Perpetual Chess Podcast

The Adult Improver Series returns to welcome back an accomplished guest. Kyle Boddy is the founder of Driveline Baseball, an influential company that provides training and performance guidance for professional and aspiring baseball players. Despite the demands of running a company and raising a family, Kyle values chess as a hobby and makes plenty of time for it.

When I first interviewed Kyle in 2022, he was rated below 1000 USCF, but was working diligently and had a long-term hope of reaching USCF 2000. Four years later, he has stuck with it and made considerable progress, recently reaching a new peak of nearly 1550 USCF.

In this follow-up, we discuss:

Why he still loves openings, and how studying them deeply has given him a competitive advantage against many higher-rated opponents.

How he combines old-school, analog training methods with sophisticated uses of AI and chess technology.

The parallels he sees between improving at physical pursuits like baseball and improving at chess.

The immense value he gains from being part of a vibrant chess community in the Pacific Northwest.

It is inspiring to see Kyle’s continued dedication to chess, and I look forward to following his continued progress in the coming years.

0:00- Intro

Join the Perpetual Chess Patreon community:

https://www.patreon.com/c/perpetualchess

Join the free discord:

https://discord.gg/hN3CJsbGn

More on the Adult Improver Series:

Spotify Playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/75Uoqz2BoRt2IiTCeOfuky?si=8fda103624514126

Website:

https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/adultimprover

Check out our sponsor, Claude Co-work at Claude.ai/chess

04:22 Kyle Boddy joins

06:05 What keeps Kyle playing and improving?

07:36 Switching to 1.e4 and open games

Mentioned: Anand-Nunn 1990

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1018185

08:43 Why Kyle still loves studying openings

10:45 How Kyle actually studies openings

12:12 Studying games blindfolded

16:00 How Kyle uses AI for chess

18:19 Engines, Maia Chess and practical preparation

20:34 Kyle’s tournament routine

24:19 How he trains tactics

26:48 Building a new opening repertoire

29:42 Daily chess habits

30:49 The importance of a chess community

34:17 Tournament chess in Seattle and beyond

35:20 Aging and adult chess improvement

37:45 Kyle’s path toward 1800-2000

40:11 Improving at endgames

42:50 Understanding vs. memorizing openings

44:35 The Joey Votto chess bet

45:33 Chess’s popularity among pro athletes

47:05 How much Kyle studies chess

Can Adults Improve at Chess by NM Todd Bryant

https://www.chess.com/article/view/can-adults-improve-at-chess

50:22 Blogging, AI and hiding your prep

52:53 Baseball vs. chess improvement

55:46 Will Kyle still be playing at 50?

56:00- Thanks to Kyle for joining and sharing his inspiring progress- follow his blog here:

https://www.kyleboddy.com/blog/

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With the recent news of his passing, this week we look at the remarkable and wide-ranging chess legacy of FM Bill Goichberg. Among many other distinctions, Bill was the founder of the Continental Chess Association and the creator of the U.S. National Scholastic Championships, and he left an indelible mark on the U.S. chess scene.

My guest is chess journalist FM Jon Jacobs, who is working on an independent biography of Bill. Jon grew up in New York and got to know Bill personally as a top young scholastic player, with a young Bill Goichberg directing some of his formative tournaments in Brooklyn. Decades later, Bill sat down for 15 hours’ worth of interviews with Jon, which Jon has been crafting into a book.

In our interview, we discuss Bill’s business legacy, chess accomplishments, family life, and much more. Bill changed the course of American chess, and I am grateful to Jon for joining me and fleshing out his life story.

00:00 - Intro and remembering FM Bill Goichberg

0:02- Maurice Ashley tweet regarding Goichberg-

https://x.com/MauriceAshley?lang=en06:13 - Jon’s first memories of Bill08:14 - How Bill got started organizing tournaments14:16 - Growing chess in the pre-Fischer era18:21 - Bill’s proudest contributions to US chess22:54 - Continental Chess and its competitors24:39 - How big a business did CCA become?29:50 - Bill’s wife Brenda and their life together35:35 - Bill’s beginnings as a chess player39:48 - How strong was Bill as a player?44:07 - Did Bill ever work outside of chess?

Mentioned: CCA and Domainvision.com

https://www.chesstour.com/aboutcca.htm47:38 - The Continental Chess business model51:54 - Why Jon is writing Bill’s biography57:01 - Where to follow Jon’s work

1:00:00- Thanks to Jon for coming on, you can follow his Facebook page here-

https://www.facebook.com/p/A-Pawn-Made-Flesh-61568668591626/

If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess via Patreon, you can do so here:

https://www.patreon.com/c/perpetualchess

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GM Jacob Aagaard is an award-winning author, a renowned trainer who has worked with GMs Sam Shankland, Nodirbek Abdusattorov and many others, and the co-founder of Quality Chess. Despite all of his accomplishments and the many demands on his time, Jacob retains his passion for chess books and chess improvement. He returns to the podcast to discuss:

How to actually improve at calculation, including why many club players should spend more time solving simple tactics rather than difficult calculation exercises

Some of the key concepts from his excellent new book, A Killer Guide to Attacking Chess

How to categorize the mistakes in your games without overcomplicating the process

Some of the forthcoming chess books he is most excited about

Jacob also teases an exciting new project with GM Garry Kasparov and shares his thoughts on the Olympiad, the FIDE election, and the health of the chess publishing business, among many other topics.

There is always so much to learn from Jacob, and I greatly appreciate his generosity with his time.

This week’s podcast is brought to you by Chessiverse.com. Be sure to check out their many features, and use code “Perpetual30” to receive a 30% discount on premium offerings and IM John Bartholomew’s Scandinavian Course.

00:00 Introduction

0:02- GM Jacob Aagaard joins

0:08- The Upcoming Chess books Jacob is most excited about

Naroditsky Memorial Box Set Quality Chess

Chess Metamorphoss by GM Nikita Vitiugov

Grandmaster Training Camp with GM Sam Shankland

Unlock Your Chess Creativity by IM Richard Palliser

Winning Chess Tactics by GM Yasser Seirawan

The Evans Gambit by IM Andrew Martin

17:00 Jacob’s Writing Workflow and Challenges

21:30 The Role of AI in Chess Writing

30:00 Patreon mailbag question: How does Jacob’s new book compare to his Excelling at Chess Series?

33:00- Patreon mailbag question: How does Jacob recommend one improve at calculation?

41:00 Patreon mailbag question: What is Jacob’s advice for how to categorize the mistakes you make when reviewing and trying to learn from your games?

43:33 Categorizing Mistakes in Chess

45:00 Recommended Chess Books for Improvement

Mentioned:

Attack with Mikhail Tal

Alekhine’s Best Games

Books by GM Larry Christiansen

Life and Games of Mikhail Tal

48:00 Working with GM Garry Kasparov on an updated The Great Predecessors Series

57:00 Patreon mailbag question: How is the chess publishing business doing? Does Jacob have any plans of streamlining the digital availability of the New in Chess Magazine archive?

01:10:00 Patreon mailbag question: Jacob’s thoughts on the Chess Olympiad, the FIDE election and Gukesh-Sindarov

1:16:00- Patreon mailbag question: What is Jacob’s motivation for continuing to compete occasionally

01:17:00- What Jacob learns from being an adult improver at guitar

Mentioned: Jake Workman is Jacob’s guitar teacher

01:24:00-

Thanks to Jacob for joining the show again! Here is how to keep up his work:

Killer Chess Training

https://killerchesstraining.com/

Books

https://www.newinchess.com/catalogsearch/result/index/?authors=Jacob+Aagaard+Madsen&q=%2A

If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess via Patreon, you can do so here:

⁠https://www.patreon.com/c/perpetualchess⁠

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

GM Jacob Aagaard is an award-winning author, a renowned trainer who has worked with GMs Sam Shankland, Nodirbek Abdusattorov and many others, and the co-founder of Quality Chess. Despite all of his accomplishments and the many demands on his time, Jacob retains his passion for chess books and chess improvement. He returns to the podcast to discuss:

How to actually improve at calculation, including why many club players should spend more time solving simple tactics rather than difficult calculation exercises

Some of the key concepts from his excellent new book, A Killer Guide to Attacking Chess

How to categorize the mistakes in your games without overcomplicating the process

Some of the forthcoming chess books he is most excited about

Jacob also teases an exciting new project with GM Garry Kasparov and shares his thoughts on the Olympiad, the FIDE election, and the health of the chess publishing business, among many other topics.

There is always so much to learn from Jacob, and I greatly appreciate his generosity with his time.

This week’s podcast is brought to you by Chessiverse.com. Be sure to check out their many features, and use code “Perpetual30” to receive a 30% discount on premium offerings and IM John Bartholomew’s Scandinavian Course.

00:00 Introduction

0:02- GM Jacob Aagaard joins

0:08- The Upcoming Chess books Jacob is most excited about

Naroditsky Memorial Box Set Quality Chess

Chess Metamorphoss by GM Nikita Vitiugov

Grandmaster Training Camp with GM Sam Shankland

Unlock Your Chess Creativity by IM Richard Palliser

Winning Chess Tactics by GM Yasser Seirawan

The Evans Gambit by IM Andrew Martin

17:00 Jacob’s Writing Workflow and Challenges

21:30 The Role of AI in Chess Writing

30:00 Patreon mailbag question: How does Jacob’s new book compare to his Excelling at Chess Series?

33:00- Patreon mailbag question: How does Jacob recommend one improve at calculation?

41:00 Patreon mailbag question: What is Jacob’s advice for how to categorize the mistakes you make when reviewing and trying to learn from your games?

43:33 Categorizing Mistakes in Chess

45:00 Recommended Chess Books for Improvement

Mentioned:

Attack with Mikhail Tal

Alekhine’s Best Games

Books by GM Larry Christiansen

Life and Games of Mikhail Tal

48:00 Working with GM Garry Kasparov on an updated The Great Predecessors Series

57:00 Patreon mailbag question: How is the chess publishing business doing? Does Jacob have any plans of streamlining the digital availability of the New in Chess Magazine archive?

01:10:00 Patreon mailbag question: Jacob’s thoughts on the Chess Olympiad, the FIDE election and Gukesh-Sindarov

1:16:00- Patreon mailbag question: What is Jacob’s motivation for continuing to compete occasionally

01:17:00- What Jacob learns from being an adult improver at guitar

Mentioned: Jake Workman is Jacob’s guitar teacher

01:24:00-

Thanks to Jacob for joining the show again! Here is how to keep up his work:

Killer Chess Training

https://killerchesstraining.com/

Books

https://www.newinchess.com/catalogsearch/result/index/?authors=Jacob+Aagaard+Madsen&q=%2A

If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess via Patreon, you can do so here:

⁠https://www.patreon.com/c/perpetualchess⁠

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

GM Vasif Durarbayli is a former World Youth Champion and two-time champion of his native Azerbaijan. Now based in St. Louis after graduating from Webster University, Vasif has turned much of his attention to ChessEver, an app designed to make following live chess easier.

In our conversation we discuss:

•• Why he believes every serious chess player needs a coach, and how not hiring one nearly derailed his own career.

• Vasif's outstanding performance at the Naroditsky Memorial blitz, including a near-upset of Hikaru Nakamura.

• An unforgettable over-the-board encounter with legendary GM Viktor Korchnoi.

• How chess broadcasting can be improved, and his ambitious long-term vision for ChessEver.

This was a really enjoyable conversation, and I recommend ChessEver to anyone who enjoys following top-level tournaments.

00:00 - Intro

01:16 - Insights from a top 10 finish at the Naroditsky Memorial blitz tournament

Check out Vasif’s Naroditsky Memorial games here:

The Nakamura game is game 13, 35. Rxa7! Was mate in 12.

https://lichess.org/study/UoNAiYdm/TehrviPk

03:52 - Playing Korchnoi

05:02 - Playing style: aggressive opening choices and psychological play

06:45 - The influence of legendary players and their aura on Vasif

09:16 - Off-the-board aspects of chess improvement and coaching advice

12:37 - Strategies for handling lost positions and psychological tactics

15:08 - The significance of coaching and Vasif’s past mistakes in self-improvement

Vasif’s thoughts on Gukesh’s slump here:

https://x.com/durarbayli/status/2079565216413556923

24:52 - The power of strategic preparation stories from chess books

Mentioned: The Random Book that Made me a Grandmaster

https://durarbayli.com/a-random-book-made-me-a-grandmaster/

The Method in Chess by Josif Dorfman

https://www.amazon.com/Method-Chess-Iossif-Dorfman/dp/2957289024

30:00- Why we should not emulate Sindarov’s study approach

Mentioned: Fooled by Randomness

39:06 - The journey from competitive chess to creating Chess Ever

44:50 - The vision for Chess Ever: following games, broadcasting, and innovation

53:41 - Monetization plans and future features of Chess Ever

58:51 - How Chess Ever differs from other streaming and follow platforms

61:47 - The future of chess broadcasting, AI commentary, and competition

63:48 - Final thoughts and encouraging feedback from listenersResources:

Chess Ever App

Road to Mastery by Golovka

Static and Dynamic by Dorfman

Nasim Taleb - Fooled by Randomness

Connect with Vasif Durabayi:

LinkedIn

Twitter

Website

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