The Adult Improver series returns to Perpetual Chess to spotlight another accomplished amateur. This week we are joined by 48-year-old data scientist, NM Matt Gross. Matt returned to tournament chess after a 17-year hiatus with a mission to earn the USCF Master title. With a 2140 rating, Matt did not need to earn so many additional points to reach his goal, but he found that the game had evolved and competition was much tougher in 2021 than in had been in  2004. Matt could no longer rely on outcalculating his opponents and playing dodgy openings, He soon realized that  he would need to revamp his entire chess game. He decided to focus on building a solid repertoire, and, most of all,to work assiduously to improve his chess intuition.  Matt’s mission to make NM took a few years, but he managed to earn the title in 2023, possibly making him one of the oldest players to earn the NM title in the past few years. Our conversation is about how he went about this.  In addition to the insights from this conversation, Matt also shares a treasure trove of advice and resources on his blog, Movelibrary. Thanks to Matt for sharing his inspiring story! 

Check out Matt's blog here:

https://www.movelibrary.com/

You can find a playlist of the Adult Improver Series interviews here:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/75Uoqz2BoRt2IiTCeOfuky?si=Jkd_NO5ZSzGB2XakMmSv3A&pi=u-8s5JlGJPRHGj

0:00- Thanks to Perpetual Chess Patreon subs for helping to support the podcast! If you would like to join the community, you can do so here:

https://www.patreon.com/perpetualchess

0:00- Thanks to our sponsors:

Check out new Chessable courses by me, GM Nils Grandelius, and GM Sam Shankland- if you sign up for Chessable Pro, be sure to use this link:

https://www.chessable.com/pro/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=benjohnson&utm_campaign=pro

0:02- NM Matt Gross joins the podcast and discusses how he got back into chess during the pandemic after 17 years away. 

Mentioned: GM Gata Kamsky’s Twitch stream 

0:08- Why did Matt think he would need to revamp his game after a 17-year hiatus? 

Mentioned: Matt’s “TLDR” post is here:

https://www.movelibrary.com/story/1/

14:00- Why did Matt decide to focus on studying model games and working to improve his intuition? 

22:00- Check out the app of our new sponsors Chess Universe in your app store. 

https://chess-universe.sng.link/Dqw52/kbhh

23:00- Patreon mailbag question: “Many GMs have suggested that calculation is the great differentiator between masters and club players, so why focus on intuition rather than calculation?” 

32:00- What surprised Matt in coming back to tournaments for the first time in 17 years? 

Mentioned: GM Naroditsky series The Blitz Chess Manifesto

https://www.chess.com/article/view/the-blitz-chess-manifesto

45:00- Matt’s favorite content creators and books

Mentioned: GM John Nunn, Zurich 1953, Fire on Board, GM Hikaru Nakamura, The ChessDojo 

47:00- How does Matt approach online play? 

48:00- How much time does Matt spend reviewing his games?

51:00- How did it feel for Matt to achieve his goal and reach the ranking of  USCF Master? 

55:00- How does Matt prepare openings for common opponents? 

Mentioned: NM Peter MInear, NM Matt O’Brien 

56:00- Matt’s improvement advice for lower-rated players. 

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