Perpetual Chess Linkfest #104, December 6, 2024
Crushing Pressure
Hello again fellow chess enthusiasts. If you have been following the World Championship match, you undoubtedly know that it has been entertaining and unexpectedly close. The openings continuously surprise, and it usually looks like someone is going to win before they end up drawing. Tomorrow, with Ding due to get White, we may get a tepid draw, but I am expecting some fireworks beyond that. Starting at 4AM NYC time tomorrow, you can watch your broadcast of choice on Chess.com’s Youtube, or that of, LiChess, TakeTakeTake, Chessbase India or FIDE. Buckle up and enjoy the rest of the match!
Chess Improvement
Banger of a post by NM Matt Gross on how to improve one’s in-game time-management. “To put it bluntly, if you’re organizing your training around any information other than issues surfaced in your own play (courses, tweets, blog posts by friendly national masters, etc.), then you’re probably wasting your time to some degree.” (MoveLibrary)
Dr. Benjamin Portheault dove into the latest research on deliberate practice to share 5 takeaways for chess study. (Mindcreaser)
“NDPatzer” is back with another illuminating post about the science of chess learning “One of the big ideas - maybe THE big idea - in the cognitive science literature about chess is something called template theory. This refers to the idea that chess players build up a library of chess-position "chunks" over time, which allows them to quickly identify familiar patterns over the board and respond to them.” (LiChess Blog)
GM Alex Colovic shares some advice about the importance of choosing practical openings. “To give you an example of a good opening that is not very practical, take the Grunfeld Defence. It would be the perfect opening, a beautiful mix or reliability and opportunities for counterattack, if it weren't for the fact that literally every single line against it is a critical one.” (GM Alex Colovic’s Blog)
If you are interested in improving your own game, you can try out Chessmood for free for more two weeks. (This is not a paid ad, but if you use the above link and subsequently decide to become a paying member, a portion of the revenue would help support this newsletter at no additional cost to you).
The World Championship & Other Chess News
If you need a refresher on where we are in the World Championship match, Colin Mcgourty’s recap is a good place to start. The following link is after round 9, but the preceding games are worth even more examination. (Chess.com News)
GM Jonathan Speelman has also been providing periodic updates in his Chessbase column, and compares the potential trajectory of the match to Botvinnik-Petrosian 1963. “The most important thing under the crushing pressure of a match is to create a space in which you can operate, and that has to happen in real time, but can be planned for.” (Chessbase News)
Of course, Leonard Barden is always worth reading as well. “(In the opening) While Gukesh has sought clarity, Ding has been ready for obscure positions.” (The Guardian)
Tarjei Svensen has a lot more details about the upcoming FIDE World Rapid & Blitz in New York in late December (Chess.com news)
Sky News on why GM Nikita Vitiugov uprooted his family and switched federations (to Great Britain) after his native Russia invaded Ukraine. “When he woke up the day after the invasion, he knew instinctively that Russia wasn't his home anymore.” (UK Yahoo)
GM Alex Shabalov won the World Senior over 50 Championship beating GM Gregory Kaidanov in the last round to overtake GM Michal Krasenkow (JJ Lang for Chess Life Online)
The Internet Chess Club (ICC) announced that it is sponsoring 11-year-old prodigy IM Faustino Oro (Chessclub.com)
British Author and IM Adam Hunt died of cancer at age 44. Awful news. John Upham looks back at his chess career. (British Chess News)
Podcasts/Videos
You all probably don’t need me to tell you this, but just in case, the daily World Championship recaps with GM Magnus Carlsen and IM Levy Rozman are must-watches. Ding is incapable of moving quickly, Gukesh is incapable of acquiescing to a draw, and Magnus is incapable of biting his tongue when it comes to his opinion of the play. (The TakeTakeTake YouTube channel)
World Championships are always a busy time at The Perpetual Chess Podcast as I generally continue to publish evergreen interviews related to chess improvement and other chess-centric topics, but also offer extra content to provide some different perspectives on the World Championship. Recent interviews include:
GM Avetik Grigoryan on chess improvement and growing a chess startup
Supraja Vadlamani, an accomplished amateur, on going from 0 to 1800 (and to the Olympiad) in just a few years.
There is so much great World Championship game analysis out there, but I always enjoy hearing FM Mike Klein contextualize the match from an on-site reporter’s perspective. He joined me yesterday morning after round 9 to tell tales of alcohol, yachts, ice cream, and also, chess.
Can you imagine what it feels like to stand idly while your 18 year-old son plays for the World Championship? Via FM Mike Klein’s X. For more perspective on what its like to be the parent of a World Championship finalist, read Amit Kamath in The Indian Express Books
Quality Chess has some exciting books coming soon, including a sequel to GM Mihail Marin’s classic (best suited for 1800+) book Learn from the Legends (IM Andrew Greet for the Quality Chess Blog)
Richard James heartily recommends GM Wojciech Moranda’s Supreme Chess Understanding. I am also a big fan of GM Moranda’s books (They are also best suited to 1800+ IMO) (British Chess News)
That’s all for this week- if you are new here, don’t forget to subscribe, and have a good weekend!- Ben