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Perpetual Chess Podcast

Perpetual Chess Podcast

By: Ben Johnson
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Perpetual Chess features weekly conversations with the chess world's best players, trainers and accomplished amateurs about their careers, current projects, best practices and the latest in chess news. Learn more at PerpetualChessPod.com2023 Perpetual Chess LLC
Episodes
  • EP 505- GM Melik Khachiyan on Building a Winning Team and Developing Chess Talent

    EP 505- GM Melik Khachiyan on Building a Winning Team and Developing Chess Talent
    Oct 27 2026
    GM Melik Khachiyan is a California-based, award-winning chess trainer and the 2023 U.S. Senior Champion. Melik is also the captain of the U.S. Women's Olympiad team, so it was the perfect time to catch up with him following the team's fourth-place finish at the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Uzbekistan. We discussed: Melik's reflections on the Olympiad, including the difficult decisions and psychological challenges of captaining a national team. Why he is optimistic about the future of U.S. women's chess. Stories from OTB encounters with GMs Nakamura, Kamsky and Mickey Adams Plus, for video viewers, Melik gives a quick tour of hsi new chess academy in Glendale, California. And, of course, Melik shares chess improvement advice for players of different ages and levels. 🎙️ Timestamps: 00:00 Intro and sponsor: Claude AI Check them out at Claude.ai/chess 01:53 GM Melik Khachiyan joins the show 02:38 Reflections on the U.S. Women's Olympiad performance 05:32 Helping players bounce back from tough losses 08:32 Why the U.S. women are now serious medal contenders 11:39 Patreon mailbag question: How does Melik decide who plays and who sits? 17:48 Catching up with chess legends at the Olympiad 19:08 Illness at the Olympiad and the challenges of tournament scheduling 23:49 Alice Lee and Carissa Yip's GM ambitions 25:04 Playing in the Olympiad vs. captaining a team 29:16 Melik's new chess academy in Glendale 35:42 Fitness, competitive chess, and hopes of returning to the U.S. Senior Championship 39:50 Memories of playing Hikaru Nakamura, Michael Adams, and Gata Kamsky Check out Melik’s games vs. Nakamura, Adams and Kamsky here: https://lichess.org/study/DbVY7xXk/ZbZ9GiTw 45:28 Learning from the world's best players 48:05 Chess improvement advice for kids and adults 50:00- Thanks to Melik for joining me again! You can reach him via his website: https://www.gmmelik.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    57 mins
  • Ep 504- John Hartmann on the U.S. Championships, Chess Books, and the Future of Chess Technology

    Ep 504- John Hartmann on the U.S. Championships, Chess Books, and the Future of Chess Technology
    Oct 20 2026
    John Hartmann is the award-winning editor of Chess Life magazine, a longtime book reviewer, and an expert on ChessBase, engines, and chess technology. He joined me shortly after a visit to St. Louis to discuss the ongoing U.S. Chess Championships, the renovations to the St. Louis Chess Club, the latest in chess technology, and his new AI-assisted chess newsletter, First Look Chess. We touched on: John's observations from the U.S. Chess Championships, including the tournament races, the atmosphere in the playing hall, and the impressive renovations to the St. Louis Chess Club. The latest on Stockfish, the enduring value of ChessBase, and the many new chess apps, including ChessEver, ChessMonitor, and ChessCEO. The vision behind John's daily chess newsletter, First Look Chess, and how AI has made such a project possible. As we always do when John visits the pod, we also discussed noteworthy chess books, including GM Alex Fishbein's Fighting Father Time, and the challenges of finding time to work on our own chess games. Thanks to our sponsors, Claude.ai. Check them out at Claude.ai/chess 0:00 Intro and welcome back to John Hartmann 1:30 John's visit to the U.S. Chess Championships Read John’s article here: https://new.uschess.org/news/club-notes-st-louis 4:30 The new prize encouraging fighting chess 6:00 Inside the renovated St. Louis Chess Club 12:00 What it's like to watch the world's best players up close 16:30 The Women's Championship, Alice Lee and Rachael Li 19:30 The explosion of new chess apps 25:00 Is ChessBase still essential? 28:30 What's new with Stockfish? 32:00 John's new project, First Look Chess 37:30 How US Chess does and does not use AI in its chess coverage 43:30 Covering chess news beyond the biggest headlines 47:30 Finding time for tournament chess as a busy adult 50:00 Chess books, Fighting Father Time, and new training tools 54:30 Why John loves older chess books 58:00 Boris Gelfand, chess literature, and how young players learn 1:00:00- Thanks as always to John for sharing his expertise, you can check out and sub to First Look Chess here: https://firstlookchess.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 6 mins
  • EP 503- GM Nikita Vitiugov on Chess Legends, Career Crossroads, and Team Nepo

    EP 503- GM Nikita Vitiugov on Chess Legends, Career Crossroads, and Team Nepo
    Oct 14 2026
    GM Nikita Vitiugov is a former Russian champion who reached a peak ranking of #15 in the world. He has represented both his native Russia and England at the Chess Olympiad and worked on the World Championship team of his boyhood rival, GM Ian Nepomniachtchi. In his excellent new book, Chess Metamorphosis, he candidly reflects on his varied chess experiences. In our conversation, we discuss: What he learned from working with players like Nepomniachtchi and Peter Svidler, and what he observed from seeing them up close. How two unforgettable training camps with GM Viktor Korchnoi altered the trajectory of his career. Why he has accepted that his best competitive years are behind him, and what that means for his future. How professional chess has changed, and why he might not pursue a chess career if he were starting out today. We also discuss the candid, behind-the-scenes photos featured in Nikita's book, his passion for cooking and football, and much more. I loved reading Nikita's book, and it was an honor to hear more about it. 0:00 Intro Thanks to our sponsor Claude AI. Check it out at Claude.ai/chess 2:00 GM Nikita Vitiugov joins the show 3:00 Why Nikita wrote Chess Metamorphosis 6:30 Why Nikita suspects that his best competitive years are behind him 10:00 How professional chess has changed 14:00 Growing up alongside Ian Nepomniachtchi 18:30 Training with the legendary Viktor Korchnoi 23:30 Working with GM Peter Svidler Mentioned: Svidler on being a practical player- https://open.spotify.com/episode/7gi9KryNqkNEPZzN3obeU6?si=a7e7505918ed441e 27:00 What makes Nepomniachtchi and Svidler so talented? 29:00 Behind the scenes of Team Nepo, including a funny story about a thermos 35:30 Working with GM Peter Leko 38:30 Moving to England and adjusting to a new life 41:00 Nikita's passions for cooking and football 45:30 His transition to coaching and advice for aspiring professionals Thanks to GM VItiugov for joining me! You can order his book and find a free preview via the links below: https://www.newinchess.com/chess-metamorphosis https://forwardchess.com/product/chess-metamorphosis?section=Products Photo in thumbnail by Etery Kublashvili Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 6 mins
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If you like chess, then this is the best podcast.
The adult improver series is perfect for people like me, who started playing in their 40s, while all the other discussions with GMs, etc. are interesting.

Great host and great guests

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