Perpetual Chess Linkfest #99, October 18, 2024

Peaks & Valleys

Some stuff happened in the chess world! It was a week marred by stories of potential OTB cheating and unprovoked physical attacks, but we also saw some noteworthy achievements by a young female chess star and a middle-aged dude finally chasing down the GM title. Read all about it in this week’s newsletter, along with the usual collection of reviews and chess improvement reflections.

Crazy Chess News

This US Championship has already been a memorable one, highlighted by the disturbing news that GM Christopher Yoo is disqualified for punching a photographer after a frustrating loss. In the Women’s Section IM Carissa Yip is off to a historic 6 out of 6 start. IM V Saravanan shares the latest info on both stories. (Chess.com News)

Even though IM Carissa Yip has scored 6/6, her games sometimes have been topsy-turvy affairs. FM Andy Lee dissects her battle with GM Irina Krush. (Lit & Chess)

On the topic of the Christopher Yoo outburst, GM Krisztian Szabo wrote about the challenges of learning to control emotional impulses after tough losses. “It’s an important reminder that no matter how intense the game gets, emotional resilience is just as vital as strategic brilliance.’ (Lichess Blog)

GM Kirill Shevchenko was disqualified from the Spanish team Championship due to suspicion that we was using a phone in the bathroom. The New York Times and Chess.com covered the story, among other entities. (Victor Mather for the NYT) (Colin McGourty for Chess.com)

MVL is back, and sharing a story of what happens when your glasses break in the middle of the Olympiad. (MVL’s Blog)

Peter Doggers interviewed Gukesh about the upcoming World Championship match. “In general, I don't believe in predictions and who are the favorites, etc. I just think that whoever is able to show up every day as the best will win the game eventually.” (Chess.com News)

After year of knocking on the door, IM Ameet Ghasi has qualified for the GM title at age 37. “I can’t say I’ve been celebrating, it’s more just a relief.” (Leonard Barden for The Guardian)

Chess Improvement

This picture is not a map of Pennsylvania, its actually a fascinating “Win/Draw/Loss” probability map of one of the most famous chess games in modern history. Learn about it the Chess Engine Lab.

Ivan from 64 Squares does a data-fueled deep dive on the his chronic time-trouble, and shares some tips he has gathered for combating it. (64 Squares)

GM Serper is back doing what he does best, sharing stories and recurring patterns from the broad sweep of chess history. Black to move and win material here, the arrow is a hint. (Answer in GM Serper’s Chess.com column)

NM Matt Gross writes about the delicate balance between learning an opening by memorizing and through conceptual understanding. “At the end of the day, to play an opening well, you have to both know some of the moves by heart and also understand why those moves are good so you can play well once you’re out of book.  The real question is how to prioritize rote memorization and conceptual learning while you’re introducing yourself to an opening.” (MoveLibrary)

FM Nate Solon also shared some advice on how to develop plans in the opening phase (Zwischenzug)

Dawn Lawson met FM James Canty at a book signing, and he gave her some thoughtful chess advice. (An Older Woman’s Chess Journey)

GM Alex Colovic on one of the things that draws him back to chess. “I remember reading in one of Rowson’s books that when he played and analysed with Morozevich (or Grischuk, I cannot remember exactly) he understood that they were on a different level and that he could never reach that level, simply because he felt it was a difference in class/talent that was God-given. It is exactly this reason why I still want to play chess. I am looking for that moment.” (GM Alex Colovic’s Blog)

David Hamm reflects on some feedback he has gotten that he needs to stick to one chess study plan. Don’t we all! (LiChess blog)

Books/Courses

GM Matthew Sadler with a rave review for GM Jacob Aagaard’s A Matter of Endgame Technique. I agree with Sadler’s assessment, and its a pleasure to read, but it is probably best suited to those 1800+ (New in Chess Blog)

Rasika Ratnaparkhi heartily recommends Kyla Zhao’s May the Best Player Win, a chess novel geared towards teens and young adults. (Chessbase India)

Nick Visel reviewed my Chessable course, Identifying Critical Moments in Chess. I agree with both the praise and the critiques! (Nick Plays Chess)

Peter Doggers tells the story of the making of his imminent book, The Chess Revolution: From the Ancient World to the Digital Age. I have read Peter’s book and interviewed him today for The Perpetual Chess Podcast (coming out 10/29), and can report that it is a book filled with great stories, that every chess fan can enjoy and learn from. (Chess.com News)

Chess History

“Simaginfan” returns to highlight another of his favorite annotators, GM Mark Taimanov. He is pictured (right) doing battle with fellow legendary GM, Svetozar Gligoric. Read more about what distinguished Taimanov’s writing here.

Sam Kahn on why he wrote A Century of Chess, and how he turned it into a book. “The idea with “A Century of Chess” was to begin in 1900 and work my way forward through chess history, like what GM Garry Kasparov did in his classic My Great Predecessors—my version would just be much dorkier and more neurotic.” (Chess.com Blog)

This concludes this week’s chess articles, have a good weekend! - Ben