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41-year-old IM Renier Castellanos had all but given up on earning the Grandmaster title. His life was getting busier, and after 2 potential GM norms were not ratified by FIDE, he felt like it just wasn\u2019t meant to be. But his friends and Killer Chess Training co-workers, GM Jacob Aagaard and Kallia Kleisarchaki, convinced him to keep trying. It turned out that was all it took! Two weeks ago, Renier got his final GM norm, to earn the title of Grandmaster at age 41. In our interview, Renier reflects on the lessons he has learned, and why he thinks he was still able to earn the title in this challenging era, despite not working on chess as much as he did in his 20s. Renier also shares his own advice on chess improvement, some book recommendations, and discusses what he observed from facing Super GM level players like GM Vladimir Fedoseev. This interview was conducted while the Candidates was still ongoing, but you can even hear Renier\u2019s Candidates prediction to see how it played out. Timestamps of topics discussed are below.\xa0\n0:00- Thanks to our sponsors, Chessable.com\xa0\nNew courses include - Michael Roiz\u2019s Fighting the Grunfeld and King\u2019s Indian\xa0\n\xa0If you use the link below to sign up for a Chessable pro membership, it helps to support the pod!\xa0\nhttps://www.chessable.com/pro/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=benjohnson&utm_campaign=pro\n\n0:01- Renier discusses why he had given up on the GM title\xa0\n\nMentioned: GM Jacob Aagaard of Killer Chess Training, Killer Chess Training Review of Renier\u2019s Game:\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeI0AazBw1I\n\n0:08- What shortcoming in his game did Renier need to overcome in order to earn the title?\n\n9:45- How did he think about the expense of pursuing the GM title?\n\n16:00- What is Renier\u2019s approach to the opening? What else did he do to train?\nMentioned; KillerChessTraining.com\n\n22:00- How did Renier\u2019s wife, WGM Raluca Sgircea, help him with his daily habits?\xa0\n\n25:00- Renier discusses his early years growing up in Cuba, moving to Chile and then to Spain in his teens and 20s\xa0\nMentioned: GM Lazaro Bruzon Batista, Chess Reddit thread about Renier\u2019s GM title\xa0\xa0\n\n31:00- We discuss the congratulatory notes Renier has gotten, including this tweet from GM Kevin Goh Wei Ming\xa0\nMentioned: Episode 184 with GM Kevin Goh Wei Ming\xa0\n\n34:00- Did an emphasis on physical fitness help his chess? What about community?\n\n43:00- What is the best way to spend one\u2019s chess improvement time?\n\n46:00- Renier\u2019s recommended open tournaments, based on his time on as a traveling chess professional:\nMentioned: Benasque, Spain Chess Open, Menoraca, Sitges\xa0\n\n51:00- Renier\u2019s favorite chess books\nMentioned: Perfect Your Chess, Dynamic Chess Strategy by GM Mihai Suba\xa0\n\n54:00- What did Renier learn from playing Fedoseev and other super GM-level players?\xa0\n\n1:03:00- Renier\u2019s most memorable game\nMentioned: Video of his World Bitz victory vs. GM Peter Svidler\xa0\n1:10:00- Thanks to Renier for sharing his inspiring story!\xa0\nYou can reach him via his Lichess coaches page or find his classes at KillerChessTraining:\nhttps://lichess.org/coach/RenierChess\nKillerChessTraining.com\n\nIf you would like to help support Perpetual Chess via Patreon, you can do so here:\nhttps://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess\n\n\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices