Episodes

  • EP 466 – Gaston Franco on the Remarkable Turnaround of the Hammersmith Chess Club and How to Grow Chess in Your Community

    EP 466 – Gaston Franco on the Remarkable Turnaround of the Hammersmith Chess Club and How to Grow Chess in Your Community
    Jan 6 2026
    Twelve years ago, the Hammersmith Chess Club in London was down to fewer than 20 members and facing an uncertain future. Today, thanks to committed volunteers, a welcoming culture, and the broader boom in chess, it’s the largest chess club in London, and was recently named ECF Chess Club of the Year. I’m joined by Hammersmith Club Captain Gaston Franco to discuss the club’s remarkable turnaround and what other communities can learn from it. We cover topics like financial sustainability, league play, and gender dynamics, as well as the importance of creating an inclusive, welcoming environment. We also explore Gaston’s own chess journey, which highlights one of the game’s great strengths: its ability to provide instant community, especially when moving alone to a new country. Thanks to our sponsor, Chessable.com, you can sign up for Chessable Pro here: https://www.chessable.com/pro/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=benjohnson&utm_campaign=pro Check out their new courses here: https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/ 0:00- Thanks to our sponsor, Chessable.com! Check out GM Ganguly’s new course here: https://www.chessable.com/lifetime-repertoires-suryas-1e4-part-1/course/353840/ 2:00- Gaston Franco, the club captain of the Hammersmith Chess Club, joins me Mentioned: Watch Charlyze van Zyl’s tour of the Hammersmith Chess Club here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxR6mFl9d4E&t=1s John White, club chairman 6:00 The Transformation of Hammersmith Chess Club 12:00- Common Club Activities and Structure, How they Appeal to Women and Junior Players 17:00- League Participation and Competitive Play 20:44 Membership Fees and Financial Sustainability 29:47 Sponsorship and Community Support 31:00- How the Club Fielded a team in the FIDE World Team Championship 33:13 Role of Grandmasters in the Club Mentioned: GM Daniel King 34:28 League Matches and Club Activities 36:55 Chess Outreach and Community Engagement 39:10 Post-Pandemic Chess Boom 41:04 Challenges and Sustainability of Chess Clubs 43:18 Advice for Fledgling Chess Clubs 45:55 Guest Visits and Club Membership 47:24 Gaston’s Chess Journey from Buenos Aires to London 49:29 Comparing Chess Scenes: Argentina vs. London 51:52 The Future of Chess in Argentina 52:43 Community Events and Upcoming Tournaments Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • EP 465: Chess Improvement Q&A with IM Junta Ikeda - Tactics, Time Trouble & Training Resources

    EP 465: Chess Improvement Q&A with IM Junta Ikeda - Tactics, Time Trouble & Training Resources
    Dec 23 2025
    Japanese-Australian chess player, trainer, and content creator Junta Ikeda is the 2013 Japanese National Chess Champion and a runner-up in the 2020 Australian Championship. These days, with a full-time job outside of chess, Junta devotes most of his chess energy to helping others improve. He has shared countless insights on his excellent blog, Infinite Chess, which I’ve been reading religiously since its launch. There, Junta offers thoughtful advice on topics such as improving your tactics, managing the clock, and budgeting your study time. For this interview, I compiled questions based on some of his most insightful observations as we explored chess improvement from a wide range of angles. Toward the end of the conversation, we also touched on Junta’s background, chess in Japan, and even picked up a few non-chess book recommendations. Check out Chessiverse and take out of their end of year sale here: http://chessiverse.com/ Check out IM John Bartholomew’s Comprehensive Scandinavian Course here: https://chessiverse.com/courses/scandi Find out more about Chessdojo’s classes here: https://www.chessdojo.club/blog/live-classes Use Code NY26 to get a free month of the tier program Use Code Ben to save 10% off anything 0:04- Junta joins me! Does Junta’s fellow Canberra, Australia resident, IM Andras Toth exist in real life? 0:06- How does Junta respond to FM Nate Solon’s inflammatory tweet about chess books? https://x.com/natesolon/status/1988955760965963898?s=20 0:11- Junta’s coaching and content creation background 0:12- What are the most common mistakes Junta sees amateurs make? 0:19- What did Junta learn from the book How to Become a Deadly Chess Tactician? 22:00- Junta shares some advice from his lifelong battles with time trouble What I needed to cure my time trouble: https://juntaikeda.substack.com/p/how-i-escaped-time-trouble-hell In search of lost time: 20 Time Trouble Tips https://juntaikeda.substack.com/p/1-in-search-of-lost-time-20-time EP 383 with Dan Bock 24:00- How to learn to face your fears Mentioned: The Uncool by Cameron Crowe 39:00- The Impact of Talent in Chess Mentioned: GM Moulthan Ly, GM Max Illingworth 47:00- How did “the worst openings player in Australia” learn to tolerate them? Mentioned: GM David Smerdon’s The Complete Chess Swindler 51:00- Thanks to our sponsor, Chessable.com! Checkout their holiday sale here: https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/all/offer/ 52:00- What type of challenging exercises does Junta recommend in order to improve calculation? Mentioned: IM Kostya Kavutskiy’s Endgame Studies 101, IM Tatev Abrahamyan’s Endgame Studies: Solve to Evolve, Domination by Kasparyan, Studies for Practical Players Sign up for Chessable Pro here: https://www.chessable.com/pro/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=benjohnson&utm_campaign=pro 1:01:00- Junta’s recommended chess books and resources Mentioned: Lichess, The Mammoth Book of the World’s Greatest Chess Games , My Great Predecessors My 10 Memorable Chess Books https://juntaikeda.substack.com/p/my-10-memorable-chess-books 1:02:00- Is chess growing in Japan despite Shogi’s popularity? 1:08:00- Balancing Chess and Content Creation 1:10:00- Why Junta wishes he had committed more to chess than university 1:13:00- Will Junta pursue the GM title? Mentioned: Dojo Talks with IM-elect Gauri Shankar 1:15:00- Non chess book recs! Mentioned: Murakami, Infinite Jest, The Book of Disquiet, Finite & Infinite Games 1:19:00- Thanks to Junta for sharing his advice and perspective! Here is how to keep up with his work: Infinite Chess Blog: https://juntaikeda.substack.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@juntaikeda Website: https://juntaikeda.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 28 mins
  • EP 464- IM John Donaldson- Bobby Fischer’s Chess Improvement Advice, the Story Behind His Colossal Rating Leap

    EP 464- IM John Donaldson- Bobby Fischer’s Chess Improvement Advice, the Story Behind His Colossal Rating Leap
    Dec 16 2025
    What can Bobby Fischer still teach us about chess improvement? In this episode, renowned trainer, author, and historian IM John Donaldson returns to discuss Fischer’s writing, advice, and training methods, as featured in his new book Inside the Mind of Bobby Fischer. We explore Fischer’s views on openings, what he said about his own IQ, and what modern players can realistically take from his approach. I was particularly interested to hear John break down how Fischer went from roughly 2100 strength to an elite player in less than two years. After our Fischer deep dive, John shares his memories of a young Daniel Naroditsky and discusses the outlook for the next U.S. Olympiad team, which he has captained 15 times. 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/ Check out special offers from Chessdojo, Chessmood and more here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/partners Sign up for my free chess newsletter here: https://benjohnson.substack.com/ 0:02- Why was Bobby Fischer writing a chess column for Boys Life magazine? 0:07- Are world class talents like Fischer good people to give chess improvement advice? 0:14- Bobby Fischer’s 4 Chess Improvement Tips 0:17- Why was Fischer confident about his match vs. Spassky despite a losing record? 0:20- How did Fischer respond when he was asked about reportedly having a genius-level IQ? 0:24- The impact of Fischer growing up in New York City 0:43- Patreon mailbag question- Why, after all these years, is there still such a cult-like obsession with Fischer? 1:02:00- John’s memories of GM Daniel Naroditsky, who John knew since Danya’s childhood, Mentioned: GM Gregory Kaidanov, GM Lev Psakhis 1:13:00- Status of the US Olympiad team 1:19:00- Will John pursue the GM title at age 67? Thanks, as always, to IM John Donaldson for joining me! Here is where to get Inside the Mind of Bobby Fischer. Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Inside-Mind-Bobby-Fischer-Annotations/dp/1890085286/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1QKKXI2SDOLYS&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9._2M3HsSJt-U7Bdai-uPvhA.AJtX-b-nDihPzKRJb_BUo7jCkpq_R2sPMhsked9R8GU&dib_tag=se&keywords=inside+the+mind+of+bobby+fischer&qid=1765826270&s=books&sprefix=inside+the+mind+of+bobby+fischer%2Cstripbooks%2C55&sr=1-1 Chess4Less: https://chess4less.com/products/pre-order-inside-the-mind-of-bobby-fischer-john-donaldson Also available in Europe: https://gazellebookservices.co.uk/products/9781890085285?_pos=1&_sid=e49e3c6fa&_ss=r Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 29 mins
  • EP 463- FM Nick Matta on Immersion, Mindset, and a Remarkable Decade of Chess Improvement (Adult Improver Series)

    EP 463- FM Nick Matta on Immersion, Mindset, and a Remarkable Decade of Chess Improvement (Adult Improver Series)
    Dec 9 2025
    The Adult Improver Series returns with the remarkable story of FM Nick Matta, a five-time Louisiana State Champion who made one of the most unusual rating climbs in recent memory. Nick returned to tournament chess as a college freshman and went from roughly 1400 to 2400 USCF over the next decade. In our conversation, he breaks down the habits and mindset shifts that fueled that rise, including: How complete immersion in chess during his college years accelerated his progress Why the mental game became increasingly important as he climbed the rating ladder The books, videos, and tools that helped him at each stage Nick’s improvement in his 20s may be rare, but his insights are applicable to players of a wide range of levels. 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 – Intro & AnnouncementsFInd out more about the teaching job opportunity at IS 318 here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/796878173716685/posts/32637324772578611/ Join the Perpetual Chess discord here! https://discord.gg/27AXnaUr 03:00 – Intro & Announcements Find out more about the teaching job opportunity at IS 318 here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/796878173716685/posts/32637324772578611/ Join the Perpetual Chess discord here! https://discord.gg/27AXnaUr 06:00 – Who Is FM Nick Matta? Mentioned Nick was also interviewed in episode 450- Hikaru in Louisiana https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2025/9/9/ep-450-hikaru-in-louisiana-stories-from-his-surprise-appearance-in-the-louisiana-state-championshipnbsp Check out Nick’s USCF Rating History here: https://www.uschess.org/datapage/ratings_graph.php?memid=12845401 His rapid rise from 1480 → 2390 and return to chess after Katrina. Also Mentioned: Pawn Structure Chess by GM Andy Soltis, IM Jeremy Silman’s How to Reassess Your Chess, Pawn Power in Chess 11:30 – How the Improvement Started Immersion, study habits, book recommendations, and developing a love for feedback. Mentioned: Kasparov’s My Story with GM James Plaskett https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeEY66T0q80 GM Melih Khachiyan’s Evaluation and Planning Series on Chess.com https://www.chess.com/video/player/evaluation-and-planning---part-1 26:00 – Openings, Training, and Evolution Why he constantly changed openings, how his training shifted as he reached master level, and learning from top coaches. Mentioned: GM Gregory Kaidanov, IM John Bartholomew, GM Jacob Aagaard’s Thinking Inside the Box 35:00 – Time Trouble & Mental Game Breakthroughs Aagaard’s tough feedback, decision-making, cold-plunge training, meditation, and building emotional resilience. Mentioned: Karpov in a cold plunge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAhtMKhvG1A 59:00 – Coaching, Pursuing the IM Title & Final Advice Balancing coaching with personal ambition, whether he’ll chase the IM title, and his distilled guidance for adult improvers. 1:15:00- Thanks to Nick for joining me! Here is how to reach him: Lichess coaches page: https://lichess.org/coach/nickmatta Chess.com coaches page: https://www.chess.com/member/nickmatta Email- Nickmatta13 at gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 24 mins
  • EP 462- FIDE World Cup Reflections with GM Felix Blohberger: Blunders, Bouncebacks, Tiebreaks and The New Candidates Field

    EP 462- FIDE World Cup Reflections with GM Felix Blohberger: Blunders, Bouncebacks, Tiebreaks and The New Candidates Field
    Nov 27 2025
    As a fascinating and upset-laden FIDE World Cup comes to an end, 2022 Austrian National Champion GM Felix Blohberger joins me to break down the key moments, share stories from his own World Cup experience, and reflect on his chess career. GM Blohberger has been offering insightful commentary on his YouTube channel where he has been sharing his thoughts on the FIDE World Cup, and was able to elaborate on many themes from his channel in our interview. In our conversation we discuss: The new Candidates qualifiers: GM Javokhir Sindarov, Wei Yi, and Andrey Esipenko plus who Felix now sees as the favorite to win the Candidates. The pressure of tiebreaks including Felix’s take on GM Esipenko’s heartbreaking blunder against Wei Yi, plus what it’s actually like inside the venue between games. Felix’s chess career: including his favorite books, his rating goals, and reflections on the viral video that helped grow his channel. . This was another entertaining and surprising World Cup, and I am already excited for the FIDE Candidates next year. Timestamps are below. 0:00- 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/ 0:00- 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/ 01:30 Introduction 05:00- GM Felix Blohberger joins me Sub to his YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@febloh Felix’s video about the challenges of life as a chess pro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8DW6XShofQ&t=0 Esipenko’s blunder- https://x.com/GMJuditPolgar/status/1992651679108616301?s=20 07:00 The FIDE World Cup Experience- 10:00 Tiebreaker Tensions and Player Dynamics 14:00 Youth vs. Experience in Chess 15:30- Patreon mailbag question: Why does Felix think so many players were content to go to tiebreaks? 18:00- Felix’s thought on GM Sindarov Sindarov’s 2700chess.com rating graph- https://2700chess.com/players/sindarov_javokhir 22:00 Wei Yi's Comeback Story 24:00 Felix’s big picture conclusions from the World Cup 29:00 Tournament Conditions and Player Experiences 31:00 The Pros and Cons of Making Predictions 33:00 Experiences in the Croatian Chess League 35:00 Confidence Boost from Recent Performances 36:30 Balancing Chess and Content Creation Felix Rook Endgame Videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEESoSw164w 39:00 Resources and Training Techniques Mentioned: Yusopov’s Build Up Your Chess Series 42:00 Working as a Second for GM Harikrishna Mentioned: The Anand Files by FM Michael Abeln 49:00 Career Highlights and Favorite Games Mentioned: Blohberger-Svane 2023 https://www.chess.com/events/2023-2024-austrian-chess-bundesliga/04/Blohberger_Felix-Svane_Frederik 52:00 Future Plans and Interests Outside Chess 55:00- An update on how he is enjoying life as a chess professional 56:00- Thanks to GM Blohberger for joining me! Here is how to keep up with him: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@febloh Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/felixblohberger/?hl=en Website: https://www.felixblohberger.com/ 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
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    57 mins
  • EP 461- IM John Bartholomew on Chess Improvement Lessons, The Scandinavian Defense & His New Business Venture

    EP 461- IM John Bartholomew on Chess Improvement Lessons, The Scandinavian Defense & His New Business Venture
    Nov 25 2025
    IM John Barthomew is a former scholastic national champion turned popular and longtime chess Youtuber and serial entrepreneur. His clear and friendly teaching style has garnered him over 200,000 subs and many devotees of the Scandinavian defense, the opening for which he is best known. In our conversation we discuss: Five chess improvement conclusions that John drew from playing in (and documenting) The LiChess LoneWolf League The challenges and rewards of helping to build Chessiverse. Chessiverse offers over 600 “human-like” bots to play against, and is also the site where you can find John’s new, Comprehensive Scandinavian course. Lastly, John told a few memorable stories about his good friend GM Daniel Naroditsky that reflect Daniel’s unusual talents. It is always enjoyable talking chess with John, and there are many nuggets to be gleaned from this conversation. 0:00- 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/ 00:00 Intro and Guest Introduction 03:00 IM John Bartholomew joins. We start with John’s chess improvement lessons learned from the LiChess Lone Wolf League https://lichess.org/@/Fins/blog/what-i-learned-from-playing-lonewolf-league-season-37/19yaMKfW Here is John’s Lone Wolf game recap playlist- https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLl9uuRYQ-6MCYu9m5ji2tJgIoU7JMHkD9&si=Lg1RvP2PhmX2M68Q 06:00- Self-Talk and Thought Process in Chess 09:00- The Importance of Time Management John’s Using the Clock as a Weapon Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLl9uuRYQ-6MD7go55KaMPOGKSHxXhWED_&si=e34rgZ05auwzOauQ 12:00 The Importance of Opening Variety 14:30 The Value of Longer Time Controls 17:30 Introduction to John’s new venture- Chessiverse 21:30 Patreon mailbag questions: How does Chessiverse compare to other online products? What ratings is it best suited for? 23:30 Comparing Chessiverse to Other Platforms 25:45 Chessiverse's Business Model and Future Plans 29:00 John’s Scandinavian course 33:00 The Evolution of Scandinavian Theory Mentioned: Ponomariov-Papaioannou 2003 https://lichess.org/q55Y75PQ#15 39:00 Navigating Course Design Challenges 45:00- The Vision for Chessiverse and Bot Experience 48:30 John’s memories of GM Daniel Naroditsky Mentioned: John’s tribute- https://youtu.be/kclevjiPK5I?si=7CO6ydPqkyFNKBjy Fundraiser for Danya- https://givebutter.com/naroditsky 52:00- Thanks to John for rejoining! Here are links to keep up with him: Newsletter: https://johnbartholomewchess.com/the-chess-mindset-newsletter-im-john-bartholomew/ Course- https://chessiverse.com/courses/scandi?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=scandi_search_tier1_purchase&utm_term=chess%20courses&utm_content=185814884617_782203235972_c&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=23214933240&utm_term=chess%20courses&utm_content=782203235972&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23214933240&gbraid=0AAAAABc5PsgmfRvqVuvKClF-9oZLSp0mn&gclid=Cj0KCQiAoZDJBhC0ARIsAERP-F_lAVpIoPksVCsZ5LG7GydpV4Wi8KIL4HMSbf_V_ZGei2837lHT57gaAu9fEALw_wcB Twitter/X: https://x.com/fins0905?lang=en 55:00- 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
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    58 mins
  • EP 460- FM Peter Giannatos on GM Daniel Naroditsky’s Life, His Last Days & How We Can Honor Danya’s Legacy

    EP 460- FM Peter Giannatos on GM Daniel Naroditsky’s Life, His Last Days & How We Can Honor Danya’s Legacy
    Nov 22 2025
    FM Peter Giannatos, founder of the Charlotte Chess Center, was a close friend of GM Daniel Naroditsky and played a pivotal role in encouraging Daniel to build his post-collegiate life in Charlotte. Peter and the tight-knit Charlotte community spent significant time with Danya, including in the days leading up to his tragic passing. In this conversation, Peter reflects on their friendship, shares what he feels is appropriate about Danya’s final days, and highlights a new fundraiser created to honor Daniel’s legacy. I’m grateful for the clarity and courage Peter brought to this deeply emotional discussion as the chess world begins to process and heal from this immense loss. 0:00- Intro- Support the fundraiser here: https://givebutter.com/naroditsky 0:02- FM PeterGiannatos joins the podcast and begins with the story of how he met Danya. Read Peter’s Eulogy here: https://x.com/PeterGiannatos/status/1981875015030079553?s=20 IM John Bartholomew’s tribute to Danya: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kclevjiPK5I&t=2s 0:09- Getting Danya to move to Charlotte 19:00- Clarifying the timeline around Daniel’s death 32:00- The weight of the allegations on Daniel Mentioned: Daniel explains a Bc8 move that some found suspicious https://www.reddit.com/r/chess/comments/1g7la27/daniel_narodistky_full_analysis_of_the_move_bc8/ 43:00- How to honor Daniel’s legacy 57:00- One last Danya story - check out the games from "The Meatball Match" here: https://www.chess.com/c/2PprrfhA6 1:02:00- Thanks to Peter for sharing so many personal stories during a difficult time. Here is how to support Danya's legacy if you are so inclined: ⁠https://givebutter.com/naroditsky⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 7 mins
  • EP 459- GM Maurice Ashley on Pursuing Excellence, Seeking Novelties, and His Extraordinary Chess Journey

    EP 459- GM Maurice Ashley on Pursuing Excellence, Seeking Novelties, and His Extraordinary Chess Journey
    Nov 18 2025
    This week’s guest is U.S. Chess Hall of Famer GM Maurice Ashley. Maurice will forever be known as the first African American to earn the Grandmaster title, yet he has gone on to build a varied and distinguished career across all facets of the game. He is a popular author and highly regarded Chessable creator, a teacher, an organizer, and a frequent commentator for major chess events, often from the St. Louis Chess Club. Maurice and I discussed: His perspective on chess improvement, as a rare late-starter who began tournament play at fourteen and still reached the Grandmaster level What we can learn from the ascent of GM Brewington Hardaway, who recently became the second African American GM at age fifteen The difference between being competitive and striving for excellence We also touched on the lessons Maurice learned from organizing the “Millionaire Chess” tournaments, his passion for salsa dancing and puzzle composition, and whether he has experienced any “pinch me” moments on his journey from “walking barefoot to school in Jamaica” to giving TED Talks and teaching chess to Will Smith. I have long looked forward to interviewing Maurice, and the conversation did not disappoint. 0:00- Check out Maurice’s popular and highly reviewed courses here: https://www.chessable.com/author/GMAshley/ 0:03- Maurice’s chess improvement advice- why people shouldn’t focus on doing things “quickly.” Mentioned: New York Times article about the Raging Rooks https://www.nytimes.com/1991/04/26/nyregion/harlem-teen-agers-checkmate-a-stereotype.html Maurice’s Chessable Q & A- https://www.chessable.com/discussion/thread/1187730/ask-maurice-ashley-anything-special-qa-/ Cover Stories with Chess Life Interview: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-sskej-f237dc?download=1 10:30- Maurice’s observations about young GM Brewington Hardaway, who recently became the 2nd ever African American GM, at age 15. Mentioned: You can read Maurice’s article about GM Hardaway here: https://new.uschess.org/news/inside-story-long-time-coming 17:00- Patreon mailbag question: Maurice’s siblings are kickboxing and boxing champions. What did they do to cultivate such achievement? 20:00- Which chess player got GM Maurice Ashley into salsa dancing? 23:00- Patreon mailbag question: ‘What are Maurice’s reflections on the Millionare Chess tournaments that he founded?” 28:30- What is the vision for Maurice’s “Clutch Chess,” which took place recently at the St. Louis Chess Club? 32:00- Is commentating still Maurice’s favorite professional activity? 36:00- Maurice’s passion for designing chess puzzles and courses Mentioned: The puzzle that (temporarily) stumped MVL is here: https://x.com/MauriceAshley/status/1609261621247086592?s=20 42:00- Has Maurice ever had a “pinch me” moment? 45:00- Maurice’s struggles after earning the GM title 49:00- The origins of Maurice’s communication skills 52:00- What does Maurice want his chess legacy to be? 54:00- Maurice’s next projects 59:00- Thanks to Maurice for joining me! Here is how to keep up with his many activities: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mauriceashleychess/?hl=en Chessable: https://www.chessable.com/author/GMAshley/ X/Twitter: https://x.com/MauriceAshley?lang=en Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    57 mins