EP 237- GM Vladimir Kramnik

Note- one can read a transcript of this interview here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-3Q-sZ9DYfI4N8sqNRZd4MNUef6_C1L3l5ak1fQAQnE/edit?usp=sharing This week on Perpetual Chess, we are privileged to be joined by the 14th undisputed World Chess Champion, Grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik. GM Kramnik spent decades atop the chess world, and is best known as the man who ended Garry Kasparov’s historic reign as World Champion. GM Kramnik is one of the 10 highest rated players of all time, and left a special imprint in his contribution to opening theory, as many of his favorite lines are now embraced by modern chess engines and frequently seen at the elite level. We had a wide-ranging conversation where GM Kramnik discussed his match with Kasparov, the effect of engines on chess, his recent “no-castling” exhibition match with GM Viswanathan Anand, and, of course, his new Chessable course. Vladimir’s course is called Thinking in Chess: A How to Guide, and it offers a Super GM level framework on how to think about preventing your opponent’s plans. There are many great insights in this interview, so I hope you all enjoy listening to it as much as I did speaking with him. Please read on for more details, timestamps and relevant links.   0:00- We begin by discussing Kramnik’s rise in the 1990’s, including his breakout tournament at the 1992 Manila Olimpiad, a tournament for which he was a surprise choice to compete on the stacked Russian team. 08:30- Vladimir recently concluded his match with GM Vishy Anand in a new variant called “no-castling chess.” He discusses the match and the future of chess variants.  Mentioned: GM Vasyl Ivanchuk 22:45- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by AImchess.com. Check out their site, and if you decide to subscribe use the code Perpetual30 to save 30%.  23:45- GM Kramnik answers a question from the Perpetual Chess Patreon mailbag: "How has his game has been influenced by computer chess?" 26:00- A couple more Patreon mailbag questions- “Did computers help Vladimir prepare the Berlin