why did Avetik write that “Chess improvement has never been so easy, but never been so hard?”
Mentioned: NM Robert Ramirez
Avetik’s post regarding “Study, Practice, Fix” is here:
https://chessmood.com/blog/how-to-get-better-at-chess
24:00- Avetik discusses the AI-enabled chess study tools that Chessmood is launching soon
41:00- What is it like to run a chess startup like Chessmood?
45:00- Avetik’s (non-chess) book recommendations:
Mentioned: Beyond Positive Thinking
The Third Door
A New Earth
51:30- What did Avetik observe about my play from reviewing my games?
Mentioned: Chess for Life
Thanks to Avetik, for joining me!
To sign up for a free month of Chessmood, use the following link:
http://Chessmood.com/Ben
If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess via Patreon, you can do so here:
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1:09:29
EP 409- GM Fidel Corrales Jimenez: A Tireless Tournament Circuit Grinder on Overcoming Setbacks, Managing Energy, the Risks of OTB Cheating & His Love for the Scotch Opening
This week’s guest, GM Fidel Corrales Jimenez is an accomplished trainer, player, Chessable author and one of the busiest players on the US tournament circuit. As such a frequent competitor, Fidel has had more than his share of successes (including winning the 2023 World Open!), but I have nonetheless often wondered how he finds the time and energy to play at a high level so frequently and consistently. Hearing Fidel’s fascinating life story helped me untangle the mystery. Fidel and I covered a ton of topics, including:
Why he quit his job as a computer programmer in 2023 to work full time in chess
His long and winding path from Cuba to the United States
Attending Webster University with GM Wesley So, IM Eric Rosen and others
The most common mistakes he sees by his amateur students
How much he worries about OTB cheating as a frequent competitor for the top prizes
His deep love for the Scotch Opening
This nearly 90-minute conversation flew by, and I am confident that you will enjoy it, as I did. Timestamps for topics discussed are below.
Thanks to our sponsors, Chessable.com.
If you sign up for Chessable Pro, please use the following link to help support Perpetual Chess:
https://www.chessable.com/pro/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=benjohnson&utm_campaign=pro
Thanksgiving Chessmood giveaway! To access a free one-month membership (starting November 20) to Chessmood.com and check out their 500+ hours of GM lessons- just click this link:
https://chessmood.com/ben
0:02- Fidel has a family and a busy work schedule but manages to play OTB quite frequently, how does he manage?
Mentioned: IM Eric Rosen
10:00- Fidel tells the story of how he first got a Visa in the US.
Mentioned: GM Susan Polgar
16:00- Why did Fidel quit his programming job to focus on chess in 2023?
27:00- Advice for getting over a tough loss.
30:00- As someone competing for top prizes, how worried is Fidel about OTB cheating? What about online cheating?
37:00- What are the biggest challenges Fidel sees in his under 1800 students?
40:00- Recommended chess books
Mentioned: Can You Be a Positional Chess Genius? , Magnus Carlsen: Endgame Virtuoso, Improve Your Chess Calculation by GM Ramesh
50:00- Has Fidel ever played with the Cuban legend, GM Leiner Dominguez?
52:00- How did Fidel and his sister, WIM Zenia Corrales Jimenez get into chess?
Mentioned: IM Joaquin Carlos Diaz
1:05:00- Fidel discusses his time at Webster University with stars like GM Wesley So, Ray Robson and Le Quang Liem.
1:10:00- What was it like to play GM Judit Polgar in the World Cup?
1:13:00- We discuss Fidel’s experience with the Scotch Opening
Mentioned:Mayhem in the Scotch: https://www.chessable.com/mayhem-in-the-scotch/course/259795/
If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess via Patreon, you can do so here:
https://www.patreon.com/c/perpetualchess
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1:36:37
EP 408- FIDE World Championship Mega Preview- Talking Ding Liren with GM Davorin Kuljasevic, Gukesh with IM Cyrus Lakdawala and Match Statistics with NM Matt Jensen
It is World Championship season again! The FIDE World championship takes place from November 25 to December 13, in Singapore. As you probably know, GM Ding Liren will be defending his title against 18 year old wunderkind, GM Gukesh D. This is a unique matchup which features a fast-rising top 5 challenger, and a slumping World Champion who has fallen out of the top 20. Joining me to discuss it are three separate guests in the following order:
Top trainer, author, and Ding Liren biographer, GM Davorin Kuljasevic shares his match thoughts. How does Ding’s recent play differ from that of “peak Ding?”
Author of From Boy to Man to Challenger: The Fiercest Battles of Gukesh D , IM Cyrus Lakdawala on why he thinks Gukesh has a chance to be an all-time great.
Statistician, and co-founder of Chessgoals.com, NM Matt Jensen on the betting markets, the likelihood of a tiebreak, and one key statistical factor that favors Gukesh.
Chatting about the World Championship always gets me excited for the match, and this year is no exception. Timestamps for guests and topics discussed is below.
Thanks to our sponsors, Chessable.com.
If you sign up for Chessable Pro, please use the following link to help support Perpetual Chess:
https://www.chessable.com/pro/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=benjohnson&utm_campaign=pro
0:00- Intro- Intro and Match facts
0:06- GM Davorin Kuljasevic joins to discuss GM Ding Liren, as well as his general thoughts on the match.
0:12- What openings might we expect? Which seconds might he be working with?
Mentioned: GM Eugene Perelshteyn’s Tweet:
https://x.com/EugenePerel/status/1850321592678555941
World Championship bettings odds here:
https://sports.bwin.com/en/sports/events/fide-world-championship-2024-15724987
23:00- Thanks to GM Kuljasevic for joining me, you can get his book on GM Ding Liren here
25:00- IM Cyrus Lakdawala joins to discuss GM D Gukesh
Mentioned: From Boy to Man to Challenger: The Fiercest Battles of Gukesh D
35:00- Cyrus’ match predictions
39:00- Gukesh opening predictions
49:00- Cyrus’ upcoming projects
51:00- Statistician and NM Matt Jensen of Chessgoals.com joins to give a statistical preview to the match.
58:00- What is the expected draw rate for this match? What are the odds of a tiebreak?
1:08:00- What is new with Matt’s website Chessgoals?
Check out the Chcessgoals ourses here, Use the code Ben2024 to save 30%:
https://courses.chessgoals.com/collections/
Check out their podcast “No Pawn Intended” on the Chessgoals YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@ChessGoals
If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess via Patreon, you can do so here:
https://www.patreon.com/c/perpetualchess
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1:24:46
EP 407- News and the Nimzo with GM Ben Finegold- Recent cheating Controversies, The US Championships, Favorite Openings, & Chess Gambling Stories
GM Ben Finegold is back to share his thoughts on all of the recent crazy chess news. The popular commentator, YouTuber, and Chessable author and I discuss the controversies and highlights of the US Championships, as well as the most recent cheating accusations leveled by GM Vladimir Kramnik. Do these accusations have more merit than other recent ones? We also discuss OTB cheating, as Ben draws some comparisions to cheating episodes in the game of Bridge. Lastly, we discuss why the Nimzo-Indian is a favorite opening of Ben’s and Ben shares a few of his favorite stories related to chess and gambling. As always, timestamps of topics discussed are below.
Thanks to our sponsors, Chessable.com.
Check out Ben’s course, Starting Out: Nimzo-Indian. If you sign up for Chessable Pro, please use the following link to help support Perpetual Chess:
https://www.chessable.com/pro/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=benjohnson&utm_campaign=pro
Mentioned:
GMs Daniel Naroditsky and Vladimir Kramnik on the Levitov channel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFwfC6Y1SAQ
Danya on C-Squared
https://youtu.be/RGiDosCed48?si=94GZd6Dx2TiD3wal
19:00- The Shevchenko story and OTB cheating.
23:00- How does cheating in bridge compare to chess? Is it easier to improve at bridge than chess?
27:00- Patreon mailbag question- What is worse, OTB cheating or the fear of OTB cheating?
30:45- We discuss the GM Christopher Yoo story and the stress of OTB chess.
39:00- Ben discusses the Nimzo-Indian and other favorite openings from childhood
Mentioned: Starting out: The Nimzo Indian
https://www.chessable.com/starting-out-nimzo-indian-defense/course/258506/
Tal-Botvinnik 1960
47:00- Patreon mailbag question: How you can acquire skills rather than knowledge from watching videos?
49:00- Ben shares a few stories about gambling on blitz and bullet chess.
Mentioned: GM Kirill Georgiev
58:00- Ben’s World Championship thoughts
If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess via Patreon, you can do so here:
https://www.patreon.com/c/perpetualchess
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1:09:06
EP 406- Peter Doggers on The Chess Revolution: A big picture look at Cheating, Engines and the Explosion of Online Chess
Peter Doggers is an award-winning chess journalist who is currently the director of News and Events at Chess.com. His role has given him a ringside seat to modern chess history, as he has attended many of the world’s top events, and interviewed the likes of GM Garry Kasparov, Hikaru Nakamura, and countless others. Peter’s new book, The Chess Revolution: From the Ancient World to the Digital Age covers everything from the beginnings of chess, to its many representations in pop culture, to the explosion in popularity the game has experienced in the internet age. Peter’s excellent book covers chess from all angles, so we zeroed in on a few of my favorite topics from the book including: the history of chess and computers, recent stories around chess cheating, and their implications for the future of chess, the rise of Chess.com, and the story behind the making of Peter’s book. Every chess fan will learn something from Peter’s book, and I greatly enjoyed discussing it with him. Timestamps of topics discussed are below.
Thanks to our sponsors, Chessable.com.
Check out their new offerings including GM Garry Kasparov’s much anticipated Chessable debut! If you sign up for Chessable Pro, please use the following link to help support Perpetual Chess:
https://www.chessable.com/pro/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=benjohnson&utm_campaign=pro
0:03- We begin by discussing allegations of GM Kirill Shevchenko cheating at an OTB tournament
11:00- We discuss OTB and online cheating more generally
16:00- Peter tells a story from his book, of the famous Mechanical Turk, which was an 18th-century chess-playing machine with a human hidden behind it.
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=the+turk+chess
21:00- We discuss the famous Kasparov-Deep Blue match as well as another watershed “man vs. machine” match featuring GM Michael Adams.
Mentioned: The TV series Rematch- more info here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rematch_(miniseries)
25:00- Patreon mailbag question: Where does Peter see chess heading in the next 10 years?
Mentioned: IM Daniel Rensch’s interview with Ilya Levitov
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JeMsV9aNec
32:00- Peter tells the story of what he believes to be the first online encounter between Magnus and Hikaru in 2004 on the Internet Chess Club. We also discuss a “Secret” Magnus-Hikaru blitz match.
Mentioned: YouTube excerpt from Macauley Peterson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGXvcQP6VPo
37:00- The history of Chess.com and LiChess
Mentioned: Lichess founder Thibault Duplessis
39:00- We discuss the chess GOATS- Magnus, Fischer and Kasparov. As discussed in last week’s episode with FM Charles Hertan, did he consider Morphy for the GOAT list?
44:00- What was the biggest challenge in writing the book and compiling the material?
52:00- How did Peter find a publisher, that ultimately wound up in a bidding war?
58:00- Did Peter write in English or Dutch?
1:00:00- Peter’s favorite chapters?
1:02:00- Peter’s plans for an OTB comeback.
1:04:00- Thanks to Peter for joining! Here is how to reach him:
You email Peter at Peter at chess dot com
peterdoggers.com
Chess.com profile-
https://www.chess.com/players/peter-doggers
Get the book here-
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=the+chess+revolution+peter+doggers&crid=2PYSZWX9BPES&sprefix=the+chess+rev%2Caps%2C164&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_13
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Perpetual Chess features weekly conversations with the chess world's best players, trainers and accomplished amateurs about their careers, current projects, best practices and the latest in chess news. Learn more at PerpetualChessPod.com