EP 282- 2022 FIDE Candidates Preview Double Episode with GM Robert Hess and Tai Pruce Zimmerman of the Chess by the Numbers Blog

The wait is almost over! With the 2022 FIDE Candidates Tournament beginning June 17, we present one last deep dive on this chess-history defining tournament. The winner of this tournament is slated to play GM Magnus Carlsen in the 2023 World Championship match if it takes place. I am joined by two separate guests to discuss the players and what we can expect. First up is GM Robert Hess. Robert, of course, is an insightful and popular commentator who will be traveling to Madrid to cover the event live with his Chess.com team. Robert and I discuss each player individually, as Robert shares his reflections on what he has observed from many years of observing these players up close. Robert’s other appearance on the podcast was nearly 5 years ago, so after an hour of FIDE Candidates talk, we spend some time catching up on other chess-related matters. Following Robert, I am joined by Tai Pruce Zimmerman of the “Chess by the Numbers” blog. I always enjoy getting Tai’s insights, which are primarily derived from an Elo-rating based model. Who is statistically most likely to win? How do Tai’s numerical assessments differ from those of other models and the betting markets? Tune in to hear some fascinating Candidates discussion! As always, timestamps and relevant links are below. You can find brief timestamps below, and more details ones on the podcast website here. FIDE Candidates info here 01:00- Intro with details on the Candidates format and Schedule.  Prior GM Robert Hess appearance  05:45- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com you can find the free “Endgame Strategy” Lesson from GM Sam Shankland here: https://www.chessable.com/course/115673 7:45- How does Candidates prep compare for Robert and his announcing team compare to prep for an event like the World Championship? 13:00- What can Robert share about GM Jan-Krystof Duda?  16:45- GM Teimour Radjabov  20:00- GM Hikaru Nakamura  29:30- GM Ian Nepomniatchtchi  35:00- GM Richard Rapport 41:00- GM Fabiano Caruana  47:15- GM Alireza Firouzj