Recorded on January 31, 2024
Featuring guest co-host FM Nate Solon
With talk of online cheating recently dominating chess conversations, Chess.com CEO and co-founder Erik Allebest joined me (and guest co-host FM Nate Solon) to discuss the issue at length. While Erik acknowledges that chess cheating is an existential threat to the game, the research of his Chess.com team suggests that people overestimate the frequency of online cheating occurrences. Erik also discussed Chess.com’s current and forthcoming anti-cheat measures, their policy regarding not naming suspected cheaters, and Erik’s thoughts on some recent headline-grabbing comments by GM Fabiano Caruana. We also covered a lot of topics unrelated to online cheating, including The Magnus-Hikaru match that fell through last year, the closures of Chess24 and the Pro Chess League, Chess.com’s relationship with FIDE, and Erik’s reflections on the Niemann-Carlsen story. As Erik discussed, there will still be a lot more information coming out about that story in a forthcoming Netflix documentary. I appreciated Erik’s willingness to speak so openly about so many issues and think that you will learn a lot from the conversation.
0:00- Be sure to check out Chessable’s new courses including GM Srinath Narayanan’s brand new course on the Classical Sicilian, and if you use this link to sign up for Chessable Pro, and/or make a Chessable purchase, it will help support Perpetual Chess.
https://www.chessable.com/pro/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=benjohnson&utm_campaign=pro
0:01- Here are the links to subscribe to guest co-host FM Nate Solon’s blog and to check out his new learning cohort, The Chess Gym:
https://thechessgym.com/
https://zwischenzug.substack.com/
0:03- Erik Allebest joins the podcast! We begin by discussing chess cheating.
Mentioned: Erik’s first interview with Ilya Levitov
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZDRrWAx2Rk
(there is a part 2 to that interview that was released after this podcast was recorded)
NY Times article:
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/22/crosswords/chess-cheating-online-fide.html
13:30- What does Erik think of GM Fabiano Caruana’s recent suggestions of widespread cheating during Titled Tuesday?
Mentioned; Nate’s post called Beating Hikaru
https://zwischenzug.substack.com/p/beating-hikaru
27:00- More on cheating, including whether they have considered having players play from centralized locations and other issues.
31:00- What goes into their policy of not naming cheaters, might that policy be changed?
40:00- Has Chess.com had discussions with FIDE about sharing info about who has been banned from their site?
42;00- Would Chess.com consider being involved in a new chess governing body?
Mentioned: Episode 364 with GM Patrick Wolff
49:00- What happened with the match between Magnus and Hikaru that fell through last year?
Mentioned: The State of Chess.com 2023:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri3Z809CbS8
55:00- What will be the subject of a forthcoming Netflix chess documentary?
Mentioned: GM Sam Sevian
57:00- What did the CHess.com team learn from the Niemann-Carlsen controversy?
1:01:00- Why was the Pro Chess League shut down? What about Chess24?
1:11:00- Was selling a partial stake of Chess.com to the private equity firm General Atlantic related to the Play Magnus acquisition?
Mentioned: Isai Scheinberg, General Atlantic Announces Investment in Chess.com:
https://www.generalatlantic.com/media-article/chess-com-announces-growth-investment-from-general-atlantic/
1:20:00- Closing thoughts- what is Erik excited for in the coming year?
Thanks to Erik for joining us, and to FM Nate Solon for co-hosting!
If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here:
https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess
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EP 380- FIDE Candidates Wrap Up with GM Erwin L'Ami: Gukesh Ascends as Caruana Suffers a Heartbreaking Setback
EP 379- IM Renier Castellanos on How he Earned the GM Title at Age 41.
Bonus Pod- FIDE Candidates Round 12 Breakdown (Part 2)- FM Mike Klein on the Player’s Mindsets, Historical Context, and the Alireza Shoe Controversy
Bonus Pod- FIDE Candidates Round 12 Breakdown (Part 1)- An Epic Finish Awaits, as Naka, Nepo and Gukesh are Tied!
Bonus Pod- FIDE Candidates Round 10 Breakdown (Part 2)- GM Jan Timman on the tournament so far.
EP 378- Lou Hays- Spending weekends with Fischer and Spassky, Getting to 2100 from Scratch as an Adult, Chess Publishing Then and Now
Bonus Pod- FIDE Candidates Round 10 Breakdown (Part 1)- Nepo and Gukesh lead Narrowly as Naka and Fabi are in Pursuit
Bonus Pod- FIDE Candidates Round 7 Breakdown (Part 2)- GM Daniel King on the Tournament So Far
Bonus Pod- FIDE Candidates Round 7 Breakdown (Part 1)- Nepo and Tan Zhongyi Lead after a Dramatic First Half of the Tournament
EP 377- NM Dan Heisman and NM Laura Smith. Two Accomplished Trainers on Capturing, Counting, and other Chess Concepts To Know
Bonus Pod- FIDE Candidates First 4 Round Breakdown. Nepo leads (As usual). Plus a Fan's Toronto Trip Report
EP 376- Adult Improver Jordan Groff on What it Takes to Make Master in 2024
EP 375- FIDE Candidates Mega Preview with GM Rafael Leitão, Chess by the Numbers, and On the Queenside
EP 374- GM Noel Studer- Chess Improvement Q & A- Avoiding Burnout, Addressing Weaknesses, Avoiding Blunders, & Lots More!
EP 373- Carol Ann Caronia: Advice for Chess Parents & Scholastic Teachers from an Author and Longtime Teacher
EP 372- GM Jan Gustafsson: Learning 1. E4, Life after Team Magnus, Chess Cheating, the FIDE Candidates & more
EP 371- GM Josh Friedel- Common Beginner & Intermediate Mistakes, Freestyle Chess, and Advice for Goal-Setting
EP 370- GM Paul van der Sterren- Breakthroughs, Declines, Mindfulness and the Odyssey of a 20+ Year Professional Career
EP 369- NM Robert Ramirez on the difference between Adult and Youth Chess Students, Chess in Cuba, and Why He Loves the Pirc Defense
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