EP.215 - Dr. Vishnu Sreekumar (Adult Improver Series)
b'We are back with\\xa0 another Adult Improver Edition of Perpetual Chess. My guest, Vishnu Sreekumar, is a 35 year-old cognitive scientist and dad, who has been dedicating many hours to studying and playing chess since he rediscovered his love for the game in 2018. There have been plenty of obstacles along the way, but Vishnu has had great success, as his USCF rating has\\xa0 risen from 1675 to 1954 in the 1.5 years preceding the onset of Covid\\u2019s changes to all of our lives.\\xa0 During this period\\xa0 he has continued to work on his chess, although unfortunately work responsibilities and a pending move back to his native India may soon slow down his chess schedule. Vishnu is also a classically-trained pianist. This background gives him even more perspective on the field of adult learning. So between the chess talk and the neuroscience talk, there is a lot to learn from Vishnu. Please read on for many more details and timestamps.\\xa0\\n\\n\\xa0\\n\\n0:00- Vishnu shares a bit about his background and his beginnings in chess, as well as his initial tentative return to tournament play in 2018. .\\xa0\\n\\nMentioned: GM Nihail Sarin,\\xa0 Meet the Dojo with GM Jesse Kraai- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kAGwWsRsKU&t=1381s\\n\\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\\xa0\\n\\nHow to Reassess Your Chess by IM Jeremy Silman, Pawn Structure Chess by GM Andy Soltis\\xa0\\n\\n\\xa0\\n\\n12:30- Perpetual Chess is proud to be brought to you in part by Chessable.com. To check out their latest offerings, you can go here:\\xa0\\n\\nhttps://www.chessable.com/courses/for-beginners/\\n\\n13:00- At the peak of his chess obsession, Vishnu was spending 3+ hours a day on chess while maintaining work and family responsibilities as well. In this segment, Vishnu shares some of the resources he studied, but he also reflects on that period of obsession, and the adjustments he has since made to make sure that chess doesn\\u2019t supplant his family and work responsibilities.\\xa0\\n\\nMentioned: Domination in 2,545 Endgame Studies, Grandmaster Chess- Positional Play, \\xa0 Test Your Chess IQ. Understanding Chess Move by Move, Tal Botvinnik 1960 , GM Jesse Kraai, Episode 44 with GM Jesse Kraai, Episode 175 with GM Jesse Kraai\\xa0\\n\\n\\xa0\\n\\n21:00- Vishnu answers a question from the Perpetual Chess Patreon mailbag. \\u201cIs it better to study tactics from a book or from an online tactics trainer?\\u201d\\xa0\\n\\nMentioned: The Test of Time, Winning with the King\\u2019s Indian by Eduard Gufeld\\xa0\\n\\n\\xa0\\n\\n26:00- Patreon question: \\u201cWhat are Vishnu\\u2019s biggest regrets in how he has studied chess?\\u201d\\xa0\\n\\nMentioned: GM R.B. Ramesh\\xa0\\n\\n\\xa0\\n\\n33:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by AImchess.com which collates data from your online games and gives you actionable advice and lessons. Check out the site, and if you subscribe use the Promo code \\u201cChess30\\u201d to get a 30% discount.\\n\\n\\xa0\\n\\n35:00- Vishnu answers a few questions from Patreon supporters\\xa0 relating to the cognitive science of chess.\\xa0\\n\\nMentioned: Practical Chess Exercises, Lev Alburt Pocket Chess Training Books, Woodpecker Method, Sherlock\\u2019s Method, Universal Chess Training,\\xa0 IM Elizabeth Paehtz, Van Perlo\\u2019s Endgame Tactics\\xa0\\n\\n\\xa0\\n\\n41:00- Patreon question: \\u201cAs a cognitive scientist, why does Vishnu think it\\u2019s so hard for adults to improve at chess?\\u201d\\xa0\\n\\nMentioned: IM Greg Shahade, GM Hikaru Nakamura, GM Peter Svidler, GM Jan Gustafsson, IM Kostya Kavutskiiy, GM Jesse Kraai, GM Avetik Grigoryan\\xa0\\n\\n\\xa0\\n\\n57:30- Another Patreon question- \\u201cIs there a correlation between chess and long term brain health?\\u201d\\xa0\\n\\n\\xa0\\n\\n1:00:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessmood.com!\\xa0\\n\\nCheck out their blog here:\\xa0\\n\\nhttps://chessmood.com/blog\\n\\n\\xa0and check out their YouTube, featuring Lessons with a Grandmaster here:\\n\\nhttps://www.youtube.com/c/ChessMood\\n\\n\\xa0\\n\\n1:01:00- Does Vishnu have advice for how to balance a desire to improve at chess with work and family responsibilities?\\xa0\\n\\n1:08:00- We discuss Vishnu\\u2019s background in music, as well as his daughter\\u2019s burgeoning interest in music. He also answers a Patreon mailbag question relating to whether he thinks that chess talent and music talent are transferable?\\xa0\\n\\n\\xa0\\n\\nMentioned: The Steps Method\\xa0\\n\\n\\xa0\\n\\n1:16:00- With Vishnu moving to India and opening a lab, what role will chess take in his life?\\xa0\\n\\n\\xa0\\n\\nThanks to Vishnu for sharing his chess story! You can keep up with him via Twitter\\n\\nhttps://twitter.com/VishChess\\n\\nor Facebook\\n\\nVishnu Sreekumar | Facebook\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\nSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices'