EP 436- Adult Improver Torkil Jara Bårdsgjerde on How Workplace Trash Talk Sparked a Lifelong Passion for Chess 

In this inspiring and relatable installment of the Adult Improver Series, we meet  Torkil Jara Bårdsgjerde, a 39-year-old father of two, from Norway who discovered competitive chess after a bit of playful banter with a workplace rival. That exchange sparked a fascination with the game—and when the pandemic hit shortly after, Torkil suddenly had the time to dive in. Five years later, he's a regular tournament competitor and recently completed an impressive FIDE rating jump from 1400 to 1800 in just one year. In our conversation, Torkil shares his favorite resources and offers thoughtful advice on how to make the most of limited chess time. He also reflects on how chess has influenced his off-the-board habits—from health and mindfulness to goal-setting—and why he hopes his chess journey is still just beginning.

Spotify Adult Improver Playlist

You can volunteer or suggest an adult improver guest here:

https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/adult

Links to special offers and new courses:

Chessdojo use- the code “Ben40” at checkout. 

https://www.chessdojo.club/signup

Chessmood Free one Week Trial-

Chessmood.com/Ben

Check out FM Nate Solon’s new Chessable course here: 

0:00- Torkil’s unique chess origin story

12:00- What resources helped Torkil early in his pursuit of chess improvement?

Mentioned: Hanging Pawns, Gotham Chess, Daniel Naroditsky, Anna Cramling, Anna-Maja Kazarian, Chessable Starter Pack

27:00- When did Torkil transition to tournament chess? What were the biggest adjustments?

40:00- What led to Torkil’s big rating jump?

49:00- Patreon mailbag question- “Where might the limit be for Torkil’s potential improvement?”

Mentioned: Silman’s Complete Endgame Course, Sherevsky’s Endgame Strategy 

59:00- More recommendations from Torkil ADD IMAGES

Mentioned: The Seven Deadly Chess Sins, Move First Think Later, Chess Principles Reloaded, The Art of Attack in Chess 

1:02:00- Torkil’s final reflections and advice 

1:05:00- Thanks to Torkil for sharing his story! Here is his new, non-secret Lichess account where you can message him:

https://lichess.org/@/TorkilJaraBard

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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IM Alex Ostrovskiy is a former Scholastic National Champion, New York State Champion, and accomplished coach who has earned one GM norm, and reached a peak USCF rating of 2560. In addition to his coaching work, Alex is a regular commentator on GM Hikaru Nakamura's Twitch channel, and a tournament organizer who runs frequent invitational tournaments in New York City (where he has lived since the age of 5.) Alex and I discussed the following: 

Alex’s three main tenets of chess improvement- tactics, opening prep, and playing consistently 

Lessons from a couple recent tournaments, and why Alex has scaled back his GM-title ambitions

The origins of Alex’s longtime friendship with Gotham Chess, and whether he is surprised by Levy's success. 

This was a fun conversation with a lot of good advice. Timestamps of topics discussed are below. 

00:00- ChessDojo special offer! If you try out Chessdojo 4.0 you can get a 40% discount by using the code “Ben40” at checkout. 

https://www.chessdojo.club/signup

0:01- 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

And you can check out their new offerings here:

https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/

02:00-  Alex joins the show! 

Mentioned: Alex’s Interview with Dylan Quercia- 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIK2jjnpwcM&list=PLXZjuvMCiLW0Ae7nNr5dvJk80neTe4Jvz&index=1&t=1975s&pp=iAQB

Also mentioned: GM Arjun Kalyan, Elizabeth Spiegel, Brooklyn Castle 

0:08- Alex’s students are known for deep opening prep- what is his approach as a coach?

Mentioned: NM Matan Prilleltensky 

13:00- How important are openings below the 2000 level? 

16:00- Alex’s report on two recent tournaments in Spain. 

Mentioned: GM Andy Woodward 

21:00- How do the logistics work of going to youth championships to coach students? 

22:00- What is the origin of the Norm invitational tournaments that Alex helps run in NYC? 

Mentioned: Keith Espinosa 

More info at: https://nycchessnorms.com/

24:00- Will Alex be able to convince the famous Chess YouTuber FM Donny Ariel to play in a norm invitational?

Mentioned: EP 421 with FM Donny Ariel and GM Jan Gustasaffson

Donny Ariel: The Road to Chess Grandmaster:

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

30:00- Alex is longtime friends with IM Levy Rozman- what is his first memory of him? 

36:00- What was it like to do training sessions with Kasparov as a kid? 

37:00- Who were Alex’s main rivals as one of the top US players for his age? 

Mentioned: GM Darwin Yang, GM Daniel Naroditsky

40:30 -Did Alex study chess a lot as a kid or primarily learn by playing? 

45:00- Has Alex worked with adult students? 

48:00- Alex’s training advice 

54:00- How did Alex get started commentating on Hikaru’s channel? 

56:00- Alex’s closing advice 

Thanks to Alex for joining me, you can reach him via his website. 

https://www.alexchess.com/

If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess via Patreon,(and unlock benefits like ad-free listening and joining Zoom hangouts), you can do so here:

https://www.patreon.com/c/perpetualchess

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GM Mauricio Flores Rios' first book, Chess Structures, is a modern classic which is seemingly recommended on a weekly basis on Perpetual Chess. After nine years of work, Mauricio has recently released its follow-up, Chess Imbalances: A GM Guide. Like Chess Structures, it is a highly instructive book with a beautiful selection of games and useful guidelines to aid one's chess decision-making. We discussed the following: 

His opinion on the value of the bishop pair, as well as bishop vs. knight 

The surprising reason that his book often featured the games of Magnus Carlsen

When to switch from “objective mode” to “survival mode” in a game 

We also discussed freestyle chess, and the impact of machine learning on chess. Mauricio is a statistician by trade, who recently launched a chess instruction site called ChessMind A.I., so he was particularly insightful on this topic. There is always lots to learn from chatting with (and reading) GM Rios, and this conversation was quite informative. Timestamps of topics discussed are below.

Prior interview with Mauricio- Episode 109:

https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2019/1/15/episode-109-gm-mauricio-flores

Here is the video companion to this interview, be sure to sub to the Perpetual Chess YouTube Channel!

https://youtu.be/rmjcbwv7BtQ

0:00- You can sign up for a free one-week membership to Chessmood using this link:

Chessmood.com/Ben

Check out the YouTube video with Mauricio showing me games from Chess Imbalances here:

4:30- Mauricio joins the show! We dive right into discussing the vision behind GM Flores Rios’ much anticipated book, Chess Imbalances.  

Mentioned : 

Free preview of the book from Quality Chess here:

https://qualitychess.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Chess-Imbalances-070x-Excerpt.pdf

13:00- Mauricio explains the guideline  “Quantity is more important than quality.” 

16:00- Why did Mauricio select a lot of games from Magnus Carlsen? 

17:00- Will Chess Imbalances be on Chessable? 

21:00- What made the bishop vs. knight chapter especially challenging to write? 

25:00- Mauricio’s advice for evaluating trading bishop’s vs. knights 

28:00- 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

And you can check out their new offerings here:

https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/

31:00- What does it mean to switch from “from objective mode to survival mode” in a game?

Mentioned: The Seven Deadly Chess Sins, Learn from the Legends 

40:00- What is Maurice’s next chess project? 

Mentioned: Chessmind AI 

44:00- How close are we to having an A.I. model that can clearly explain chess games?

45:00- Are humans near the peak of how good they can be at chess? What about engines?

48:00- Does Mauricio like Chess960?

Mentioned: GM Kenneth Rogoff interview with NM Tyler Cowen:

https://conversationswithtyler.com/episodes/kenneth-rogoff/

52:00- Will Mauricio’s kid(s) play chess? 

Thanks to Mauricio for joining me! You can reach him via email at:

Mauricio.a.flores.math at gmail dot com

Here is the link for Chess Imbalances: A GM Guide, including a free sample:

https://www.newinchess.com/chess-imbalances

If you would like to join the Perpetual Chess Patreon community, you can do so here:

https://www.patreon.com/c/perpetualchess

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

Dr. Kenneth Rogoff has undoubtedly had one of the highest-profile and most interesting careers of any Grandmaster working outside of chess. He is an author and Harvard professor who was once singled-out by none other than Bobby Fischer, as a player who had shown remarkable chess improvement. As a young chess star, Dr. Rogoff actually dropped out of high school to move to Europe and pursue chess professionally, but by age 18 he had returned to the U.S. and enrolled at Yale. He would remain active in chess for many more years, but his top priority gradually switched from chess to academics, and he eventually quit chess entirely (save for an exhibition game against Magnus Carlsen in 2012)

Dr. Rogoff still loves chess and thinks about it all the time, but economics turned out to be the right decision for him, as he has become a distinguished professor who has worked as the Chief Economist at the World Bank, and has met 8 different U.S. Presidents in his life. His new book, Our Dollar, Your Problem,intersperses occasional lessons from his chess career while providing a modern history of the U.S. dollar as the reserve currency. This interview focuses primarily on Dr. Rogoff’s chess career, but those interested in his reflections on the global economy should stay tuned until the end of the interview, and should definitely check out his new book. Timestamps of topics discussed are below. 

Recorded on April 3, 2025. 

0:02- We dive into GM Rogoff’s chess upbringing, and his interactions with Bobby Fischer 

Mentioned: NM Eric Marchand, IM Sal Matera , GM Rogoff’s chess biography:

https://rogoff.scholars.harvard.edu//pages/biography

Bobby Fischer article mentioning GM Rogoff:

https://rogoff.scholars.harvard.edu/sites/g/files/omnuum5901/files/rogoff/files/fischer69.pdf

Karpov-Ulf Andersson 1969 ADD IMAGE 

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1019420

11:00- How did Dr. Rogoff gain hundreds of rating points in his early teens?

21:00- Was it hard to switch from the meritocratic chess world to academia? 

25:00- What led to Dr. Rogoff dropping out of high school at age 16 to pursue chess? What was life like as an American teenager living alone in Europe in 1969? 

Mentioned: Muppets in Moscow by Natasha Rogoff 

26:00- 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

And you can check out their new offerings here:

https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/

32:30- Why did Dr. Rogoff make a U-turn and go to Yale University after dropping out of high school?

34:00- Patreon mailbag question: Does Dr. Rogoff ever daydream about what a professional chess life might have looked like?

37:00- Why did Dr. Rogoff quit chess “Cold turkey”? 

Mentioned: Carlsen-Rogoff 2012

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1690691

40:00- Does Dr. Rogoff have a favorite chess memory? Who were his favorite players? 

Mentioned: Kasparov, Peter Thiel, Arkady Dvorkovich ,Reshevsky-Rogoff 1978, IM Kim Commons, Lev Aronian  

Larsen-Rogoff 1968

Fischer-Spassky 1975

53:00- What is the origin of the phrase “Our Dollar, Your Problem”? (The title of Dr. Rogoff’s new book

58:00- What can regular people do to prepare for volatile markets?

1:00:00- Patreon mailbag question: Is the US debt load sustainable? What does Dr. Rogoff think of Ray Dalio’s writing? 

1:05:00- Dr. Rogoff has met 8 presidents and many more world leaders- do any experiences stand out? 

1:08:00- What does Dr. Rogoff think of the future of crypto-currencies? 

Mentioned: Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari

Thanks to Dr. Rogoff for joining me! You can get his new book here. 

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).

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

NM Dana Mackenzie is a former math professor turned science writer who has maintained a passion for chess throughout his life and career changes.He is a USCF Life Master and was the 2 time state champion of North Carolina.  Dana had a long running and popular chess blog which has now been turned into a book Did You Come Here to Play Chess or Have Fun? The book features plenty of chess improvement advice, with a particular emphasis on what Dana thinks is required to become a master level player.

Dana is very familiar with the ups and downs of an active player, as he achieved a peak rating of USCF 2257, eventually fell below 2100, and then had to revamp his game in his 50s in order to get back to 2200!.  Dana also shares some fun stories from his chess career. These include amusing or noteworthy anecdotes about GM Jesse Kraai, a young GM Hans Niemann and a funny story involving a prominent grandmaster offering a “psychological draw offer.” . All in all, there is a lot to learn, and to enjoy from Dana’s book and from our conversation. Timestamps of topics discussed are 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

And you can check out their new offerings here:

https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/

00:00- Introduction to Dana McKenzie

Read about Dana’s history of pursuing tenure here:

https://danamackenzie.com/about/the-tenure-chase-papers/tenure-chase-part-1-prehistory/

04:00- Becoming a Chess Master: Core Beliefs and Steps

Mentioned: IM Jeremy Silman’s How to Reassess Your Chess 

07:00- Developing Strengths and Eliminating Weaknesses

11:00- The Importance of Community in Chess

14:00- Navigating Age and Chess Performance

16:00- Strategic Thinking and Questions for Improvement

19:00- Are chess tactics necessary to make it to the master level?

22:00- Can going to chess parties help your chess? 

24:00- After losing over 100 points in his 40s, Dana managed to gain them back and get back over 2200. What changes did he make to his game?

Mentioned: 

Dana’s USCF Rating History:https://www.uschess.org/datapage/ratings_graph.php?memid=10277604

Episode 346 with NM Todd Bryant 

Can Adults Improve at Chess? By NM Todd Bryant

https://www.chess.com/article/view/can-adults-improve-at-chess

30:00- Dana shares a few examples of his suggested “10 questions for schematic thinking.” 

Mentioned: GM Robert Hess, GM Jonathan Rowson, GM Jesse Kraai 

36:00- Dana’s advice for finding a chess community, and the underrated value of chess parties! 

Mentioned: NM Mike Splane,  FM Craig Mar 

43:00- Dana tells a funny story involving Grandmasters and a “psychological draw offer.” 

Mentioned: GM Walter Browne, GM Sergey Kudrin

https://danamackenzie.com/blog/?p=3209

52:00- Dana’s encounter with a young Hans Niemann

Mentioned: Read more about “The Troitsky Line” here:

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

58:00- What Dana learned from GM Jesse Kraai

Mentioned: Read more about Nezhmetdinov’s famous queen sacrifice in this article by NM Sam Copeland:

https://www.chess.com/blog/SamCopeland/nezhmetdinovs-immortal-queen-sacrifice-best-of-the-60s-nezhmetdinov-vs-chernikov-1962

Thanks to Dana for joining me!

You can check out his blog and webiste here:

https://danamackenzie.com/

And get his book here:

https://www.newinchess.com/did-you-come-here-to-play-chess-or-to-have-fun

If you would like to join the Perpetual Chess Patreon community, you can do so here:

https://www.patreon.com/c/perpetualchess?redirect=true

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

GM Mihail Marin is a prolific and popular author, trainer, and 3-time Romanian national champion. He has made numerous contributions to the chess canon but is probably best known for the book Learn from the Legends, published in 2005, which received high praise from GM Daniel Naroditsky, IM Jeremy Silman, and many others. In 2025, its much-anticipated sequel, Learn from the Legends 2: Chess Heroes at Their Best has finally been released. GM Marin joined me to discuss:

GM Marin has accumulated a litany of stories from a life among the world's top players, and it is always a pleasure to speak with him! Timestamps of topics discussed are below."

Thanks to our sponsor, Chessable.com. Be sure to check out their new offerings here:

https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/  

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

Prior Interview- Episode 316

https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2023/2/7/ep-316-gm-mihail-marin-the-renowned-author-and-trainer-on-learning-from-larsen-tal-polgar-and-other-legends

0:00- What was Mihail Marin’s approach to chess improvement as an up and coming player?

Mentioned: Karpov-Unzicker 1975

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1067846

Also mentioned: GM Florin Gheorghiu, GM Mihai Suba . Psakhis-Marin 2000

17:00- Mihail shares a little bit about each player covered in Learn from the Legends 2, including Stein, Polugaevsky, Bronstein, Keres and Portisch 

Mentioned: Korchnoi-Portisch Candidates Match 1983

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chess.pl?tid=93347

Also mentioned: Bronstein’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice 

Keres-Benko 1962 (adjourned on move 41)

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1072970

GM Jan Timman’s Curacao 1962: The Battle That Shook the Chess World

https://www.amazon.com/Curacao-1962-Battle-Minds-Shook/dp/9056911392

34:00- In the modern chess age is it still possible to have a distinct chess style?

Mentioned:

Spassky Fischer, game 8, move 15:

https://lichess.org/study/FeAwvrlI/nNPKlIqp

Spassky-Polgar 1993-

https://www.365chess.com/game.php?gid=1762744

45:00- Is Mihail following the Freestyle Chess Tour?

53:00- Is Mihail following the Women’s World Championship?

54:00- How is Mihail preparing for his imminent tournament? 

Mentioned: Dorfman’s The Method in Chess

Petr Izmailov: From Chess Champion of Russia to Enemy of the People

https://chess.co.uk/products/petr-izmailov-from-chess-champion-of-russia-to-enemy-of-the-people-nikolai-izmailov

58:00- GM Marin discusses his next projects: a Chessable course, and a forthcoming book about his chess hero,  GM VIktor Korchnoi

Mentioned: 

1:08:00- Mihail’s recommended European chess tournaments

Alicante chess tournament 2025:

https://chessnews.info/ix-international-chess-open-easter-2025/

Seville:

https://www.modern-chess.com/tournaments?id=1450

1:10:00- Thanks to Mihail for joining me again! 

Here is how to keep up with him:

Learn From the Legends 2:

https://www.amazon.com/Learn-Legends-2-Mihail-Marin/dp/1784832162

Forward Chess:

https://forwardchess.com/product/learn-from-the-legends2-chess-heroes-at-their-best

Watch here for his forthcoming Chessable course:

https://www.chessable.com/author/MihailMarin/

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

https://www.patreon.com/c/perpetualchess/

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

GM Susan Polgar is a World Chess Hall of Famer and former Women’s World Champion. She is also the holder of numerous records, including being the first female  “triple crown winner” and the first woman to earn the Grandmaster title by norms and rating. She is also an author, and Chessable author. Her latest book,  Rebel Queen: The Cold War, Misogyny and the Making of Grandmaster is a candid and fascinating memoir which looks back at her unusual upbringing, her extraordinary playing career, her life as a wife and mom, and her accomplishments as a groundbreaking university coach. As you might expect, this is a fascinating conversation. Timestamps of topics discussed are below. 

Thanks to our sponsor, Chessable.com. Be sure to check out their new offerings here:

https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/  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- Information about the Chess in the Schools chess/poker fundraiser, hosted by GM Robert Hess on May 1, is here:

https://secure.givelively.org/event/chess-in-the-schools-inc/chess-in-the-schools-2nd-annual-charity-poker-tournament

0:02- What are some of the primary lessons of Susan’s new memoir, Rebel Queen? 

15:00- GM Polgar tells the story of her famous win over GM Ljuboimir Ljubojevic in 1987. 

See the game here:

https://susanpolgar.com/portfolio-item/susan-polgar-vs-ljubomir-ljubojevic-1987/

18:00- What informed the Polgar philosophy of playing the strongest competition, regardless of gender?

21:00- Patreon mailbag question- Did Susan ever consider raising her own children in the way that her parents raised her and her sisters? 

26:00- Susan’s memories of young Levy Rozman and Fabiano Caruana playing at her chess center. 

Mentioned: photo of Susan with young Levy:

https://www.facebook.com/susanpolgarchess/photos/this-was-from-a-million-years-ago-who-is-this-young-chess-superstar-who-used-to-/1202844537877913/?_rdr

30:00- Patreon mailbag question:

What still needs to be done to continue to grow women’s chess?

Mentioned:

Chess Tactics for Champions by Susan Polgar 

33:00- Patreon mailbag question: “To what extent does Susan think socialization plays a role in the smaller percentage of women playing chess?” 

36:00- Patreon mailbag question:  “Have the barriers that women in chess face changed over the years?”

39:00- Patreon mailbag question: “ What is Susan’s advice for raising the level of play among the girls at a chess club?”

Mentioned: GM Susan Polgar’s interview with the Botez sisters 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EctpBjnCU-8

40:00-  Patreon mailbag question: “Does Susan have a favorite Mikhail Tal story?”

Photos of Susan’s first encounter with GM Mikhail Tal here:

https://x.com/SusanPolgar/status/1855363562073620780

48:00- Was Susan Polgar in touch with GM Bobby Fischer in his final years? 

51:00- Patreon mailbag question: “What made Susan decide to begin coaching university chess at Texas Tech?”

54:00- What else is Susan working on now that she is retired from coaching university chess? 

58:00- Which factor was the biggest contributor to the success of Susan and her sisters?

Here is how to keep up with GM Polgar:

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/susanpolgarchess/?hl=en

X:

https://x.com/susanpolgar?lang=en

Order her book here:

https://www.amazon.com/Rebel-Queen-Misogyny-Making-Grandmaster/dp/153875729X

For newer players, you can check out her “Learn Chess the Right Way” Series on Chessable here:

https://www.chessable.com/learn-chess-the-right-way-book-1-must-know-checkmates/course/12192/

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

https://www.patreon.com/c/perpetualchess?redirect=true

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (⁠https://thepodcastconsultant.com⁠).

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

The Adult Improver series returns to Perpetual Chess to welcome Omar Mills (aka ChessvonDoom) to the podcast. Omar fell in love with chess during the pandemic and has learned some unexpected lessons through the thousands of games he has played in subsequent years. He learned that chess improvement and maintaining a disciplined study routine  is much harder than he ever could have guessed, but that you can learn a lot about yourself through the game nonetheless. In a new Chessable course, Chess Destiny: Lessons from an Adult Improver and his Coach, Omar collaborates with popular YouTuber NM Robert Ramirez to share some of these unexpected chess and life lessons. These lessons include:

Plus lots  more, its always insightful and entertaining to hear from Omar! 

Adult Improver Series webpage:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/75Uoqz2BoRt2IiTCeOfuky?si=2a3f9cee77b948f1

Adult Improver Series Spotify playlist:

https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/adultimprover

0:00- Information about the Chess in the Schools chess/poker fundraiser, hosted by GM Robert Hess on May 1, is here:

https://secure.givelively.org/event/chess-in-the-schools-inc/chess-in-the-schools-2nd-annual-charity-poker-tournament

Thanks to our sponsor, Chessable.com! Be sure to check out their new offerings here:

https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/

And 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- What is the story behind Omar, an average club player,  making a Chessable course? 

Mentioned: NM Robert Ramirez, Bruna Tuzi, NM Ian Harris, IM Miodrag Peruvunic (Milo the Butcher) 

You can hear Omar on How to Chess, Season 2, Episode 4-

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4x3gO38SDRut2lJZdCLPeh?si=53a28262690c4297

0:15- What is “the rule of three”? 

0:21- What has playing the bass taught Omar about playing chess/

Mentioned: Victor Wooten 

43:00- What is Omar’s daily chess routine? 

Mentioned: Kamryn Hellman, Nick Visel 

48:00- NM Robert Ramirez’s recommended study plan 

YouTube series with Omar, Roberto and NM Robert Ramirez:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soFjWrTVYKU

52:00- What would Omar tell his new to chess self, from a few years ago? 

53:00- Does Omar have any tournaments on this horizon?

55:00- Thanks to Omar of joining me! Here is how to keep up with him:

Twitter/X:

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

Chess.com:

https://www.chess.com/member/chessvondoom

His Chessable Course:

https://www.chessable.com/chess-destiny-lessons-from-an-adult-improver-and-his-coach/course/266890/

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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IM Danny Rensch is a former child prodigy turned Chief Chess Officer of Chess.com, the largest chess website in the world. Danny rejoined me 8 years after his first visit to the podcast (Episode 18) to discuss all that is new with Chess.com. Inevitably, this means a detailed discussion of online cheat detection, and whether Chess.com thinks that their increased deterrence methods are working. But there is a lot more to discuss including:

It is always fun to get a glimpse behind the curtain at the world’s biggest chess company, and you are sure to learn something about “chess business” in this conversation. Timestamps of topics discussed are below. 

Thanks to our sponsor, Chessable.com! Be sure to check out their new offerings here:

https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/

And 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- We discuss cheat detection. Is publicly disclosing cheaters deterring other from potential cheaters? What about their new proprietary browser, Proctor? 

The two interviews/videos we reference are here:

Greg Mustreader:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4fGt3MbF0I

State of Chess.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lQ47SuBLU8&t=8428s

15:00- Is OTB cheating as common as online cheating? 

21:00- What was the story behind future GM Alireza Firouzja’s account being erroneously closed due to fair play some years ago?

Mentioned: GM Lenier Dominguez 

28:00- We briefly discuss Danny’s forthcoming memoir, Dark Squares: How Chess Saved My Life

https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Squares-Chess-Saved-Life/dp/1541703286

31:00- How can the chess world move away from predominantly cheating-based mainstream coverage?

Mentioned: 

Netflix documentary:

https://www.chess.com/news/view/netflix-unveils-carlsen-niemann-documentary-for-2025

Forthcoming Movie:

https://www.imdb.com/news/ni64565309/

BBC’s Chess Masters: The Endgame:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0028x4d

37:00- Are there too many professional chess tournaments with too little differentiation between events? 

Mentioned:

Coachchamps Improver Challenge:

https://www.chess.com/news/view/announcing-coachchamps-2025

Also mentioned: Caitlin Clark, Judit Polgar

48:00- How does Chess.com decide which commentators to feature in which events?

Mentioned: GM Daniel Naroditsky, GM Robert Hess

51:00- What lessons were learned from backlash against the Chess24 closure and recent changes to access to Short and Sweet courses on Chessable?

Mentioned: Info on Chessable’s 2025 changes to Chessable Short and Sweet Access:

https://www.chessable.com/blog/new-year-big-changes-to-chessable-pro/

1:00:00- What 2025 events is Danny excited for?

Mentioned:

Pogchamps

https://www.chess.com/news/view/announcing-pogchamps-6-field

Speed Chess Championships, ESports World Cup 

1:03:00- Is Chess.com still thinking of becoming publicly traded at some point? Would Danny retire in the near future? 

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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GM Noël Studer is a two time Swiss National Champion turned blogger, course creator and chess trainer. Noël is also a regular guest on the podcast, and as an avid reader of his blog, I always have plenty of questions for him. This particular interview tackles questions like the following:

We also discuss an update to one of Noël’s courses, his next projects, and why we both are a bit disillusioned with professional chess. There is always a lot to learn from GM Studer! 

Check out Noël’s updated course on studying chess the right way here (https://courses.nextlevelchess.blog/courses/simplified-chess-improvement-system?ref=bc4be0) Use the code perpetual20 to receive a 20% discount. By using that link, you'll also support Perpetual Chess.

https://courses.nextlevelchess.blog/courses/simplified-chess-improvement-system?ref=bc4be0

Noël’s prior appearances were on the podcast were Episodes 248, 312 and 374 

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5Dtd4jQXwwJkfwOegqrGad?si=11a29a76268249b8

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0asMZuJZhbp6EnNUyUvzo4?si=9cc4a0c08d7b48e8

https://open.spotify.com/episode/39O0qNPy5mCDxSf96byIES?si=7a1e8a1e12bc4102

Thanks to our sponsor, Chessable.com! Be sure to check out their new offerings here:

https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/

And 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

01:00- Chess Lessons from training for a marathon

(From article From Thinking to Doing)

Dr. Nick Vasquez’s post, Too Many Choices:

https://nickvasquezmd.substack.com/p/what-do-we-mean-improvement

13:00- Why does Noël call blundering “the leaking roof issue”?

The leaking roof issue

Steps method playlist from Chess Steps trainer NM Han Schut:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHJ-t45Y-c5SN7u7YSd-gj0vpyCgXv7lM

21:00- Do people overemphasize the importance of accuracy scores?

https://nextlevelchess.com/accuracy-score/

25:00- In his professional days, what was Noël’s approach to checking engines immediately after games? 

28:00- Why do CEO’s have a hard time improving at chess? 

https://nextlevelchess.com/study-chess-in-a-smarter-way/

35:00- Which posts of Noël’ got the most feedback? 

37:00- What is “the chess improvement equation?” 

https://nextlevelchess.com/improvement-score/

40:00- What other recent interests and daily practices has Noël implemented? 

42:00-  Noël’ discusses his relaunched course, The Simplified Chess Improvement System

https://courses.nextlevelchess.blog/courses/simplified-chess-improvement-system?ref=bc4be0

49::00- Noël’s next projects

52:00- Does Noël still follow professional chess closely? 

Thanks to Noël for coming on!

You can email him at Noël at nextlevelchess.blog

Check out his courses. Remember to use perpetual20 for 20% off on either course.

All in one beginner course (up to 1200 chesscom): https://courses.nextlevelchess.blog/courses/beginner-chess-mastery?ref=bc4be0 His re-launched improvement system (previously Next Level Training): https://courses.nextlevelchess.blog/courses/simplified-chess-improvement-system?ref=bc4be0

Subscribe to his newsletter here:

https://nextlevelchess.com/

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