Perpetual Chess Podcast

The Perpetual Chess book discussion series Chess Books Recaptured returns with a personal, funny, and heartfelt episode.

Gaurav Datta, a longtime student and close friend of IM Jeremy Silman, joins me to discuss Silman’s Chess Odyssey: Cracked Grandmaster Tales, Legendary Players, & Instructions and Musings. This memoir and collection of writing was Silman’s final work, and it beautifully captures his deep and enduring love for chess.

As Gaurav shares, he was an ordinary club player who repeatedly emailed Silman until Jeremy reluctantly agreed to take him on as a student in the late 1990s. What began as lessons soon turned into a decades-long friendship. Jeremy did not care much about Gaurav’s rating, but he appreciated his sense of humor and his ability to tell interesting stories.

Throughout the conversation, Gaurav interweaves touching and often hilarious personal memories with insights from the book, offering a glimpse  into Silman’s life and teaching philosophy. 

I greatly enjoyed reading Silman’s Chess Odyssey, and hearing Gaurav’s stories added a whole new dimension to understanding one of chess’s most beloved teachers.

0:00 Intro + overview of Silman’s Chess Odyssey

Thanks to our sponsors, Chessable.com. Check out IM Jeremy SIlman’s vast catalog of courses here:

https://www.chessable.com/author/Jeremy_Silman/5:48 Guest intro: Gaurav Datta (long-time student & friend of Jeremy Silman)

7:00 How Gaurav discovered Silman, early struggles, and first meeting12:30 What lessons with Silman were really like (stories, life, chess)

18:20 Chess as art: Silman’s core philosophy22:40 Training methods: studying master games & subtle ideas

Mentioned: IM Erik Kislik, NM Steve Brandwein

28:00 Gambling struggles, life setbacks, and returning to chess

33:00 Silman’s personality: stories, Japan, boxing & unique interests

38:40 Final years, illness, and completing his last book

Mentioned: Autobiography of a Goat 

51:30 Key lessons: play for beauty, not rating + lasting impact

1:15:00- Thanks so much to Gaurav for sharing his amazing stories! Here is how you can reach him:

Email- gdatta at gmail.com

Chess.com- 

https://www.chess.com/member/olddirtypatzer

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The 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament is almost here, and GM Jan Gustafsson joins the podcast to break down the entire field. As a leading opening theoretician who has worked on GM Magnus Carlsen’s World Championship team, Jan brings unique insight into this high-stakes event. Jan will be on site in Cyprus providing commentary alongside his longtime friend GM Peter Svidler. In this episode we go player by player discussing the contenders’ chances, from rising stars like Praggnanandhaa and Javokhir Sindarov to established veterans like Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura. Jan shares insights on preparation, momentum, and who is most likely to win the Candidates and earn the right to challenge for the World Championship. We also discuss the Women’s Candidates Tournament, pop culture, and Jan’s latest projects.

Episode Recorded on March 11, 2016

0:00 Intro – Candidates preview with GM Jan Gustafsson

You can buy tickets to the Chess in the Schools Poker/Chess Fundraiser here:

https://secure.givelively.org/event/chess-in-the-schools-inc/chess-in-the-schools-3rd-annual-charity-poker-tournament

Check out Jan’s Chessable courses here:

Be sure to check out Chessiverse.com, and use code “Perpetual30” for a discount on premium features and IM John Bartholomew’s course. 

5:16 Jan Gustafsson joins the show

6:36 Patreon mailbag question: Strategy for the Candidates tournament

12:55 Matthias Bluebaum preview

Mentioned: Kalshi FIDE Candidate’s Odds:

https://kalshi.com/markets/kxchesscandidates/chess-candidates-champion/kxchesscandidates-26

17:18 Andrey Esipenko preview

22:39 Praggnanandhaa preview

26:35 Javokhir Sindarov preview

31:20 Anish Giri preview

33:52 Wei Yi preview

39:00 Fabiano Caruana preview

44:42 Hikaru Nakamura preview

49:57 Predictions for the winner

52:40 Women’s Candidates preview

57:00- Patreon mailbag question: What would Jan like to keep as is in the chess world, and what would he like to see changed?

1:00:05 Closing thoughts, tv shows, nonsense. 

Mentioned: Jeselnik book club:

https://anthonyjeselnik.com/the-jeselnik-book-club

1:06:00- Thanks to Jan for joining! Be sure to tune in to the FIDE YouTube channel for his Candidates coverage, sub to Janistan TV on Twitch, and check out his Chessable courses here. 

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This week’s guest on the Adult Improver Series is Matt Biancuzzo. Matt is a 31-year-old New York City consultant who is very active in both the local chess scene and on social media. He has taken full advantage of New York’s many chess opportunities, regularly attending chess gatherings and pub nights while also competing in tournaments locally. Over the past few years he has improved from below 1400 USCF to a peak of over 1800! Matt has worked with multiple coaches, grinded tactics, and consumed countless chess videos, but he credits the majority of his improvement to building a social network that made chess fun for him.

Speaking of fun, Matt has also built a large online following thanks to his hilarious short-form videos. Posting as “byredofantome” on Instagram and “fantomechess” on TikTok, Matt creates impressions and humorous shorts that lightly satirize chess culture. In the second half of our interview, we shift our focus from chess improvement to the story behind Matt’s videos. If you enjoy this episode, be sure to check out the bonus video breaking down some of Matt’s best clips here.


Join the Perpetual Chess Patreon community here:

Ben Johnson | creating Perpetual Chess Podcast | Patreon


Join the Perpetual Chess Discord here:

 https://discord.gg/gUPSsHMK


Check out Chessable’s Women’s Day sale here:

https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/all/offer/f/


Check out Chessiverse.com, use code “Perpetual30” to save 30% on premium offerings. 

00:00 Introduction to Chess Improvement and Content Creation

04:45- Matt Biancuzzo joins the show! We begin by discussing how he got into chess in college. 

13:29 The Role of Community in Chess Improvement

Mentioned: GM Robert Hungaski, IM Denys Shmelov, Alex Pickett,  IM Jan van der Mortaal, Jonathan Williams, Pobo Efikoro

18:03 Coaching and Learning Strategies

23:04 The Impact of Online Chess and Content Creation

Mentioned: MaddiePlaysChess, GambitMan

25:00- Getting a chess coach

Mentioned: IM Sam Khanin, IM VIktor Matviishen

28:00 Personal Growth Through Chess

33:14 Final Thoughts on Chess and Community

40:16 The language and habits of chess players 

48:55 Content Creation in Chess

Mentioned: Matt’s article about Where to Play Chess in NYC

https://www.chess.com/blog/byredofantome/where-to-play-chess-in-nyc-and-how-to-gauge-a-good-club

POV When you are Prepping for the 2002 World Under 12 Championship:

https://www.instagram.com/byredofantome/reel/DT6A_OHDqTi/

What I learned Playing 130 Chess Tournaments in 2 Years

https://www.instagram.com/p/DQ-fgbeDmHY/

POV You are Spassky in 1971

https://www.instagram.com/p/DTOntmlDlEM/

49:54 The Art of Subversive Commentary

52:06 Impressions and Mannerisms in Chess

Matt’s Yasser/magnus video is here:

https://www.tiktok.com/@byredofantome/video/7240979768525573418?_r=1&_t=ZP-94OfoAItpk7

53:50 Translating Chess for the Average Person

55:15 Inspiration from Online Trends

Mentioned: POV Chess Players Training at the Gym

https://www.instagram.com/p/DRqJ2x_jvKs/

01:03:19 Monetization and Content Creation Challenges

01:05:26 Entrepreneurial Ventures in Chess

01:09:05 Colliding Worlds: Chess and Consulting

01:12:26 The Nature of Content Creation and Recognition

Matt’s linktree is here:

https://linktr.ee/byredofantome?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGnKZHTvXc3y6vDxPUApYvPDxbUFpbNtVLXr58nVATFdTyrdu7mR6xgzob8An4_aem_SjGs6svkY3aTt1lbEPnWOg

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This week’s returning guest is NM Han Schut. Han is a former corporate executive turned Chessable author and trainer, known for his expertise in the Chess Steps Method and chess technology. Han joins me to reflect on the legacy of his fellow Dutchman, GM Jan Timman, who recently passed away. He shares personal anecdotes and discusses Timman’s impact as a world-class competitor, prolific author, and cultural icon in the Netherlands.

We also explore a fascinating recent project: Han built a custom chess database with the help of the LLM Claude, which handled all of the coding. He explains how players can use LLMs effectively for chess study and recommends other powerful digital tools.

Finally, Han offers evergreen advice on rest, mindset, and accurately assessing your own chess performance. As always, I came away inspired by Han’s wide-ranging knowledge and practical approach to chess.

Thanks to our sponsors, Chessable.com! Check out Han Schut's courses here:

⁠https://www.chessable.com/author/HanSchut/⁠

00:00 Remembering Grandmaster Jan Timman

Mentioned: Read Peter Doggers’ obituary here:

https://www.chess.com/news/view/jan-timman-obituary

Timman-Ribli 1978-

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1142478

12:03 Exploring LLMs in Chess Coding

Check out Han’s video about coding with Claude here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSj69yLmwMg&t=3s

Download the Lichess Puzzle Database Here:

https://database.lichess.org/#puzzles

Link to download Han and Claude’s creation within this article:

https://lichess.org/@/HanSchut/blog/the-lichess-opening-puzzles-with-games-makes-them-searchable-from-any-position/BUHE9eQ3

Matt Shumer article “Something Big is Happening”-

https://x.com/mattshumer_/status/2021256989876109403

21:45 Creating Chess Tools with AI

27:56 The Rise of AI and Its Implications

34: 00 Han’s Chess Study Tool Recommendations:

Mentioned: 

Forward Chess

https://forwardchess.com/

Chessvision AI

https://chessvision.ai/

36:55 Patreon mailbag question: What is Han’s advice for how to approach chess puzzles? 

Mentioned: 

CT Art Puzzles- (Chessking App)

https://chesskingtraining.com/ct-art/

Chessbase Puzzles

https://tactics.chessbase.com/nl/Solve

45:40 Mindset and Mental Strength in Chess

Mentioned: Think Like a Super GM by Michael Adams

How to Chess Podcast with Han Schut:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPN60QMA2oA

53:12 Managing Anxiety and Performance Pressure

58:46 Patreon mailbag question: What does Han think of Chessalyz AI and other AI Chess Tutors? 

Mentioned: 

Chessalyz AI:

https://chessalyz.ai/

FM Dalton Perrine’s blog:

https://chesschatter.substack.com/

Novachess AI

https://www.chessagine.com/

1:05:00- Thanks to Han for joining me! Here is how to keep up with him:

YouTube (including Saturday morning streams): 

https://www.youtube.com/c/hanschut

Lichess coaches:

https://lichess.org/coach/HanSchut

Chessable courses: 

https://www.chessable.com/author/HanSchut/

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GM Aman Hambleton has been busy lately. In addition to his usual role as a popular Twitch streamer and Youtuber for the Chessbrah channel, he recently returned from London, where he was one of the lead commentators for Chess.com’s Speed Chess Championship. He also has recently released his highly anticipated Chessable course, Aman Hambleton’s London System. In our conversation we discuss: 


What made the latest Speed Chess Championship “special” according to Magnus Carlsen, and Aman’s thoughts on rapid, classical and freestyle chess. 


What Aman says to haters of the London Opening. 


Aman’s thoughts on the FIDE Candidates. 

We also discuss whether Aman is an adult improver at blitz chess (having recently crossed 3000 on Chess.com , Aman’s thoughts on The Queen of Chess, and the all important question of what Aman thinks of Magnus Carlsen’s new mustache. Its always fun chatting with Aman! 

0:01- Aman’s reflections on Chess.com’s Speed Chess Championship in London 

0:14- Looking ahead to the Esports World Cup 

0:19- Aman’s thoughts on the FIDE Candidates 

0:23- Highlights of Aman’s London course. 

More on Aman’s chessboxing match with IM Lawrence Trent here:

https://www.chess.com/news/view/mogul-chessboxing-championship-hambleton-trent

35:00- Patreon mailbag question: Does Aman have plans of doing a formal course on the Taimanov? 

Mentioned: Aman’s Taimanov Speedrun:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUjxDD7HNNTjZAD99gBAKVm_ZipXTtNYn

Mentioned: The Taimanov Bibl

41:00- Patreon mailbag question: What is Aman’s advice for how to improve your middlegame play? 

46:00- Where did Aman come up with the term “snorkel”? 

49:00- Aman recently went over a 3000 blitz rating. Is he an adult improver?

52:00- Does Aman have any new impersonations? 

53:00- Aman’s thoughts on The Queen of Chess 

54:00- Did the Chessbrahs go out in London?

55:00- Favorite chessbrah videos 

56:00- Does Aman approve of Magnus’ new mustache?

59:00- Thanks to Aman for joining me again! Here is how to keep up with he and the Chessbrahs:

Chessable course:

https://www.chessable.com/aman-hambletons-london-system/course/353577/

Twitch:

https://www.twitch.tv/chessbrah

Kick:

https://kick.com/chessbrah/videos

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@chessbrah

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