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This week\u2019s guest is Grandmaster and Chessable Author, Raven Sturt. Raven was a National High-School champion, but considers himself a late bloomer in chess because he had to work very hard to earn the Grandmaster title in his 20s. During this period, GM Sturt intensively trained his board visualization and pattern recognition skills, and he shares the fruits of his labor in his excellent Chessable Course, Developing Chess Intuition: Domination & Other Lesser Known Positional Concepts. During our conversation, we discuss the course, his book recommendations, and his unique approach to studying openings. Raven is working on a course on the Bird Opening (1. f4) , and has come to believe it is an underrated weapon for White. We also discuss Raven\u2019s unique life trajectory. Raven grew up in New York City, went to McGill University in Canada, and has recently settled in Paraguay after traveling extensively. I really enjoyed chatting with Raven, and if you are interested in improving your chess game, you will definitely enjoy this conversation!\xa0\n\nThanks to our presenting chess education sponsors, Chessable.com!\nBe sure to check out their new courses including IM Christof Sielecki\u2019s new course, and if you use this link to sign up for Chessable Pro, and/or make a Chessable purchase, it will help support Perpetual Chess.\xa0\nhttps://www.chessable.com/pro/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=benjohnson&utm_campaign=pro\n02:00- What does Raven think are the core tenets of chess improvement?\xa0\n07:00- What has Raven noticed in the differences in how kids and adults learn?\xa0\n09:00- After graduating from McGill University, Raven ended up pursuing chess full-time.\xa0What went into that decision? How did he approach his chess study?\n11:00- Raven offers helpful visualization and calculation advice\nMentioned: Evaluate Like a Grandmaster\xa0\n16:00- Patreon Mailbag Question: \u201cDoes Raven find that his focus on improving intuition resonates with adult students?\u201d\xa0\n22:40- Is competing OTB overrated as a method of chess improvement?\xa0\n25:00- How did Raven get better at practical play without competing frequently?\xa0\nMentioned: MVL on C-Squared Podcast, GM Giga Qupardaze\n\n31:00- Patreon Mailbag Question: \u201cWhat tips does Raven have for getting good at blindfold visualization?\u201d\xa0\nMentioned: Book Recap #10- Blindfold Chess, Improve Your Chess Now by GM Jonathan Tisdall\nDomination by Kaspayan\n38:00- How does Raven recommend dividing chess study time?\xa0\nMentioned: Dvoretsky\u2019s Endgame Manual\xa0\xa0\n45:00- Raven\u2019s favorite chess books:\nChess for Zebras, Dvoretsky\u2019s Positional Play, Book Recap #32- Chess for Zebras, Strategic Play by GM Jacob Aagaard, Shankland\u2019s Small Steps to Giant Improvement\xa0\n50:00- What made Raven decide to study at a university outside of the U.S., to\xa0travel extensively, and to relocate to Paraguay?\xa0\n53:00- What international open tournaments are Raven\u2019s favorites to attend?\xa0\nMentioned: Sitges International,\xa0Floripa Chess Open, Paleochora International Chess Tournament in Crete\xa0\xa0\n1:00:00- Patreon Mailbag Question: \u201cWhy doesn\u2019t the U.S. offer more tournaments with one round per day?\u201d\xa0\n1:03:00- Is Raven training and competing right now?\xa0\n1:04:00- Why is the Bird opening underrated for White?\xa0\n1:06:00- What are Raven\u2019s plans for his Youtube channel?\xa0\n1:08:00-\xa0\nThanks to Raven for joining! Here is how to keep up with him:\nChessable course\nYouTube\nBlog\nLiChess Coaches Page\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices