Perpetual Chess Linkfest #117, March 28, 2025
Regular People
Hi again! I am back with the latest and greatest from the world of chess.
Chess Improvement
Dr. Nick Vasquez suggests some resources for what he calls two methods of chess learning 1) “learn by doing.” 2) “explain, then train” (Chess in Small Doses)
Can Kevin Lincoln stick to a plan of analyzing every online game he plays by committing to it in his blog. We will find out! (Unless he lies about it.) (Good Moves)
Are you looking for some slower-time control online tournaments? Ivan Veselov tells you what you should know about a few of his faves. (64 Squares)
GM Avetik Grigoryan on Blessings in Disguise, in Chess, and in Life:
“I played my worst game ever at the Indonesian Open 2013, and lost to Elisabeth Paehtz in 27 moves with White pieces!…At that moment, it felt like the worst day of my life. But that same day, I looked in the mirror and made a promise to myself to change ... That was the day I decided to stop playing chess professionally. Looking back now — at where I am, what I’m doing, the peace inside me, the meaning I’ve found — That wasn’t the worst day of my life. It was the best!” (ChessMood Blog)
What is aphantasia and how could it impact chess players? You might be surprised by the identity of a chess player who claimed he could not visualize the board. (‘MomonaBreak’ for the Chess.com Blog)
David Hamm on How he Will Work to Re-orient his Relationship with Chess toward More Fun and Less Study. (LiChess Blog)
FM Nate Solon has been busy, writing two great posts on 1) What is wrong with “American-style” weekend- chess tournaments 2) How he Might Fix Them. While I don’t quite share Nate’s degree of dislike I do agree with nearly everything he says. (Zwischenzug Blog)
Misc.
GM Daniel Gormally looks back at the life of his colleague and frequent opponent, IM Adam Hunt. “Could he have made Grandmaster? Absolutely…He was a talented player, but in some ways he was too normal to have that drive and obsession to make that breakthrough that would have taken him beyond just a talented I.M., on to GM and the higher ratings.” (GM Daniel Gormally’s Blog)
Sam Kahn looks at the legacy of Frank Marshall. “Chessmasters were supposed to be brooding, unearthly types — as so many of them were. Marshall, meanwhile, was absolutely a regular person — kind of a hayseed, modest and easygoing — and yet had remained in the absolute front rank of the chess world for three decades. It was a triumph for common sense, an easygoing approach to life, and an unquenchable passion for the game.” (Chess.com Blog)
Podcasts/Videos
I have put out 3 podcasts since the last newsletter. The following links are to the video versions, but you can also find Perpetual Chess in your podcast apps like Spotify. : 1) NM and FIDE Arbiter Oleksandr Bortnyk discussed what the chess scene is like in Ukraine during the war. 2) Kevin Scull joined me to review and discuss the instructive new intermediate+ level book, 100 Tactical Patterns You Must Know. 3) GM Noël Studer for a chess improvement deep dive, discussing accuracy scores and information overload.
Speaking of GM Noël Studer, for those interested, Noël has just updated his comprehensive chess improvement course on studying chess the right way. If you are interested in purchasing it (or his beginner course), you can save 20% by using the code “perpetual20” and help support Perpetual Chess in the process.
That’s all I have for you this week,. have a good weekend!- Ben
So much good stuff in here, really appreciate the variety. Loved the reminder from GM Grigoryan about how even the worst losses can lead to meaningful change. And now I’m definitely curious about that missed mate in the Yip-Cervantes game!