Book Recap #5 : Alex Yermolinksy's The Road to Chess Improvement with Bryan Castro

Welcome to another edition of Perpetual Chess, Chess Books Recaptured!

My guest co-host this month is Bryan Castro. Bryan is a dad, businessman, chess teacher and adult improver from Buffalo, NY. Bryan and I are both fans of GM Alex Yermolinksy, and we share a strong affinity for his instructive and readable 1999 chess-improvement memoir, The Road to Chess Improvement. We like this book so much that we were not going to let a global pandemic stop us from getting together and sharing our favorite quotes, games and chess-improvement takeaways from this somewhat underappreciated gem. Please read on for more details, timestamps and relevant links.

4:00- After a few programming notes, Bryan Castro joins the show and shares a bit about his personal background.

7:00- What does Bryan like about The Road to Chess Improvement?

Mentioned: Jim Rohn, Tony Robbins, Brian Tracy, GM Jon Ludvig Hammer, IM John Watson’s Review of Road to Chess Improvement, Hear GM Yermolinksy’s interview on Perpetual Chess here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/perpetual-chess-podcast/id1185023674?i=1000382608741

10:00- Both of us used the original Gambit version of Road to Chess Improvement

11:00- What was happening in the chess world when this book was released in 1999?

Mentioned: GM Kasparov, GM Alexander Khalifman, GM Alexei Shirov, GM Viswanthan Anand

13:00- Bryan shares a bit more about Yermolinksky’s background.

Mentioned: GM Gregory Serper, GM Alexander Shabalov

15:00- For what level player is this book most helpful?

16:30- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable. Check out GM Pentala Harikrishna’s 2020 FIDE Candidates “Game of the Day” analysis and accompanying course here:

https://www.chessable.com/candidates-2020/course/34649/

17:30- We dive into the book, as Bryan reads some inspiring opening paragraphs from The Road to Chess Improvement

Mentioned: GM Alekhine, GM Botvinnik,

20:00- We discuss the structure of the book and our favorite chapters.

Mentioned: Vladimir Zak

29:30- We share a few of our favorite quotes from the book.

Mentioned: GM Evgeny Bareev, GM Vassilly Ivanchuk, GM Peter Svidler, GM Vladimir Kramnik, GM Sam Shankland, GM Viktor Korchnoi, GM Jan Timman, GM Alexander Beliavsky, GM Mikhail Tal, GM Mikhail Botvinnik

40:00- We each pick a favorite game from the book.

Mentioned: GM Arthur Yusopov, Yermolinsky-Khmelnitsky 1995, Hjartarson-Yermolinsky 1996

45:00- What are the chess improvement takeaways from The Road to Chess Improvement?

Mentioned: IM Greg Shahade

48:00- How useful is the book for improvement?

49:00 What, if any, are our quibbles with the book?

Deep Blue vs. Garry Kasparov

52:00- Closing remarks and good bye to Bryan Castro. In lieu of paying Bryan for his efforts I will be making a small donation to the East Aurora Chess Club. You can keep up with Bryan the following ways:

Bryan’s Youtube Channel here:

https://youtube.com/betterchesstraining

Bryan’s website, Better Chess Training here:

http://www.betterchesstraining.com/

Follow him on twitter here:

https://twitter.com/YourBryanCastro

56:00- Blindfold puzzles of the month:

Puzzle #1- White to move, find the best move

https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=xyVYfoozbF6iR+wCrD8E3LVWoPU8wRa2aKCSWt9SSPcJjEME8Mrb+Gps4wVo0mBi

Solution #1-

https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=BTkwJm0GgCBPOr6bmORI2c020+oxdq6CvPpZFqSIU5JeJajZLmJQ+1Dar2t6cnXF

Puzzle #2- Black to move and win material e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Qf6 5. Nxc6 Qxc6 6. Qe2 Bc5 7. Nc3 Ne7 Qf3 Ng6 9. Bc4 Ne5 10. Qe2 {Black to move and win material} 0-1

https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=PORw9ncvRoVlZBKq9xADW1F9Baqw/xYlJ4PcRqNZuq6OstdGFms4ToOP81KIlbJi

Solution #2-

https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=oTOKuSqLokqFRarUHxOWMZ4rMpkpXZC0Sg8zv++1qev07Vg9PA0sgLjIvYHJXcdE

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https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate

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Release date

Lydbog: 20. marts 2020