Perpetual Chess Linkfest #121, May 2, 2025

You better know what you're doing.

Here is a hot new linkfest for your weekend chess consumption- have a good one!- Ben

Chess Improvement

Dan Bock has gained hundreds of rating points in his 40s, and he gives you permission to look at your games with an engine. (The Chess Improvement Lab)

FM Nate Solon shares a few tips for how to get the most from LiChess Studies. Very helpful post! (Zwischenzug)

How tf did GM Sam Shankland win this position with Black against a 2200 level player? FM Andy Lee walks you through it in a very instructive post!

While my wife and I have been binge-watching “The Pitt” and gaining even more respect for the life-saving work of those like Dr. Nick Vasquez, Nick himself has been binging a bunch of interviews with top trainer/author GM Jacob Aagaard. One recurring lesson Nick encountered was the importance of working to develop the skill of considering all moves on each move. Be sure to check the comments section where GM Aagaard himself weighs in!) (Chess In Small Doses)

Should Black play 58… Kf7 or 58…b5 here? Or do both moves lead to the same result? Find out in the latest from IM Herman Grooten at The New in Chess Blog

Videos/Podcasts

This week’s Perpetual Chess is with NM Dana Mackenzie, author of Are You Here to Play Chess or Have Fun? We talked about what it takes to achieve the USCF Master Title (or to level up generally), and Dana told some fun stories about a young GM Hans Niemann, a “psychological draw offer” from a top American GM, and more. (Perpetual Chess Podcast)

I also recently caught up on “Friend of the newsletter” FM Nate Solon’s recent interview with Daniel Lona. They primarily focused on Nate’s hatred for chess tournaments. Just kidding, Nate- but they did continue the conversation about how to improve the tournament experience in the U.S. (The Chess Experience)

There have been no shortage of GM Susan Polgar interviews of late, but I particularly enjoyed this one with FM Mike Klein. “I think endgames are a very crucial part of the game for many reasons. By the time you get to the endgame, usually you have very little time left... So you better know what you're doing.” (Chess.com News)

Misc.

Sam Kahn looks at the legacy of legendary Mexican talent Carlos Repetto Torre. “Nimzowitsch declared loud enough for the entire playing hall to hear, “A new genius has arisen in the world of chess." (Chess.com Blog)

Chess News

Top French Pro GM Maxime-Vachier Lagrave has a new update on his recent events, with an emphasis on recent freestyle tournaments.

Are GMs making more mistakes in Chess960 compared to “regular chess?” Julian from the Chess Engine Lab looks at the numbers. “As one would expect, many mistakes in chess 960 games of grandmasters happen early on, as it’s difficult to find the right way to develop in the random starting positions. …It’ll be interesting to revisit such an analysis when many more chess 960 games have been played with classical time controls as the added datapoints should reduce the noise.” (The Chess Engine Lab)

FM Dennis Monokroussos reflects on 56-year-old Vasyl Ivanchuk’s recent resurgence, and shares his annotations on a couple of his recent games. (The Chess Mind)

Dr.Lupo got kicked out of Pogchamps for using engine assistance. (Andy Chalk for PC Gamer)

R.I.P.

Czech Grandmaster Petr Neuman passed away at just 47. “"He was not only a strong player, but also a friendly person with a sense of humour. We will miss him. Rest in peace," GM David Navara said.” (Tarjei Svensen for Chess.com)