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Perpetual Chess Podcast

Ben Johnson
Chess
Chess Improvement
Chessable
FIDE Candidates Tournament
Magnus Carlsen
World Championship
Chess Education
FIDE
Hikaru Nakamura
Chess Training
World Chess Championship
Gukesh
Youtube
Fabiano Caruana
Ding Liren
Bobby Fischer
FIDE Candidates
Chess Books
FIDE World Cup
Chess.com

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

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes575Founded10 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
LeisureSportsHobbies

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for Perpetual Chess Podcast

Latest Episodes

GM Simon Williams returns to Perpetual Chess for the first time in several years. Simon is one of chess's most recognizable personalities, known as the Ginger GM through his work as a streamer, commentator, author and Chessable creator. He is also an... more

Jordan Himelfarb is an award-winning editor for the Toronto Star and an avid games player who became fascinated by elite chess during the pandemic. That fascination eventually led to his excellent new book,  Interregnum : Inside the Grueling and Glam... more

Paulo SantAnna is living the dream of many adult chess improvers. The retired software engineer has spent the past several years devoting serious time and energy to improving his game, and the results have been impressive. When Paulo rekindled his in... more

GM Ivan Sokolov is a former top-15 player who won major tournaments across multiple decades and became national champion of both Yugoslavia and the Netherlands. In classical chess, he scored memorable wins against Kasparov, Kramnik and Anand.

In rec... more

Key Facts

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Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

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Recent Guests

Simon Williams
Grandmaster, The Ginger GM, chess author; involved with Chess Publishing
Chess Publishing
Episode: EP 485: GM Simon Williams on Mistakes, Revival, and the Future of Chesspublishing
Jordan Himelfarb
Author of Interregnum, Toronto Star opinion editor
Toronto Star
Episode: EP 484: Jordan Himelfarb on Interregnum and the Drama of the 2024 Candidates Cycle
Paulo SantAnna
Accomplished amateur/retired professional who progressed from 1850 to 2100+ and advised Chessable and the Play Magnus group
Chessable, Play Magnus, Senior tournaments participant
Episode: EP 483- Paulo SantAnna: What Happens When a Retired Adult Treats Chess Like a Full-Time Job?
Ivan Sokolov
Chess Grandmaster and elite trainer
Independent chess professional
Episode: EP 482- GM Ivan Sokolov on Talent, Training and Modern Chess
Greg Shahade
International Chess Master, Jeopardy contestant
Self-directed learning; chess community figure
Episode: EP 481- IM Greg Shahade: Inside His Incredible Jeopardy Run
Mike Mahoney
NM, competitive chess player and subject of the episode
Episode: EP 480- GM Eugene Perelshteyn & NM Mike Mahoney: Chess Rocky-Taking on Nakamura & Niemann at the Naroditsky Memorial
Rafael Leitão
Grandmaster, trainer, and returning guest
Brazilian chess community
Episode: EP 479 – GM Rafael Leitão on Sindarov’s Historic Candidates Win, His Training Methods & What Comes Next
Vlad Ghita
Romania-based arbiter, trainer, and chess researcher; author of The Rating Revolution
Independent researcher/author
Episode: EP 476-Vlad Ghita: Is the Rating System Still Broken? A Data-Driven Investigation
Gaurav Datta
Former student of Jeremy Silman, local California chess figure
Independent
Episode: Book Recap #38- Silman’s Chess Odyssey + Stories from a Former Student with Gaurav Datta

Host

Ben Johnson
Host of Perpetual Chess Podcast; long-running interviewer with broad exposure to top players and industry figures

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 1.8k ratings
  • Love listening to your adult improvers

    Always interesting, I look forward to your new podcast every week. Makes my daily commute a joy.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    MatrixTransform
    Australia2 months ago
  • Enjoyable

    Enjoyable

    Pity about all the adverts for betting .

    No problem with adverts just the content

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    veganman1961
    United Kingdom3 months ago
  • Great

    Qualifies for quality background noise from my experience

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    I’m just a cool guy
    United Kingdom6 months ago
  • “Just like in my book…”

    Can the host talk to one guest without pushing his own book? Great guests, good content, and I want to listen more, but constant self promotion just cheapens the whole production until it’s just too off putting.

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    Quercus marilandica
    United States10 months ago
  • Great Podcast

    I love all the guests on your show. I am quickly falling in love with chess myself and love to listen to this podcast while doing my daily routine! Great personalities and would like to see GothamChess back on the pod soon.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Skull Island 1276
    United Statesa year ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Listeners praise the host's interview skill and broad guest roster as engaging and informative.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#25
United States/Leisure/Hobbies
Apple Podcasts
#213
United States/Leisure
Apple Podcasts
#13
Canada/Leisure/Hobbies
Apple Podcasts
#33
United Kingdom/Leisure/Hobbies
Apple Podcasts
#119
Canada/Leisure
Apple Podcasts
#217
United Kingdom/Leisure

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

EP 485: GM Simon Williams on Mistakes, Revival, and the Future of Chesspublishing
Q: What is Chess Publishing and how does it help players?
Chess Publishing is a long-standing data-rich resource with monthly opening sections and thousands of annotated games, used for preparation and as a learning tool; they're upgrading with a searchable database and online tools.
EP 484: Jordan Himelfarb on Interregnum and the Drama of the 2024 Candidates Cycle
Q: Besides Gukesh's historic win, whose story during the candidate cycle did you find the most compelling or painful to write about?
Jordan points to a constellation of compelling arcs, emphasizing how Abbasov, Vidit Gujrathi, and others offered human drama and resilience, with Caruana and Ding also providing rich, emotionally resonant narratives that reveal the pressures and hopes of the top players.
EP 482- GM Ivan Sokolov on Talent, Training and Modern Chess
Q: How has Sokolov's view of training evolved since coaching the Uzbek team in 2022?
He emphasizes that the trainer's role is to guide, save time with curated material, and nurture motivation, but the final success rests with the players' own effort and ambition; technology has changed preparation, but core understanding and decision-making remain crucial.
EP 478 – GM Ben Finegold on the Candidates, the Hans–Magnus Netflix Documentary, and TakeTakeTake’s Bold Business Move
Q: How do you think the documentary portrays the issue of cheating in chess compared to poker or other games?
Cheating in chess is complicated because online cheating is more detectable than in real-life games, and people exploit different environments; the documentary suggests a spectrum rather than a simple yes/no verdict, highlighting the different skill sets involved in online vs. over-the-board cheating.
EP 478 – GM Ben Finegold on the Candidates, the Hans–Magnus Netflix Documentary, and TakeTakeTake’s Bold Business Move
Q: What are your initial impressions after watching the Chessmates documentary?
I wasn't deciding it was entirely good or bad; I was looking for information and learned interesting details, like Hans' online streams and his behavior, which helped form my view though I still see the narrative as one-sided in places.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Perpetual Chess Podcast

What is Perpetual Chess Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The show revolves around deep-dive conversations with prominent chess figures—top players, trainers, and notable amateurs—covering careers, current projects, and practical approaches to improvement. Episodes routinely explore training philosophies, opening ideas, tournament preparation, and the evolving chess ecosystem, including technology, data, media, and community dynamics. A standout trait is the breadth of guests—from world-class grandmasters to coaches and content creators—paired with thoughtful interview pacing and actionable takeaways for players at all levels. This mix makes it useful for listeners seeking personal development in chess, insight into high-level preparation, and a window into the broader culture surrounding the game... more

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How many listeners does Perpetual Chess Podcast get?

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Which podcasts are similar to Perpetual Chess Podcast?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Perpetual Chess Podcast:

1. C-Squared Podcast
2. Dojo Talks: A Chess Podcast
3. Chess Journeys: Tales of Adult Improvement
4. New In Chess Podcast
5. The Chess Angle

How many episodes of Perpetual Chess Podcast are there?

Perpetual Chess Podcast launched 10 years ago and published 575 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Perpetual Chess Podcast?

Recent guests on Perpetual Chess Podcast include:

1. Simon Williams
2. Jordan Himelfarb
3. Paulo SantAnna
4. Ivan Sokolov
5. Greg Shahade
6. Mike Mahoney
7. Rafael Leitão
8. Vlad Ghita

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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