We are joined this week by a legend of British chess, GM Jonathan Speelman! Jonathan is a three- time British champion, a two-time World Championship Candidate an author, Chessbase.com columnist, and a trainer. He has been ranked as high as #4 in the world in 1989 and has worked as a second for GMs Viktor Korchnoi, Vishy Anand and Nigel Short. As you might imagine, such a wealth of chess experience gives Jonathan an endless array of stories and a great perspective on what differentiates top players. Jonathan considers questions such as these:
Why does he consider Ivanchuk the most talented player he has ever encountered?
Could Anand potentially have beaten Kasparov in 1993?
Could Jonathan have been World Champion?
Does he regret pursuing chess after studying mathematics at Oxford?
It was quite an honor to hear GM Speelman’s modest reflections on a brilliant career. You can find timestamps for topics discussed below.
0:00- John shares his thoughts on Chess.com’s Speed Chess Championship, which recently culminated with Hikaru Nakamura defeating Magnus Carlsen in the final.
Mentioned: GM Alireza Firouzja, GM Andrew Tang
08:00- GM Speelman has said that GM Vasyl Ivanchuk is “the most talented player he has ever encountered.” What differentiates Chucky?
Mentioned: Ivanchuk-Van Forest 2022 (featuring 26. Nd7!), More on the game from GM Speelman here, Info on “A Grimshaw” here, Novotny here, Karpov-Spassky 1974, Karpov-Korchnoi 1974, Karpov-Unzicker 1974
18:00- GM Speelman reflects on the experience of working on Korchnoi’s, Short’s and Anand’s teams.
31:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. Aimchess’ algorithm reviews your games and gives you actionable advice on how to improve your game. Check it out for free, and if you choose to subscribe you can use the code Perpetual30 to save 30%.
Or use this link for the same discount:
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32:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Shopify! To try out their payment service for $1 a month, please visit the link: shopify.com/chess.
33:00- Patreon mailbag question: How did Jon discover a novelty via a Norwegian Newspaper to surprise GM Nigel Short in the Candidates?
Mentioned: GM Jonathan Tisdall, GM John Nunn
40:00- What are Jonathan’s recollections of his Candidates match vs. GM Jan Timman?
46:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Check out their latest courses here: https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/
47:00- Many chess greats, like Fischer, Kasparov, and Jonathan himself have grown up without a dad, does Jon think there is a reason for this?
48:00- What was Jon’s approach to chess when he was climbing the ranks in his 20s?
1:00:00- Did Jon watch any of the Trent-Hambleton chessboxing match?
1:02:00- Jon shares stories about Larsen, Tal and Ljubomir Ljobojevic.
Mentioned: Speelman-Larsen 1978, Ljubojevic-Speelman 1980
1:11:00- Jon has always had poor vision. Has it impacted his chess?
1:13:00- What are Jon’s Twitch streaming plans?
1:15:00- What are Jon’s plans for his Chessbase Column?
1:20:00- Thanks so much to Jonathan for joining us! Here is how to keep up with him:
LiChess Coaches Page:
https://lichess.org/coach/Jon_Speelman
Chessbase Column:
https://en.chessbase.com/author/jon-speelman
Twitch:
https://www.twitch.tv/jonspeelman
Jon’s Game Collection is still available on Kindle:
https://www.amazon.com/Speelmans-Best-Games-Batsford-Chess-ebook/dp/B00PIWLT6O
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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
EP 368- Erik Allebest (Chess.com CEO)- Online Cheating, The Magnus-Hikaru match that fell through, the Chess24 closure & more
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