The FIDE Candidates Tournament begins on April 4 in Toronto, Canada, and I could not be more excited to see who gets to challenge for the FIDE World Championship. As is tradition on Perpetual Chess, we have a few great guests joining to help discuss the action. First up is 7-time Brazilian champion & Correspondence GM, Rafael Leitão. In addition to a vast resume as a player, Rafael regularly annotates top-level games for Chess.com news coverage. Reviewing these games in detail on a daily basis gives Rafael unique insights into the tendencies of the world’s top players. Rafael and I discuss what to watch for in each player’s performance, fun facts, and what opening choices we might see from each player.
Following Rafael, I am joined by Tai Pruce Zimmerman, a/k/a Chess by the Numbers. Tai shares and discusses the win probability of both the open and the women’s candidates, and we also compare the output of Tai’s probabilistic model to the betting markets. Last but not least, I am joined by “On the Queenside,” who has built a large following on Twitter and Lichess for covering Women’s Chess in detail. We discuss whether it is a good idea to run the Women’s Candidates concurrently with the open, and which players we are excited to watch. As always, the timestamps of the guests, as well as the topics and players discussed can be found below.
0:00- Thanks to our sponsor, Chessable.com. New courses include Introduction to Chess Calculation, and GM Ganguly’s Lifetime Repertoires: Sidelines and Flank Openings for Black
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0:01- Format notes on the FIDE Candidates, including tournament schedule, tiebreak rules, and the Perpetual Chess’ plan for covering the event.
Mentioned: More info on the Candidates here, including tiebreak info:
More from Chess.com here
09:30- GM Rafael Rafael Leitão joins me for a detailed Candidates discussion!
Mentioned: Rafael’s prior interview was episode 147.
15:00- Can Ian Nepomniatchtchi “threepeat” at the Candidate?
21:50- GM Nijat Abasov.
25:30- GM Fabiano Caruana
Mentioned: Leitao-Caruana 2010
30:00- GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshababu
32:30- Hikaru Nakamura
Mentioned: GM Daniel King’s YT Candidates Previews:
Gelfand-Nakamura 2010
37:45- Alireza Firouzja
44:00- GM Vidit Gujirathi
47:00- GM Gukesh Dommaraju
51:30- Who does Rafael predict will win?
Mentioned: Bwin’s betting market on the Candidates:
54:00- Rafael shares his thoughts on the Women’s Candidates. More info here:
59:00- Rafael discusses his own chess career, and what is new from our prior interview. This includes a compelling argument for Chess960.
Mentioned:GM Luis Paolo Supi, Supi-Carlsen 2020
1:09:00- Thanks to Rafael for joining me! Here is how to keep up with him:
Youtube- https://www.youtube.com/@rafaelleitaogm
X/Twitter- https://twitter.com/rafpig?lang=en
Website- https://rafaelleitao.com/articles/
1:10:00- Tai Pruce Zimmerman aka Chess by the Numbers rejoins me to talk Candidates statistiics!
Mentioned: Betting market here
1:31:00- What does Tai’s model say on who is most likely to win the Woman’s Candidates?
1:41:00- Thanks to Tai for joining me! Follow him on X here:
1:42;00- On the Queenside joins. Is it a good idea to have the Women’s Candidates run concurrently with the Open Candidates for the first time?
Mentioned: On the Queenside’s preview of the Reykjavik Open
1:50:00- Be sure to follow On the Queenside on Twitter/X and on Lichess!
Twitter/X
LiChess
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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
EP 296- Award Winning Author/Trainer, GM Jacob Aagaard on Endgame "Rules of Thumb", the Wave of Young Phenoms, and the World Championship Format
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