Adult Improver follow up - Andrzej Kryzdwa and Stacia Pugh return!

09/08/20 • 67 min

This week we have a special edition of Perpetual Chess, as the two first adult improver guests return to the show to update us on the state of their chess games, their lives, and their improvement regimens. The guests are Andrzej Krzydwa and Stacia Pugh, who both originally appeared on the show 2+ years ago (links to their interviews below.) Andrzej is a Polish small business owner, dad and programmer who manages to devote a ton of time to his chess improvement. At the time of our first interview he had just earned an IM norm by posting a dazzling 2579 performance rating in a tournament called the Katowice Spring 2018 . Stacia is a former professional cornhole player who now devotes all of her time to studying chess and teaching with Ohio’s Progress with Chess. At the time of our first interview she had gained 300 rating points in the prior years, and Stacia exuded an evident passion for chess improvement. Both guests come back with new improvement tips in addition to a continued appreciation of some of their favorite study methods mentioned in their first interviews. Lastly, I wanted to thank another former adult improver guest, Jason Cigan. A follow up with Jason was originally planned to be part 3 of this episode, but through no fault of Jason’s we encountered technical issues that forced me to postpone that interview. Please read on for more details and show notes. Episode 76 with Andrzej Krzydwa, June 3,2018 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-76-andrzej-krzywda-adult-improver-series/id1185023674?i=1000413058930 Episode 87 with Stacia Pugh, August 14, 2018: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-87-stacia-pugh-adult-improver-series/id1185023674?i=1000417781378 0:00- Here is the info you need for the announcements made at the top of the show. If you are interested in signing up for the randomized trial of best improvement methods sign up at the following link or email [email protected] I make a couple of announcements at the top of Tuesday’s episode. First, a devoted improver is going to run a proper randomized trial of best improvement methods. It is only for certain ratings, but go to the link below to get all the details. Matt is hoping to run a similar study in the future for higher rated players as well. https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=DQSIkWdsW0yxEjajBLZtrQAAAAAAAAAAAAN__g8mdqpUOVhEQTBKRUlKQzNDQTlVMDdWUkpOR0s5Ti4u You can find more information about the Perpetual Chess Happy Hour here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/happyhour 6:00- Andrzej Krzyydwa rejoins the show, and we dive right into an update of how his chess games have been going. Mentioned: Kasparov on Kasparov 11:45- What does Andrzej notice from analysing his games? What are the tournament fields like in Poland? Mentioned: GM Bartosz Soćko 19:30- Andrzej discusses the ways that he finds chess competition meditative, and also discusses his actual meditation practice. 23:00- How is Andrzej able to maintain his morale when results aren’t going as well as he would like? He also answers a question from the Patreon mailbag about whether or not he ever suffers from chess burnout, and he gives a few improvement recommendations. Mentioned: GM David Navara, Perpetual Chess Episode 173 with Philemon Thomas, 365ChessAcademy.com, Chessable.com, Hiarcs Chess Explorer, ChessPublishing.com, FM Kamil Plichta 32:00- Thanks to Andrzej for coming back on the show, you can keep up with him via the following outlets: Facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/From2100ToInternationalMaster Twitter- https://twitter.com/From2100ToIM 33:00- Perpetual Chess Yasser Seirawan’s classic book Winning Chess Strategies is now available on Chessable.com! Check out a free sample of it here: https://www.chessable.com/winning-chess-strategies-free-lesson/course/50034/ 33:30- Stacia Pugh rejoins the show to talk about how her life and chess have progressed since our previous conversation. NM Michael Joelson, IM Calvin Blocker, IM Marc Esserman, Stacia’s blog is here: https://www.chess.com/member/midnaslament 44:00- Why did Stacia revamp her opening repertoire, and how has it affected her results? 49:00- In our first interview Stacia was an advocate of the use of flashcards, does she still believe in them? She also delves into her current chess study regimen. Mentioned: The Art of Checkmate, Progress with Chess’ Tuesday Tussle 56:00- We revisit Stacia’s top 10 improvement tips, shared in our first interview. 59:00- Stacia shares her advice regarding how to deal with burnout in chess. 1:00:00- Have Stacia’s goals changed since our first conversation? 1:01:00- Thanks to Stacia for stopping by and catching up. Here is how to keep up with her: Chess.com blog-https://www.chess.com/member/midnaslament YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn2k14U03rNRHApDIloxOkA Twitter- https://twitter.com/StaciaMelinda See omnys...

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EP.192 - GM Avetik Grigoryan

Avetik Grigoryan is an Armenian grandmaster and chess trainer, who is also the founder and lead instructor of Chessmood.com. Chessmood is a subscription based educational chess site that offers a large library of instructive videos, covering all phases of a chess game. Avetik has a team of grandmasters working with him on the site, who also answer member questions, stream shows, and write articles. In our conversation, Avetik shares his vision for chessmood, gives some improvement tips and book recommendations, and tells some great stories of a few key moments in his life that changed his perspective about life and about chess. It was a fun and wide ranging conversation. Please read on for more details and timestamps. 0:00- We begin by discussing a bit about the background of Chessmood, and the day-to-day life of running Chessmood.com and generating tons of videos related to all phases of the chess game. 07:30- What issues does Avetik see in the students he works with through Chessmood.com? 13:00- GM Kevin Goh’s recent Perpetual Chess Interview (Episode 184) really resonated with listeners, and in the interview Kevin gave Avetik a lot of credit for helping him attain the grandmaster title. What is Avetik’s perspective on Kevin’s accomplishments? Mentioned: Kevin Goh on Perpetual Chess- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-184-gm-kevin-goh-adult-improver-series/id1185023674?i=1000483159400 19:00- What type of material is available on Chessmood? Mentioned: GM Ulf Andersson, GM Vassily Smyslov, GM Akiba Rubinstein , The Scotch Game, The Benko Gambit, The Maroczy Bind, The London System, The Open Sicilian, Caro Kann, The Grand Prix Attack, The King’s Gambit 28:30- Avetik answers a Patreon mailbag question about whether Chessmood will be covering 1. d4 in addition to 1. e4, This leads to a general discussion about its philosophy regarding course design. Mentioned: The Benko Gambit, The Scotch Game 34:00- Perpetual Chess is proud to be sponsored in part by Chessable.com. They are releasing new courses practically every day, including a new course on the Chebanenko Slav, and GM Anish Giri on the French Defense. Check out their latest offerings here: https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/ 35:00- Avetik tells the story of how a taxi ride as a teenager changed his life, and then discusses the chess culture and general lifestyle in his native Armenia. Mentioned: WGM Tatev Abrahamyan, GM Melik Khachiyan, GM Levon Aronian, GM Tigran Petrosian, GM Alex Colovic interview with Avetik-https://www.alexcolovic.com/2020/01/interview-with-gm-avetik-grigoryan/ 42:30- Why did GM Grigoryan transition from focusing on OTB competitive chess to training? Mentioned: GM Patrick Wolff, GM Viswanthan Anand, GM Hrant Melkumyan, Anand-Grigoryan 2011 51:00- Avetik answers a question from the Patreon mailbag about what it was like to play at the St. Louis Chess Club, and whether he would do so again despite being partially retired from competitive chess. 56:30- What did Avetik study when he was working to achieve the grandmaster rating? What does he recommend? Mentioned: GM Zaven Andriasian, IM Mark Dvoretsky, Gelfand’s My Most Memorable Games, GM Vladimir Akopian 1:03:00- How should we divide our chess study time? Once your opening repertoire is decent, Avetik recommends dividing study time evenly between openings and tactics. GM Daniel Naroditsky 1:08:00- Is it true that Avetik is a Kung Fu GM? What other interests does he have outside of chess? Way of the Peaceful Warrior, IM Josh Waitzkin’s The Art of Learning, Tools of Titans, Arnold Schwarzenegger, IM Sagar Shah of Chessbase India 1:15:00- Thanks so much to Avetik for coming on the show! Here is how to reach him: Chessmood.com Avetik’s Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=avetik%20gm%20grigoryan If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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EP.193 - Tom Murphy

USCF expert Tom Murphy is undoubtedly one of the most renowned “park speed chess” players to live in the U.S. in the last few decades. He is a local legend in the cities in which he has lived: Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and Chicago, and has often been featured in the local media in those cities. It’s hard to miss Tom in popular chess hotspots due to his strong play and his entertaining banter. In our conversation we cover topics ranging from blitz and trash-talking tips, to Tom’s unique improvement advice, to the most money he has made in a day while gambling on chess. Tom shares many great stories and has an evident love of chess, but his life has not always been easy. As we also discuss, Tom has battled addiction at times, and even had a short stint in jail as a result of these issues. As you can tell, Tom has quite a story to tell! More details can be found below, along with time stamps and relevant links. 0:00- Perpetual Chess Happy Hour info here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/happyhour 2:45- Tom tells the origin story of how he discovered chess as a teenager in Philadelphia and began to take it increasingly seriously over time. Mentioned: Central High School, NM Norman “Pete” Rogers, A Contemporary Approach to the Middle Game by GM Alexei Suetin, NM Wilbert Paige 8:30- Tom tells the formative story of a moment when a top player underestimated him, and how this served to motivate him to work to improve. Mentioned: IM Anthony Saidy, GM Yasser Seirawan, GM Robert Byrne 11:30- Does Tom consider himself a chess hustler? Mentioned: Daaim Shabazz of The Chess Drum’s coverage of Tom Murphy: https://www.thechessdrum.net/blog/2018/10/24/tom-murphy-wins-chicagos-3rd-tate-memorial/ Tim Ferris video in which GM Maurice Ashley plays a park player - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5vnpOp0U_g 14:45- Tom Murphy answers a question from the Patreon mailbag about the art of trash- talking. Sideline: The History of Chess from a Black Point of View preview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVEWz_mzT8Q 16:45- What is the story behind the birth of the Chicago based National Blitz League? Mentioned: Nathan Kelly, https://www.nblchess.com/, Daniel X Jones, George Li 19:45- Tom reveals his “3 Ps” for chess improvement- Patience, Perseverance and a Peaceful Mind Mentioned: IM Greg Shahade, WGM Jennifer Shahade 23:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Check out all of their latest offerings here. https://www.chessable.com/courses/ 24:00- Who is Tom’s best “customer” of all time in terms of playing him in blitz for money? Mentioned: FM Sunil Weerumantry 27:15- Who is the strongest player Tom ever faced? What were the reasons for his moving from Philly to DC, and then later to Chicago? GM Roman Dzindzichashvilli, GM Ben Finegold, GM Nikola Mitkov 30:30- Does Tom think that park chess is dying? The National Blitz League Facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/NationalBlitzLeague Henry Getz, Steve Jennings 32:00- Tom has battled addiction in the past, has been homeless for periods and even spent six months in jail due to addiction issues, so he reflects on that experience and offers advice to others battling addiction. 37:30- Is Tom stronger online or over the board? 38:00- What are Tom’s favorite chess publications to read? Mentioned: New in Chess Magazine, Endgame Strategy, The Art of The Middle Game in Chess,My System, 500 Master Games of Chess 44:00- How does Tom use computers to work on his chess game? Mentioned: The Perpetual Chess Facebook Group 46:00- What is Tom’s blitz chess advice? Mentioned: GM Pablo Riccardi 48:30- IM Greg Shahade writes in to ask about the state of Tom Murphy’s Ms. Pac Man skills, then Tom discusses his enthusiasm for poker and backgammon. Mentioned: Paul Baraz 55:00- Thanks so much to Tom for sharing his great stories! If you would like to contact him about online lessons, you can text him at 202-279-1442 If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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