Perpetual Chess Linkfest #90, August 2, 2024
39 days until the Olympiad
Hi again everyone! I’ve decided to actually write something this week, although to be honest I have not been as dialed in as usual on top chess, and outside of recording the video for my Chessable course (Exhausting! Coming out in about a month!) I haven’t been working on my own game lately either.
I do have 3 book recs for you all though. Some of you may have heard them discussed on The Perpetual Chess Podcast, but I will spell them out for those not hanging on every word on the podcast. BTW, did you know that I have a full page of book recs on The Perpetual Chess Website? (The book links are Amazon affiliate links, so clicking them helps support this mom & pop newsletter. You can also get these particular books from the publishers, and often can find electronic versions on Forward Chess, the New in Chess app, etc.)
In Black & White by GM Paul van der Sterren- Biographies are my favorite genre of book, and obviously, chess biographies go to the top of the pile. You will never read a more honest account of the ups and downs of a “non-elite” chess pro. The book has equal parts chess analysis and personal reflections. Very readable for any chess enthusiast, but the chess itself is pitched to a 1600+ level
My System- Fast Track Edition- I have a complicated relationship with this ancient classic. First I thought it was good, then, upon further review, I thought it was kind of bad. GM Alex Fishbein’s new edition makes it good again. It is readable, instructive, and flows like a modern chess book. It is probably best suited to the 1100-1600ish level, or for those interested in the evolution of this book and how GM Fishbein has managed to modernize it.
Games & Goals by IM Atle Gronn - GM Simen Agdestein. Another enjoyable chess biography. Between tangling with the likes of Kasparov and Korchnoi, and eventually coaching a young Magnus, Simen has had a fascinating career. And that is without even getting into his side-hustle as a professional footballer and member of Norway’s National Team! (Luckily, the book does get into it). Just when you think Simen had it made, both careers were taken away by health issues. And then a 9-year-old Magnus Carlsen shows up at his chess academy and the chess world is never the same. Suitable for any level, chess-wise it only contains occasional, simplified chess diagrams, plus an appendix of Simen’s referenced games).
Last thing- My family is headed for a proper vacation at the beach, so the Linkfest will next return on August 16. Below are this week’s chess links. 👋
Chess News
GM Gawain Jones, IM Matthew Wadsworth and IM Ameet Ghasi lead the British Championship with three rounds to go (Carlos Alberto Colodro for Chessbase News)
Magnus and his team lost in the World Rapid Team & Blitz! (Colin McGourty for Chess.com News)
Daaim Shabazz of shares a lot more context about Shama Yisrael recently becoming the first African-American female NM. GM Alex Lenderman remarked, “What I find notable and impressive is that Shama reached all the way to 2199 and had some terrible luck to drop back to around 2150s and still had the strength and perseverance to fight back and get back to high 2100s and eventually cross 2200!” (The Chess Drum)
NM Anthony Levin gives you a rundown on the latest corporate news from Chess.com including fair play, their soon-to-be-launched proprietary browser, and a forthcoming ESPN2 documentary about the 2022 Speed Chess Championship (Chess.com News)
GM Abhimanyu Mishra won the Classical Portion of the Biel Chess Festival, and maintained his rating as the top u18 in the World (Matt Clibanoff for CLO)
WGM Jennifer Yu won the Botez Chess Camp tournament (Colin McGourty for Chess.com)
Chess Improvement
Great post by GM Noel Studer about how much chess improvement is, and is not, realistically possible (Next Level Chess)
GM Alex Colovic on the value of Practical Decision-Making (GM Alex Colovic’s Blog)
You Will Sometimes here People Say that Strategy (as opposed to tactics) Doesn’t Matter at the Amateur Level. FM Nate Solon Weighs In (Zwischenzug)
Wondering what it is like to play your first chess tournament? Here is Dawn Lawson’s report (An Older Woman’s Chess Journey)
GM Dmitry Gordievsky offers another helpful primer on an online star’s repertoire- this time GM Oleksandr Bortnyk (LiChess Blog)
David Hamm on why he is Shifting his Focus from Chess Improvement to Enjoyment (LiChess Blog)
FM Andy Lee annotates a game as he continues to try to rid himself of bad chess habits (Lit & Chess)
Books/Courses
Richard James reviews the How to Study Chess on Your Own Workbook and concludes “If you’re rated between 1800 and 2100, ambitious to improve your rating, are prepared to take time out for serious study and enjoy reading books, I can strongly recommend adding this to your library.” (British Chess News)
Nicholas Sloan writes about how some of the advice from Rapid Chess Improvement has helped him level up (Highground Chess)
The much anticipated Woodpecker 2 is coming soon. “I am proud to say that this book has undergone the most rigorous quality checking ever performed at this company.” (Andrew Greet for The Quality Chess Blog)
Nick Visel Reviews the Chessable Classic The Checkmate Patterns Manual (Nick Plays Chess)
Non-Chess Department
I am going to start recommending non-chess stuff! I really like the idea of keeping a log of one takeaway from every piece of content one consumes. I read this post yesterday and started doing it today (A.J. Jacobs’ Experimental Living)
Thank for the shoutout! Nice post Ben. This is really fantastic to present all this wonderful content for those in the chess community to see current chess content and potential new up and comers. Much appreciated.