The Perpetual Chess Adult Improver Series returns with another guest with a great story. Denis Markov is a 39 year old working dad with a passion for chess. Denis has deep chess roots which date back to a childhood in Russia where he took classes at the fabled “Palace of Pioneers.” According to Denis, he did not show exceptional talent in those days and eventually set chess aside for some years. Now based in Pennsylvania, Denis returned to competitive chess in 2022 and since then, through hard work and consistency has elevated his USCF rating from 1742 to over 2050! While this type of improvement is quite unusual, Denis is adamant that he isn’t doing anything to “reinvent the wheel.” In our conversation Denis details an approach focused on frequent competitive play, game review and lots of hard work. I found our conversation grounding and inspiring at the same time. Timestamps of topics discussed are below.
Adult Improver Series Spotify Playlist here:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/75Uoqz2BoRt2IiTCeOfuky?si=680ff07480434ec9
0:00-
Thanks to those who help support Perpetual Chess via Patreon! If you would like to join the community, you can do so here:
https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess
0:01- Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsors, Chessable.com!
New Chessable courses including Silman’s Endgame Course, and new ones by GM Erwin L’ami, GM Johan Hellsten.
You can check out their latest offerings here:
https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/
2:00- Denis joins the show! What is his “ why?” What does he do when his motivation to study chess is low?
Denniis Reddit post detailing his success:
https://www.reddit.com/r/chess/comments/16sw628/1740_to_2040_uscf_in_2_years_adult_improver/
11:00- Patreon mailbag question: How will Denis approach teaching chess to his kids?
14:00- Patreon mailbag question: Does Denis think that his Russian background helped his chess development?
21:00- What got Denis back into chess in his college years?
Mentioned: Aron Nimzowhitsch’s My System
25:00- Denis’ study routine
Denis’ coach:
https://lichess.org/coach/Davjan
34:00- Denis discusses his approach to openings, especially as it relates to playing the same opponents repeatedly.
42:00- How did Denis settle on studying via ChessTempo and the Chess Steps workbooks?
Mentioned: Arthur Yusopov’s series, Chess Steps Method
48:00- What is the nature of Denis’ work with his coach?
54:00- Does Denis have any theories on why he is seeing gains while others might struggle?
1:03:00- More book recommendations!
Mentioned: Sam Shankland’s books, Endgame Strategy by Shereshevsky, GM Johan Hellsten’s books, Chess Structures by GM Mauricio Flores Rios, GM Ivan Sololov’s Winning Middle Game Strategies, Sokolov’s interview with Chessbase India, His How to Chess Interview is Now Out!
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EP 309- Dr. Joel Sneed- An Author and Psychology Professor on How to Regain One's Chess Motivation, Curbing "Blitz Tilt" and How he Made Unusual Rating Gains as an Adult
Book Recap #30- 10 Underrated Chess Books for Different Ratings Levels, with FM Carsten Hansen
EP 308- GM Srinath Narayanan- Lessons Learned from Training Some of the Chess World's Brightest Young Talents
EP 307- IM Dean Ippolito- A Longtime Trainer, Author and Champion Competitor on the Adjustments one Should Make for the Modern Tournament Landscape
EP 306- Adult Improver Vishnu Warrier. Can a 31 year old USCF 2100 become a GM? Vishnu wants to find out!
EP 305- WIM Andreea Navrotescu- The Latest on the FIDE Women's World Championship Cycle + Her Life as a Chess Professional in France
EP 304- Neal Bruce- What We Can Learn from the Studying Classic Game Compilation Books
EP 303- Adult Improver Kyle Boddy- A Pioneer in Sports Analytics and Peak Performance on His Approach to Chess Improvement
EP 302- Chess Improvement Q & A with IM Andras Toth- One of YouTube's Best Chess Teachers
Bonus Pod- GM Hans Niemann is suing Magnus, Chess.com and Hikaru Nakamura! Law Professor David Franklin joins to Assess What Might Happen From Here
EP 301- Computer Science Professor and IM, Dr. Kenneth Regan on the Carlsen/Niemann controversy and the Current State of Cheating in OTB Chess
EP 300- Swedish Chess Legend, GM Ulf Andersson on his Encounters with Kasparov, Karpov and Fischer and How he Keeps up With Chess Today.
Bonus Pod- FM Nate Solon joins to Discuss Chess.Com's Report about the Carlsen/Niemann Controversy
EP 299- Chess Blogger and Trainer FM Dennis Monokroussos on Lessons from Tal and Petrosian, how 'Toiletgate' compared to the Current Chess Scandal, and the Importance of Playing with Different Styles
Book Recap #29- Discussing The Longest Game by GM Jan Timman a Great Book which Tells the Story of the Kasparov-Karpov matches
Bonus Pod- GM Jonathan Rowson and GM David Smerdon discuss the Carlsen/Niemann Saga
EP 298- Adult Improver Hans Henning on Why he Loves Studying Openings, and How Chess Helps Give Him Purpose
Bonus Pod- GM Alex Fishbein and IM Greg Shahade share their thoughts on the latest developments in the Carlsen/Niemann Sinquefield Cup Controversy
EP 297- IM Carissa Yip on her love for the King’s Indian Defense, Why Levon Aronian is her favorite player and the ups and downs of her first Chess Olympiad.
Bonus Pod- GM Jacob Aagaard joins for an update on the Sinquefield Cup Controversy
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