Keith Arkell's guest appearances

Keith Arkell

Perpetual Chess Podcast

Premier Chess: Conquer the Game; Master Your Life 

Jacob Aagard

Fred Wilson

James Altucher

John MacArthur

Ben Johnson

Sean Williams

Aleksandr Lenderman

Danny Rensch

Jacob Aagaard

Grandmaster Timur Gareyev

Joe Posnanski

Jonathan Rowson

Michael Regan

John Hartmann

Macauley Peterson

OwlTail

In Episode 220, I converse with Grandmaster Keith Arkell, 2014 European Senior Champion.  He won the English Chess Championship in 2008. In 2014 he was European Senior (50+) Champion, and, later in the year, tied for first in the World Senior (50+) Championship, but received the silver medal on tie-break. He is the author of Arkell's Odyssey and Arkell's Endings. We speak about the humor of time, the lack of prizes in New York tournaments, playing chess in the United States versus abroad, Chess PR around the globe, his road to grandmaster, the importace of ambition rather than artificial barriers, common misconceptions about openings, the art of being well-rounded, the minority attack,  inspiration from Grandmaster Ulf Andersson, the endgame grind, the psychology of draw offers, the combination of theory and practical knowledge, maintaince of skill level as a senior, predictions on the 44th Chess Olympiad 2022 and more.

In Episode 220, I converse with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Arkell" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Grandmaster Keith Arkell, 2014 European Senior Champion</a>.  He won the English Chess Championship in 2008. In 2014 he was European Senior (50+) Champion, and, later in the year, tied for first in the World Senior (50+) Championship, but received the silver medal on tie-break. He is the author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Arkells-Odyssey-Autobiography-Grandmaster-Arkell/dp/B009A8NI1Q" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Arkell's Odyssey</a> and <a href="https://gingergm.com/library/arkells-endings" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Arkell's Endings</a>. We speak about the humor of <a href="https://premierchess.com/chess-pedagogy/three-ideas-for-a-race-against-time" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">time</a>, the lack of prizes in New York tournaments, <a href="https://premierchess.com/chess-tour/difference-of-playing-chess-tournaments-in-the-united-states-and-abroad" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">playing chess in the United States versus abroad</a>, <a href="https://premierchess.com/chess-tour/carpe-diem-press-opportunities-abound-for-chess-pros-following-the-popularity-of-the-queens-gambit" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Chess PR</a> around the globe, his road to grandmaster, the importace of ambition rather than <a href="https://premierchess.com/chess-pedagogy/goodbye-artificial-barriers" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">artificial barriers, </a>common misconceptions about <a href="https://premierchess.com/uncategorized/evan-rabins-new-video-on-openings" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">openings</a>, the art of being well-rounded, the minority attack,  inspiration from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulf_Andersson" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Grandmaster Ulf Andersson, </a>the <a href="https://premierchess.com/chess-pedagogy/its-all-about-the-endgame" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">endgame </a>grind, the psychology of <a href="https://premierchess.com/chess-pedagogy/drawing-is-for-art-school" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">draw</a> offers, the combination of theory and practical knowledge, <a href="https://premierchess.com/chess-pedagogy/chess-for-seniors" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">maintaince of skill level as a senior</a>, predictions on the <a href="https://www.fide.com/calendar/51215" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">44th Chess Olympiad 2022</a> and more.

Podcast Episode 220 with Grandmaster Keith Arkell, 2014 European Senior Champion

GM Keith Arkell is a constant presence in chess tournaments ranging from smaller British weekend tournaments, to big-stage open tournaments like the Chess.com Isle of Man International. Over the years, he has amassed dozens of tournament victories, including winning the 2014 European Over 50 Championship, and tying for first in the 2008 British Championships. Of course, Keith is best known for his legendary endgame prowess, and he shows off and explains his approach to endgames in his enjoyable and instructive new book,  Arkell’s Endings. In our interview,Keith discusses the book, including his fascinating “hierarchy of pawns.” Keith shares some great chess tips as well as life reflections from a life spent wholly immersed in chess. As always, please read on for more details and timestamps. 0:00- We begin by discussing the genesis of Arkell’s Endings, as well as the origins  of Keith’s legendary endgame skills. Mentioned: Chess for Life by GM Mathew Sadler and Natasha Regan, Ginger GM Publishing, GM Simon Williams, GM Anatoly Karpov, GM Ulf Andersson, GM Tony Miles, 08:00- Does Keith think he is uniquely feared due to his propensity for grinding down opponents in long games? Mentioned: GM Mark Hebden12:00- In Arkell’s Endgames, he lays out his “heirarchy of pawns”- how does he value each pawn, and how did he come upon that framework? 18:30- Keith makes no secret that he dislikes opening theory. How does he approach chess to minimize memorization? How does he characterize his chess style generally? Mentioned: IM John Bartholomew,  GM Simon Williams 26:30- As a European senior champion what is Keith’s advice for other older players? How does he balance a desire to socialize with his chess colleagues while also trying to perform well in tournaments? 30:30- In addition to an evident endgame prowess, Simon Williams shows some impressive tactical melees that Keith has played  in Arkell Endgames.   How did Keith learn to calculate? 34:00- Keith has a light touch in Arkell’s Endings, with regard to how much analysis he includes. How did he decide on this approach? Mentioned: Bertrand Russell, GM Peter Svidler, IM Ali Mortazavi 41:50- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Check out all of their latest offerings here: https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/42:30- How does Keith stay sharp in blitz? Mentioned: Hodgson, Howell, GM Simon Williams, IM Ameet Ghasi, GM Alireza Firouzja, GM Mickey Howell, GM Luke McShane, GM Gawain Jones,GM Ivan Sololov, John Naylor 46:00- Are the rumors true, that Keith’s fun first book, Arkell’s Odyssey, will soon be updated and reissued? Keith expounds on some personal issues touched upon in the book, including a lack of confidence before he discovered chess, and a history of panic attacks. 56:00- Keith made an early decision in life to try to avoid a “real job.” How old was he when he made this decision? How strong was he at chess? Mentioned: IM Susan Lalic, GM Glenn Flear, WIM Christine Flear 1:03:00- What are Keith’s favorite places that he has visited for tournaments? Mentioned: GM Vassily Smyslov, GM Lev Psakhis, Arkell-Psakhis 1983,  GM Leonid Yudasin, GM Alexander Khalifman, Marshall Chess Club, 1:08:00- How did Keith find his chess heroes, like Anatoly Karpov and Ulf Andersson? Mentioned: Simple Chess, My System, Think Like a Grandmaster, Chess for Zebras, Fred Reinfeld, Irving Chernev, GM Yuri Averbakh 1:13:00- What is Keith’s approach to analyzing his own games? 1:15:30- What was it like to play Magnus Carlsen when Magnus was 11 years old? What other memorable encounters has Keith had with top players? Mentioned: Arkell-Carlsen 2002, Isle of Man International, GM Fabiano Caruana, GM Sergei Karjakin, Arkell-Karjakin 2003, GM Michael Adams, Gm Jonathan Speelman, GM Nigel Short, GM Anish Giri, GM Teimour Radjabov, GM Vidit Gujrathi 1:22:00- Thanks so much to Keith for joining the show! Get Arkell’s Endings here: https://gingergm.com/library/arkells-endingsFollow Keith on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/atomrod?lang=enTrack him on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/AtomrodCheck out how he did at Pardubiche here: https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/czech-open-pardubice-2020/8/1/1See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

GM Keith Arkell is a constant presence in chess tournaments ranging from smaller British weekend tournaments, to big-stage open tournaments like the <a href="http://Chess.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Chess.com</a> Isle of Man International. Over the years, he has amassed dozens of tournament victories, including winning the 2014 European Over 50 Championship, and tying for first in the 2008 British Championships. Of course, Keith is best known for his legendary endgame prowess, and he shows off and explains his approach to endgames in his enjoyable and instructive new book,  Arkell’s Endings. In our interview,Keith discusses the book, including his fascinating “hierarchy of pawns.” Keith shares some great chess tips as well as life reflections from a life spent wholly immersed in chess. As always, please read on for more details and timestamps. 0:00- We begin by discussing the genesis of Arkell’s Endings, as well as the origins  of Keith’s legendary endgame skills.  Mentioned: Chess for Life by GM Mathew Sadler and Natasha Regan, Ginger GM Publishing, GM Simon Williams, GM Anatoly Karpov, GM Ulf Andersson, GM Tony Miles,  08:00- Does Keith think he is uniquely feared due to his propensity for grinding down opponents in long games?  Mentioned: GM Mark Hebden 12:00- In Arkell’s Endgames, he lays out his “heirarchy of pawns”- how does he value each pawn, and how did he come upon that framework?  18:30- Keith makes no secret that he dislikes opening theory. How does he approach chess to minimize memorization? How does he characterize his chess style generally?  Mentioned: IM John Bartholomew,  GM Simon Williams  26:30- As a European senior champion what is Keith’s advice for other older players? How does he balance a desire to socialize with his chess colleagues while also trying to perform well in tournaments?  30:30- In addition to an evident endgame prowess, Simon Williams shows some impressive tactical melees that Keith has played  in Arkell Endgames.   How did Keith learn to calculate?  34:00- Keith has a light touch in Arkell’s Endings, with regard to how much analysis he includes. How did he decide on this approach?  Mentioned: Bertrand Russell, GM Peter Svidler, IM Ali Mortazavi  41:50- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by <a href="http://Chessable.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Chessable.com</a>. Check out all of their latest offerings here:  <a href="https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/</a> 42:30- How does Keith stay sharp in blitz?  Mentioned: Hodgson, Howell, GM Simon Williams, IM Ameet Ghasi, GM Alireza Firouzja, GM Mickey Howell, GM Luke McShane, GM Gawain Jones,GM Ivan Sololov, John Naylor  46:00- Are the rumors true, that Keith’s fun first book, Arkell’s Odyssey, will soon be updated and reissued? Keith expounds on some personal issues touched upon in the book, including a lack of confidence before he discovered chess, and a history of panic attacks.  56:00- Keith made an early decision in life to try to avoid a “real job.” How old was he when he made this decision? How strong was he at chess?  Mentioned: IM Susan Lalic, GM Glenn Flear, WIM Christine Flear  1:03:00- What are Keith’s favorite places that he has visited for tournaments?  Mentioned: GM Vassily Smyslov, GM Lev Psakhis, Arkell-Psakhis 1983,  GM Leonid Yudasin, GM Alexander Khalifman, Marshall Chess Club,  1:08:00- How did Keith find his chess heroes, like Anatoly Karpov and Ulf Andersson?  Mentioned: Simple Chess, My System, Think Like a Grandmaster, Chess for Zebras, Fred Reinfeld, Irving Chernev, GM Yuri Averbakh  1:13:00- What is Keith’s approach to analyzing his own games?  1:15:30- What was it like to play Magnus Carlsen when Magnus was 11 years old? What other memorable encounters has Keith had with top players?  Mentioned: Arkell-Carlsen 2002, Isle of Man International, GM Fabiano Caruana, GM Sergei Karjakin, Arkell-Karjakin 2003, GM Michael Adams, Gm Jonathan Speelman, GM Nigel Short, GM Anish Giri, GM Teimour Radjabov, GM Vidit Gujrathi  1:22:00-  Thanks so much to Keith for joining the show!  Get Arkell’s Endings here: <a href="https://gingergm.com/library/arkells-endings" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://gingergm.com/library/arkells-endings</a> Follow Keith on Twitter here: <a href="https://twitter.com/atomrod?lang=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/atomrod?lang=en</a> Track him on Facebook here: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Atomrod" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/Atomrod</a> Check out how he did at Pardubiche here:  <a href="https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/czech-open-pardubice-2020/8/1/1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/czech-open-pardubice-2020/8/1/1</a> See <a href="http://omnystudio.com/listener" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>

EP.195 - GM Keith Arkell