Perpetual Chess Podcast

John Hartmann is the award-winning editor of Chess Life magazine, a longtime book reviewer, and an expert on ChessBase, engines, and chess technology. He joined me shortly after a visit to St. Louis to discuss the ongoing U.S. Chess Championships, the renovations to the St. Louis Chess Club, the latest in chess technology, and his new AI-assisted chess newsletter, First Look Chess. We touched on:

John's observations from the U.S. Chess Championships, including the tournament races, the atmosphere in the playing hall, and the impressive renovations to the St. Louis Chess Club.

The latest on Stockfish, the enduring value of ChessBase, and the many new chess apps, including ChessEver, ChessMonitor, and ChessCEO.

The vision behind John's daily chess newsletter, First Look Chess, and how AI has made such a project possible.

As we always do when John visits the pod, we also discussed noteworthy chess books, including GM Alex Fishbein's Fighting Father Time, and the challenges of finding time to work on our own chess games.

Thanks to our sponsors, Claude.ai.

Check them out at Claude.ai/chess

0:00 Intro and welcome back to John Hartmann

1:30 John's visit to the U.S. Chess Championships

Read John’s article here:

https://new.uschess.org/news/club-notes-st-louis

4:30 The new prize encouraging fighting chess

6:00 Inside the renovated St. Louis Chess Club

12:00 What it's like to watch the world's best players up close

16:30 The Women's Championship, Alice Lee and Rachael Li

19:30 The explosion of new chess apps

25:00 Is ChessBase still essential?

28:30 What's new with Stockfish?

32:00 John's new project, First Look Chess

37:30 How US Chess does and does not use AI in its chess coverage

43:30 Covering chess news beyond the biggest headlines

47:30 Finding time for tournament chess as a busy adult

50:00 Chess books, Fighting Father Time, and new training tools

54:30 Why John loves older chess books

58:00 Boris Gelfand, chess literature, and how young players learn

1:00:00- Thanks as always to John for sharing his expertise, you can check out and sub to First Look Chess here:

https://firstlookchess.com/

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GM Nikita Vitiugov is a former Russian champion who reached a peak ranking of #15 in the world. He has represented both his native Russia and England at the Chess Olympiad and worked on the World Championship team of his boyhood rival, GM Ian Nepomniachtchi. In his excellent new book, Chess Metamorphosis, he candidly reflects on his varied chess experiences.

In our conversation, we discuss:

What he learned from working with players like Nepomniachtchi and Peter Svidler, and what he observed from seeing them up close.

How two unforgettable training camps with GM Viktor Korchnoi altered the trajectory of his career.

Why he has accepted that his best competitive years are behind him, and what that means for his future.

How professional chess has changed, and why he might not pursue a chess career if he were starting out today.

We also discuss the candid, behind-the-scenes photos featured in Nikita's book, his passion for cooking and football, and much more. I loved reading Nikita's book, and it was an honor to hear more about it.

0:00 Intro

Thanks to our sponsor Claude AI. Check it out at Claude.ai/chess

2:00 GM Nikita Vitiugov joins the show

3:00 Why Nikita wrote Chess Metamorphosis

6:30 Why Nikita suspects that his best competitive years are behind him

10:00 How professional chess has changed

14:00 Growing up alongside Ian Nepomniachtchi

18:30 Training with the legendary Viktor Korchnoi

23:30 Working with GM Peter Svidler

Mentioned: Svidler on being a practical player-

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7gi9KryNqkNEPZzN3obeU6?si=a7e7505918ed441e

27:00 What makes Nepomniachtchi and Svidler so talented?

29:00 Behind the scenes of Team Nepo, including a funny story about a thermos

35:30 Working with GM Peter Leko

38:30 Moving to England and adjusting to a new life

41:00 Nikita's passions for cooking and football

45:30 His transition to coaching and advice for aspiring professionals

Thanks to GM VItiugov for joining me! You can order his book and find a free preview via the links below:

https://www.newinchess.com/chess-metamorphosis

https://forwardchess.com/product/chess-metamorphosis?section=Products

Photo in thumbnail by Etery Kublashvili

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

GM Nikita Vitiugov is a former Russian champion who reached a peak ranking of #15 in the world. He has represented both his native Russia and England at the Chess Olympiad and worked on the World Championship team of his boyhood rival, GM Ian Nepomniachtchi. In his excellent new book, Chess Metamorphosis, he candidly reflects on his varied chess experiences.

In our conversation, we discuss:

What he learned from working with players like Nepomniachtchi and Peter Svidler, and what he observed from seeing them up close.

How two unforgettable training camps with GM Viktor Korchnoi altered the trajectory of his career.

Why he has accepted that his best competitive years are behind him, and what that means for his future.

How professional chess has changed, and why he might not pursue a chess career if he were starting out today.

We also discuss the candid, behind-the-scenes photos featured in Nikita's book, his passion for cooking and football, and much more. I loved reading Nikita's book, and it was an honor to hear more about it.

0:00 Intro

Thanks to our sponsor Claude AI. Check it out at Claude.ai/chess

2:00 GM Nikita Vitiugov joins the show

3:00 Why Nikita wrote Chess Metamorphosis

6:30 Why Nikita suspects that his best competitive years are behind him

10:00 How professional chess has changed

14:00 Growing up alongside Ian Nepomniachtchi

18:30 Training with the legendary Viktor Korchnoi

23:30 Working with GM Peter Svidler

Mentioned: Svidler on being a practical player-

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7gi9KryNqkNEPZzN3obeU6?si=a7e7505918ed441e

27:00 What makes Nepomniachtchi and Svidler so talented?

29:00 Behind the scenes of Team Nepo, including a funny story about a thermos

35:30 Working with GM Peter Leko

38:30 Moving to England and adjusting to a new life

41:00 Nikita's passions for cooking and football

45:30 His transition to coaching and advice for aspiring professionals

Thanks to GM VItiugov for joining me! You can order his book and find a free preview via the links below:

https://www.newinchess.com/chess-metamorphosis

https://forwardchess.com/product/chess-metamorphosis?section=Products

Photo in thumbnail by Etery Kublashvili

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As a three-time Chess Olympian representing Chile, GM Mauricio Flores Rios, renowned author of Chess Structures, has fond memories of this timeless, biennial tournament. But these days, he is more interested in the instructive quality of the games than in the races for medals.

In our conversation, Mauricio discusses some of the most instructive Olympiad games that he reviewed on his YouTube channel before we pivot to a broader conversation about the Olympiad, chess improvement, the challenges of interviewing chess prodigies, and the evolution of his chess startup, ChessMind AI.

Before we say goodbye, Mauricio shares some improvement advice based on his interactions with countless amateur chess players. It’s always fun chatting with Mauricio!

0:00 IntroThanks to our sponsors, Claude.ai/chessCheck out Claude-coded Chris Wainscott’s chess site: guessthemove.net3:30 Mauricio joins and reflects on playing in three Chess OlympiadsCheck out Mauricio’s confusing Olimpbase page here:https://www.olimpbase.org/players/l9dxlxdl.html9:00 How Mauricio finds the most instructive Olympiad games12:30 Favorite games and lessons from the eventCheck out Mauricio’s bullet win over GM Vincent Keymer here:https://lichess.org/sVl59MdM?pov=ChessMindAIThe most interesting game:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3SxghzYRB0&list=PLfOXGLq2wea8&index=13Mauricio’s annotations of Abdusattorov-Caruana:https://chessmind.ai/events/chess-olympiad-2026/game-of-the-day/round-9/Mauricio’s Erdogmus-Oro annotations:https://chessmind.ai/events/chess-olympiad-2026/game-of-the-day/round-10/16:00 What stands out about today’s chess prodigies?18:00 What Mauricio has learned from interviewing top young players22:30 Patreon mailbag question: How does Mauricio differentiate his YouTube channelin a crowded field?

25:30 The evolution of ChessMind AI and what users want most32:30 The challenges of building a chess startup in the AI era47:30 Mauricio’s chess improvement advice and YouTube plans

Thanks to Mauricio for joining me! Here is how to keep up with him:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCafpDJknMf7fr1Wlw6jAEMQChessMind AI: https://chessmind.ai Email: mauricio.a.flores.math at gmail.com

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The Adult Improver series returns to spotlight another guest who has benefited from chess and improved significantly at the game. Chess was recommended to Leah Brown as a healthier outlet for a mind that, in Leah’s words, tends to “torture itself.” Leah began playing tournaments less than two years ago and already has a peak rating of over 1600 USCF. In our conversation, Leah shares the training approach that has helped propel these gains, including:

A lot of OTB chess with comprehensive review

A heavy reliance on books, particularly those by IM Jeremy Silman

A painful adjustment to 1. e4 openings that will hopefully provide long-term benefits

Leah also highlights the importance of finding a friendly chess community in Massachusetts and shares the story of beating a GM in a simul. Tune in to hear the rest of this inspiring story.

0:00- Intro

Links Mentioned:

Perpetual Chess Patreon

Spotify Adult Improver Playlist

Website

Form to be considered as an adult improver guest

1:45 Meet Leah Brown

2:39 How chess became a healthy outlet

Mentioned: BIllerica Chess Club

https://billericachess.42web.io/?i=3

FM Sandro Safar

https://lichess.org/coach/Sandro970

The Real Paul Morphy by FM Charles Hertan

5:08 Finding a welcoming OTB chess community

7:11 Getting serious about improvement

10:28 Jeremy Silman and learning through chess books

15:28 What fueled Leah’s rapid rating gains?

20:42 Lessons learned the hard way and switching to 1. e4

31:38 Rating goals and the ambition to earn a title

35:34 Advice for adult improvers

37:09 The role chess plays in Leah’s life

40:31 Beating a GM in a six-hour simul game

Mentioned: GM Nadia Kosintseva

45:25 Closing Advice for Navigating the Chess Community

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