Perpetual Chess Linkfest #94, September 6, 2024
Life Coach
I type this as the Chess.com Speed Chess Championship winds down. Magnus is beating Hans handily, no brawls have broken out, and I am excited to turn my attention to the Olympiad, starting next week. Here are a few chess posts to get you through the weekend.
Until next time - Ben
Chess Improvement
Must-read post/review from Dr. Nick Vasquez which reviews GM Andy Soltis’ book, What it Takes to Become a Chess Master and shares how it has led to some changes in his study regimen. “However, by about 3-4 chapters in I began to have a question. GM Soltis was doing a great job of describing the profile of what Master players do and why these things are important. However, he wasn’t describing how they do it.” (Chess in Small Doses)
NDPatzer is back with more on what type of brain activity occurs when a high-level chess player is thinking. (LiChess Blog)
FM Juan Cruz writes about the emotional component that can sometimes lead to irrational opening choices by amateur players. “For example, we might perceive a position as dangerous because of the fear it instills in us, even before we are able to pinpoint the concrete causes of the danger.” (LiChess Blog)
FM Andy Lee on how AI is impacting chess (and writing) “One of the most important factors in learning of any kind is feedback: immediate, relevant, and descriptive. The fact that I can do this immediately after a game and get feedback that I know is trustworthy (see the section above) is incredibly powerful, and a big part of the reason why I managed to keep improving at chess into my 30s.” (Lit & Chess)
Chess News
FIDE is incorporating a knockout element in the World Blitz Championship. Souns good to me. (Tarjei Svensen for Chess.com)
Thanks to a stellar showing by young Ethan Pang, England now has the two highest rated 9 year olds in the world. Lots more nuggets in the latest from Leonard Barden (The Guardian)
Patrick Redford writes a fun, brutally forthright rundown of the Hans-Magnus saga for a mainstream audience “Niemann has taken his Bobby Fischer idolatry to disturbing extremes, melting down in Zagreb when told he could not stay in a hotel room Fischer once stayed in, prompting a tournament organizer to say, "Cheater or not, he clearly has some mental problems." (Defector)
Shout out to MVL , the only elite player who manages to write blog posts somewhat regularly. In this post he provides a St. Louis trip report and opines on the upcoming World Championship. “Since 2014, I’ve had time to establish my habits in the Missouri city! I still have the same routines, I know when to get up, when to exercise, when and where to eat etc….” (Maxime Vachier-Lagrave’s Blog)
WGM Andrea Navrotescu somehow went 9/9 in a tournament as the 4th seeded player! (Tarjei Svensen for Chess.com)
Women’s Chess Titles
GM Judit Polgar recently made headlines by saying that she is not a fan of women’s chess titles. Peter Doggers provides context, and GM Jacob Aagaard wrote a post for New in Chess weighing in on women’s titles and the FIDE title system generally. Jen Shahade has written and spoken extensively on this topic and reupped her views here. (New in Chess Blog)
Thank you for including my article!