EP 461- IM John Bartholomew on Chess Improvement Lessons, The Scandinavian Defense & His New Business Venture
IM John Barthomew is a former scholastic national champion turned popular and longtime chess Youtuber and serial entrepreneur. His clear and friendly teaching style has garnered him over 200,000 subs and many devotees of the Scandinavian defense, the opening for which he is best known. In our conversation we discuss:
Five chess improvement conclusions that John drew from playing in (and documenting) The LiChess LoneWolf League
The challenges and rewards of helping to build Chessiverse. Chessiverse offers over 600 “human-like” bots to play against, and is also the site where you can find John’s new, Comprehensive Scandinavian course.
Lastly, John told a few memorable stories about his good friend GM Daniel Naroditsky that reflect Daniel’s unusual talents.
It is always enjoyable talking chess with John, and there are many nuggets to be gleaned from this conversation.
0:00- Thanks to our sponsor, Chessable.com! If you sign up for Chessable Pro in order to unlock discounts and additional features, be sure to use the following link:
https://www.chessable.com/pro/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=benjohnson&utm_campaign=pro
And you can check out their new offerings here:
https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/
00:00 Intro and Guest Introduction
02:32 John’s chess improvement lessons learned from the LiChess Lone Wolf League
https://lichess.org/@/Fins/blog/what-i-learned-from-playing-lonewolf-league-season-37/19yaMKfW
Here is John’s Lone Wolf game recap playlist-
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLl9uuRYQ-6MCYu9m5ji2tJgIoU7JMHkD9&si=Lg1RvP2PhmX2M68Q
05:41 Self-Talk and Thought Process in Chess
08:28 The Importance of Time Management
John’s Using the Clock as a Weapon Playlist:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLl9uuRYQ-6MD7go55KaMPOGKSHxXhWED_&si=e34rgZ05auwzOauQ
11:28 The Importance of Opening Variety
14:07 The Value of Longer Time Controls
17:01 Introduction to John’s new venture- Chessiverse
19:50 Patreon mailbag questions:
How does Chessiverse compare to other online products? What ratings is it best suited for?
22:50 Comparing Chessiverse to Other Platforms
25:45 Chessiverse's Business Model and Future Plans
27:03 The Subscription Model and Course Creation
27:40 The Depth of Course Development
29:29 Analyzing the Scandinavian Opening
32:15 The Evolution of Scandinavian Theory
Mentioned:
Ponomariov-Papaioannou 2003
https://lichess.org/q55Y75PQ#15
34:52 Navigating Course Design Challenges
37:43 Balancing Comprehensiveness and Usability
39:18 Feedback and Future Plans for Chessiverse
40:34 The Vision for Chessiverse and Bot Experience
42:04 John’s memories of GM Daniel Naroditsky
Mentioned: John’s tribute-
https://youtu.be/kclevjiPK5I?si=7CO6ydPqkyFNKBjy
47:56 Honoring Daniel's Legacy through Fundraising
https://givebutter.com/naroditsky
52:00-
Thanks to John for rejoining! Here are links to keep up with him:
Newsletter:
https://johnbartholomewchess.com/the-chess-mindset-newsletter-im-john-bartholomew/
Course-
https://chessiverse.com/courses/scandi?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=scandi_search_tier1_purchase&utm_term=chess%20courses&utm_content=185814884617_782203235972_c&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=23214933240&utm_term=chess%20courses&utm_content=782203235972&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23214933240&gbraid=0AAAAABc5PsgmfRvqVuvKClF-9oZLSp0mn&gclid=Cj0KCQiAoZDJBhC0ARIsAERP-F_lAVpIoPksVCsZ5LG7GydpV4Wi8KIL4HMSbf_V_ZGei2837lHT57gaAu9fEALw_wcB
Twitter/X:
https://x.com/fins0905?lang=en
55:00- If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess via Patreon, you can do so here:
https://www.patreon.com/c/perpetualchess
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57:56
EP 460- FM Peter Giannatos on GM Daniel Naroditsky’s Life, His Last Days & How We Can Honor Danya’s Legacy
FM Peter Giannatos, founder of the Charlotte Chess Center, was a close friend of GM Daniel Naroditsky and played a pivotal role in encouraging Daniel to build his post-collegiate life in Charlotte. Peter and the tight-knit Charlotte community spent significant time with Danya, including in the days leading up to his tragic passing. In this conversation, Peter reflects on their friendship, shares what he feels is appropriate about Danya’s final days, and highlights a new fundraiser created to honor Daniel’s legacy. I’m grateful for the clarity and courage Peter brought to this deeply emotional discussion as the chess world begins to process and heal from this immense loss.
0:00- Intro-
Support the fundraiser here:
https://givebutter.com/naroditsky
0:02- FM PeterGiannatos joins the podcast and begins with the story of how he met Danya.
Read Peter’s Eulogy here:
https://x.com/PeterGiannatos/status/1981875015030079553?s=20
IM John Bartholomew’s tribute to Danya:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kclevjiPK5I&t=2s
0:09- Getting Danya to move to Charlotte
19:00- Clarifying the timeline around Daniel’s death
32:00- The weight of the allegations on Daniel
Mentioned: Daniel explains a Bc8 move that some found suspicious
https://www.reddit.com/r/chess/comments/1g7la27/daniel_narodistky_full_analysis_of_the_move_bc8/
43:00- How to honor Daniel’s legacy
57:00- One last Danya story -
check out the games from "The Meatball Match" here:
https://www.chess.com/c/2PprrfhA6
1:02:00- Thanks to Peter for sharing so many personal stories during a difficult time. Here is how to support Danya's legacy if you are so inclined:
https://givebutter.com/naroditsky
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1:07:04
EP 459- GM Maurice Ashley on Pursuing Excellence, Seeking Novelties, and His Extraordinary Chess Journey
This week’s guest is U.S. Chess Hall of Famer GM Maurice Ashley. Maurice will forever be known as the first African American to earn the Grandmaster title, yet he has gone on to build a varied and distinguished career across all facets of the game. He is a popular author and highly regarded Chessable creator, a teacher, an organizer, and a frequent commentator for major chess events, often from the St. Louis Chess Club. Maurice and I discussed:
His perspective on chess improvement, as a rare late-starter who began tournament play at fourteen and still reached the Grandmaster level
What we can learn from the ascent of GM Brewington Hardaway, who recently became the second African American GM at age fifteen
The difference between being competitive and striving for excellence
We also touched on the lessons Maurice learned from organizing the “Millionaire Chess” tournaments, his passion for salsa dancing and puzzle composition, and whether he has experienced any “pinch me” moments on his journey from “walking barefoot to school in Jamaica” to giving TED Talks and teaching chess to Will Smith. I have long looked forward to interviewing Maurice, and the conversation did not disappoint.
0:00- Check out Maurice’s popular and highly reviewed courses here:
https://www.chessable.com/author/GMAshley/
0:03- Maurice’s chess improvement advice- why people shouldn’t focus on doing things “quickly.”
Mentioned: New York Times article about the Raging Rooks
https://www.nytimes.com/1991/04/26/nyregion/harlem-teen-agers-checkmate-a-stereotype.html
Maurice’s Chessable Q & A-
https://www.chessable.com/discussion/thread/1187730/ask-maurice-ashley-anything-special-qa-/
Cover Stories with Chess Life Interview:
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-sskej-f237dc?download=1
10:30- Maurice’s observations about young GM Brewington Hardaway, who recently became the 2nd ever African American GM, at age 15.
Mentioned: You can read Maurice’s article about GM Hardaway here:
https://new.uschess.org/news/inside-story-long-time-coming
17:00- Patreon mailbag question:
Maurice’s siblings are kickboxing and boxing champions. What did they do to cultivate such achievement?
20:00- Which chess player got GM Maurice Ashley into salsa dancing?
23:00- Patreon mailbag question: ‘What are Maurice’s reflections on the Millionare Chess tournaments that he founded?”
28:30- What is the vision for Maurice’s “Clutch Chess,” which took place recently at the St. Louis Chess Club?
32:00- Is commentating still Maurice’s favorite professional activity?
36:00- Maurice’s passion for designing chess puzzles and courses
Mentioned: The puzzle that (temporarily) stumped MVL is here:
https://x.com/MauriceAshley/status/1609261621247086592?s=20
42:00- Has Maurice ever had a “pinch me” moment?
45:00- Maurice’s struggles after earning the GM title
49:00- The origins of Maurice’s communication skills
52:00- What does Maurice want his chess legacy to be?
54:00- Maurice’s next projects
59:00- Thanks to Maurice for joining me! Here is how to keep up with his many activities:
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/mauriceashleychess/?hl=en
Chessable:
https://www.chessable.com/author/GMAshley/
X/Twitter:
https://x.com/MauriceAshley?lang=en
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56:49
EP 458: Pawel Kacprzak: The Founder of Chessvision.ai on Scanning Chess Diagrams, Digital Flashcards, and Building a Chess Business
Polish programmer and chess enthusiast Pawel Kacprzak joins me to share the story behind Chessvision.ai. Chessvision.ai is a helpful app and browser extension that can scan chess diagrams and connect them to related YouTube videos and chess books, and allows you to easily turn these positions into digital flashcards. We talk about how Pawel’s side project grew into a full-time business, what it takes to build tech tools for chess players, and what Pawel has planned next for his growing platform.Pawel also discusses his enthusiasm for following professional chess, and his own approach to chess improvement. I have become a big fan of Pawel’s product, and I enjoyed chatting with him.
Thanks to our sponsor Chessable.com, check out their Black Friday sale here:
https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/all/offer/?utm_source=chessable&utm_medium=shop_hero_banner&utm_campaign=enblackfriday2_2025
0:02- Pawel Kacprzak joins me!
Mentioned: NM Han Schut’s video overviews of Chessvision.ai
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqwK8Q1NEjg
03:00 The Impact of Daniel Naroditsky
06:00 Pawel's Journey into Chess and Programming
10:30 Evolution of Chessvision.ai
17:00 Patreon mailbag question: Can one use Chessvision.ai to scan diagrams from physical chess boards?
19:00 Patreon mailbag question: What features will Pawel work on developing next?
23:00 Subscription Models and Accessibility
28:00 Community Engagement and Support
29:30- Patreon mailbag question: Does Pawel consider himself an adult improver?
33:30 Chess Resources and Learning
35:30 Closing Thoughts and Advice
Thanks to Pawel for joining me! Here is how to reach him, as well as how to find out more about Chessvision.ai:
Email- Pawel at Chessvision.ai
Twitter/X-
https://twitter.com/ChessvisionAI
Discord-
https://discord.gg/zkcBPhWhme
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42:52
Bonus Pod- After Plenty of Upsets- 32 Players Remain in the FIDE World Cup (with IM Michael Rahal from Goa)
The 2025 FIDE World Cup has been as dramatic as ever. Top seeds like GM Gukesh D, Ian Nepomniatchtchi, and Anish Giri have been eliminated, but we still have some top 10 stalwarts remaining, as well as many surprise advancers to the Round of 32.
Joining from Goa, FIDE Press Officer IM Michael Rahal helps break it all down. We discuss:
Should we be surprised by the number of upsets?
The performances of veterans like GM Peter Leko (still in) and GM Vasyl Ivanchuk (eliminated)
Whether the reports of poor playing conditions in Goa are well-founded
Key matchups to watch when play resumes tomorrow, and who might clinch a FIDE Candidates spot
Timestamps for topics discussed are below.
00:00 Introduction and Overview of the World Cup
04:00- IM Michael Rahal joins
06:32 Patreon mailbag question- Does the number of upsets suggest that the top players are protected?
Mentioned: Chessnumbers-data
https://x.com/ChessNumbers/status/1986634183415111831?s=20
Peter Leko interview with Chessbase India-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7Fh1lQBmGI&t=3s
09:00 Notable Matches
11:30 The Impact of Player Preparation and Conditions
15:30 Match Predictions and Player Insights
18:00 Reflections on Chess Legends and Their Influence
23:00 Reflections on Ivanchuk’s Press Conference
25:00 Reflections on Daniel Naroditsky
28:00 Tournament Conditions and Player Experiences
Tweet from GM Neiksans:
https://x.com/GMNeiksans/status/1986117054911684978?s=20
37:00 Upcoming FIDE Candidates in Cyprus
39:00- Breaking down the brackets
https://www.reddit.com/r/chess/comments/1osncpq/world_cup_2025_pairings_for_final_32/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
46:00 Rest Day Activities and Team Spirit
48:00- Thanks to IM Michael Rahal for joining me!
Here is how to keep up with him:
X:
https://x.com/Rahal_Michael
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/michaelanthony.rahal/
FIDE YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@FIDE_chess
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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.com
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