EP.193 - Tom Murphy

USCF expert Tom Murphy is undoubtedly one of the most renowned “park speed chess” players to live in the U.S. in the last few decades. He is a local legend in the cities in which he has lived: Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and Chicago, and has often been featured in the local media in those cities. It’s hard to miss Tom in popular chess hotspots due to his strong play and his entertaining banter. In our conversation we cover topics ranging from blitz and trash-talking tips, to Tom’s unique improvement advice, to the most money he has made in a day while gambling on chess. Tom shares many great stories and has an evident love of chess, but his life has not always been easy. As we also discuss, Tom has battled addiction at times, and even had a short stint in jail as a result of these issues. As you can tell, Tom has quite a story to tell! More details can be found below, along with time stamps and relevant links.

0:00- Perpetual Chess Happy Hour info here:

https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/happyhour

2:45- Tom tells the origin story of how he discovered chess as a teenager in Philadelphia and began to take it increasingly seriously over time.

Mentioned: Central High School, NM Norman “Pete” Rogers, A Contemporary Approach to the Middle Game by GM Alexei Suetin, NM Wilbert Paige

8:30- Tom tells the formative story of a moment when a top player underestimated him, and how this served to motivate him to work to improve.

Mentioned: IM Anthony Saidy, GM Yasser Seirawan, GM Robert Byrne

11:30- Does Tom consider himself a chess hustler?

Mentioned: Daaim Shabazz of The Chess Drum’s coverage of Tom Murphy: https://www.thechessdrum.net/blog/2018/10/24/tom-murphy-wins-chicagos-3rd-tate-memorial/

Tim Ferris video in which GM Maurice Ashley plays a park player - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5vnpOp0U_g

14:45- Tom Murphy answers a question from the Patreon mailbag about the art of trash- talking.

Sideline: The History of Chess from a Black Point of View preview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVEWz_mzT8Q

16:45- What is the story behind the birth of the Chicago based National Blitz League?

Mentioned: Nathan Kelly, https://www.nblchess.com/, Daniel X Jones, George Li

19:45- Tom reveals his “3 Ps” for chess improvement- Patience, Perseverance and a Peaceful Mind

Mentioned: IM Greg Shahade, WGM Jennifer Shahade

23:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Check out all of their latest offerings here.

https://www.chessable.com/courses/

24:00- Who is Tom’s best “customer” of all time in terms of playing him in blitz for money?

Mentioned: FM Sunil Weerumantry

27:15- Who is the strongest player Tom ever faced? What were the reasons for his moving from Philly to DC, and then later to Chicago?

GM Roman Dzindzichashvilli, GM Ben Finegold, GM Nikola Mitkov

30:30- Does Tom think that park chess is dying?

The National Blitz League Facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/NationalBlitzLeague

Henry Getz, Steve Jennings

32:00- Tom has battled addiction in the past, has been homeless for periods and even spent six months in jail due to addiction issues, so he reflects on that experience and offers advice to others battling addiction.

37:30- Is Tom stronger online or over the board?

38:00- What are Tom’s favorite chess publications to read?

Mentioned: New in Chess Magazine, Endgame Strategy, The Art of The Middle Game in Chess,My System, 500 Master Games of Chess

44:00- How does Tom use computers to work on his chess game?

Mentioned: The Perpetual Chess Facebook Group

46:00- What is Tom’s blitz chess advice?

Mentioned: GM Pablo Riccardi

48:30- IM Greg Shahade writes in to ask about the state of Tom Murphy’s Ms. Pac Man skills, then Tom discusses his enthusiasm for poker and backgammon.

Mentioned: Paul Baraz

55:00- Thanks so much to Tom for sharing his great stories! If you would like to contact him about online lessons, you can text him at 202-279-1442

If you would like to help support Perpetual Chess, you can do so here: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/donate

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