Perpetual Chess Podcast Ben Johnson

This week IM Levy Rozman (Gotham Chess) makes his annual return to Perpetual Chess to discuss what is new with him. I was particularly excited to chat with Levy as he recently announced his renewed pursuit of the GM title. Levy has been sharing lesson snippets and discussing his tournament plans on his channel, but I wanted many more details. What did he learn from his first norm-chasing experience? What will he do differently this time? Does he think he will be able to stick with it? Although most of us will never make GM, Levy’s quest to make it to the next level is relatable for me and for many other chess players. Aside from his OTB comeback, we discussed the swift rating-rise of popular gamer, Tyler 1, and the successes and lessons learned from Levy’s book.   Levy shared a few stories from meeting celebrities in recent months. It's always fun catching up with Levy, and I am especially excited to follow his renewed pursuit of the GM title! Timestamps of topics discussed can be found below.

Thanks to our sponsor, Chessable.com! If you sign up for Chessable Pro in order to unlock discounts and additional features, be sure to use the following link:
https://www.chessable.com/pro/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=benjohnson&utm_campaign=pro


0:00- What will be different about levy’s second public quest for GM? Will his mental health be ok? What will he do differently? 
Mentioned: Road to GM Episode 3 with GM Arturs Neiksans 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFILafuQgPg&t=1704s

11:00- What will Levy do to address the weaknesses that GM Neiksans highlighted? 
Mentioned: IM Alex Ostrovskiy 

15:00- Levy discusses his upcoming tournament in Spain. 

17:30- Will Levy stream his tournament games? What tournaments is he planning to play? 

26:00- Patreon mailbag question: “What can Levy’s fans do to support his renewed GM quest?” 

29:00- Will Levy hire a sports psychologist? 

31:00- Does Levy have a timeframe in mind for this GM pursuit? 

34:00- Levy has been covering popular Twitch streamer and gamer Tyler1’s unusual chess progress. What interests him about this story? 
Mentioned: 
Tyler1 is a ChessGM!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gler9fDuhRY

41:00- What led Levy to work on his fitness? 

43:00- Has Levy been pleased with the reception to his book?
Mentioned: Rey Enigma, Blitzstream 

49:00- What was the story behind meeting NBA superstar Luka Donkic? 

53:00- What was it like to finally meet Magnus Carlsen IRL? 

55:00- Patreon mailbag question: “Can Levy tease any upcoming collaborations?”
Mentioned: More info in an article from Tarjei Svensen here:
https://www.chess.com/news/view/4-million-buy-in-tournament-wadim-rosenstein-abdusattorov-caruana-nepomniachtchi-niemann

58:00- Patreon mailbag question: “How will Levy work on positional evaluation in his renewed GM quest?” 
Mentioned: GM Jacob Aagard’s books 
https://www.amazon.com/Books-Jacob-Aagaard/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3AJacob+Aagaard

1:00:00- Thanks, as always to Levy for joining me! 
In addition to the usual channels, you can get inside access to his GM quest via his Patreon here:
https://www.patreon.com/gothamchessofficial

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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This week the Adult Improver Series returns with an extremely insightful guest. Dan Bock is a North Carolina-based software engineer and dad, who finally got serious about chess improvement in 2021. At this time, Dan began to compete frequently, utilize digital flashcards, and make a conscious effort to make friends in the chess world in order to help make his hobby more fulfilling. Dan’s results have been rare and inspiring, as he has seen USCF rating rise from the high 1500s to the high 1900s (USCF) in the last 3 years. As Dan explains, while he is very directed in his decisions of how to approach chess study, he does not put in outlandish an number of hours of study per day. He is very focused on what actually decides the outcomes of his own games, and has made constant progress by keeping that as his North Star. I find Dan’s story very inspiring and am excited to see his continued progress! 


You can find the Adult Improver Spotify Playlist here:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/75Uoqz2BoRt2IiTCeOfuky?si=29035838af4d4345

0:00- You can find more information about the National Open here:
https://www.vegaschessfestival.com/national-open/
The live “My System” podcast with GM Alex Fishbein will be on Saturday, June 8, at 7:30 PM. 
Thanks to our sponsor, Chessable.com! If you sign up for Chessable Pro in order to unlock discounts and additional features, be sure to use the following link:
https://www.chessable.com/pro/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=benjohnson&utm_campaign=pro
0:02- When did Dan decide to get serious about chess improvement? How did he know how to approach studying? 
Mentioned: Chess Journeys Episode 93 with Dan:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5Xg3JotQTg4NoThsn9pPhw?si=14bfea1e50df4df5
Mentioned: Dan’s post 11 Things I did to Take my USCF Rating from 1547 to 1976 
https://chessimprovementlab.substack.com/p/11-things-i-did-to-take-my-uscf-rating
09:00- Why did he decide to emphasize OTB chess for improvement? 

10:45- How does Dan use checklists to help his thinking processes?
Mentioned: Dr. Nick Vasquez’s post discussing checklists:
https://nickvasquezmd.substack.com/p/simpler-chess-ask-questions

16:00- Patreon mailbag question: How does Dan suggest spending one hour per day on chess?
Mentioned: Anki flashcard app:
https://apps.ankiweb.net/
23:00- Aside from using digital flashcards, what else would Dan recommend? 
Mentioned: Dan’s Post: “What Really Decides Games at the 1900 Level?” 
https://chessimprovementlab.substack.com/p/what-really-decides-games-at-the
28:00- How did Dan cure his time-trouble addiction?
33:00- What is Dan’s approach to openings, and especially the Dubov Italian?
Mentioned: Chessbook.com, CM Han Schut and GM Jan Gustaffson’s Chessable courses on the Dubov Italian 
https://www.chessable.com/dubovs-explosive-italian/course/80152/
https://www.chessable.com/gustafssons-aggressive-1e4-part-1/course/207313/
41:00- Does Dan still work without a coach? 
42:00- Dan and Ben’s improvement takeaways from the FIDE Candidates
45:00- We discuss Dan’s approach to the Italian Opening
Mentioned: TheOnoZone’s Blog:
https://lichess.org/@/TheOnoZone/blog/learning-to-learn/Xg3xJ4qX
Ono’s HowtoChess interview:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0fKVmwuQZkWV9orWqnnchF?si=090bccbf5a284f85
52:00- What does Dan look for when choosing a chess tournament? 
Mentioned: My Two Favorite Chess Tournament
https://chessimprovementlab.substack.com/p/my-two-favorite-chess-tournaments
56:00- How does Dan balance socialization with chess study at tournaments? Does Dan exercise during tournaments? 
58:00- Closing thoughts!
Mentioned: How to Reassess Your Chess 
1:00:00- 
Subscribe to Dan’s blog here:
https://chessimprovementlab.substack.com/

Follow him on X here:

https://x.com/boldmovebydan


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This week I am excited to be joined by the popular chess streamer, YouTuber, commentator, and champion player, WIM Anna-Maja Kazarian. Anna-Maja joined me from her home in the Netherlands after concluding a busy few months of competitive chess. Although she had her share of setbacks, these tournaments were largely successful, as Anna-Maja recently earned her first WGM Norm! 
Our conversation gave Anna-Maja the chance to reflect on the recent lessons she has learned as well as her goals both as a chess player and content creator. As she told me, Anna graduated from university somewhat recently and feels that this gives her an opportunity to devote all of her energy to chess improvement. She reflected on what aspects of the game she needs to work on, and also shared recommendations and advice for listeners. Last, and possibly least, we reflected on “Shoegate” the bizarre scandal where Anna-Maja somewhat unexpectedly made global headlines for her choice of footwear during the FIDE World Rapid & Blitz tournament. I am excited to see Anna-Maja’s continued norm pursuit and really enjoyed chatting with her. Timestamps of topics discussed can be found below. 
Thanks to our sponsor, Chessable.com! If you sign up for Chessable Pro in order to unlock discounts and additional features, be sure to use the following link:
https://www.chessable.com/pro/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=benjohnson&utm_campaign=pro

02:00- What is the status of Anna-Maja’s quest to earn the WGM title? 
Mentioned: Anna-Maja’s The Chess Experience Podcast Interview 
Anna-Maja’s game recap of earning her norm:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVm2KeXwzds


09:00- Is it challenging for Anna-Maja to focus on her tournament games when she is streaming them? 
Mentioned: Episode 326 with Dina Belenkaya 

18:00- What is Anna-Maja’s approach to openings? 

20:00- Does Anna-Maja have a study plan? What books is she studying? 
Mentioned: Zurich 1953, 100 Endgames You Must Know, Van Perlov’s Endgame Tactics, GM Jacob Aagaard’s Attacking Manual, The Steps Method 

25:00- What are Anna-Maja’s upcoming tournaments? 
Mentioned: Sharjah Masters 

26:00-Anna discusses her professional plans after finishing university last year. 

27:00- How is it received when Anna-Maja studies chess on stream? 
Mentioned: StudyTime Twitch 
https://www.twitch.tv/studytme

33:00- What are Anna-Maja’s reflections on “shoegate”? 
Mentioned: NY Times-
“Chess Federation Fines Player over her Sports Shoes” 

40:00- What other tournaments does Anna-Maja have coming up? 

44:00- Anna-Maja describes her work with the Chessqueens Foundation 

49:00- What are Anna-Maja’s favorite open tournaments? Does she do a lot of socialzing during rounds? 


52:00- Is Anna-Maja working with a coach? 

55:00 Anna-Maja’s closing thoughts. 
Mentioned: Alliance E-Sports 
Thanks to Anna-Maja for joining me! Here is how to keep up with her:
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/amkazarian/
Twitch
https://www.twitch.tv/annamaja
YouTube-
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIKOoBA2bTAVj_MaPHzMSdg
X/Twitter-
https://twitter.com/AMKazarian?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor



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Azel Chua is a 21-year-old Singapore-based self-taught Candidate Master who has built his own chess skills from the ground up. As Azel explains, he began working on his visualization skills as he sought a way to study chess during high school classes that did not especially interest him.. From there, Azel has developed a unique framework for calculating in chess that he calls “The Burger Technique,” as covered in his popular Chessable courses on Calculation.  In our interview, we discuss this technique, as well as hearing Azel’s thoughts and experiences with utilizing resources such as YouTube, and Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual. Azel also shares some helpful tips on ways to improve one’s chess intuition, and he delves into his background and the chess scene in Singapore. As always, timestamps of topics discussed can be found below. 

Thanks to our sponsor, Chessable.com! If you sign up for Chessable Pro in order to unlock additional features, be sure to use the following link:
https://www.chessable.com/pro/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=benjohnson&utm_campaign=pro

03:00- What did Azel learn from studying the classic book Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual during high school classes? 
Mentioned: Calculation Masterclass with Chessgoals
7:00- What was Azel’s approach to chess improvement? 
10:00- Why does Azel think that the common tactic-solving advice of looking for “checks, captures and threats” might be bad advice? 
12:15- What is”the Burger technique?” 
17:30- Where did he come up with the name for “the Burger technique?” 
21:00- What was Azel’s mix of studying vs. competing as a tournament player? 
22:00- How does Azel describe the chess culture of Singapore?
25:00- What were the biggest contributors to Azel’s improvement?
27:30- What can we do to improve our chess intuition?
32:00- What was Azel’s approach to openings?
36:00- Does Azel follow professional chess? Or read about chess history?
37:00- How does Azel find teaching material? 
39:00- What is reciprocal thinking? 
Mentioned: IM John Bartholomew‘s Video: The Power of Reciprocal Thinking 
45:00- Thanks to Azel Chua for joining me! You can check out his Chessable courses here:
https://www.chessable.com/author/AzelChua/
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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We are back for one more 2024 FIDE Candidates reflection as we start to take stock of a historic tournament. Joining me (again) to discuss it is renowned trainer, opening theoretician, Chessable author, and 2022 Dutch National Champion, GM Erwin Lami. Erwin has frequently collaborated with GM Anish Giri, and he was on the World Championship preparation team for GM Veselin Toplov. Erwin shares his thoughts on GM Gukesh’s impressive ascendance, Fabiano and Nepo’s disappointment, and what this result does and does not mean for the trajectory of professional chess. We also discuss the performance of the other players, the Women’s Candidates, and Erwin’s plans for 2024. I always love to hear Erwin’s perspective, and discussing this tournament was not an exception. Timestamps of topics discussed are below. 



Thanks to our sponsors Chessable.com! Check out what they have to offer, and if you sign up for Chessable Pro (as you should), use this link to help support Perpeutal Chess:
https://www.chessable.com/pro/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=benjohnson&utm_campaign=pro

0;00- Upcoming events and info:

Chess in the Schools Poker Fundraiser;
https://secure.givelively.org/event/chess-in-the-schools-inc/chess-in-the-schools-poker-night-fundraiser

National Open/Las Vegas Chess Festival Info:
https://www.vegaschessfestival.com/national-open/

4:30- GM Erwin L’Ami joins me! What does he think made this tournament was so compelling? 

10:00- How surprised was Erwin by Gukesh’s performance? What should we expect from him from here? 

18;30- Patreon mailbag quesiton: “How can Caruana recover from his devastaiting loss to Nepo? “ 

.27:00- What did Erwin think of Nepo's performance?

29:30- Where does Nakamura go from here? Will this be his last Candidates? 

38:00- What went wrong for GM Alireza Firouzja? 

43:00 What are Erwin’s thoughts on Pragganandhaa’s performance? 

46:00- What were Erwin’s thoughts on the Women’s Candidates? 

49:00- Where might the World Championship be held? Would it help or hurt Gukesh if it were in India? 

53:00- Who does Erwin think would be the favorite in Gukesh vs. Ding?
Mentioned: Gotham City Podcast with GM Gukesh 

57:00 Does the format for the Candidates or Candidates qualification need to be changed? 
Mentioned: IM Greg Shahade’s blog post 


1:08:00- What are Erwin’s remaining 2024 plans? 

Thanks as always to GM Erwin L’ami for providing his perspective! 



If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here:
https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess
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41-year-old IM Renier Castellanos had all but given up on earning the Grandmaster title. His life was getting busier, and after 2 potential GM norms were not ratified by FIDE, he felt like it just wasn’t meant to be. But his friends and Killer Chess Training co-workers, GM Jacob Aagaard and Kallia Kleisarchaki, convinced him to keep trying. It turned out that was all it took! Two weeks ago, Renier got his final GM norm, to earn the title of Grandmaster at age 41. In our interview, Renier reflects on the lessons he has learned, and why he thinks he was still able to earn the title in this challenging era, despite not working on chess as much as he did in his 20s. Renier also shares his own advice on chess improvement, some book recommendations, and discusses what he observed from facing Super GM level players like GM Vladimir Fedoseev. This interview was conducted while the Candidates was still ongoing, but you can even hear Renier’s Candidates prediction to see how it played out. Timestamps of topics discussed are below. 
0:00- Thanks to our sponsors, Chessable.com 
New courses include - Michael Roiz’s Fighting the Grunfeld and King’s Indian 
 If you use the link below to sign up for a Chessable pro membership, it helps to support the pod! 
https://www.chessable.com/pro/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=benjohnson&utm_campaign=pro

0:01- Renier discusses why he had given up on the GM title 

Mentioned: GM Jacob Aagaard of Killer Chess Training, Killer Chess Training Review of Renier’s Game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeI0AazBw1I

0:08- What shortcoming in his game did Renier need to overcome in order to earn the title?

9:45- How did he think about the expense of pursuing the GM title?

16:00- What is Renier’s approach to the opening? What else did he do to train?
Mentioned; KillerChessTraining.com

22:00- How did Renier’s wife, WGM Raluca Sgircea, help him with his daily habits? 

25:00- Renier discusses his early years growing up in Cuba, moving to Chile and then to Spain in his teens and 20s 
Mentioned: GM Lazaro Bruzon Batista, Chess Reddit thread about Renier’s GM title  

31:00- We discuss the congratulatory notes Renier has gotten, including this tweet from GM Kevin Goh Wei Ming 
Mentioned: Episode 184 with GM Kevin Goh Wei Ming 

34:00- Did an emphasis on physical fitness help his chess? What about community?

43:00- What is the best way to spend one’s chess improvement time?

46:00- Renier’s recommended open tournaments, based on his time on as a traveling chess professional:
Mentioned: Benasque, Spain Chess Open, Menoraca, Sitges 

51:00- Renier’s favorite chess books
Mentioned: Perfect Your Chess, Dynamic Chess Strategy by GM Mihai Suba 

54:00- What did Renier learn from playing Fedoseev and other super GM-level players? 

1:03:00- Renier’s most memorable game
Mentioned: Video of his World Bitz victory vs. GM Peter Svidler 
1:10:00- Thanks to Renier for sharing his inspiring story! 
You can reach him via his Lichess coaches page or find his classes at KillerChessTraining:
https://lichess.org/coach/RenierChess
KillerChessTraining.com

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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