This week we are joined by the economist, award-winning author, and top Australian player, GM David Smerdon. David is a professor at the University of Queensland. With a statistical background, David is a particular expert in the intersection of statistics and chess and is frequently able to combine his chess expertise with his academic research. Since chess cheating has been in the news again, we begin by getting David’s thoughts on the renewed allegations against GM Hans Niemann, as well as the recent concerns about rampant online cheating voiced by GM Vladimir Kramnik. David drew some interesting comparisons between these cheating scandals and a recent one in the academic world. David also had some recently published chess research to discuss, as he and a team of collaborators have recently launched the “Gender Equality in Chess Index. (GECI)” What is the goal of his index and how did they arrive at the numbers? Lastly, we catch up on David’s chess career. As David details, he doesn’t have a ton of time to study, but is competing when he can with a specific goal in mind. There is always lots to learn from GM Smerdon, and it was a pleasure to catch up with him Timestamps of topics discussed are below.
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0:00- Intro
Mentioned: Tarjei’s Svensen’s article, Dojo Talks EP 101 with GM Vladmir Kramnik
0:02- David discusses cheating in the chess world, and draws parallels to some scandals in the academic world.
Mentioned: Did an honesty researcher fabricate data?, GM Alex Fishbein
10:00- Has any good come of the recent chess cheating scandals?
Mentioned: GM Mamedyarov withdraws from 2018 tournament after accusing opponent of cheating, Hans Niemann competes in London Chess Classic after stunning result in Zagreb
17:00- Chess.com statement regarding Kramnik allegations against Nakamura
23:00- Do continued allegations against Niemann cause concern about the viability of the future of OTB chess?
Mentioned: Poker pro alleged to have used special contact lenses to see through a deck
26:30- Can statistics help detect “smart cheating”?
29:00 What was the genesis of the idea for a “chess gender index”?
Mentioned: Mongolia Tops Chess Gender Index by Leon Watson
34:00- Did Queen of Katwe likely contribute to the success of women’s chess in Uganda?What did he notice about other high ranking countries?
41:00- What are the components of the index?
51:00- David discusses his other chess-related research
52:00- How is David’s chess game, and what is his current chess goal?
Mentioned: Episode 30, The Complete Chess Swindler
Thanks to David for joining me again, here are links to keep up with him:
X: https://twitter.com/dsmerdon
David’s Blog;
https://www.davidsmerdon.com/
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EP 280- GM Ben Finegold on The FIDE Candidates, Recent Declines in Chess Twitch Viewership, and Why He Thinks he Doesn't Play as Well as he Used to.
EP 279- Derek Wilder (Adult Improver Series)- The key lessons that helped an 1800 break through to a USCF 2000 rating.
Ep 278- GM Jan Gustafsson- The Popular Chess24 Commentator discusses the World Championships, Chess Openings, The State of his Chess Game, and his new Chess Podcast
EP 277-GM Kirill Shevchenko and WFM Maria Emelianova, a Ukrainian GM and a Russian Chess Streamer, on How the Russian-Ukrainian War Impacts their lives, their Careers and the Chess World
EP 276- GM Michael Adams- Stories and Lessons from Mickey's decades Among the Chess Elite
EP 275- IM Ali Mortazavi- A CEO and Successful Stock Investor on how the Challenges of Chess Help Everything Else Seem Easier
EP 274- Paul Hedrick (Adult Improver Series) with guest co-host Han Schut
EP 273- GM Johan Hellsten on Chess Improvement, the Inspirations for his "Mastering Chess" Book Series, and his favorite OTB Memories
EP 272- "Positional Puzzle Book Championship" with Neal Bruce
Book Recap #25- Review and Discussion of The Mammoth Book of the World’s Greatest Chess Games with NM Chrisopher Chabris and FM Graham Burgess
EP 271- GM Hans Niemann on his Rapid Climb up the Chess Rankings and What's Next for Him in 2022
EP 270- Cody Smith (Adult Improver Series)
EP 269- Jen Shahade on her New Book and Chess in the Queen's Gambit age
EP 268- GM Joel Benjamin and Harold Scott on How to Win the World Open
Book Recap #24- Discussing GM Jan Markos' Under the Surface with NM Gopal Menon and Matt Fletcher
EP 267- NM Nelson Lopez (of the ChessVibes YouTube Channel)
EP 266- NM Jeremy Kane (Adult Improver Series)
EP 265- GM Simon Williams- (aka The Ginger GM) returns
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