Perpetual Chess Podcast

In just a few years, 24-year-old Australian Twitch streamer Hannah Sayce went from playing casual online games during lockdown to earning the Woman Candidate Master (WCM) title and competing in international tournaments. Her post-lockdown rise has taken her from below 1000 to a 2300 Chess.com blitz rating. In this conversation, Hannah shares the highs and lows of her chess journey and the strategies behind her rapid improvement. Key turning points included learning to slow down at the board and forcing herself to embrace endgame study despite her resistance. Hannah’s rapid progress is inspiring to young girls and adult improvers alike—and it was fun to hear her story. Timestamps of topics discussed are below. Thanks to our sponsor, Chessable.com! If you sign up for Chessable Pro in order to unlock discounts and additional features, be sure to use the following link: https://www.chessable.com/pro/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=benjohnson&utm_campaign=pro And you can check out their new offerings here: ht

GM Alexandr Fier is a 5 time champion of Brazil and 9 time chess Olympian. He also recently qualified for the FIDE World Cup for the 8th time by finishing tied for first at the American Continental tournament. But aside from all of his impressive accomplishments, what interests me most about GM Fier is how frequently he competes.  Last year alone, he played nearly 200 classical games,, and he has now travelled to over 50 countries. In our conversation we discussed:  How he maintains his energy and positive outlook through a busy tournament calendar Why he thinks playing quickly gives him a competitive advantage. (Hence the nickname “No Fear”)  How he reacted to getting some harsh feedback from legendary trainer IM Mark Dvoretsky at age 18.  We also talked about GM Fier’s recent qualification for the 2025 FIDE World Cup, his plans for the rest of 2025, and of course, chess books. It was a pleasure to chat with one of Brazil’s top players, and I look forward to following his nonstop tournam

This week’s guest is Samuel Sonning, a Swedish computer scientist, former Google engineer, and founder of NoctieAI—a user-friendly chess platform featuring rating tests and bots designed to play like humans. In our conversation, Samuel discusses his unique improvement philosophy as an adult learner, including how memorizing famous games helped him build intuition and visualization skills. A passionate player himself, many of Sam’s ideas have directly shaped NoctieAI, which offers immediate move feedback and personalized flashcards based on individual mistakes. We also explore the broader state of machine learning as it relates to chess. Samuel has been fascinated by this intersection since the days of Kasparov vs. Deep Blue, but while he still sees great potential in AI-assisted chess learning, he no longer views chess as the leading edge of AI development. This was a fascinating conversation, and I’m excited to follow NoctieAI’s continued evolution. Thanks to our sponsor, Chessable.com! If you sign up for

In this memorable episode of Perpetual Chess, we welcome back Tony Ballard, who spent 26 years incarcerated and credits chess with helping him change the course of his life. When we last spoke in Episode 289 (2022), Tony was still in a minimum-security facility. Now fully free, he’s making the most of his second chance. He’s working full-time at the Paul Mitchell Barber School, has founded a nonprofit—Masters and Mentors—to teach chess to at-risk youth, and has released a powerful memoir, Time Alone: From Isolation to Transformation. The book doesn’t shy away from the trauma and darkness of his past, but ultimately it’s an inspiring story of growth and resilience. In our conversation, we discussed: – How chess fits into his daily routine – His chess improvement philosophy – The best things about life after prison – Tony’s advice for anyone who feels stuck or overwhelmed Chatting with Tony is always uplifting—and this conversation is no exception. Thanks to our sponsor, Chessable.com! If you sign up for Che

This two-part episode of Perpetual Chess features two of the most impactful figures in American chess education: Coach Jay Stallings and Adam Weissbarth. First up, Coach Jay shares insights from his decades of experience teaching over 30,000 students,and also discusses his recent work consulting on the chess scenes in the new Hollywood blockbuster The Accountant 2. Additionally, Jay reviews some of the teaching tools he currently relies on—including a fun new one that he recently created himself. Following Jay is Adam Weissbarth, founder of Silver Knights Chess Academy, one of the largest after-school chess programs in the country. Adam recounts the immense challenges his company faced during the pandemic, when it lost all of its revenue sources overnight. He explains how he rebuilt the organization and expanded into elite coaching with grandmasters. Together, these conversations offer a fascinating look at the state of chess instruction—from classrooms to Zoom screens to movie scenes. Timestamps of guests a

EP 436- Adult Improver Torkil Jara Bårdsgjerde on How Workplace Trash Talk Sparked a Lifelong Passion for Chess  In this inspiring and relatable installment of the Adult Improver Series, we meet  Torkil Jara Bårdsgjerde, a 39-year-old father of two, from Norway who discovered competitive chess after a bit of playful banter with a workplace rival. That exchange sparked a fascination with the game—and when the pandemic hit shortly after, Torkil suddenly had the time to dive in. Five years later, he's a regular tournament competitor and recently completed an impressive FIDE rating jump from 1400 to 1800 in just one year. In our conversation, Torkil shares his favorite resources and offers thoughtful advice on how to make the most of limited chess time. He also reflects on how chess has influenced his off-the-board habits—from health and mindfulness to goal-setting—and why he hopes his chess journey is still just beginning. Spotify Adult Improver Playlist You can volunteer or suggest an adult improver guest he

IM Alex Ostrovskiy is a former Scholastic National Champion, New York State Champion, and accomplished coach who has earned one GM norm, and reached a peak USCF rating of 2560. In addition to his coaching work, Alex is a regular commentator on GM Hikaru Nakamura's Twitch channel, and a tournament organizer who runs frequent invitational tournaments in New York City (where he has lived since the age of 5.) Alex and I discussed the following:  Alex’s three main tenets of chess improvement- tactics, opening prep, and playing consistently  Lessons from a couple recent tournaments, and why Alex has scaled back his GM-title ambitions The origins of Alex’s longtime friendship with Gotham Chess, and whether he is surprised by Levy's success.  This was a fun conversation with a lot of good advice. Timestamps of topics discussed are below.  00:00- ChessDojo special offer! If you try out Chessdojo 4.0 you can get a 40% discount by using the code “Ben40” at checkout.  https://www.chessdojo.club/sig

GM Mauricio Flores Rios' first book, Chess Structures, is a modern classic which is seemingly recommended on a weekly basis on Perpetual Chess. After nine years of work, Mauricio has recently released its follow-up, Chess Imbalances: A GM Guide. Like Chess Structures, it is a highly instructive book with a beautiful selection of games and useful guidelines to aid one's chess decision-making. We discussed the following:  His opinion on the value of the bishop pair, as well as bishop vs. knight  The surprising reason that his book often featured the games of Magnus Carlsen When to switch from “objective mode” to “survival mode” in a game  We also discussed freestyle chess, and the impact of machine learning on chess. Mauricio is a statistician by trade, who recently launched a chess instruction site called ChessMind A.I., so he was particularly insightful on this topic. There is always lots to learn from chatting with (and reading) GM Rios, and this conversation was quite informative. Times

Dr. Kenneth Rogoff has undoubtedly had one of the highest-profile and most interesting careers of any Grandmaster working outside of chess. He is an author and Harvard professor who was once singled-out by none other than Bobby Fischer, as a player who had shown remarkable chess improvement. As a young chess star, Dr. Rogoff actually dropped out of high school to move to Europe and pursue chess professionally, but by age 18 he had returned to the U.S. and enrolled at Yale. He would remain active in chess for many more years, but his top priority gradually switched from chess to academics, and he eventually quit chess entirely (save for an exhibition game against Magnus Carlsen in 2012) Dr. Rogoff still loves chess and thinks about it all the time, but economics turned out to be the right decision for him, as he has become a distinguished professor who has worked as the Chief Economist at the World Bank, and has met 8 different U.S. Presidents in his life. His new book, Our Dollar, Your Problem,intersperses o

NM Dana Mackenzie is a former math professor turned science writer who has maintained a passion for chess throughout his life and career changes.He is a USCF Life Master and was the 2 time state champion of North Carolina.  Dana had a long running and popular chess blog which has now been turned into a book Did You Come Here to Play Chess or Have Fun? The book features plenty of chess improvement advice, with a particular emphasis on what Dana thinks is required to become a master level player. Dana is very familiar with the ups and downs of an active player, as he achieved a peak rating of USCF 2257, eventually fell below 2100, and then had to revamp his game in his 50s in order to get back to 2200!.  Dana also shares some fun stories from his chess career. These include amusing or noteworthy anecdotes about GM Jesse Kraai, a young GM Hans Niemann and a funny story involving a prominent grandmaster offering a “psychological draw offer.” . All in all, there is a lot to learn, and to enjoy from Dana’s book an

GM Mihail Marin is a prolific and popular author, trainer, and 3-time Romanian national champion. He has made numerous contributions to the chess canon but is probably best known for the book Learn from the Legends, published in 2005, which received high praise from GM Daniel Naroditsky, IM Jeremy Silman, and many others. In 2025, its much-anticipated sequel, Learn from the Legends 2: Chess Heroes at Their Best has finally been released. GM Marin joined me to discuss: The different format chosen for this sequel compared to the original Things to know about each of the players featured in Mihail's new book: GMs Stein, Keres, Bronstein, Portisch, and Polugaevsky His own rise up the chess ranks Why chess was a uniquely appealing profession in Communist Romania  GM Marin has accumulated a litany of stories from a life among the world's top players, and it is always a pleasure to speak with him! Timestamps of topics discussed are below." Thanks to our sponsor, Chessable.com. Be sure to check out their new o

GM Susan Polgar is a World Chess Hall of Famer and former Women’s World Champion. She is also the holder of numerous records, including being the first female  “triple crown winner” and the first woman to earn the Grandmaster title by norms and rating. She is also an author, and Chessable author. Her latest book,  Rebel Queen: The Cold War, Misogyny and the Making of Grandmaster is a candid and fascinating memoir which looks back at her unusual upbringing, her extraordinary playing career, her life as a wife and mom, and her accomplishments as a groundbreaking university coach. As you might expect, this is a fascinating conversation. Timestamps of topics discussed are below.  Thanks to our sponsor, Chessable.com. Be sure to check out their new offerings here: https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/  If you sign up for Chessable Pro in order to unlock discounts and additional features, be sure to use the following link: https://www.chessable.com/pro/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=benjohnson&utm_cam

The Adult Improver series returns to Perpetual Chess to welcome Omar Mills (aka ChessvonDoom) to the podcast. Omar fell in love with chess during the pandemic and has learned some unexpected lessons through the thousands of games he has played in subsequent years. He learned that chess improvement and maintaining a disciplined study routine  is much harder than he ever could have guessed, but that you can learn a lot about yourself through the game nonetheless. In a new Chessable course, Chess Destiny: Lessons from an Adult Improver and his Coach, Omar collaborates with popular YouTuber NM Robert Ramirez to share some of these unexpected chess and life lessons. These lessons include: What does Omar call “the rule of three?”  What has playing the bass taught Omar about chess improvement? What one piece of advice would he give his “new to chess” self of 5 years ago?  Plus lots  more, its always insightful and entertaining to hear from Omar!  Adult Improver Series webpage: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/

IM Danny Rensch is a former child prodigy turned Chief Chess Officer of Chess.com, the largest chess website in the world. Danny rejoined me 8 years after his first visit to the podcast (Episode 18) to discuss all that is new with Chess.com. Inevitably, this means a detailed discussion of online cheat detection, and whether Chess.com thinks that their increased deterrence methods are working. But there is a lot more to discuss including: What goes into decisions of choosing commentators for an event? Lessons learned from some P.R. missteps related to the closing of Chess24, and changes to the Chessable product offerings.  Upcoming TV shows and documentaries related to chess. Why are so many of these shows related to cheating? Danny’s forthcoming memoir about growing up in a cult It is always fun to get a glimpse behind the curtain at the world’s biggest chess company, and you are sure to learn something about “chess business” in this conversation. Timestamps of topics discussed are below.  Thanks to our

GM Noël Studer is a two time Swiss National Champion turned blogger, course creator and chess trainer. Noël is also a regular guest on the podcast, and as an avid reader of his blog, I always have plenty of questions for him. This particular interview tackles questions like the following: What has training for a marathon taught Noël about chess? Do Grandmasters like Noël make it sound easier than it is to “fix blunders?”  What are the traits of Noël’s most successful students?  We also discuss an update to one of Noël’s courses, his next projects, and why we both are a bit disillusioned with professional chess. There is always a lot to learn from GM Studer!  Check out Noël’s updated course on studying chess the right way here (https://courses.nextlevelchess.blog/courses/simplified-chess-improvement-system?ref=bc4be0) Use the code perpetual20 to receive a 20% discount. By using that link, you'll also support Perpetual Chess. https://courses.nextlevelchess.blog/courses/simplified-chess-improvement-system?

The Perpetual Chess Book Review series, Chess Books Recaptured is back, to discuss a new tactics primer that has been getting a lot of buzz, 100 Tactical Patterns You Must Know by FM Frank Erwich. My guest co-host is Kevin Scull, the host of the Chess Journeys podcast, and a dedicated student of the game. Kevin wanted to discuss this book because he felt it filled a glaring void in the marketplace and that it helped his game a lot. Nonetheless, Kevin also had a few quibbles with the book, so he joined me to discuss the pros and cons of this book, which overall is quite a worthwhile addition to the libraries of intermediate players and chess trainers alike. Because this book is so visual by nature, we kept this conversation short, and also made a companion video showing a few positions. The link to that, as well as timestamps and topics mentioned are below.  Part 2 of this review, which looks at positions from the book, can be seen on The Perpetual Chess YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/vaQuEx2CBgQ Check ou

Oleksandr Prokhorov is a Lviv, Ukraine-based chess organizer, trainer, FIDE arbiter and Twitch streamer. Ukraine has a rich chess history and has a vibrant grass roots scene in addition to famous natives such as Vasyl Ivanchuk, the Muzychuk sisters, and GM Ruslan Ponomariov. In recent years, I have marvelled at the persistent passion for chess in Ukraine  as I follow Facebook groups like the Love Chess Ukraine Facebook Group. Oleksandr and I discussed:  Is interest in Ukrainian chess as strong as ever despite the war? Is there still state funding for chess-related activities?  What challenges are presented by the fact that many of its top Ukrainian players are moving abroad in order to be able to compete internationally?  We also discussed a few notable Ukrainians who have been on the front lines, Oleksandr's favorite books and content creators, and what Oleksandr and his colleagues are doing to help the next generation of Ukrainian players. Hearing about the resilience of the Ukrainian people, and their

IM Willy Hendriks is an award-winning chess author, historian and chess trainer. He has just released his fourth book, The Philosopher and the Housewife:Tarrasch, Nimzowitsch and the Evolution of Chess. This book is the completion of a trilogy which casts a new light on chess history and looks at the evolution of chess ideas. Willy’s newest book focuses on the early 20th century, with a particular emphasis on Aron Nimzowitsch and Siegbert Tarrasch. We tackle questions such as: Was Aron Nimzowitsch the most pretentious chess player of them all?  What does Willy think of My System?  Have the stylistic differences between Tarrasch and Nimzowitsch been exaggerated? What can we learn about engines and modern chess through reading about these players?  Our conversation is filled with fun stories and reflections about these players, along with the contributions of the third “main character,” Semion Alapin.   We also discuss Willy’s own competitive career and his potential next projects. It is always a pleasure

GM Wojciech Moranda is a high-level trainer, author and 2600+ rated player  who has worked with the Polish youth national team and IM Levy Rozman among many other students. I often recommend his books for ambitious advanced players, so I was excited to welcome him back to discuss his new Chessable Course, The Moranda Method: How to Calculate Like a Beast. In the course, and in our discussion, Wojciech lays out his core beliefs and fundamental framework for how to calculate in chess. His course is best-suited for 1800+ players, but Wojciech’s insights can help players at any level. In our conversation, we discuss common misconceptions about calculation, when one should stop calculating a variation, and then Wojciech lays out what he calls “the 5 elements of calculation.” Wojciech is extremely knowledgeable about chess, and its always a pleasure to speak with him.  Check out our bonus video going through a calculation exercise on the Perpetual Chess YouTube page: https://youtu.be/0gSdFDkeeWQ Thanks to our spo

FM Nate Solon is a data scientist, Chessable author, New in Chess Magazine columnist and the creator of the popular and insightful newsletter, Zwischenzug. Nate joined me shortly after we played in a tournament together to share his latest chess-improvement related thoughts and to reflect on recent lessons he has absorbed. We focused on a few themes in particular:  Why Nate thinks the challenge of learning new openings is often overstated, and the way in which he thinks chess openings “resemble poems.” How to avoid the trap of overemphasizing solving tactics in one’s training plan  Nate and I both discuss our experiences in the recent World Amateur Team tournament, and the ways in which the weekend tournament experience might be improved.  There is always a lot to learn from Nate, and I am confident your chess can benefit from this conversation. Timestamps of discussion are below.  Sub to Nate’s newsletter here: https://zwischenzug.substack.com/ Thanks to our sponsor, Chessable.com! Be sure to check