The Perpetual Chess Podcast
Ben Johnson
My selected courses
King’s Anti-Sicilians for Black
GM Daniel King
For Sicilian players (like me), at the club level, the “side lines” occur so much that they are actually the main lines. Daniel has some great ideas for countering the Rossolimo, the Alapin, and more.
Ben’s Suggested Chess.com Rating Range: 1600-2400
Learn Chess the Right Way – Book 3: Mastering Defensive Technique
GM Susan Polgar & Russell Enterprises
For newer chess players, your main job is to learn not to screw up. This is one of the best resources for learning to stop your opponent’s threats.
Ben’s Suggested Chess.com Rating Range: 0-1100
Endgame Strategy (Revised and Expanded Edition)
Mikhail Shereshevsky & GM Sam Shankland
One of my favorite books of all time is now a Chessable course! This is a fantastic primer on important endgame principles, with some unforgettable examples.
Ben’s Suggested Chess.com Rating Range: 1500-2200
Survive & Thrive: How to Blunder Less and Defend Better
FM Dalton Perrine officially endorsed by GM Sam Shankland
A (Significantly) More Advanced Version of Polgar’s “Defensive Technique” Course. Noticing your opponent’s threats is a skill!
Ben’s Suggested Chess.com Rating Range: 1400-2200
Forcing Chess Moves
FM Charles Hertan & New in Chess
Popular Perpetual Chess Guests from James Canty to Peter Giannatos have extolled the virtues of this challenging tactics work. A good choice for an 1800 trying to level up their tactics game.
Ben’s Suggested Chess.com Rating Range: 1700-2300
Keep It Simple For Black
IM Christof Sielecki
I have many of IM Sielecki’s courses and he always puts real thought into presenting a unified repertoire with solid choices.
Ben’s Suggested Chess.com Rating Range: 1400-2200
Visualise 1
Benedictine
If you are learning chess as an adult and trying to boost your visualization skills, Benedictine’s “Visualize” Series is a great choice. He teaches you how to see ahead on the chess board one step at a time.
Ben’s Suggested Chess.com Rating Range: 1200-1600
The Checkmate Patterns Manual
CraftyRaf & presented by IM John Bartholomew
This is an amazing course! These patterns occur so frequently in chess, and CraftyRaf has meticulously selected examples of each pattern at varying degrees of difficulty. Possibly the highest return on invested time chess course for those rated below 1400.
Ben’s Suggested Chess.com Rating Range: 700-1600
Everyone’s First Chess Workbook
FM Peter Giannatos
The name says it all. If you are getting your feet wet and want a primer on basic tactics (and defense!), this is your book.
Ben’s Suggested Chess.com Rating Range: 0-1100
Mastering Chess Strategy
Everyman Chess & GM Johan Hellsten
The Mastering Chess series is indispensable for intermediate players who want to grow their positional skills. Tons of positions in each course with clear explanations, so you get good bang for your buck.
Ben’s Suggested Chess.com Rating Range: 1500-2200
Chess Principles Reloaded – Center
IM Andras Toth
IM Andras Toth is one of YouTube’s most entertaining presenters, and this is my favorite of his courses. Any master level chess teacher can tell you how much they see their students struggle to obey chess opening principles consistently. Andras provides clear examples and entertaining commentary for someone looking to advance from novice to intermediate.
Ben’s Suggested Chess.com Rating Range: 1000-1600
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