Perpetual Chess Linkfest #61, November 17, 2023
Adults, other than me, can improve at chess
Hey everyone! First and foremost I want to spotlight a banger of a post by NM Todd Bryant. Todd is a software engineer, dad, avid weight lifter, and dedicated chess player who ALSO decided to voluntarily gather lots of data on what sort of gains have (and have not) been achieved by adult chess players.) I interviewed him about this research a few months back, but Todd’s new blog post provides an excellent summary of what his data uncovered. Todd found plenty of examples of adults who gained hundreds of USCF points and noted that these players tended to compete OTB very frequently for many years. Todd shared mostly good news for those working hard on their games, although he did note, unsurprisingly, that improvement gets harder the higher up you go.
Other than that, this week we have some insightful posts about chess improvement and a few book reviews. We are a little light on actual chess news, although you all don’t seem to click on those articles as often anyway. That’s all I have to report- next week there will be no linkfest due to the Thanksgiving holiday, so I will be back in your inboxes on December 1. Take care everyone,
Ben
Books
Nick Visel reviews (and liked!) my book. “If you already know the basics of chess and want to get better, this book is a great meta-guide to getting started on that path, or providing some course corrections, or reassurances, if you’re already on that path.” (Nick Plays Chess)
Dr. Nick Vasquez provides an excellent summary of a book about the science of learning Make it Stick. “Our brains however evolved to handle a variable, dynamic world with multiple things to pay attention to. Studying in a similar manner apparently helps our brain to retain information faster.” (Chess in Small Doses)
GM Matthew Sadler reviews Magnus Carlsen Endgame Virtuoso by GM Tibor Karolyi (New in Chess Blog)
I wrote about a few points I wish that I mentioned or emphasized more in my book (Chess.com Blog)
Chess Improvement
Dan Bock has been showing great chess progress but is still encouraged that there is room for more because he is making so many mistakes (The Chess Improvement Lab)
Martin Justesen wonders, Is Chess Culture Important for Improving at Chess? (Say Chess Blog)
TheOnoZone shares advice for handling your emotions during winning positions (LiChess Blog)
What was GM Alex Colovic’s routine like when he was improving the most? Partying at night and studying chess all day! (GM Alex Colovic’s blog)
FM Nate Solon shares some helpful tips regarding how to study via “solitaire chess” (Zwischenzug Blog)
FM Dalton Perrine shares his opening prep process for a specific opponent, using Chessbase (Chess Chatter)
Misc.
Daaim Shabazz wonders- what would it take for the US to host an Olympiad? (The Chess Drum)
Simaginfan looks at some games of, well, Simagin. He also shares some amazing pics of young Ivanchuk and Gelfand (Chess.com Blog)
For a predominantly non-chess audience, I attempted to rank the top 10 chess players of all time. Apologies to the Morphy haters, but he was good! (RadioTimes of London)
Chess News
GM Ray Robson won the Rapid part of the St. Louis Rapid & Blitz (FM Jack Rodgers for Chess.com)
GM Hikaru continues to astound, as he hit a new all time high Chess.com blitz rating (FM Jack Rodgers for Chess.com)
I *finally* got Perpetual Chess Improvement in the mail from Amazon yesterday!