Perpetual Chess Linkfest #178, Aug 14, 2026

The end of summer is in sight here in New Jersey, and we’ve got one more week of family travel before the kids go back to school. The linkfest will next return on August 28. Have a good weekend! - Ben

Chess Improvement

Dr. Nick Vasquez looks back at the core tenets of chess improvement that he wishes he had identified sooner. “If I had known how important it was to emphasize quality in my training over quantity I would have done things very differently.” (Chess in Small Doses)

IM Junta Ikeda wrote about the importance of overcoming performance anxiety, and competing when opportunities present themselves. “Going into the event, knowing I may not be at my sharpest made me think this: ‘Hey, I might make some game-losing mistakes, and that’s ok. Let’s just focus on playing my best on every move’. (Infinite Chess)

What might you learn if you used an LLM to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses (using Stockfish move analysis). Martin Justesen reviewed his own games. “After reviewing the output, I think that some chess sites that deliver these light reports with a spiderweb chart showing playing strength based on your last 10 games have something to worry about, because models like Opus 5 can access all the games I have ever played online since 2012 and analyze them, while giving a more helpful and comprehensive output.” (Say Chess Blog)

TheOnoZone went from beginner to 1700+ FIDE as an adult. Unfortunately, the secret to his success is hard work. (The Ono Zone)

News

IM Alice Lee became the youngest ever winner of the Chess.com Speed Chess Championship! (Colin McGourty for Chess.com)

WGM Zoey Tang wrote a round-by-round recap of her successful defense of the US Girl’s Championship. She touches on the challenges of balancing chess and academics and reveals that she will be attending Stanford University in the fall. (Chess Life Online)

A youth movement is afoot in British Chess, as 17-year-old GM Shreyas Royal became the youngest British Champion, and WIM Bodhana Sivanadan won the Women’s Championship. (Leonard Barden for The Guardian)

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GothamChess played basketball and chess with Victor Wembyana at his Hoops/Chess Summit in France. (NM Jeremy Kane for Chess.com)