EP.215 - Dr. Vishnu Sreekumar (Adult Improver Series)

We are back with  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  risen from 1675 to 1954 in the 1.5 years preceding the onset of Covid’s changes to all of our lives.  During this period  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.    0:00- Vishnu shares a bit about his background and his beginnings in chess, as well as his initial tentative return to tournament play in 2018. .  Mentioned: GM Nihail Sarin,  Meet the Dojo with GM Jesse Kraai- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kAGwWsRsKU&t=1381s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance  How to Reassess Your Chess by IM Jeremy Silman, Pawn Structure Chess by GM Andy Soltis    12:30- Perpetual Chess is proud to be brought to you in part by Chessable.com. To check out their latest offerings, you can go here:  https://www.chessable.com/courses/for-beginners/ 13:00- 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’t supplant his family and work responsibilities.  Mentioned: Domination in 2,545 Endgame Studies, Grandmaster Chess- Positional Play,   Test Your Chess IQ. Understanding Chess Move by Move, Tal Botv