Perpetual Chess is back with a banger of a double episode. First up is chess superstar, GM Levon Aronian! Levon joined me from Spain after returning from the first season of the Global Chess League in Dubai. Levon reflected on the success of his championship-winning team, and we discussed why he thinks initiatives like this league are vital to the future health of chess. We then broadened the scope of our conversation, and Levon shared memorable stories about his humble beginnings and Armenia, and the lessons he had to learn when he shot to chess stardom in the mid 2000s. Lastly, Levon discusses his move to the U.S., his 2023 plans, and why he is not playing in the ongoing FIDE World Cup.
Following Lev, we are joined by Jagdish Mitra. Jagdish is Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Growth at Tech Mahindra, and served as Chairman of the first season of The Global Chess League. Jagdish looked back on a successful first season, and discussed the ambitious plans and long term vision that the league has for upcoming years. Both interviews left me excited about the future of chess! You can find timestamps for all of the topics discussed below.
Thanks to our presenting chess education sponsors, Chessable. Here are some courses to check out:
Techniques of Positional Play with GM Peter Heine Nielsen
Lifetime Repertoires: Gawain Jones 1.e4 e5
100 Repertoires: Alekhine Defense by CM Vjekoslav Nemec
You can check out some of my recommended courses here: https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/
4:00- GM Levon Aronian joins me from a park in Spain! How was Levon added as a last-second replacement to the Global Chess League? What sort of things does he usually negotiate before signing a contract to participate in an event?
Mentioned: Chess.com’s Dog-Themed Bots including Levon’s Famous Dog, Ponchik
10:00- What was it like to be in Dubai for the Global Chess League?
15:30- How can new players be incorporated into future Global Chess Leagues?
17:30- What steps are necessary to continue to grow chess and attract corporate sponsors?
Mentioned: Indian Express article by Amit Kamath
25:00- Levon’s scouting reports on Hikaru and Gukesh
26:30- Which young star is most likely to emerge as a world champion?
30:00- What was it like to play games for money to support his family as a kid?
36:00- Levon tells an amazing story of how Boris Gelfand taught him to treat chess professionally.
40:00- Why does Levon think chess has become increasingly professionalized?
41:30- Is Chess960 the solution to the over-abundance of opening theory?
Mentioned: GM Vladimir Kramnik, GM Boris Gelfand, GM Jan Timman
49:00- Is it true that Levon traveled in the cargo department of a plane to get to tournaments?
Mentioned: Sean Williams’ 2017 New Yorker feature on Levon Aronian, GM Melik Khachiyan
55:30- Patreon mailbag question: “What obstacles did Lev encounter in moving to the US?”
1:03:00- Will Levon write a book some day?
Mentioned: GM Surya Ganguly’s “In Conversation with GM Levon Aronian”
1:08:30- What is Levon’s study routine?
1:09:00- Thanks to Levon for joining me!
1:11:00- Jagdish Mitra, the Chairman of the Global Chess League joins the podcast! We begin by discussing the origins of the Global Chess League.
1:25:00- How did they decide on the unique format?
1:30:00- How will they acquire new players? How can teams foster allegiance with chess fans?
1:41:00- Thanks so much to Jagdish for sharing the vision behind the Global Chess League. Here is how you can keep up with it:
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/GCLlive?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
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EP 281- Dr. Stuart Margulies tells the story behind the classic, best-selling book, Bobby Fischer Teacher Chess
Book Recap #26- Discussing Alexei Shirov's Fire on Board with Mitchell Fabian
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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